The word guilt came up in connection with my mother. If I do not rush to take days off work and make the 9-hour trip to see her, can I let go of guilt that I should? Some people have quit jobs to help those in need. Am I selfish? Is it wrong? There are so many people that suffer. My heart breaks when I think about it. Healers and saints have tried for thousands of years to diminish the cycle of suffering. Why makes me think that I can do better? Is my ego that big? Can I let go of trying to fix Continue Reading
Senior Emergencies and Ethical Dilemmas
My mom is in the regular hospital. I don’t know what to do. She has been serving time in the psych hospital in order to regulate her meds. It seems she was because making trouble at the skilled nursing facility. By the time the elderly make it to the skilled nursing facility, they are on many medications: medicines regulate blood pressure, medicines to make the eat, sleep and to be calm during the periods between. Then there are constant antibiotics for urinary tract infections. During the Continue Reading
Family Affairs
A family member called me for help. I was able to listen slightly longer this time before I fell into the old habit of suggesting a course of action. It's so hard to keep from telling her how to manage her affairs. I can see just how to solve her problem because I am so smart and experienced and insightful. (ha, ha)! To me it seems that she must be deaf because she doesn't do as I suggest. But apparently, she has heard the suggestion each time I say it and prefers to continue what she is doing Continue Reading
Just Words
You look young. You look old. These are just words. Just symbols on paper. They have little meaning until read. And then what do they mean? They mean whatever we choose for them to mean. Without thinking, one sentence could remind us to feel happy. One could remind us to feel sad. But why? Since the feeling comes from within us, why would we want to feel anything but happy? Words have emotional hooks. I received an email the other day. The remarks were cutting and harsh. I felt angry. I Continue Reading