An opportunity to appreciate

One thing I am reminded whenever I am going through difficult times is that there are still countless things in life to appreciate.

As I’ve been mentioning, my uncle who raised me is not well and is now to the point of needing constant care. He wants to be with me so I have recently been spending most of my time taking care of him. I’ve been a bit tired, but some of the family is helping, so this week while he was staying with my aunt I had some time for myself.

I was able to go on a few coffee and dinner dates with my friends, hang out with my daughter a bit, go to the movies, get a haircut, and sleep in as late as I wanted. It has been great! Even taking the time to be outside, taking a deep breath while looking up at the sky evoked a wonderful feeling within me.

These have been beautiful days to re-charge. I feel a great sense of appreciation for my life, as it felt really good to be able to take care of myself in a way that I have not had the chance to do in several weeks now.

The thing is though, this is my normal life! I am always taking care of myself. And I usually do have all this time to do whatever I want and whenever I want.

Wow, how blessed am I? I already have a great life. But it took the time away from my usual lifestyle to remember to appreciate it.

I’ve been feeling some guilt for not being able to do more for my uncle. I’ve been feeling as though I NEED to care for him 100%, without relying on other family members to help. But this week of rejuvenation has helped me realize that I can have both. I can help him a lot, and then take the help from family so I can take care of myself as well.

Tomorrow I’m off to the beach with my sister Tracy… then it’s back to taking care of my uncle on Saturday. Helping my uncle is really an honor, not only because I am able to be here for him as he needs, but also because he has given me more opportunity to appreciate in this life of mine—including even more appreciation for him!