Welcome To my view!

Welcome to my life. I am Nan and I am going to share my life as I see it. I don't look through "rose colored glasses", but I try to live like I have them on.  I am a 58yo, twice divorced mother of 1, caretaker of mother who is 88yo and has dementia.  My daughter lives in another state, so phone calls to her can be weepy, serious and/or funny, depending on the day.  I am also a 4yr clean & sober alcoholic that has gracefully been relieved of the obsession of the mind and body.  Now doesn't all that sound like fun?  I live with my mom, in the house I grew up in, after being gone for about 30+ years I moved back in about 7 yrs ago.  That was when I gave my house back to the bank, my car was repossessed and I was a hot mess.  For 20 plus years I worked in the insurance industry, but we parted ways, mutually-sort of, the same time I moved in with mom.  With that as a background, can't you just imagine how much fun we are having on a daily basis?

Four years later, we'll skip the crap for now, I am taking care of my mom (a Full-time job!), running my jewelry business (love designing & making jewelry-it is therapy for me), working part-time at an arts and crafts store, being an Independent Beauty Consultant, and an active member of my church and my sobriety program.  Oh, and we have a dog & a cat.  Sound like fun?  Well, fun may be the wrong word, how about interesting?  Yes, it is definitely interesting.

This journey through life is up and down and back and forth, fortunately I have a good group of friends and family for support and my savior, Jesus Christ, on my team.  Now, don't stop reading because I admitted I am a Christian.  I am not doing this to convert anyone, although I wouldn't be adverse to helping someone believe, but that is not my intention for this blog.

My intention is to share what happens in the day in the life of a caregiver and small business owner.

My mom was a business woman for 35 yrs, in management for the state of Ohio, and my mentor for many years.  Now, she is dependent on me to get her through each day.  She is not bedridden or unable to get out of the home, she just can't remember if she took her meds or "had a bm today", her words.  It is not easy to take care of someone that is no longer the person you have known all your life.  I am mourning the loss of my mom, while still taking care of her.

I am sure there are others out there that are doing the same thing, it seems to be the theme these days with my generation, taking care of aging parents.  Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want anyone else to take care of her on a regular basis, she's my mom, I'm just saying it isn't easy. Let me know how you handle being a caregiver and maybe we can help each other.

That's all for today, so I'll leave you with this thought, If we can't laugh at ourselves and our situation, then we will cry or find a way to escape that is unhealthy...  see ya here soon....