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Trauma: another word for the stress a caregiver experiences?
Reflections, Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 7/30/25 Reflections, Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 7/30/25

Trauma: another word for the stress a caregiver experiences?

I’ve written much about loss and grief. A note from a friend leads me to one more possible label for my experience.

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Thanks to a reader who’s helping me understand ‘quality of life’
Reflections, Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 3/12/25 Reflections, Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 3/12/25

Thanks to a reader who’s helping me understand ‘quality of life’

When we stop to consider “quality of life,” whose life are we thinking about most?

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My caregiving story: rewards, mistakes, guilt, and questions
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 1/17/25 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 1/17/25

My caregiving story: rewards, mistakes, guilt, and questions

Caregiving is a conundrum. On the one hand, it is an honorable opportunity for its own sake and with its own rewards, while the other hand is often mired in guilt and self-loathing that comes from not doing enough, or doing too much of what we shouldn’t.

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Through the decades, our life has been filled with love notes
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 6/28/24 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 6/28/24

Through the decades, our life has been filled with love notes

All of our life he wrote me love notes. And now I’m writing them to him.

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After 30 years of togetherness, now we’re living one day at a time
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 4/19/24 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 4/19/24

After 30 years of togetherness, now we’re living one day at a time

Gradual cognitive decline followed by critical weakness in his body led to our separation after decades of being together.

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Shared story: How caregiving has affirmed for me a simple truth
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 11/3/23 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 11/3/23

Shared story: How caregiving has affirmed for me a simple truth

“Your time is valuable. Share it!” Advice I wouldn’t have expected to read. Truth I’ve discovered again and again—especially now that I’m a caregiver.

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Shared story: The  important lessons I put into practice too slowly
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 9/29/23 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 9/29/23

Shared story: The important lessons I put into practice too slowly

To live well with a dementia sufferer, you must enter their world. This is the main, but not the only, lesson I learned but actually used too slowly.

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Handling the new while grieving the loss of the old: It’s not easy
Reflections, Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 9/27/23 Reflections, Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 9/27/23

Handling the new while grieving the loss of the old: It’s not easy

Capitalizing on the present while admitting and grieving the loss of the past is the challenge for everyone loving a person with a debilitating disease.

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Shared story: Reflecting, praying, hoping at the start of a new year
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 9/22/23 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 9/22/23

Shared story: Reflecting, praying, hoping at the start of a new year

As a daughter anticipates Yom Kippur, she thinks about how she has served her mother, wondering about the year to come.

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Shared story: Joy from memories of who she was, and who she had become
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 8/25/23 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 8/25/23

Shared story: Joy from memories of who she was, and who she had become

The mother I had as a child no longer resembled the person she had become. But I loved her all the same, clear through the difficult days till the very end.

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Shared story: We promised she would always know she was loved
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 6/2/23 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 6/2/23

Shared story: We promised she would always know she was loved

Notes from a 10-year unchosen journey by a family committed to keeping their promise to their dad

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Shared story: There is life after caregiving! Part two: Moving on
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 3/31/23 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 3/31/23

Shared story: There is life after caregiving! Part two: Moving on

“Though I never expected to be alone at this age or for this long, God has truly led me to a new, different, and surprisingly fulfilling life.”

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Shared story: There is life after caregiving! Part one: Our journey
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 3/24/23 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 3/24/23

Shared story: There is life after caregiving! Part one: Our journey

Phyllis Girdwood reflects on what it meant to care for her husband who was dying with cancer—and how she’s learning to cope in the years since his passing.

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Shared story: I can honestly say I’ve been blessed through it all
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 2/3/23 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 2/3/23

Shared story: I can honestly say I’ve been blessed through it all

First my wife and today my dad. I never would have expected these caregiving duties—or the blessings that came because of them.

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Shared story: We are coping, but this disease does not pause or stop
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 1/13/23 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 1/13/23

Shared story: We are coping, but this disease does not pause or stop

The story of how our life has changed, beginning with a senseless auto accident in 2014.

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Shared story: My journey as a long-distance caregiver, Part 3
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 1/6/23 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 1/6/23

Shared story: My journey as a long-distance caregiver, Part 3

After what I’ll honestly call a very difficult year, I can say, I’m doing great. But the hope we celebrated at Christmas means more than ever.

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Trying to remember a friend’s simple advice: ‘Live your life!’
Reflections, Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 12/14/22 Reflections, Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 12/14/22

Trying to remember a friend’s simple advice: ‘Live your life!’

“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” I’m trying, I’m really trying.

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Shared Story: ‘I wouldn’t change a thing. But this was hard.’
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 11/4/22 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 11/4/22

Shared Story: ‘I wouldn’t change a thing. But this was hard.’

Going through this makes us stronger. We don’t like it, but in retrospect we can say, “OK, God, you’ve humbled me. You’ve made me a better person.”

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Shared story: I’m focusing on enjoying each day with my husband
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 10/21/22 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 10/21/22

Shared story: I’m focusing on enjoying each day with my husband

Though we have hard days and life is like a yo-yo right now, I am thankful for a God who listens and comes to help me through the rough spots.

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Shared story: ‘I pray, but I have many questions about prayer’
Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 10/14/22 Shared Story Mark A. Taylor 10/14/22

Shared story: ‘I pray, but I have many questions about prayer’

I have a confession. Even though I’ve been doing ministry for 50 years and have been a believer for 55 years or so, I still have more questions about prayer than I have answers.

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