I'm Home

It was a marvelous four day holiday spent with family. Sometimes I can’t get enough of them. I miss them every day. Everyone was at Thanksgiving dinner except those that were sick, working, or living in Minnesota. Time is so precious, and it seemed that I hadn’t been to California in a long time.

My legacy is my family! I am blessed and reminded that Thanksgiving is a special time of year. Remember, special can mean sad and lonely, or surrounded by family and friends, being well. Not everyone has this luxury. So always remember to write down at least three things you are grateful for every day.

My daughter and I had a wonderful lunch with a new friend. Linda Abbit, from www.tenderlovingeldercare.com.  Will see you in December when I come back to California. Thanks Linda, it was wonderful meeting you.

I have met some incredible people since starting my blog, people I have connected to because of what I write about.

Adopt A Caregiver. Everyone loves the idea. So will you Adopt A Caregiver this year? It’s the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. I’m sure caregivers would like not to be sad and lonely for the holidays. You can help. All you have to do is find a caregiver, and write them an email. Tell them your friend Helene sent you.  If you want to stand in a new caregivers shoes, read my book, Behind The Mask, available on my website.

Tomorrow I will write a simple sample of what a new email for a caregiver might sound like.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Thanks For Giving

Give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing.

How?

Adopt A Caregiver! Do you have any idea how much an email will be appreciated. That someone cares about them, is thinking of them. How easy it would be to do nothing.  But, think about the caregiver, someone who is there 24/7 doing whatever they have to do, usually alone most of the time. If the patient has been sick a long time, most of their friends have left, their kids are grown with their own families, and no one calls or visits.

What does it take to send an email. Or to make a phone call? Or to send a card? Or flowers? Or give a gift certificate from your social club for a massage, a haircut, or a lunch out with some friends. This is Thanksgiving week. Please think about my Adopt A Caregiver program. Please think about the caregivers in your community. They are there! Stand in their shoes for a moment in time.

Then go out and Adopt A Caregiver. Tell them your friend Helene sent you.

I am leaving in the morning to see my children and grandchildren in California. Hopefully I will be able to write from their house. If not I will be home on Saturday.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. And remember that word of mouth is potent. Please help me plant my Adopt A Caregiver seeds to one and all.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

A Different Sunday

Got a few things done today, not as much as I wanted. But I want to talk about two things that happeed today, actually it’s three things.

I spoke to a massage therapist today, and we agreed in these tough times, most people give up the mental health things first. Therapists, massage appointments, exercise clubs, things like that. But these are all important to the well being of a person.

Second, David Thomas from www.knittingdoc.wordpress.com has kindly talked about my book on his blog. Behind The Mask is truly every new caregivers story.

Third, someone contacted me today and told me everything I say to you. I love your Adopt A Caregiver program, I wish someone would adopt me. That they don’t get it. She said, and I quote, “Seems inappropriate to be telling people they should be taking care of me, in my fantasy, someone else would suggest to these ‘friends’ that they might be a tad more engaged or in contact. Sigh.”

As someone who already has adopted a few caregivers she knows how much it means for them to hear they are doing a great job, and they are in my thoughts.

See how easy it is. Give the gift that lasts forever, and costs nothing.

Adopt A Caregiver, and tell them your friend Helene sent you.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Waiting For Sunday

I always wait for Sunday. These days it’s usually my catch up day. That means I have to clean up the clutter in my office. I always have too many projects going on at once.

My desk is in it’s usual disarray . There are recipes competing with emails and letters to answer. Websites I want to comment on, questions to ask anyone who knows about links, social networking. It’s all Greek to me.

And my bookshelves. I’m a book junkie. My friend reminded me the word I was looking for was category, when I said I wanted to organize them. But truthfully, I should call them scattergories. For their is fiction, non fiction, novels, books I haven’t read yet, cookbooks nestled next to art books, and the craft of writing books, and the list goes on and on.

When that’s finished, there are the insides of all the drawers and file cabinets. They aren’t in bad shape, because you can’t see inside them.

Then there is my writing. This blog, short stories, memoirs, bits and pieces of writing to be finished, edited, and filed away — or published?

Sorry, I have to leave. I’m going to Office Max and get some new notebooks for all my writing.

I’m going to be making some notes on memoir writing in the next couple of months. Our writing group is going to give a workshop on this subject. I think I will include some of it here, in case any of you would like to try to write your memoir.

Because it’s holiday season, remember the caregiver.

Adopt A Caregiver, and give the gift that lasts forever, and costs nothing. Tell them your friend Helene sent you.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Hold My Hand

It’s so seldom that I ever let anyone read my poetry (I only have about seven poems that I wrote) but this is a chance to let everyone see something I wrote when my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Those of you following my blog, will know that the diagnosis was changed. Seven years later.

Anyway, this is the poem I wrote:

“Hold my hand, I need your help

Guide me to the right path

to people and friends I care about.

Hold my hand

I want to know you are with me

sharing my day, my existence.

Hold my hand

I want peace and serenity in my life.

Hold my hand

I love feeling your hand in mine.”

Adopt A Careagiver, give the gift that lasts forever, and costs nothing.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

(I am putting this up early because my computer is not working correctly. )

I'm Human

Well, you all know for 8 weeks I lay around in my lounger fighting off my Chronic Fatigue from a shot! Of course, I gained a few pounds, a few too many, and had to go shopping today.

I didn’t buy much, but at least I have something to wear. And my hubby took me to the Elephant Bar for lunch, delicious. A nice treat. Just what I needed, more food.

Just shows I’m as human as the next guy.

I’ve also been having lots of trouble with my computer. Every time I want to log on, the modem is not showing green lights. So I’m writing now, and will probably put this up on my blog a little early. Just want to make sure it gets there.

I spoke to Cox this morning, and the man was nice and patient. Told him I was an old broad and he had to talk slowly. The other night someone talked so fast, my brain couldn’t keep up with her words…I know I’m getting old, but there is a limit.

So that was my day. Hope you all had a great day, and wrote some things down you are thankful for. I’m thankful I can get this up on the blog tonigt.

Adopt A Caregiver, give the gift that lasts forever, and costs nothing. Tell them your friend Helene sent you.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Thankful, Not Judging

Today I am still thankful. Thankful that I was able to meet my friend for lunch, and as I sat waiting for her to arrive I thought about all the caregivers who can’t get out to lunch. What do they do? What keeps them going? What do they do for their mental health?

The first thing most people give up in times like these are important things related to their mental health. Things like massages, therapists, doctor appointments, they let themselves go. Saving money is one thing, but most of us take it to extremes. We forget we need to take care of ourselves, how else can we take care of others?

We need to stop and think what is important for us, for our well being.

And we need to think about all the caregivers. Please help someone who needs you for a friend. If you never stood in their shoes don’t judge them. Remember to have compassion for those who need it. Remember to think about the caregivers who give 24/7 to someone else, and have no time or energy for themselves.

Adopt A Caregiver. Give the gift that last forever, and costs nothing. Tell them your friend Helene sent you.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

I Am Thankful

Today, I read so many things; blogs, stories, and my at my writing meeting more stories and memoirs, and I wanted to say how grateful I am. Sometimes we just need to reach out to people. Different kinds of people, people we don’t normally respond to. Just smile. Just send an email. Just be a friend.

There are so many people hurting today out there in the real world, yet we all have things to be grateful for. I think everyone should write down at least three things every day they are grateful for. For me, the number is about ten things, and then I usually can go for more.

Today, I am grateful for the warm sunshine that warmed my Fibromyalgia bones. For feeling better than I have for the last eight weeks, results of shot that set off a huge Chronic Fatigue attack. I am grateful for my family and I am going to visit them a week from today, and I can’t wait. I am grateful for the little things, that I can read, write, do the things I want, within reason. It’s my life and with the support of my husband and family I am grateful I can do them.

I am especially grateful that my husband, Howard supports me in my passion for Adopt A Caregiver. I’s time consuming; emails, phone calls, making my dream of helping caregivers everywhere come true. One by one, word of mouth is working.  We can wipe away some of the caregivers tears.

I am grateful just to be here, to write on my blog, hoping someone is reading and listening.

For me, for now, that is enough. True wealth is family and friends, and leaving a legacy of love and kisses.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Adopt A Caregiver, tell them your friend Helene sent you.

Questions

Today I have questions: if you have adopted a caregiver, how did you do it? Do you find that the two of you have become friends? Do you think this person you adopted has been helped by your friendship and loyalty?

Do you intend to Adopt A Caregiver? If so, why? If not, why?  it only takes a couple of minutes to email someone and you could be saving someone from depression, guilt, and worrying about the future.

Give the gift that lasts forever, and costs nothing.

Try it, you might like it. I will publish many of the answers I get here so you all can read about the way it works and how it helps.

Send me an email with your questions and answers and lets see how much we can help one another.

One person can make a difference. Let that person be you!

Keep love and kisses in you life. Helene

Couldn't Sleep, Thinking About Blog

Silly, isn’t it? But it kept me up, and here I at at 4am. in the morning hours sitting at my computer. Wondering what I wrote last night that didn’t get saved.

I want to thank www.knittingdoc.wordpress.com for the nice mention of my book, Behind The Mask. I think you all would like to read his blogs.

Another mention I got was from www.sandwichink.com who also mentioned my book, and my Adopt A Caregiver program. Thank you so much.

I heard from a caregiver yesterday. She  said peole call her and dump on her about their illness, their medications, and so I say to you Dot..start a journal, write your memoirs, you write well. Don’t let these people continue to talk to you, tell them you have your own problems, and don’t need to hear theirs.I was reminded about a friend who had a dinner party, and she told all her guests there would be no mention of operations, doctors, illness, medications. She said, “There was no conversation.”

I’ve mentioned my Chronic Fatigue for the last eight weeks, I don’t talk about it to friends, I do mention it here in the blog sometimes because again this is something no one knows much about. This last bout came as a reaction to a shot. And I want to thank my husband. He’s been wonderful, never complains if I don’t feel like making dinner, he never complains when I sit in my lounge chair all day in my office, or when I say I don’t feel like doing anything. He’s an exceptional man, and he’s still my handsome here. Our love affair has been going on for over 56 years. I get a love note every morning. Yes, we are blessed.

So, this has turned into a bits and pieces blog.

I have a big day tomorrow. And tomorrow night I’m going to an internet workshop. I know I will be learning new things, and I need to learn more.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Adopt A Caregiver and tell them your friend Helene sent you.