It’s been a while since writing in the blog.  Here’s an update:

Mom has been doing better. I went to see my son who was recovering from an injury that had him in the hospital. During my time away, I called her to see how she was doing, and we had a long discussion on scheduled doctor visits, getting an MRI of her head, and just how she feels she is doing. She admitted some things that I was happy to hear from her. Without going into detail of that conversation, I wanted to encourage caregivers to leave the door of communication open at all times. One never knows when you will have an intimate conversation that will enable you to really hear what is going on in their minds. It may be good thoughts and/or ones that aren’t so good (depending on how clear-headed they are at the time), but at least you will know what your loved one is thinking.

The line of communication includes the one talking and the one listening. If you are on the listening end, it helps to let the one on the other side of the line to talk, get things off their chest. And if you can, offer suggestions that could encourage them and lift them up. During my conversation with my mother, I was pleasantly surprised to hear what she had to say regarding how she was reacting and not reacting to everyday living, and there were some things she had to accept as she gets older. That conversation was a good one that helped both of us view (as best we could) the whole picture.

But there is another line of communication that is available, and that is having a talk with God. As caregivers we tend to make the attempt to handle everything on our own, which tires us out in the process. God encourages us to cast our cares upon him, as he cares for us. He always offers and leaves the line of communication open whenever we need to get some things off our chest. Take him up on his offer, and give him a call and communicate with him. He is always available.