A New Year
Sometimes life moves in unexpected and demanding directions. I know this is a truism, but these past seven months have been tumultuous in every way. After months of hardly sleeping and tremendous exhaustion, I moved my husband David into Memory Care at the finest local facility in our town, and I began to settle into a new solitary life. After living with him for nearly 40 years, this has been a huge transition. This image, from Halloween last October, captured a joyful and playful moment. Besides visiting David nearly every day, I am also the medical power-of-attorney for a dear friend who is dying of metastatic cancer, and I participate in a care team that is actively helping him stay at home for this final period of his life. A crucial part of maintaining inner balance is conducting my 8th home meditation retreat -- this one is the 7th of 100 days. My practice, and my life, provide ongoing opportunities to generate lovingkindness and compassion in the face of suffering.
