The Caregiver’s Song: Insights and Support for Your Journey
UNDERSTANDING DEMENTIA
The Caregiver's Song
“Remember,” she says.
“You must take care of yourself.”
“It will make you a better caregiver,”
she says.
If you have ever been one,
you know
that all your waking moments
are spent thinking about
and serving the one you love.
So, when she says to me,
“Remember, you must take care of yourself,”
one more time
another “ought”
takes up residence in my brain…
This one pretending to be a gift.
And I say, “Thank you dear friend,”
as I smile and
walk on home to that quiet place
where no “oughts” are allowed.
The whole time
wondering
what it means to take care of oneself
without riding on the backs
of the happiness of others.
And then,
in the stillness,
I begin to hear the sound
of my own heart.
The sweet music of love
coming from that place inside
unknown to all but me.
And for a little while
there is just beauty
and kindness
and love
and all the grace
that is available to each
and every one of us
and all of us
all the time.
One more time
I smile.
This is the gift.
This is the song of the caregiver’s heart.
It’s just about being loved.
and knowing
that I am too.
© Barbara Wood Gray