“What would you think about moving in with Mom?” my husband asked one recent evening.
Before the last syllable died in the ensuing silence, I was already shaking my head from side to side.
“No. Nope. No way.” There would be bloodshed. Not mine.
A few weeks later, he brought it up again. My 93-year-old mom was more noticeably frail. She had more difficulty getting up from a sitting position, and she was fearful of falling in the shower.
After giving myself time to think about it, Mike and I started the conversation about what it would look like to move in with Mom. It made more sense than having her move in with us, since we had a two-story home, and all the bedrooms are upstairs. She’d never be able to navigate the stairs.
I made a list of all the rooms in the house, and what we’d need to store, sell, or dump. It was by no means a complete list. The task seemed overwhelming. We’d lived in our place for over twenty years, and had gradually spread out to fill every nook and cranny with stuff. I don’t know how we all fit when we had kids at home.
For a couple of years, our plan was to sell our place and buy an travel trailer. We’d spend a year on the road, visiting the capitals of every state in the lower forty-eight. I told myself this move would be good practice in paring down. I subscribed to a minimalist blog to get some tips. www.chibeingchi.com/minimalist-blogs
Now begins the next step in my caregiving journey. Stay tuned…
Jane S. Daly is the author of two books, Because of Grace (2015) and The Caregiving Season (2016). She is also the treasurer of Inspire Christian Writers and West Coast Christian Writers.