By Sharla Weber Mosqueda This too shall pass. This phrase is said in times of turmoil, trusting whatever horrible thing happening is temporary and that better times are surely coming. I have said this phrase too many times to count, when I was suffering a broken heart, enduring financial hardship — not knowing how I was going to keep the electricity on, let alone pay the rent — being stranded on the side of the road with a broken-down car, fighting a health scare and most recently .
.. Well, you get the idea.
“This too shall pass.” We had a new resident move into the assisted living community where I work. After suffering a stroke, hospitalization and weeks of rehab, it was determined she could no longer live independently.
So, with much trepidation, this 94-year-old packed her favorite belongings and moved into assisted living. Then we learned of all she had lost — her husband of 73 years had passed the previous year, her only child had passed in his 50s from prostate cancer and her King Charles Cavalier — her constant companion — passed in her arms before her stroke, which left her right side weakened and impaired her abilities to independently care for herself as she had before. Her eyesight had dimmed, which meant she could no longer drive, and her license was revoked.
She had moved from her large, beautiful home in which she had lived for 53 years. She was grateful to now have help and was comforted knowing if something happened to her, we would be there, but still, she had lost and left so much behind. However, we watched with admiration her choose to focus on all the blessings she still had: A loving family, new friends, a small yet cozy space to call home and the giddy anticipation of yet another great-grandchild on the way.
Her journey caused me to question the phrase “this too shall pass.” What if we recited this phrase in times we are NOT in turmoil? What about the things we don’t think about and appreciate in the moment, because with absolute certainty, these things will also one day come to an end? Working in assisted living has changed my perspective. This morning, I was fully aware that I was able to get out of bed myself, go to the bathroom, take a shower, make coffee, dress for the day, walk to my car and drive myself to a job I love.
And this is only the beginning. What about the times our mortgage payment is due and I can make that payment without a question of the payment bouncing. Or when I wake up to my husband and in the darkness, can’t stop smiling because this incredible human being picked me.
Or when I open a fully stocked fridge without worry of where our next meal will come from. What if “this too shall pass” had a different meaning, and we shifted our eyes to all we have in this moment, with immeasurable gratitude? Our new resident is adjusting well and just welcomed her ninth great-grandchild. She loves scenic drives in the van with her new friends, beams with pride when she completes a puzzle, always chooses dark chocolate as her prize when winning a game of Bingo and continues to practice gratitude and keeping her gaze on the future and not the past.
She is an inspiration to her fellow residents and our team. When I arrived home from work this evening, my big dog came running up the driveway to greet me with a huge smile on his face. I dropped my work bag and to my knees, wrapped my arms around him, told him he was a good boy, and whispered to myself, “This too shall pass.
” ••• Sharla Weber Mosqueda is executive director of Parkhurst Place in Hood River. National Assisted Living Week was celebrated September 8-14..
