Tag Archive for spouse

Women Vets

They’re often-unsung heroines. Let’s remember them today.

Help for the Weary Caregiver

Many of us find ourselves in the position of being a primary caregiver, whether to a child, a spouse, a parent, or a grandparent.  Yet, we need to keep our jobs, too.  This makes for a very full–and tiring–life.  But we do it out of love.

There are ways to ease our burden of love, though.  AARP has a few tips to do just that.  Learn about those tips at their Balancing Work & Caregiving.

A Day for Our Spouse

Today is Labor Day.  We might have relaxation and a BBQ with friends in mind.  Maybe we’ll  even give a passing thought to all the workers we meet daily where we work or eat lunch.  But what about those closer to home?  Do we show appreciation for the work our spouse does around the house or for our family? Who labors over the gardening, laundry, cooking, planning, driving, finances, or myriad other tasks that keep a family running smoothly?  Probably us or our spouse.  Take a moment today—and often—to say “thank you” for something he or she does on a regular basis.  Simple words of gratitude, especially when spoken frequently, remind people that what they do is noticed and drives off that slithering snake of resentment, whose bite poisons relationships.

 

That Daunting Garage Mess

Confronting you is the garage-corner with those electronic gadgets your spouse says must go!  Guess that means a dump-run, although those items are poison to the environment.  Stop!  There are alternatives.  You can put old electronics to better use than polluting the landfill.  Donate office machines to charities which do needed repairs then sell them to support their programs.  Give cell phones and laser or ink-jet cartridges to the Fraternal Order of Eagles, which supports children’s and veterans’ programs with them.  Give a cell phone to a battered woman, a disabled man, or an elderly couple, showing them how to keep it charged and how to dial the free emergency number, or to organizations that do that for you.  For example, the YMCA gives refurbished phones to domestic violence shelters and victims and to the elderly and disabled.  The options are there.  Mother Earth will thank you, and so will the vulnerable people you help.