All in a caregiver's day

Where the sun comes up in the morning, take a moment and bask in the warmth and beauty of the bright rays that reach out and touch everything, even you!

I am learning that caregiving is so multifaceted that what I thought was...isn't and what isn't might be.   I was told once by a person who had great awareness, that when a beautiful moment occurs grab it and hold on to that moment, because it could be a  most precious memory for that day. 

That seems like a rather simplistic ideal but so true.  When you are a caregiver, you often think that there are few moments that you would like to preserve as a memory, some days are full of  the mundane and ordinary.  And something as endearing as a loving word from a spouse when they are so very ill,  makes everything worthwhile.

Today is the day after a night of almost no sleep, and a spouse so ill that I battled with whether to call paramedics or take him to emergency myself.  Making these decisions is so difficiult when my spouse say no, I don't want to go to the hospital, I won't live to come home...and knowing that he is shaking so violently from chills that he can scarcely speak. 

 Needless to say we made it through the night, with an old prescription of antibiotics and lots of changing and drying clothing as the fever broke.  I was frightened.......but didn't want this fear transferred to my spouse.  These infections always happen at night and usually on weekends.   I am going to ask the doctor for a prescription for "emergency" episodes when he isn't available.

I didn't mention that part of the decision to hesitate to go to emergency is the storm raging outside....the tail of tropical storm Erin was passing through our area and with it flooding.

What to do was also colored by my almost 90 year old mother who is vision and hearing handicapped.  What to do about her, do I wake her and try to explain where we are going, or let her sleep through the night?  Mother also has some other problems that come with age and I wasn't sure she could stay by herself very long.  Thank God, we made it through the night..    The old country song ..." Help me make it through the night"..certainly went through my mind many times.

 So Peace reigns at the moment at Marigold Country Home...