Sunday, January 12, 2014

A Caregiver By Oliver W. Hassett


~A Caregiver~
I am brought back to a memory so very long ago.
You loved me and I loved you; that’s all we needed to know!

We were ready for our new life
Could storm through any kind of weather.
As long as we had each other,
We would always stay together!

“For better or worse,” “In sickness and in health”
Were promises we thought we’d understand.
But life threw a curve ball and showed us
That nothing ever goes as planned.

One day, something happened which caused us much grief.
Life interrupted, stole your health like a thief!

On came your disease
Which I could not understand.
I was frightened quite often
But I entrusted you in God’s hand.

I don’t want to treat you with pity.
Acting as if you were my child.
I just don’t know where to draw the line.
This disease is so dang wild!

Not to sound selfish, but I’m a person too!
Very few know all that caregivers must do!
People can’t see our pain because we hide it well.
If they’d stop and ask us questions,
Oh! The stories we could tell!

I know you can’t understand what’s going on,
This disease is a killer, no doubt!
But we’re all strong together,
And that’s what love is about!

So please don’t forget about me, the frightened caregiver at best.
We’ll keep our faith in each other, and in God, we’ll safely rest.

I don’t care what you can or cannot do.
The purpose of this poem is to say that I love you!

Those vows were not for nothing.
I meant each word I said.
No matter what might happen,
We will still be lovingly wed.

This disease doesn’t make you any less of a person.
Just changes the style of your life.
Remember that you’ll always be my wife,
And I’ll always be your husband!
~Oliver W. Hassett

**Thank You, Oliver, for allowing me to share your honest, heartfelt insights on the depth of love and courage that goes into being a caregiver.   ~Breathing

No comments:

Post a Comment