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Stanley Tucci, Italian cooking, cancer, and the meaning of life
I was getting a little bored with the book till I came to the last chapter and realized Tucci had touched something far more profound than what we’ll fix for dinner.
A popular lyric. A friend’s example. The challenge I’m facing today
The resolution to one friend’s stress could lead to deeper peace for me, too.
Marking an unremarkable anniversary with the woman I’ll never forget
For the first time in 51 years, we didn’t celebrate our wedding anniversary. But I marked the occasion in a way I’ll always remember.
Calculating ‘quality of life’ amid my not-finished-yet goodbye
Another trip to the hospital for a condition that hadn’t taken us there before. How many more trips will there be?
Four more conclusions in response to a caregiver’s plea for help
A caregiver’s plea for help in dealing with his task reminded me of conclusions that have come to me in more than five years of caregiving.
A caregiver’s plea for help: ‘I feel bad about feeling bad!’
A reader asked for advice, and that’s not what this blog is about. But maybe some stories from my experience will help him.
Making the best decisions will likely continue to be a challenge
I thought the pressure of making difficult decisions would end with Evelyn living in residential care. Saturday morning I realized that end won’t likely be anytime soon.
An acrostic to help me remember six goals for a life on purpose
The list helps me keep from living my life haphazardly. I don’t accomplish every goal every day, but these are a good checklist for every week.
My first dinner guests at home alone: enjoyable, but different
I’m living alone, and I’ve decided to cope with that by not always staying alone. So I invited three couples for dinner. Like everything else in my life now, it felt odd, a strange mix of the familiar with the all-new.
I’m finally admitting that ‘Mark and Evelyn’ doesn’t describe reality
This year I signed Easter cards with my name alone. I’m finally ready to admit that our reality has changed.
One week after our big transition: I’m hoping the shadow has passed
I can honestly report, “We are doing fine.” This is true for several reasons.
Too soon? Too late? Right? Wrong? I have made a difficult decision
Yesterday I moved Evelyn into a residential memory care facility. I’m hoping I remain convinced that was the right decision.
I have a full glass, barely holding all I’ve had to pour into it
“Every time you say ‘yes’ to one thing, you must say ‘no’ to something else.”
What probably would have been and what possibly could someday be
Sometimes I wonder what I’d be thinking and feeling and doing if our lives hadn’t been invaded by illness.
Two years later, the string of change just keeps getting longer
As the list of difficult or unseemly duties lengthens, my sadness is almost dulled. I feel myself getting weary.
Pondering the meaning and mystery of who she was and who she is
What is really changing in the deterioration happening before our eyes? And what will never change? A thoughtful question led me to ponder issues beyond what I’m seeing today.
Words necessary, difficult, and becoming common: ‘I need your help’
Asking for help is humbling. But at two different times last week, I had absolutely no other choice.
Embracing anger: one strategy for protecting me from sadness
A friend has helped me think afresh about anger. I’m going to claim it, use it, unleash it against the mess we’re in.
Privilege or burden or both? How to know I’m feeling right about this
I’ve written about the privilege and the burden of caregiving. Now I’m thinking about how to experience the former more than the latter.
What’s next for us? Looking to God for the answers I need most
I’ve been wrestling with whether or when and where Evelyn should move to a care community. Will God give me the answers through the advice of my friends?