Some new family

The couple that are watching after my wife's parents are wonderful.  I stopped by yesterday to visit and saw such an improvement in the parents.  Both were smiling and had put on weight.  My mother-in-law was dressed up and wearing lipstick.  It was amazing to see the difference that just three weeks has made in their demeanor and physical appearance.

The only difficult thing to think about is that the couple may not be there for long.  Their career is in estate management.  Their last position was running the palace of a Saudi prince in which over 100 staff were employed and supervised.  The gig before that was managing staff at a couple of Swiss chalets owned by a wealthy family.  They have managed estates in France as well.

As they were telling me that they were in-between jobs at the moment, I began to feel small and fearful.  I thought about the happiness of my in-laws at the moment and how that could disappear suddenly should the couple's agent find them a new estate to manage.  When I talked to C. about it, she cried because she knows how attached her parents have become to this couple who have only been there a short time.  They are erudite, speak several languages, are kind, and gentle.  And they treat the parents with utmost respect.  They admitted that they have come to love the parents also.

This morning I realized that there are no guarantees with much except death.  I don't need to become worried about what might happen.  It is still one day at a time.  We can "cross the bridge" of finding another couple to live in should we need to do so.

I also know how our egos have a way of manifesting to let others know what our usual situation has been.  If I am suddenly driving an old beat up truck, I might be tempted to tell others that I usually drive a Porsche.  Leaving a palace to do caregiving at a suburban home represents a major change.  I understand and can empathize, although I have not ever lived in a palace.

In the meantime,  we have two new family members in Karin and Elias.  They, the parents, and the next door neighbors who helped facilitate the job for Karin and Elias are coming to dinner next Thursday evening.  We are going to make the most of the time we all have together.  And that is what truly matters.

If a man happens to find himself, he has a mansion which he can inhabit with dignity all the days of his life. ~James Michener