“Remember,” she says.

“You must take care of yourself.”

“It will make you a better caregiver,”

she says.

If you have ever been one,

you know 

that all your waking moments

are spent thinking about 

and serving the one you love.

So, when she says to me,

“Remember, you must take care of yourself,”

one more time

another “ought”

takes up residence in my brain…

This one pretending to be a gift.

And I say, “Thank you dear friend,”

as I smile and

walk on home to that quiet place

where no “oughts” are allowed.

The whole time

wondering

what it means to take care of oneself

without riding on the backs

of the happiness of others.

And then,

in the stillness,

I begin to hear the sound

of my own heart.

The sweet music of love

coming from that place inside

unknown to all but me.

And for a little while

there is just beauty

and kindness

and love

and all the grace

that is available to each 

and every one of us

and all of us

all the time.

One more time

I smile.

This is the gift.

This is the song of the caregiver’s heart.

It’s just about being loved.

and knowing

that I am too.

© Barbara Wood Gray