A lesson learned

Have you ever just had one of those moments when something is revealed so clearly to you? I had one of those moments this week, and I would like to share it with you if you have a few moments to "listen".

About 6 months ago I started a new job, which I had filled in as substitute for before. This job was unlike any other I have had. I had the privilege of becoming a private caregiver for an elderly couple. The lady who I "kept company" had the early stages of Alzheimer's, and her husband just wanted someone to help them do the daily house hold things and just be there for them. This couple was and still is very affluent in our community. The husband is a retired judge and lawyer that graduated from Yale, and his wife was known for all of her charity work. This year has been a really rough one for them. Due to the progressions of her Alzheimer's disease the husband had to make the tough decision to put her in the nursing home. This was one of the toughest decisions to watch anyone have to make. This tough man ( and make no mistake about it even at 90 yrs old this man was a tough cookie) sat at the table and cried for the first 5 days of not being with his wife. You see they have been married for 67 years! I would watch day after day as he would go to the nursing home and just sit and hold her hand. He told me one day when we were talking about being married " Mandy, it hasn't always been easy, and there were days we didn't even like each other, but we just kept working on it and focusing on the things we loved about each other. People nowadays give up to easy, they don't know what it means to persevere, to keep their marriage vows of through thick and thin, sick or healthy, rich or poor." As I thought about what he said I realized how true it was. We just take the easy way when things get hard. We just give up and sometimes say " Oh well I will know better next time". Well here is the realization that I came to this week as I was called to take the husband in to say goodbye to his wife of 67 years. As I watched him sit beside her bed, hold her hand, and rub her head telling her that he would be with her soon and how much he loved her, tears streaming down his cheeks knowing his helpmate would soon be gone, I realized this was what LOVE was. It is knowing at the end of day you have someone who knows you better than you know yourself, someone who has stuck by your side through the ups and the downs, someone who is the other half of you waiting for you at home. I learned never to take ONE moment for granted that I have with the one I love. And knowing at the end of the our time together that I did everything I can and that I gave 100% to our marriage and life together.

Gourmet Gift Basket Giveaway Ends 6/1

I absolutely LOVE getting packages in the mail, so last week was no exception when I came home to find a box on my porch! I was so excited when I opened it to find a gift basket from . I am a big snack person so this basket was perfect for me!! These were not your usual convenience store snacks, they were gourmet snacks that tasted AWESOME! This basket would be perfect to send to someone who is hard to buy for. It's unique flavor combinations are unlike anything I've ever eaten. This basket contained: raspberry honey mustard pretzel dip, gourmet dipping pretzels, key lime white chocolate chip cookies, almond pecan crunch, peanuts, trail mix, buttered pecan crunch, peanut roll, organic coconut bar and cheese biscuits.

Gourmet Gift baskets has generously decided to giveaway one of their Snack Gift Basket - Classic to ONE LUCKY READER!! Be sure to enter for chance for this AWESOME Giveaway!