I can just say Thank you!

I understand completely where you’re coming from. My Mom suffered from Alzheimer’s for nearly 8 years and my Dad was her sole care giver. When he was hospitalized my siblings and I took over for him. I was between jobs and riding out a severance so I flew back home to help.

By this point in the progression of her illness Mom was 100% dependent on others for everything in her daily routine. At first I felt very embarrassed having to bathe, feed and dress my own mother – after all I was the child and she was the parent and here she was completely helpless and dependent on me. Then I felt ashamed for having felt embarassed. It was a very humbling experience for me.

At her funeral my brother, Dan, spoke about our Mom having been not just our mother but having been our primary life teacher, and how our combined experiences with and reactions to Mom’s illness and Dad’s subsequent hospitalizations was our big final exam after 40+ years of lessons. I hope, at least in her eyes, that we all passed.

What you are doing for your neighbor, while you and others might think is a simple act of kindness, is a really a life gift from him to you: you are a better person because of it.

Tom

What a blessing you are to your friend Bob. My family and I will be in prayer for him and you as you minister to him.

Keep up the great work Pete. What you are doing and teaching your kids is the true essence of continuous improvement. An essence many of us, myself included, need to stay focused on.