This is Not a Vacant Lot

It would seem that this Space has been vacated! Not true. As I make my journey and practice the things I learn in life, I have spent less time setting it down here. I will get back to it.

It has been two years since I finished my cancer treatment and one of the oncologists who treated me told me I graduated from her care last week. I won't be back to see her at all, though I will continue to see my main oncologist for a few more years. I was told my CT scan was perfectly normal and the physical exam was perfectly normal. Those are nice things to hear.

As we know, though, life has lots of things to teach us and my lessons don't end with the conclusion of a scary medical diagnosis. My mother-in-law has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It's time to care for someone else. As I research this topic I share the results with my husband and daughter. We are becoming experts on yet another disease. We wish this one could have a happy ending. I think we will have to reconsider our definition of happy in this case. My mother-in-law is devastated. How could she not be? Her husband is devoted to her and is wearing himself to a frazzle taking care of her. It is really him I worry about. But their journey will be different than mine because they are not me. What I needed, connection and support, they think less of. They want independence as long as possible. They want privacy and peace. They want, above all, dignity. It is a perilous journey.

But not one they have to take alone. We will walk with them. Their son, my husband, has a gift for supporting them without making them feel talked-down-to. And as he shows his love and support, they rely on him more and more. It's a funny thing to watch. I'm grateful they receive his advice and so impressed with the way he navigates the treacherous waters of aging parents.

And so we go.

Comments

[Mike]

Thanks for the kind words and the caring support!
Much love