On Giving Care and Being Cared for

At different times in our lives we will have been at both ends of the caring continuum. We will either have been cared for or care giving, which are some of the most natural elements of being alive. As infants and small children we either had parents or parent surrogates who protected and looked after us. If we were blessed, we passed through the vagaries of childhood and made it to the possibilities inherent in adulthood. If not, we may have been thrust into responsibilities way before we should have. How many children in poor circumstances must work to help secure a family!

To raise a child...

Then, of course, we may be the ones giving care. Perhaps it is our joy to help raise a child or maybe on the long road of relationships we will find ourselves caring for a loved one, once strong and capable, but now diminished because of a body’s inability to function. These are the circumstances that tend to draw from us strengths we did not know we had and, at times, rank frustrations. Role reversals take place. Once the strong adult who protected us now needs protection, or the loving partner needs assistance. All the while we knew these shifts were possible, but we did not expect them.

The person we are becoming...

This all leads us to the role we may now play and the person we are becoming…with our concurrence or not. How much love do we have in the bank that we are now withdrawing? Trust me…we shall find out. We could call it our turn at the wheel, our place in the furtherance of life. One thing is certain. We will discover more about ourselves than we may ever have wanted to know…and there will be hidden blessings that sneak in around the edges and inner lights that get turned on. It has been said by many that we are spiritual beings. We will discover more about what this means.

Love fills in the gaps...

We’ll come up short at times…almost can’t help it, but love fills in the gaps, and we’ll find the ways, the means and perhaps the doggedness to begin again. Sometimes this is how the road turns, and it is ours to follow.

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