Six years ago, it was my first Christmas back in Maine. I was a recipient of my church’s giving tree that year. Amongst the fun odds and ends in the gift box was a black and red plaid wooly shawl. It was long and fringed like a giant scarf. I loved it but truly wondered what I would do with it. It wasn’t exactly something I would wear in public…not my style…

That winter found me staying with old friends who needed help as the wife had end stage Alzheimer's. That shawl was bright, cheerful and warm and it spent the last few months of her life wrapped around her thin shoulders. Then it hung by the front door to be grabbed if I went out to get the mail or my Amazon packages. It was used to cover up sleeping babies, keeping my legs warm at my desk and then it was wrapped around my mother’s shoulders for the last few months of her Alzheimer’s journey.

Most recently, I used it myself to try to hold off the chill of Covid. I was freezing in my bed when I crawled out to grab the shawl to wrap around my own shoulders. As I did so, it felt like a big hug. I thought about whoever had given it 6 years ago, all the services it had provided and realized that its greatest service was the constant reminder that I was not alone. Someone had cared enough to purchase and gift it. Others had utilized it and imbibed it with their spirit and energy. I was cared about.

That is the biggest gift that we as care pro’s give. The reassurance that no matter what our clients are experiencing, they are not doing it alone. They are cared for. And we have their back!!