Peregrine XXXVII: The Caregiving Issue
“Perhaps equally certain as death and taxes, caregiving falls into the category of an obligation that most people will be called upon to perform at some point in their lives,” write Peregrine editors Jan Haag, Carla Hanson, Ellen Summers, and Janet Summers.
Featuring pieces from seventy-three writers, some of whom generated their pieces in a Caregiver Project Workshop, the gorgeous collection explore the complexities, nuances, joys, and strains of caregiving. You will undoubtedly be moved by the explorations of caring for “ill or dying loved ones, a child or pet or best friend who needs looking after in a more intense way than usual.”
Sue Reynolds and Carla Hanson hosted two issue launches in December. There was such a beautiful sense of community and heartfelt resonance in the Zoom room that no one wanted to leave at the end. You can share the magic and hear the stunning writing by viewing the recordings: December 4, hosted by Sue, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PWWxYJUaYg&t=2s and December 8, hosted by Carla, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBDaRjVZ0TY
Here are a few lines to enjoy:
“Anticipating that after is not the same as living it.
Today is the first of my birthdays that she has ever missed.
My father calls. he sings to me, solo.”
Boundary, Susie Berg
“Like dayblind stars, they twinkle in the night in cluttered
bedrooms and bathrooms always lit. Staggering at daybreak,
tongue tips sore from sleeping sitting on dipped chins, they look
for hyphens in their days – the smiles. And sunny spots …”
Hyphens, Naveneet Bhullar
“I buried her a thousand times.
The burial when she didn’t recognize me for the first time.
The burial when hospice rushed into the room with a bed and
respirator.”
The Topography of Grief, Sherri Levine
“As I swam naked through
the blue-green pools of living
you died in the hospice bed.
After the Death of Her Husband, Linda Tennyson
Read them all by purchasing a copy through Amazon:
Wonderful. I have so much respect and admiration for what The Caregiver Project manages to give to people; for what it manages to achieve. Thank you for sharing this Susan.
Thank you for the kind words, Matthew!
What heart swelling pieces. Thank you so much for sharing.