heir names are different, but they are all called "spouse." I see them often in a multitude of settings. Frantically trying to find the mate who has wandered out of the store. Making hospital visits. Celebrating occasions with a happy smile. Gently holding the hand of a lover who can only smile. I see their faces red from elevated blood pressure. I see them dealing with the mountains of paperwork that accompany caregiving. I see them smarting from cutting words and nasty remarks. But I see them smiling, too--smiles filled with a resilience that only comes from hard times that have been endured. These spouses shoulder a caregiving burden that is different from ours. The most remarkable thing to me is that they all have a sense of joy that I see in no one else. How can it be? It is gold at the end of the rainbow--the one that brings them total fulfillment. These who have suffered the most profound loss seem to have found the greatest gift...perhaps they truly have found love in its most delicate form. I stand in awe and feel I have been in the midst of angels when I am around them. They are like huge batteries that the rest of us draw on for our strength. Their faces are etched forever in my memory. How blessed I am to have known so many--from them I have become stronger. They are my inspiration. They are the heroes of our world. They are the caregiving spouses.

Contact Care Tender at: victoria@caretender.com