AUTHOR'S NOTE      

Hearing other caregivers' stories can transform expectations. 

One friend asked if I had written a love story.
 

I did not think so at the outset, but as I re-read my journey journal chapters, they suggested an answer. I found a story of love. A love for My Love, for those who surrounded us, and a love for humanity. It is hard to think of this story without being filled with the love shared with My Love and me by so many people.

             I am glad I finally made the decision to
             accept the gift of caregiving. I feel honored to know the caregivers I have met, privileged to share a role with those who face situations similar to, and yet unlike, mine. Most of us are riding emotional roller coasters, each day, facing unfamiliar situations. I bow to the caregiver role models in my life. I laud their choice to answer the call. I’d like to believe I might become a better person as a result of knowing such superstar individuals.

Many times shared experiences reduce fears.
 

             While, in some cases, there had to be                 slight alteration to bring seven years into a five-page chapter, these stories are based on true events. The words shown as conversation are not from a transcript, but from my notes and recall of the core of issues. I smoothed out the confusing time lines we lived. However, the substance of our journey remains true. 

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I was troubled that many of these events could have happened at all, yet they did. As you read, you, too, may feel exhausted!

  Welcome to my world!
                      Judith Allen Shone                             

Start a Conversation!

As a caregiver, if you need a little assistance talking with others about how your new experience FEELS, Click Here or on image and find a 4" x 6" image to print and frame. Many have found this image helped bring understanding where before caregiving was difficult to talk about.