There comes a point in our lives when we need to step back and take some time to re-evaluate where we are. As many of you may have read in my previous blogs, 2010 was a very trying year for the Howards. Having lost my mother-in-law to liver cancer within six weeks of her diagnosis and dealing with some other family issues, the stress was quite high. Thankfully our friends rallied around us and had it not been for my running, I could have easily found myself turning to food for comfort. I was hoping 2011 would bring brighter days ahead. This was after all, the year I was hoping to find balance. What I am discovering is we are never completely in harmony for long. Just when all is going well, be prepared for life to take you in a different direction. A direction none of us can foresee. So you may be asking where I am heading with this. Well, I wanted to give you all heads up that I am going to be taking some time off from writing my Saturday blogs. This comes with a very heavy heart and the decision did not come easy as I love my job. It was one of the toughest decisions I have had to make in a very long time. I must confess I have never been one who can do too many things at one time and feel as though I am giving 100 percent to everything that I do. It was ironic to read Stepfanie's blog earlier this week from Gail Sheehy regarding the survival guide to caregivers. It really struck a chord with me. The person Ms. Sheehy was describing was me--I am the almost 50 year old woman responsible for the care of an aging parent! One of the blessings with my job at SparkPeople is the flexibility it allows me in caring for my father-in-law. My husband is an only child so he does not have siblings to share in the care of his aging father who is closing in on age 90 and no longer drives. His father still lives independently at the moment, but we are now being faced with the task of looking for assisted living facilities. Unfortunately, this is becoming a bigger challenge than we thought, as the places we have located are either out of his price range or have a waiting list years long. When I was asked to join the SparkPeople family in August 2008, I never imagined how much my life would change. It has allowed me to step outside my comforts to find a confidence that we all have but it was so much easier to hide behind my weight than to put myself out there for rejection or judgment. While I will not be totally gone from the dailySpark, I will still be writing my fitness round-ups and other blogs on Tuesdays, I am just stepping back on my Saturday blogs. You will still find me on the message boards and the SparkTeams I lead. I also plan on continuing with my travels. If you happen to live in the Pittsburgh area, we would love to have you join us on Saturday, March 26th as Coach Nicole and I will be traveling to the area to participate in the Just a Short Run event with over 80 other SparkPeople members. This event is not only for runners, but walkers too, so come on down. They have a 5K, 8.1 miler, Half-marathon and 30K events or you can just come and join us for a day of SparkPeople fun! I will also be heading to San Diego the first weekend in June to run the Rock N Roll Half-Marathon as well as Seattle at the end of June to run the Rock N Roll Half-Marathon. I want to thank you all for being so kind. When I read your comments on my blogs I am truly touched. I am not a writer by profession, but I do my best to relate to my audience. I think my high school freshman English teacher, Mrs. Golightly, would be quite proud. She was one of the toughest teachers I ever had, but I think she taught me well. Thank you all for being a blessing in my life. Whether you agree or disagree with any of my blogs, you guys teach me humility and that the greatest gift we can give anyone is love. You all do that for all us here at SparkPeople every day. I wish you all well and I look forward to coming back with batteries recharged and ready to share some awesome blogs. HAPPY SPARKING! Nancy Do you care for an aging parent? Do you have others to help you along the way? How do you manage the stress? |
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