the shine and rise

Today is National Caregivers Day in Canada. It is a day to pause and acknowledge the fundamentally important work being done by people, young, old and in-between, throughout this country and around the world. They are caring for spouses, parents, children, siblings and neighbours. They are doing their best, often while taking care of their own family and trying to earn a living, to provide various kinds of practical support: cooking, cleaning, driving, banking – as much as can be done. Most of all, they provide hope, comfort, a link to the outside world, a kind hand and voice.

I have been taking care of our mother in her home since 2020, with some help from my siblings, especially my sister, Cris, the other half of the shineandrise.com. Lately, as my sister and I are getting more and more exhausted, we are able to count on the practical assistance of some wonderful, kind, personal support workers to help with our mother’s care when we are not there. Back in 2020, I wrote this reflection as a challenge to prove to myself that I could. A blue slip in one of the religious magazines my mother receives asked readers to write about their pandemic experience. The following is what I wrote with some slight changes and some photos and links added.

If you are, have been, or anticipate that you will be a caregiver, I hope you enjoy this reflection, which first appeared in mariasmind.com.

Easter, even though it is early this year, nevertheless always carries with it the promise of new life, renewal, along with family gatherings focussed on religious and food traditions.

Every year, as I walk up the driveway of my mother’s house in the early spring, I cheer up a little and smile with amazement at the beautifully resilient crocuses once again providing a fragile yet undeniable sign that winter and cold are almost gone.

A way to think of it is that crocuses are the rainbows of spring: while they last, they are a delicate, almost magical sign of hope. Like a rainbow, unexpectedly appearing above us as a shower moves through, crocuses rise in the midst of winter’s garden debris, letting us know that warmth and vibrant colours are returning. Every year I smile inside at their impatience to lead the way. More importantly, they, like rainbows, are a reminder that hope must never be abandoned. “Here is that rainbow I’ve been praying for/It’s gonna be a bright . . . sunshiny day.” (I Can See Clearly Now)

the shine and rise

Page 33 of 50

Me, my Mother, and the Pandemic Revisited

Easter: A Time of New Life, Renewal and Family Traditions

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