When Our Parents Get Older

I guess I’m on a theme considering yesterday’s post.  But as I told my friends, when you have chances to visit with your elderly parents and loved ones, stop and take photos and videos of them.  Having my father pass away years ago and not having a lot of videos of him nor voice recordings, it’s one of my regrets.  Sure, I have photos, but not many as we were all in the moment most of the time and didn’t take pictures.  Having learned this lesson the hard way, I now take more photos and videos and with the cell phones, it’s so easy to do!  I just thought I’d suggest this to you.  Honestly, this goes for all family members though as we have no guarantees for tomorrow!

Calling more often is a great way to stay in touch and to know that they are ok.  If you haven’t started this already, I suggest you begin slowly to make your calls more frequently so as not to surprise them with vigilant calling (unless it’s necessary).  You don’t want to make them think you are hounding them!  LOL  But it’s nice to reach out more often to your parents and other elderly relatives, isn’t it?  Getting older can be a lonely time for them.  Put some silly stories or anecdotes on a card by the phone so that when you call, you can keep the conversation flowing if you find that it gets quiet.

Sometimes parents or elderly loved ones don’t want to be a burden to their children/next generation so they hide the ugly parts so as not to worry you.  Be aware of the whole scenario at home.  Notice the relationship between your parents as frustration levels can surge as they get older.  Check the refrigerator to make sure that they are eating properly and look around to see if bills are piling up, if the place is clean, the heat is on, the water working etc.  Be attentive and be kind.  Old age ain’t for sissies and it’s hard to get older and begin to decline.  Nobody looks forward to this stage so please, be patient, be understanding and be careful with your words/actions.  Don’t criticize.  Help them if needed.

Not losing our patience with loved ones, especially our parents can be challenging, especially if they are living with us.  But that’s a subject for a different post.

Whatever you do, shine your heartlight and be aware of the love you give out and receive.  It’s there.  Sometimes you just have to put yourself in someone else’s shoes to experience it.

Shine On!

xo

As Our Loved Ones Age

Maybe it begins when you realize they are forgetting silly things that you know they well-know.  Maybe you notice when they aren’t as spry as they once were.  Maybe you sense that they aren’t following the conversations or involved in them as they once were.  Maybe you notice that the rituals (daily bed making for example) aren’t completed.  As time goes on, you realize that there’s a little hitch in your loved one’s routine, conversation,  eating habits, sleeping habits and such.

Many times we brush those moments off with the thought that hey, they are getting older.  But how many signs does one need in order to shake up our thinking and begin the growing alarm that our loved ones may need more help?

That is a personal issue for many people as we can easily explain away when we aren’t ready to deal with the issue at hand which is:  our loved ones are aging and need our help.  For some people, it’s a mind-blowing thought (especially if we are their children) when our loved ones have been people we looked up to, respected, revered and who took care of us.  To see them slide even a little can cause us to feel that tinge of panic or to altogether dismiss it because we can’t even begin to go there in our minds.

But let’s been honest – aging happens to us all, so we need to help when we can!  Because someday, it will be our turn.  So what do we do when we begin to notice more frequently, aging signs in our loved ones?

Tread lightly is my advice.  Know your loved one and approach the subject accordingly.  Some people welcome a little help.  Others vehemently oppose it.  Nobody likes someone else to point out that we are functioning at less than our normal ability so be kind as you broach the subject.  Be respectful.  Offer help in a non-judgemental way and allow the conversation to flow in a peaceful way.

Caveat:  unless you see imminent danger, then be proactive and respectful.

It’s not easy for your loved ones to admit that they are weakening or finding their normal routines more difficult.  Getting confused, losing objects and forgetting to eat are tell-tale signs that you need to step up your communication with them.  But do it in a non-threatening way.  Take more time with them when possible.  Encourage them to share with you how they are feeling and what they are noticing if anything.  Do it the way you would like ti done for you.

I have some friends who are noticing their loved ones showing signs of aging that are concerning to the well-being of their loved ones.  It’s not an easy task to flow into the parenting role of a loved one who is older than you.  It’s not always met with gratitude, but instead sometimes it is met with distrust.  It’s scary for your aging loved one to feel that they are not as strong as they once were.  Some fight it and others simply allow the aging process to flow easily.

My advice is to keep your eyes and ears open and to broach the subject with compassion.  Listen to your intuition too as many times we know, we just don’t want to see because it’s hard to think of our loved ones in that way.

I wish you well on this next chapter of your journey.  I’m here if you need a hand to hold as we’ve experienced this as well.  You are not alone.

Shine On!

xo

What We Can Learn From Winter (and I’m not writing about the season)!

Have you ever seen the 2011 movie Dolphin Tale?  Or its sequel Dolphin Tale 2 which came out in 2014?  The movies chronicle the life of a dolphin named Winter who was maimed by being caught in a crab trap and thusly, lost her tail.  I have seen the movies before, but I find that I always enjoy them as their universally inspirational message rings clearly to me.

We are here to work through our trials and tribulations and we are also here to inspire others.

We can be hurt, heartbroken, maimed and feel as if we can’t survive, but with help from those around us, even perhaps strangers, we can find the will to go on.  As we heal, we can choose to live our lives as an example of what the human or ‘ahem’ dolphin spirit can achieve with love.

I recently visited Winter’s site click here!  I learned that beginning Monday February 1st, a real-life follow up show series called Rescue-Clearwater will premiere online documenting the work at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.  Each episode will be released at the beginning of the month and be 30 minutes in length.  What a great way to catch up with Winter’s progress!

I highly recommend clicking on their website.  There’s even a real-time webcam to watch Winter and Hope and all the rest of the animals.  What fun to watch Winter as she swims and how inspiring to see her!  Don’t you just love a great feel good story?  I know I do!  Open your heartlight and let it shine!

Have you ever been to Clearwater to see Winter?  Please share below!

Shine On!

xo

What’s In Your Toolbox? Why Me?

Normally, I think of a toolbox as a place to find something to help me fix whatever needs fixing.  It’s a tool, a hammer, a screwdriver or something of that nature that will fix whatever is broken.  Not that I’m really good at that type of labor or fixing, but that’s what I think of when someone mentions toolbox…until now.

Because I’ve been trying to understand why I’ve been experiencing such turbulence in my life these days.  Simply put, things just haven’t been easy.  But I’ve been using my experiences to gain strength for sure even though I’m sometimes feeling pretty weak.  Since I can only understand me, I figure that each experience, each time I have to go out of my comfort zone and each time I have to ‘fix’ something in my life or help someone else with theirs, I am adding tools to my life toolbox.  Later, I can simply reach into my life toolbox and pull out a memory of an experience in order to help them or me fix whatever is in front of us at the moment.  Does this make sense to you?

Using each experience as a tool in my toolbox of life in order to help myself and others.

 So today when you’re tempted to wonder, “why me?” take heart knowing that you are filling your toolbox with another experience that will help you and others down the road.

That’s ‘Why You!‘

Shine On!

xo

 *Photo by Todd Quackenbush

Hurricane Sandy Help from Faraway!

So many people have helped those affected by Hurricane Sandy!  Recently I saw that a friend who moved to Ocala, Florida, inspired her children’s school and community to donate items to help those in New Jersey ~ her childhood home.  On FB, I watched as she asked and got help and donations and even got a truck to bring them to N.J.!  The power of one person ~ multiplied by hundreds of other like-minded hearts ~ can change lives!

I was inspired by them and so in just a few minutes, I made the following 3 panel card to thank them!  I thought I’d share to show you that sometimes I simply send one of our cards from our catalog and other times, I make the card myself.  It doesn’t take talent, or skill…it just takes a few photos or logo and a few minutes of your time.  There’s no limit to what your imagination can do with SendOutCards! (Green dotted lines that you see are not on the cards, they are just to show you the edges of your card ~ whatever is outside the green dotted box is not printed.  Because these are pictures of what I did, you will sometimes see the lines, but I can assure you, they are not on the cards received through the mail! 🙂

I chose a 3 panel card (see above) as I had a bunch of pictures and I wanted to send a video so I wanted a bunch of panels to fill up.  The 3 panel card cost $.93, all of the pictures cost $.31 (I could have had 100 pictures or just one ~ the price was still the same) and to add the video to the card cost $.31, postage is $.45 for a stamp so…

it costs exactly $2 with postage included

This is why I love what I do!  I just uploaded their pictures from Facebook and their website to my free SendOutCards (SOC) account, then I decided what backgrounds, fonts and colors I wanted, I then wrote a note from my heart and finally I found their address, filled in the blanks in the virtual envelope provided by SOC and voila!  I clicked send ~ within 24 hours, my card was printed, stuffed into the envelope, licked, addressed, stamped and mailed for me!

There is nothing easier, nor more fun, nor less expensive and yet priceless!

I had to share…so please indulge me!

Do you need to thank someone?

Click below…you’ll be glad you did!

Got Gratitude?

xo

A Free Way to Support Breast Cancer!

What Will YOU Do to End Breast Cancer?.

Please click on the link above to check it out!

I’m reblogging this because it doesn’t cost you anything except your time…

Thanks for your time!

xo