After A Month Of Showering My Mother With: Love ...

Caregiving—whether for an aging parent, a sick spouse, or even a high-needs child—is not a sprint of intensity. It is a marathon of consistency.

I drove her to every appointment, even the ones she insisted she could cancel. I cooked her favorite childhood meals (her mom’s chicken soup recipe, which takes three hours). I listened to the same stories about her neighbor’s cat for the 40th time without checking my phone. I bought her little gifts—a soft scarf, a puzzle book, a heated blanket. After a month of showering my mother with love ...

She squeezed my hand. "Honey," she said. "I don't need a shower. I just need a sip of water with you." Caregiving—whether for an aging parent, a sick spouse,