Category Archives: Caregiver Vignettes

Our Downstairs Routine

4:12 am – I am awake. Whether Cindy woke me or not I seldom know for sure, but I do know she appears agitated, which sometimes occurs around this time of night. Her hospital bed does not align seamlessly with … Continue reading

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Live Each Event as Your Last

On Thursday, September 19, Cindy and I celebrated our 33rd anniversary. I planned to make this day special by pushing Cindy in the stroller up the old wagon road to the peak of Haystack Mountain. From there I would carry … Continue reading

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The Stroller and Kirk Junior

Everything is in place now from our move downstairs. Most mornings I transfer Cindy from the hospital bed in our “bedroom” to enjoy the outdoors on our porch. Facilitating this transfer is our new door to the porch that Cindy’s … Continue reading

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With Help from Our Friends

For our move downstairs a few things had to happen. Thankfully both Cindy and I belonged to various communities over the years. With a little help from all these friends our transition was smooth and near complete. The first task … Continue reading

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Keeping Active as a Caregiver

Cindy often dozes these days, but practicing the American Discovery symphony seems to wake her up better than most things I do. She even used to “sing” along with the lyrics I created for the Kindness and Joy movements, which … Continue reading

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The Sadness that Defies Depression

As I look out the window from where we spend most of our days, out towards our Emerson Street neighborhood, I notice our neighbor’s car missing from the driveway across the street. The car should be there this time of … Continue reading

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May the Circle be Unbroken

I tucked Cindy in for the night, went around to my side of the bed and started watching our daughter Serena’s graduate recital streaming on the Internet. Her piece incorporates several different performance elements to convey the theme of coping … Continue reading

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The Four Stages of Decline

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Over the weekend I had a rare opportunity to go for a trail run by myself, while our daughter Charissa sat with Cindy. I do my best thinking while hiking or running in the woods. This time I reflected on … Continue reading

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Fringe Health Benefits

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I continued to run stairs during the summer, on hot and humid days that were unsuitable for getting Cindy out. Since my outdoor activities with the pedicab and datemobile provide all my distance/aerobic needs, I use stair reps more for … Continue reading

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Contingency Plans

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I heard a chuckle from Cindy as I pushed her in the datemobile (wheelchair) up the Haystack Mountain road. One might think this results from getting Cindy out in nature, but who knows. Cindy gives an occasional chuckle even in … Continue reading

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