As we get older there are traditional roles we fill. Parents take care of children. Then children get older and take care of their parents. The tough part of this equation is when you are the parent trying to take care of your own parent but you need to be taken care of too. Insert Mom.

Mom’s caught in a tough spot right now and I know she feels it. We don’t ever talk about it but I know it’s there. Her father, Papa as I call him on this blog, is our only grandparent living. He is 87 years old and still lives at his house about 15 minutes from my parent’s house. He is in great health and still very active. He still drives but there are certain occasions when it is better if we drive him around- a doctor’s appointment for his eyes, a longer trip out of town, or a night time activity.

In a perfect world this wouldn’t be a big deal because Mom would still be active as well and would be able to drive and pick him up for these appointments. But the world we live in right now Mom doesn’t drive, and to be honest, requires more assistance to be taken places than Papa. That is tough too. It goes against what is “supposed to happen.” Against what the “plan of life” tells us will happen.

So tonight I sit here struggling. We all are struggling. Struggling because there are times when this is not easy. The arrangements to be made, the sacrifices we each make and the way it all plays out- the way life is unfolding for us is tough and it seems every time we turn around it seems to be getting tougher.

Have you ever cared for an elderly parent? Do you make sacrifices for loved ones or struggle trying to make everyone happy? Do you ever stop and think this is not how this was supposed to be?