Caregiver Journal: Week 132 Making Time for What’s Important

When Lee and I were first married, he encouraged me to have my hair done each week. It was one of the gentle ways he cared for me, and I cherished that small space of time that was just my own. 

As the end of his life approached, he made me promise that I would keep going every week. I still do, and I still treasure that simple act of care.

During the years of his progressive illness, my understanding of pampering changed. At the suggestion of our hospice social worker, we hired a house cleaner. We found a local husband-and-wife team and arranged for them to come once a month. It quickly became one of the wisest, most sustaining decisions I made. 

J. and A. still come each month. The expense is manageable, but the help they provide is invaluable because it frees my time and energy for what matters most—offering encouragement to others who are walking the road I once walked.