“I didn't want my exhaustion to burn through my empathy. How terrifying was this loss of electric power superimposed on the powerlessness of aging and disability? I could not fathom it and tried not to be judgmental about my parents' reactions. How did it feel not seeing well to begin with and then functioning by flashlight? How did it feel to depend on others for your heat, water, and food?” EmpathyAgingDisabilityCaregivingEldercare Book:While They're Still Here: A Memoir Source: While They're Still Here: A Memoir
“I vowed to myself to do everything possible to help my parents be happy, and I prayed they would work at it, too. I knew I wanted to provide them with every bit of support I could without taking away their own legs to stand on.” IndependenceAgingEldercare Book:While They're Still Here: A Memoir Source: While They're Still Here: A Memoir
“Their religion was never something they talked about, aside from offering a brief grace at big meals. They simply tried to abide by the Ten Commandments as best they could, with occasional lapses of racism and prejudice and fractured promises of fidelity.” ReligionFaithFailureImperfection Book:While They're Still Here: A Memoir Source: While They're Still Here: A Memoir
“When most folks think about the problems of growing up in the hood, they think about what it must feel like to be poor, or hungry, or to have your lights cut off. The struggle nobody talk about is what it feel like to be invisible, or to know in your heart the nobody cares. Mama didn’t want to be famous, she wanted to be seen.” PoorStruggleUnlovedExtreme PovertyInvisible PeopleThe Hood Book:Rabbit: The Autobiography of Ms. Pat Source: Rabbit: The Autobiography of Ms. Pat