Quotes

“Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being.”

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”

“If youth but had the knowledge and old age the strength”

“Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right”

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love”

“There is a crack in everything, that is how the light gets in”

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves”

“Courage is the price life exacts for granting peace”

“We don’t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us”

“Saying nothing…sometimes says the most”

“Life is mostly froth and bubble, Two things stand like stone, Kindness in another’s trouble, Courage in your own.”

“The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected.”

“You don’t stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.”

Tips

Accept offers of help and suggest something specific that someone can do for you. Often people want to help, but they don’t know what to do. Ask someone to make a meal, do an errand, or stay with your loved one while you go for a walk. Remember that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
When speaking with someone with memory loss, avoid quizzing them with questions they may not remember the answer to. For example, when looking at a photo album, instead of asking who someone is in a picture, you might point to a picture and admire someone’s beauty, and then if the person you are speaking with remembers who that is, he or she can tell you, if not, then they are off the hook and don’t feel put on the spot.
The older we get, the more wisdom we have to share. Why not write an Ethical Will? This is a record of our important thoughts that we pass down to our families. It can include cherished memories, values, beliefs, knowledge, lessons learned, and hopes for the future. And it doesn’t need to be hidden away until after we are gone, an Ethical Will can be shared with our loved ones now.
A Living Will for Healthcare is an important document that lets your healthcare providers know what medical treatment you would want should you ever be unable to speak for yourself. No one wants to think about this happening, but once it is completed it often provides a sense of relief and removes any decision-making burden from your loved ones.