As one may ask anyone who is into providing care, it is not impersonal or routine. The initial meeting may be casual, and it involves getting to know the person and the needs to be provided with the care.

However, as the involvement progresses, a connection develops between the caregiver and the one being cared for.

Mrs. Donna Turner-A vibrant octogenarian with eyes that sparkle when she speaks.

Our introduction started innocently with the usual information about how she should be cared for. Honestly, I thought she was just another person for whom I could provide my caregiving services.

As days passed, I became an integral part of her life, and she became an essential part of mine.

Was it perhaps the mischief behind her spectacles that I noticed each time I extended my hands whenever she needed help with her daily tasks? I don’t think so because I feel this special connection extends to her and me and vice versa. A special connection that every time I extend help for her needs, I can feel the inner satisfaction one can feel when caring for somebody.

I felt that connection strongly when Mrs. Turner went on vacation. The day they left, she gave me an envelope and asked me to read it while I was already home. I forgot to read it and received her text: “I hope by now you read the card.” I immediately opened the card and found the check and notes that read, “Please don’t get another client. Herewith is your pay for the days I won’t be here.” I wanted you.

It turns out that her two weeks of vacation were not just a break for her. The needed absence, the separation, made our connection more prominent. We exchanged messages, telling each other of our adventures and misadventures miles apart-stories that we laughed about instantly, stories that other people wouldn’t find funny. Yes, miles apart yet connected with that special bond.

Her return from vacation was not just a client’s arrival. It was the homecoming of a confidant, the return of a friend who became a family not by blood but by that special connection, the bond between two human beings brought together for the needs of one, being complimented by another.

Grace/admin