About With Grace
With Grace is the working title of a book I am currently writing about what I learned by my mother’s side during her final years when she had Alzheimer’s. After my father died, and during the last five years of my mother’s life, I found myself jotting notes every so often, after a visit with her: things that I found striking and insights that became apparent.
This process of collecting my thoughts to share later was something I was already in the habit of doing for my coaching articles. I figured I’d eventually turn those notes into an article or series of articles, but soon I accumulated several folders of notes and these became organized around certain themes.
Why would I include stories on the topic of Alzheimer’s on a website devoted to coaching, career change and life direction? Not everyone has someone in their lives suffering from dementia, though you probably know someone who does.
When I coached executives and other professionals the central issues were work-related: the complex project, the team to manage, the career opportunity, and the organizational environment to navigate. Yet the person being coached was someone with a whole life to manage, one that encompassed all the things that arise: family issues, health issues, raising children, elderly parents and more.
As I sat by my mother, all the themes from coaching that I had discussed over the years with my clients were relevant: controlling what I could control, being clear on my priorities, being strong, having courage, asking for help, managing challenges, taking care of myself, nourishing my spirit and trusting all would be well.
Just as the lessons from my coaching work applied to my mother’s situation, so do the profound and life-affirming lessons that I learned while caring for my mother apply to others, even those who do not have a loved one with dementia. The lessons of life are universal.
