What makes me cry as a caregiver is a list that keeps getting longer. On this, the day before my 65th birthday, I’m writing down everything that makes me cry. Think of it as reverse bucket list. A bucket with a hole that leaks tears out my eyes. Do you have the picture in your head? Good.

What Makes Me Cry as a Caregiver?

1. Imagining my parents receiving Dad’s diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. They were so young, only 29. They’d been married 8 years. They had 2 young children. They must have been devastated. Even so, they carried on and stepped into a new life, encouraged and supported by their families, their church, and their co-workers. My parents’ pluck and determination makes me cry, too.
2. Remembering the surgical pain my son endured as a newborn. Newborns weren’t given pain medication during surgery until 1986, and our baby was born in 1982. If time travel was a thing, I would use it to correct the faulty research that caused such pain for my son and thousands of other newborns.
3. Memories of the tiny town that gathered round us and our medically-fragile son during his early years. The town only had 92 people–even fewer now. But the residents have a long history of rallying around people with disabilities and their caregivers. They were Christ with skin on when we needed His presence in real, practical ways. They continue that practice to this very day.

To read the rest of What Makes Me Cry as a Caregiver, visit the Key Ministry blog for parents.

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