The following excerpts are from letters my mother sent to me during the six-year period of time she cared for my dad after he suffered a debilitating stroke.  About five years into her caregiving experience she wrote and said, “I wish I had been keeping a journal all of these years.  I think it would be interesting to see how I have grown and changed mentally and spiritually.  I also think my experiences could help other people who are going through a similarly difficult time.”

That statement gave me the permission I needed to edit her letters into the book, Letters from Madelyn, Chronicles of a Caregiver. The following posts are excerpts from the book.

Since I published the book and started speaking to caregivers, so many people have told me that they just love Madelyn, because she gives them permission to be human.  Through sharing some of her experiences, I hope that you will discover for yourself that having negative feelings doesn’t make you a bad person, and that it truly is possible to grow mentally and spiritually – even in the very worst end-of-life situations.

Happy reading!

Elaine