Saturday check-in… Did you wake up knowing exactly what day it was? Or did you stare at the calendar like, “Wait… is it Saturday already?” 😂 Maybe the laundry is waiting. Maybe the dishes are giving you attitude. Maybe your “quick nap” turned into a full appointment with the couch. Today, give yourself permission to laugh a little. Caregiving, aging, healing, and life in general can get heavy. But joy still belongs here too. So here’s your Saturday assignment: Do one thing that makes you smile. Dance in the kitchen. Wear the silly socks. Sing off-key. Eat dessert first. Take the nap. We are allowed to laugh while we are Still Rising. 💜 What’s one silly thing that always makes you laugh? I will tell you mine in the comments.

Today, let’s talk about something caregivers often push to the bottom of the list: your mental health. Caregiving can be beautiful, meaningful, exhausting, frustrating, lonely, and heartbreaking; sometimes all in the same day. You may be so focused on medications, meals, appointments, safety, and everyone else’s needs that you hardly notice what is happening inside of you. So today, I want to open the door for an honest conversation. How are you really doing? Are you feeling overwhelmed? More irritable than usual? Having trouble sleeping? Crying when no one is around? Feeling anxious, isolated, numb, or simply worn down? You do not have to pretend everything is fine in this space. Caring for your mental and emotional health is part of caregiving too. Sometimes that means rest. Sometimes it means asking family for help. Sometimes it means talking with a trusted friend, counselor, support group, pastor, or healthcare professional. And sometimes it simply begins by saying: “I’m having a hard time.” Let’s make this a safe conversation. Caregivers, what has been weighing heaviest on your mind lately? Share only what you feel comfortable sharing. You never know whose heart may feel a little less alone because you spoke up. Ma Laurie Your Aging Parent Coach & Wellness Coordinator Still Rising: Honoring Every Life. At Every Stage.

@Christine Hammond ( thank you for joining you are an assert to this community) and @Alex Summiter thank you for jointing.

Good evening. Today is a new day, and with it comes a new beginning. You do not have to carry yesterday’s worries into today. You do not have to have everything figured out before you take the next step. Start where you are. Take one breath. Say one prayer. Make one good choice. Give yourself grace for the rest. Some seasons begin quietly. No big announcement. No dramatic change. Just a decision to keep going. God’s mercies are new every morning, and so is the opportunity to begin again. Whatever yesterday held, today still has purpose. Your story is not over. You are still growing. Still learning. Still becoming. Still Rising.

Yesterday my fellow coworker and I had finished bathing him. I had just given him a neb treatment. I went back in to start the last of the bandage changes. No response no tracking with his eyes. He was just a shell of the one cared for. He entered his eternal rest. The photo was Sun. His last best day. He was ready to enter his rest and worship his father.