This has turned out to be a week of gathering to the heart stories of beloved relatives and friends who face challenges caring for the elderly. Stories of fiercely independent mothers being less and less able to be who they once were. Stories of falls and hurts and scares. Of memories not being where they once were. As heavy as the heart is to hear how life is changing for loved ones as they make their way to the final sandbar of life, how much more it costs caregivers to care. To go from considering it a mere responsibility to emptying the heart of every bit of love stored within. To do it each day, each week, each month. And then, to do it all over again.
To give of the heart in good health and in sickness. With and without support from others. To persist in loving on days when love is so hard to give. To love the elderly and the sick even as the caregivers’ own worlds may be crumbling. To carry on through a son’s loss of job, through another’s injury, through relatives’ thoughtless words and even more inconsiderate behaviours from those who should have known better.
To fight to stay sane and strong when those to whom we have entrusted our beloved elderly slip in their responsibilities. When they fail to go the extra mile to keep us informed about setbacks. When they forget to be human, calling and asking if they could “tie up” a beloved mother because she kept getting out of bed at night and falling as a result.
It takes a great heart full of God’s love to do all of this and much, much more. Having such a heart and such a love makes things easier. And yet, sometimes the giving seems woefully insufficient – because of the desire of caregivers to give in love, more than can be humanly given.
Today, on the first Friday of March, the traditional month of flowers, the month when spring signals stronger its coming, every love~story flower is placed in the Holy Wounds of Jesus.
Because only Jesus’ perfect Love can understand love as well as the difficulty of giving love. Jesus Who once lived and walked on this earth. Who knows our pains because He knew them first.
Every love story of human wounds, every bloom of it, given to Jesus today, to be Touched in a way no one else on earth can.
writingonmyheart 
You posted a beautiful photo for this post. It is a telling photo in the story of love. The one flower shows a sunny, happy face. The other flower must bend. It is so with love that we must bend. It is not drooping, simply bending. Love does not give up. It tries again and again. But it must be willing to give to almost impossible degrees. God teaches us what real love is. The sunshiny flower is lovely, but in many ways the other flower is infinitely more beautiful. Praying for all of these caregivers. It is God and God alone, who makes such caregiving possible. It is He who strengthens their hearts…
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Oh Linda, this was deeply touching. As much as the picture touched me and called out for me to allow it to complete the story of this post, I only saw that it illustrated how love is sometimes in the purple shadows of life, not everything visible to earthly eyes.
But you have seen so much more. Because you know what it is like to care with heart and soul.
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I understand what you mean with the purple shadows…love is there too.
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😊💜
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Both my sisters have and are in the position of caregivers. They have a very difficult task but with a heavenly grace are able to provide the care needed. It is their intent to make life as full and happy as possible even as mental abilities slip away…
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Beautiful and noble intentions. It takes a lot to care, what more to ensure our loved ones’ happiness.
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