The Ripple Effect

Reflections on Caregiving

Photo credit: Canva

On June 19th, my mother peacefully left this earth. Since then, I’ve been reflecting on my eight months of intense caregiving, primarily how our presence can have an impact on others. For those eight months, I stepped into mom’s bubble, playing improv with Alzheimer’s while soaking up the intermittent glimmers of my mom’s persona. Her death forced me out of that sacred space and upon my exit, the response from her community reminded me she was not just my mom. She was a loyal friend, wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, and a nurturer of children who, for a multitude of reasons, no longer had mothers.

Quite often, people refer to an individual’s contribution as “a drop in the bucket,” meaning the impact is hardly noticeable. When a drop of water hits the surface; however, waves ripple far and wide. I thought about all the drops my mom put in buckets — her own, her family, her community, her friends, as well as strangers.

“Your mom was the mom of the neighborhood,” a childhood neighbor said. Several friends reflected tenderly on their friendship and said, “Alma was so welcoming when I came to town. Alma was a lot of fun!” As a child, I witnessed her students running to her in the grocery store aisle and tackling her with their 3-foot hugs. Her impact as a teacher was also reflected in her Long Leaf Pine award, the highest honor in the…