ConnieGoldman

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

 We so often think of a wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, or sister when discussing the role and responsibilities of a family caregiver. When I set out to collect interviews for my book, The Gifts of Caregiving – Stories of Hardship, Hope and Healing, I had the erroneous idea that it might be difficult finding men that filled that role. Wrong. There are millions of husbands, sons, son-in-laws, and other male family members that have taken on the care of a spouse, parent, grandparent or friend.  More…

STORIES OF HARDSHIP, HOPE AND HEALING

  We often take on the role of family caregiver because the alternatives aren’t acceptable to our families or ourselves.  Along with the responsibilities of caring for another come those often-discussed negatives – frustration, stress, exhaustion, indecision, sadness, uncertainty, confusion and guilt.  Too rarely do we hear how the experience of serving as a family caregiving can be an opportunity to expand our vision, touch new depths of compassion and gratitude, and reassess our priorities.  The caregiver experience can also be an opportunity to deepen a relationship with a parent or heal one that has not been healthy or positive.  Caregiving offers a rare chance for such growth and deepening that might never come again. Lois S. generously shared her story. More…

The Difference a Day Makes

  The Difference a Day Makes For me, as I’m sure for many, this has been a week of deep sadness. The hurricane and floods in the Gulf States that has caused so much suffering and death has shaken us all. I want to share what I did yesterday as the ache in my heart for those caught in the tragedy of loss, death, and disrupted lives struggled to survive. With my morning coffee I re-read the many e-mails from all of you who wrote your thoughts and stories prompted by Beatrice Woods stay in the hospital. I may not have yet answered each one personally but I assure you that your stories of caring and love touched me deeply.  Then I went for a walk in the country and basked in the beauty of a perfect day of cool and sunshine.  Now it was time for me to focus on important things. More…

The Gift of Insight

I guess those who have been reading my weekly blog know how strongly I feel about the power of stories.  So it will be no surprise that this week I have a story to tell.  The ceramic artist, Beatrice Wood, died a few years ago at the age of 105.  She was 97 when we spent an afternoon together and she spoke with the wisdom of an elder. Here are her words (pages 281-282) from my recently published book, The Ageless Spirit “My life is just full of mistakes, and they are like pebbles that make a good road.  I remember, for example, that I was ill and had to go to the hospital for three days, mostly to rest.  I found myself in a room with an old, toothless hag who had an accent.  I needed sleep, but this poor lady chatted and chatted. I was so mad.  I tried to avoid her.  More…

Notes From a Grandmother

I’m one of those grandmothers who works, goes to the health club three or four times a week, often picks up prepared food at the local deli or eats dinner at a restaurant.  If confessions are in order, I’ll fess up that my cookie jar is filled with store bought cookies and I haven’t made an apple pie since around 1974.  But I take my role as a grandmother seriously.  I’m not like my grandmother or even my own mother who lived a more home-centered life and lived in the same city as her grandchildren. My experience with my three grandsons takes place in a world very different from the old homestead. More…

The Wisdom of the Garden

  There’s a good chance that you’ve been out in your garden today or you will be shortly.  Maybe you watered your house plants, or picked a basket of flowers for a friend or a neighbor. It isn’t just the pastime of baseball that captures the attention and devotion of literally million of Americans, it’s gardening as well. We might well think of gardening as our national passion. Gardens and gardeners are everywhere from backyard plots to community gardens, from well manicured show gardens to flower pots on an apartment balcony.  It’s with a feeling of pride that we harvest those plump, juicy tomatoes or gather a bouquet of summertime flowers. More…

TELL ME A STORY

Many years ago, I read a quote by the poet, Muriel Rukeyser that ultimately shaped my career as a public radio producer and writer. “The world isn’t made of atoms, it’s made of stories”, she observed and I knew instinctively she was right. More…