Year-end inventory

"The key to a spiritual life is discovering that there is something unique about you that is a part of God's plan." Monsignor Gregory E.S. Malovetz

I don't know about you; but I tend toward introspection, toward wanting to see my part in the bigger picture, toward discerning the meaning of life and why I am here.  It has come to be my belief that we are all here for a purpose, and that we have a responsibility to live our lives so that our gifts and talents are used to benefit ourselves and others.  So, how does that happen when one is a caregiver for someone with dementia?  I wonder, for myself, if this is not a time out of society, for my own soul's growth; a kind of desert experience.  I have been spending this week doing a personal inventory; looking at where I have been and preparing for what lies ahead.   What I have come to is - despite the fact that I am a caregiver for someone with dementia - I still have a responsibility to live the life I was given.  Not sure fully what that means yet, but I do know that I am reclaiming my life, my right to live my life - after having set it aside to be a caregiver.  This does not mean that I won't still be a caregiver for awhile, but it does mean that it will be with a different attitude and focus.  I am back in my life.