Ingredients To Make A Chronically Ill Mom’s Day Brighter

Typically for my “Savory Sunday” feature, I post tips for good nutrition, recipes, and strategies for making food preparation easier on us. But since today is Mother’s Day, I wanted to do something different.

The following list includes things that our loved ones, whether children, friends, a spouse or a life partner, can do to help make our days brighter.

Feel free to leave this window open on your computer or to print out the article and place it in a spot where it cannot be missed.

Here are the “ingredients” that make us feel wonderful:

1.  We already feel bad enough about things we cannot do with you or for you. Let’s find something we CAN do together. It’s the companionship that matters the most to us, not the activity.

2.  We appreciate even the smallest gesture of kindness and helpfulness. Something as simple as cleaning up after yourself takes some of the physical burden off of us. It’s one less thing we have to do while in pain or feeling other unpleasant symptoms.

3.  If we are bed or sofa bound due to a significant flare-up of our illness, remember that we get really lonely and bored. Yes, we would love to spend some time with you. It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give to us.

4.  There is a good chance that we won’t tell you how bad we are hurting or how sick we feel. Instead, we’ll just push ourselves beyond our limits at times. We don’t like having to actually say “I can’t.” If you anticipate that we are struggling, go ahead and say it on our behalf. It takes some of the pressure off of us.

5.  Remember how much we love you. Sometimes we may not be able to demonstrate it in the ways you like, but that doesn’t mean the love has gone anywhere. It’s right there in our hearts, and we can’t wait to show you when we are feeling better.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Mother’s Day!