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| Brantley, Mom Evans, and Dawson Photo shared by Chris |
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| Brantley when he was a newborn Photo shared by Jackie |
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| Dawson when he was a newborn Photo shared by Chris |
Mom has a brand-new great-grandson! We took her to meet him and it was a delightful and very special time.
Seeing Mom and the baby together reminded me of when this little guy's big brother was born. That was 4 years ago and this week he started pre-school! That seems almost impossible! Wasn't it just a few short days ago that he was a newborn, too?
The days I've been helping care for Mom have been fast, too ... and these 6 years have gone faster than the days have! Her doctor told me recently that Mom's lungs are worse but that was something I already knew from watching her breathing become more difficult and take all of her energy. She wants to do things, but the effort to breath makes the effort too great. Mom was always the one up and doing for others, so I know this physical situation she deals with is mentally and emotionally hard for her. I encourage her to do anything she wants to do or feels like doing, but, like her new great-grand-son with his mother, Mom sleeps a lot more now and just lets me do more things for her.
I don't mind anything that I do providing for her care, nothing is too much -- and I don't share that to get a complement or a pat on the back. In the time I've had the privilege of caring for Mom, I've learned more about myself than anything else. And I've learned this is something I not only want to do but actually need to do. Caring for her gives me focus and a different kind of purpose in life – when I tell Mom this, she shakes her head and tells me she doesn't see how. Truthfully, I don't fully understand that, either; all I know is that our Heavenly Father knew exactly what I needed and daily makes a way for me to do this – and I thank Him and praise Him for this season of my life.
The days that belong to these two little boys that we spent the afternoon will go fast, too, and they will disappear into men much too soon. Their parents are wise to make the most of these days, to influence them for eternity, and to make wonderful memories with them.
As these fast days turn into even faster years, I'm trying to use the same wisdom and not take for granted the time I have with my Mom and my husband. I want the memories I'm someday left with to be just as precious, just as good, and most of all ... comforting.
Caregiver, remember that you, too, are doing things every day that not only bless the one you are caring for but bless you, too. It is a gift that you cannot give without getting back, even if it doesn't seem that way right now. So stay on you knees and keep looking up -- we aren't home yet.
Shared in love,
Chris
