Do you have long term plans?? Do you think about where you will be in five years, ten years, retirement? Do you have a notebook full of things you'd like to do or be? Things you would like to learn, get better at, or try?
Well, I'll be honest. I don't have long term plans. I mean, I plan for the future a bit....savings, anticipating future needs and such, but that's about it.
Caring for someone who is chronically ill kind of puts a damper on long term plans. I recently made reservations for a trip with a girlfriend. I found a B&B with a two bedroom suite that I thought would be a great place for a couple of friends to spend some fun time together. We talked about schedules and we discussed dates and we settled on a time that works for both of us.
But, I will admit, I was a bit nervous about making the reservation. I had to pay for 1/2 of the amount up front to reserve. And, if I cancel, I will loose that deposit unless the suite is rented after my cancellation. Frightening.......
And, why you ask?? Well, if you are a caregiver you already know. We just have no idea of what the future holds with our loved one. Dear Hubby is doing well. I have care set up for when I am gone....but I'm just a bit reluctant to invest our limited finances knowing that something could happen and I would be out that money. Yikes.
Making long term plans are difficult. I can't even imagine where I will be in five years. Will I still be in this house, this area?? Will my children still be at home? Where will we be in this illness and in caregiving? I can't even make myself phrase the questions I have in my heart.
I suppose that is why I must focus on today and maybe just the short term. None of us know what the future holds, where we will be. It's fine to make some plans, but we need, I NEED, to learn to hold all things loosely. And, to remember that while my future is uncertain, all that is certain is Jesus.
And, Lord willing, He will allow me to go on the respite trip I have planned in a week or so. I'm looking forward to it........
1 comment:
In my case I am the caregivee, the one receiving care. Actually I am feeling "normal". But who knows what tests this week will reveal. These days when speaking of future plans, even a month or so down the road, we always add, "God willing". We definitely have to walk "today".
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