After A Month Of Showering My Mother With Love ... -

So, I decided to go all in.

Showers are great—for a garden. But if you stand under a waterfall for 30 days straight, you get bruised by the force of the water. You get waterlogged. You lose your footing.

She squeezed my hand. "Honey," she said. "I don't need a shower. I just need a sip of water with you." After a month of showering my mother with love ...

I wanted to be the perfect daughter. I wanted to erase every argument we had in my teenage years. I wanted to give back all the love she gave me.

Caregiving—whether for an aging parent, a sick spouse, or even a high-needs child—is not a sprint of intensity. It is a marathon of consistency. So, I decided to go all in

Why pouring from an empty cup hurts everyone—and how to refill it.

So today, we aren't doing anything grand. We’re drinking tea in silence. And for the first time in a month, I actually feel the love—instead of just the effort. You get waterlogged

For the last 30 days, I made it my mission to shower my mother with love. Not just the occasional Sunday phone call or the obligatory birthday bouquet. I mean full-force love.

The look on her face told me everything. It wasn't anger. It was confusion. She didn't see the 30 days of sacrifice; she saw one moment of cruelty.

Shower her with love. But leave the bathroom door open. You need air, too. Have you ever experienced caregiver burnout while trying to be "the perfect child"? Let me know in the comments. Let’s talk about the hard part of love.