Diminishing others

"Killing another human being seems abhorrent, but when have we extinguished hope, enthusiasm, opportunity, or love?"  Jesse Jennings

It is an awesome responsibility for us to be aware of how we treat others.  During my years of caregiving, I did a stellar job most of the time.  One of the reasons for choosing to have him move into assisted living was because I was no longer able to do the job as cheerfully as I had in previous years/months.  The stress of the overwhelming responsibility, coupled with dealing with his extreme negativity began to wear me down.  One of the things that bothered me about the decision is that placing someone in assisted living does impact their hope.  I still see him and take him to things that are important to him, but the dreams of what life once held are no longer valid or attainable -- for either of us.