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I retired in 2006 after forty years in business to care for my wife who has spinal stenosis and underwent her fifth spine operation at the end of 2005. It is now three years later and my wife's "recovery" from constant pain has changed to "toleration" of on-again off-again discomfort and irregular but frequent jolts of pain. Her significantly reduced mobility and my regular list of things to be done in our home are constants. Some days are better than others for both of us. My biggest frustration as caregiver is never knowing for sure whether to prod or encourage my wife to do more mentally or physically, or simply let her be at whatever level of activity she wants. However, we are both growing to understand and accept what is, and most often find happiness in the ordinary events of each day. Thank God, after forty-one years of marriage, we still love each other immeasurably and we are genuinely happy together in spite of the challenges of this situation. Our special joys come from being alive and able to witness the busy lives of our grown children and the hugs and childhood innocence of our three young grandchildren.
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