Importance of Intention

"Having a long-term intention for your life is like living with a compass for your heart."
Jack Kornfield

We've all heard the saying that having intention without action is the path to hell, but to have no intention - in my opinion - is the path to disharmony.  When we realized we were dealing with a progressive, debilitating and terminal illness, I consciously considered what I wanted my intention to be within my response to my loved on'es diagnosis.  First, we traveled to the places he wanted to go while he was still able to travel:  to see Sagamore and to see his daughter and her family and to meet his granddaughter who lives abroad.  Then, I read the statistics about 1/3 of caregivers dying before the care receiver, 1/3 of them having their health damaged by caregiving, and 1/3 becoming better from the experience -- and I chose to be part of the last group.  Within that, I also chose to meet the challenges of the disease of dementia with graciousness.  What is your long-term goal in caregiving?