We spent the night at the home of John and Gail Lyons. They demonstrated an abundance of warmth and kindness, but we knew that already about John when we met him and his trail crew a few days previously. Besides shedding a tear over a few of my stories of kindness from our walk across the country, he was moved by Charissa’s dedication to her Mom. He tried to tell me so but became too choked up to succeed.
As a term of endearment I often refer to Charissa as my Little Miss Charis. This journey can’t be easy for her. She had two goals originally: to get the Triple Crown for her Mom and thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail for herself. With circumstances preventing her from completing a thru-hike she’s mainly out here for her Mom. The same could be said for me, but I had a far better idea of what I was getting into with Cindy’s assisted daily living.
After the one night Charissa spent alone with Cindy she was in tears, suspecting she was making things miserable for her Mom. That was not the case, but she has high standards for her compassion, feeling that she should always be a source of comfort. After all, this is my Little Miss Charis, who was awarded the Humanitarian award in 6th grade. John could see that as he choked up trying to express his admiration for our daughter.
I’ve hiked thousands of miles with Cindy. When I hike with her on this journey she accepts that as the way it should be. When Charissa hikes with her, Cindy occasionally asks where I am. That cannot gratify my Little Miss Charis as she tries her best to keep her Mom in good cheer, but she persists nonetheless.
This journey simply does not proceed without Charissa’s kind and warm heart helping all of us through the days. She’s necessary not just for her Mom, but for her Dad as well. Sometimes I get as choked up as John Lyons with gratitude for Little Miss Charis. The two are a lot alike.
….ans such is the Power of Love !
oops…. I meant and : )
Hi- I am so inspired by your blog, my mom has Alzheimer’s and I find what you are doing so inspiring. I own a business and we are going to sponsor a team at the Alzheimer’s walk in September. It is hard to know what to do sometimes and this is one way I feel like I can try to help my mom and my dad who is trying to care for her by himself. Anyway, good luck you are an inspiration to a lot of people affected by this disease.
Thanks Missy. Consider making a donation to Exercise for Brain Health Research. Exercise is the only thing to date shown to regenerate brain tissue, but more needs to be learned about types of exercise and their effects.