Merry Caregivers’ Christmas….

Uncategorized

Even caregivers should have a Christmas blog…if they can find it.

As my brother-in-law’s caregiver, every Christmas I was worried about how I would get Larry and that monstrous wheelchair he needed because of the devastation of MS, to my house. We had to create a makeshift ramp to get his behemoth wheelchair up the two steps into my front door. Luckily, along with my 7 siblings, I have 6 in-laws. These are very creative people.

Willy devised the ramp, and provided that ubiquitous van that appears in a few of these blogs, where he also created a Cirque de Soliel mock up of clips and straps to keep the wheel chair from swinging around like a carnival ride on the way to my house.

My husband set up the holiday table in a manner that Larry could enjoy his dinner, manipulate around the room and enter and leave for smoking with my brother, Chip and his wife, Linda who kindly refused to give up smoking so Larry would have a partner in crime.

My sister, Maggie and her daughter, Julie cooked dishes that Larry liked so he could have a real respite from institutional food. Her husband, one of those sainted in-laws, Jim, carted every dish and pie to the kitchen in special carriers he made.

Every one of my siblings, Tina, Caren, Bill, Heidi, and those fantastic in-laws, Randy and Hap all contributed in some way. Then there were the 8 grandchildren who could come, some with spouses, some with kids, some with dogs, all who brought a smile to Larry’s bearded Santa face, just like the Christmases of old when my sister, Cindy used to be with us.

And then it  happened.

Larry turned that monster truck of a wheelchair around on a dime in my hallway and put a big gouge in my red painted wall with the special textured finish. Hmmm.

It was reminiscent of the year, Willy had a weird heart episode at my sister’s house and the ambulance crew put a big divot in her hallway hardwood floor.

We looked at each other and let out a gasp.

Larry....a Santa look alike
Larry….a Santa look alike

And then we had a real Steffanci Christmas. We just laughed and laughed. it’s a wall, not nearly as great as China would build, and so what.

Merry Christmas to all caregivers everywhere, walls were meant to be taken down, especially when it’s done with love. How ’bout that Mr. Trump?

“You Just have to Laugh…..”

©2015 Cathy Sikorski

0 thoughts on “Merry Caregivers’ Christmas….”

    1. Indeed..so I turn to the experts:
      “A stone wall separates the speaker’s property from his neighbor’s. In spring, the two meet to walk the wall and jointly make repairs. The speaker sees no reason for the wall to be kept—there are no cows to be contained, just apple and pine trees. He does not believe in walls for the sake of walls. The neighbor resorts to an old adage: “Good fences make good neighbors.” The speaker remains unconvinced and mischievously presses the neighbor to look beyond the old-fashioned folly of such reasoning. His neighbor will not be swayed. The speaker envisions his neighbor as a holdover from a justifiably outmoded era, a living example of a dark-age mentality. But the neighbor simply repeats the adage.”

      And the poem itself turns to Christmas in my mind with the next line:
      Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, 35
      That wants it down.” I could say “Elves” to him,
      But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather
      He said it for himself. I see him there,

      Always love to hear the thoughtful comments of my cousin!

  3. Merry Christmas to you, gorgeous! I have dings and gouges all over the place in my house. They don’t bother me at all…they just become part of our landscape.

  4. That was lovely. It’s so nice to be reminded that the dings on our houses are the memories our friends and families have left behind.

  7. Cathy, this will be a different Christmas for you and your family. Larry and Cindy will be watching from above. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. Laugh and enjoy your family…….it’s what gets you through the hard times. Love you!
    Terry (the Florida one)

    1. Merry Christmas to you Florida Terry. Yes, it will be a new kind of Christmas here but for some reason I’m really feeling the love and not the sadness this year. For sure, it’s because of friends like you and Joe! Thanks for reading and commenting.

  10. Totally heartwarming!! Love these stories about what really matters in life. Love and the Christmas spirit– what a great theme!