In the typical Irish way, my parents took care of my grandparents and I, in turn inherited them. Dad passed this year on St. Patrick's Day (imagine that) after a long and painful bout with cancer.
I returned home from the west in 2004 and became primary caregiver to my parents who were estranged and living apart for 10 years when I came back. Two residences and lots of miles on my car went into their care, and each were and are very different people with differing levels of care needed. The care of my father was relatively easy as he was a fiercely independent and competent man who took pride in taking care of himself. Other than a few little necessary tasks he was pretty much self sustaining up till the last three months of his life. That experience is the one I plan on sharing in this venue and then I will move on to mom who is a challenge as she is not competent but thinks that she is. That is my ongoing responsibility, self imposed but necessary. I plan on sharing my ongoing perspective as ringmaster of this circus. God Bless for now.
