Service to the Family

"Be what you wish to see reflected in the world. Love is made by being love. Peace is found only in being peace."

Danielle Marie Crume

I learned something while taking care of my father. I learned the bigger focus was my love for him. I realized that if I focused on the enormous task at hand or the fact that he was dying or even my own stress level, I would be at the effect of whatever emotional ups and downs were keeping me off balance. 

Being afraid, angry or depressed were emotions that could easily get out of hand and stay there. I began to just focus on loving him. If I served the bigger goal, all the other events of the day were just that, events. They no longer meant the same thing. They began to serve as guideposts supplying new information. I became a loving manager of expected but unforeseen events more capable of making adjustments instead of reacting to situations. I began to feel connected to something bigger than the daily logistics. My life transformed from out of control to a state of equilibrium and peace.

Anytime you can focus on love and service in the place of adult diapers and sleepless nights, the experience transforms from overwhelming to enriching. It takes practice. You have to make it a conscious habit. But try it and see what happens...