The Walker

Who means the most to you in this world? If you're a parent, you probably would say your child. And to your child, you are probably the most influential person as well. So when your parent is not taking care of you any more, that's a major life change. How about when you need to start caring for your parent?

This month my mother got a walker. A couple of weeks ago, she called me out of breath and upset to tell me that she had fallen three times just that day. In the past few months, she has had more health problems than in her entire life. I won't go into all of them but the latest one has been problems with her feet which have caused her to be off balance and in pain.

The day after she called me, I talked to a friend and she mentioned a walker. That's how new I am to the idea that my mother needs help. She falls that many times and I don't even think "walker" until a friend mentions it. I just don’t think of her as being a woman behind a walker but now she is.

My husband and I are coming to the stage in our lives that we have to think about how to care for our parents. My husband's father is turning 79 in a little over a month and his mother is going to be 73. His stepmother is already over 80.

We moved back to Florida to be near all of them twelve years ago and now we are working on moving even closer to them so we can be there when they need us. We only live about an hour from them now but sometimes an hour can mean all the difference in the world.

I’m writing this blog because it’s the last day of National Family Caregivers Month. According to the National Family Caregivers Association, there are more than 65 million family caregivers in this country. Are you one of them? If you are, I admire you greatly for showing your love in such an important way.

Mother Theresa said, “Spread love wherever you go. First of all in your own house” and “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.”

We are not all cut out to be caregivers, but we can all show love and devotion to our family. When we do that, we begin a ripple effect of love that can go out to the ends of the world.

For those of you who are caregivers, thank you for spreading your love. Be sure to schedule time for yourself. And don’t be afraid to ask for help. One thing I’ve learned over the years of being a military wife is how important both those things are. As I like to say, we all need help and we all need to help others.

I want to hear your stories. How have you helped others this week, month or year? Email me at anne@annesanders.net with your story and I may feature it in my blog or on my website. On my website I have an Inspiration in Action section about people making a difference. You may be one of them. You don’t have to start a nonprofit to help others, you just have to care and do something.

This quote is attributed to President Theodore Roosevelt. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” Then tell me about it! Have a great weekend.