Act Of Kindness

August 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

For some reason I’ve been thinking of acts of kindness, usually random acts. I have noticed that people are holding doors open for us, guess it’s our age.

I have always tried to do an act of kindness each day, even if it’s to my husband. If we are in the house all day by ourselves, I try to do something different. Perhaps I’ll write him a love note, or make something to eat that he didn’t expect. Or silly things, like rubbing his leg, kissing the top of his head.

It makes me feel good to do this. I think everyone does feel good about doing an act of kindness. The important thing is to be aware. Think about doing something, and think about it actively. Keep it in the back of your mind, and when the occasion comes up, do that act of kindness.

And don’t forget to do the same for yourself. Reread a book that you loved, take a walk by yourself and notice the scenery around you, watch kids in a pool having a great time, take some pictures, write in a journal with a colorful pen. Do a collage of where you want to be next year at this time. Surprise yourself.

Put on rose colored glasses and think of positive things for you, your family, your friends and your country.  Make a special day or hour for yourself, do what you want to do. Even if it’s nothing.

I did that today for myself. Left off my makeup so my skin could breathe, didn’t go out of the house, I read, wrote in my journal, did a little bit of paperwork and listened to music. For me, today was a treat. How about you? What would you like a day for yourself to look like?

For an act of kindness, Adopt A Caregiver. It’s the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

www.adoptacaregiver.com

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Breakthroughs

August 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

We are making remarkable progress and breakthroughs on Alzheimer’s Disease and other diseases as well. But, we are not making enough of a breakthrough for the caregiver!

For the person on call 24/7 who is lonely and feels emotional distress is the caregiver. We are paying attention to the patient, but not the caregiver.

Be a friend, email someone you know who is a caregiver. Tell them you want to support them, be their friend, email them, and keep in touch. Do not judge, for you have not stood in their shoes.

That’s why I published Behind The Mask by Helene Moore to show what it’s like to stand in a caregiver’s shoes, and feel her emotions and share her thoughts.

Support the caregiver. 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

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Down Time

August 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I think I need some down time. Too many trips to AAA, smog test places, doctors and I still haven’t gotten to the knitting store.

Howard’s car needs fixing, so he will be without a car next week. We still have one more doctor appointment on Monday, Tuesday is his birthday and Wednesday he has physical therapy. Our days are filled. And we see the kids at least 4 times a week, sometimes more. Howard asked if I was on overload in seeing the kids, and I said I love it.

We still have to renew our licenses and take a driving test. I have been driving for 62 years, never had a ticket or accident, and am still nervous about taking a test. (any test actually)

But my grateful list grows and that is a wonderful thing in this day and age

I read about someone keeping an inspiration journal. www.joydiscovered.com and the funny thing is that I started something that I called my Bits & Pieces file. I keep quotes, bits and pieces of dialog I like, people I like, poems, anything that holds my attention and makes me stop and think.

Anne Frank said: “I want to write, but more than that, I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried in my heart.”

And Anne Frank was only a child when she wrote that.

Another quote that chills me every time I hear it or think about it, or see it in my Bits & Pieces file is from Golda Meier.

“We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.”

Does that not make you think?

Come back tomorrow and I will share more of my Bits & Pieces with you.

Keep love an kisses in your life.

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

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Computers And Cars

August 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Obstacles are everywhere around us. In my case, my husband’s computer went bye bye, and we bought a new computer and had someone come in to set it up. It’s still not completely right. My computer has been having some funny quirks, but seems to be okay. It was checked out and he couldn’t find anything wrong with it. But, the frustration level rises, even though it’s silly. What can you do about it, except ride it out.

Moving to California, we took the cars in to be registered. They needed a smog test. So another trip to make a smog test, and my car failed and had to go to the dealer, another day shot. I suppose the first place put in the wrong VIN number. Another day. Back to get the titles and the tags, another day. Now we have to put the tags on the cars.

We let these things frustrate us because we have other things we need and or want to do. Everything takes longer than we think, so it ends up being days doing these kinds of errands.

As you know, I’ve been trying to get to the knitting store for a couple of weeks now. I was going tomorrow, but it turns out that my husband will probably need my car. Another day gone. There is always next week.  And in the meantime the papers are piling up on my desk, as are emails I want to answer.

Oh, and we did several doctor appointments this week also. Time flies.

There comes a time, when tomorrow doesn’t work. I have to set my priorities and get to work on what I have to do. Starting tomorrow.

I am back to writing every day, except if the computer is giving me a problem.

Please email those caregivers you know. They need your support.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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Computer Problems

August 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Wow, you never realize how much you miss your computer until you can’t use it. My husband has several viruses on his, and we are trying to work it out. In the meantime, I have lost all my passwords, and my computer sometimes is very slow. Other times it’s fine.

We have had quite a week with our cars. We have to get registered in California, so we tried for a smog test, my car didn’t make it. I think they put the wrong VIN number in the computer. Howard took it to the dealer today and they had no problem. Tomorrow he will go to AAA and get the titles registered.

Then we have to study for the driving test. I’m not worried about driving, or eye test, but I freeze when I take a written test. Crazy, but true. I have never had a ticket or an accident, thank goodness and I’ve been driving for 62 years. Knock wood and thank God.

I started knitting for my first great grand child and I made a block. It doesn’t look like a block to me, but I’m sure when it’s folded correctly it will hopefully look like one.

I want to go to the knitting store on Wednesday and buy some nice yarn and make something special for this precious little girl named Madison.

I’ve been trying to email all my caregivers, but the cars and the computer have played havoc with me all week. So hopefully by the week end I will have written to them all. I enjoy writing to them.

If you have a caregiver in your community, give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. Adopt A Cargiver and tell them your friend Helene sent you.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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Make Happy Memories

August 9, 2009 By 1 Comment

I try to make every day a good day. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Even if it’s one thing I do that pleases me, it is a good day. I feel so blessed to be around my family again. But, as we, my husband and I get older there are more decisions to make, more time spent doing the little things that need to be done. Things that used to take us no time to do, are now time consuming.

I am thinking of going back to writing my memoirs again. I have started them two or three times already, and somehow never finished it, or put together what I do have. I have looked back on my life and realize I have done things most people never even dream of doing. Yet, I feel that my life has been very ordinary.

Which means, I think everyone has a story to tell. I want to tell mine so that family and friends can stand in my shoes for a little while and understand the choices I have made over the years.

Everyone’s life has ups and downs, and yes, all the cliches are true. I will tell most of my story in short scenes or anectdotes and hope it will answer any questions about me that my readers (family and friends) have.

Even when I was a caregiver for those seven years I wrote about in my book, Behind The Mask, I was making happy memories to store up and keep for myself. The new book about my life, will make happy memories for those reading it. I hope.

Support caregivers in your community. Adopt A Caregiver and tell them your friend Helene sent you.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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Community

August 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment

What is a community? To me, a community is where you live, work, go to school, play golf, Mah Jongg, belong to a temple or church, anywhere you congregate regularly with the same people is a community.

And in your community there are caregivers. Think about caregivers; unless you can stand in a caregivers shoes you have no idea what they are going through. Their emotions, thoughts, actions might not be why you think.

My book, Behind The Mask was written as a secret journal that no one was supposed to read. When the doctors changed my husbands diagnosis I showed him my journal and he said to publish it, that it might help someone. I hope by standing in my shoes for a few short hours you will  have a better understanding of ‘standing in the caregivers shoes’.

The outcome of the book is that I started www.Adopt A Caregiver.org

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

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Family

August 6, 2009 By 1 Comment

Today my husband had cataract surgery. An older lady, much older was there with three members of her family. And again, I was reminded of that poor lady that was all alone that I wrote about the other day. Having family around is a blessing, and I love it.

Tomorrow we are going to dinner with our daughter and granddaughter who is carrying our first great grand child. How exciting is that?

It’s been a long day, my other granddaughter came over for dinner, and we found out that my husband has a computer virus. That took a couple of hours to figure out. In the meantime, he isn’t going to be using his computer, so I told him he could use mine tomorrow.

Help support caregivers.

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

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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A Perfect Day

August 5, 2009 By 2 Comments

What’s a perfect day for you? Mine, well, mine would be to sleep all night, not get up too early, to have sunshine all day, spend time, alot of time with my husband and have a lot of time just for me.

My time, alone, reading, writing, using the computer, or just sit in the chair and think about the story I’m writing.

To do what I want, when I want and not to feel guilty about it.

It would be nice if caregivers could do the same thing. You must stand in their shoes and think about what they are thinking, their emotions and choices. That’s why I published my book, Behind The Mask, so you could stand in my shoes for a little while, while I was a caregiver for seven years.

What came out of that book is Adopt A Caregiver. A simple plan to have you adopt someone in your own community who is a caregiver. Just email them, be their friend, encourage them to write an email back to you, to vent, to journal, Please do not judge them, for you have not stood in their shoes.

I am still thinking of that old woman I saw in Crystal Court last week, all alone. What was she thinking, was anyone going to pick her up and take her home. I am so sorry that I did not stop to speak to her, because she is still stuck in my mind. I pray she is all right and that someone is caring for her.

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

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From Serious To Silly

August 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

There is no much bad news around that I thought it was time for something silly.

I looked through my writing books and found something I wrote from a writing exercise. We had to pick a letter of the alphabet and just write using that letter as often as possible. From 50-100 words. I picked the letter S.

“Silly Sara sat smiling and singing side by side stamping sandwiches and silly putty. She simply sorted soft from solids, sliding them into selections of sugary and salty. Spreading them on the spiral table standing next to the sofa, the spicy ones to the side, she speculated a spree in stacks of stable eating, before they stagnated and spoiled.

The star staple stood starchy and statuesque until she wa in a state of starving. She stuffed the savory stew and sauce into the satiny bowl. She stood, smiling, satisfied; it was done.”

I hope this made you smile and even reach for a pencil. It’s a fun thing to do when you are bored. Or even if you are not.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

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