When I was having my little emotional meltdown Saturday night, Mom kept telling me that, even when we’re overwhelmed with Grandma, we shouldn’t complain about my uncle because she doesn’t really want his help; he’ll let Grandma do whatever she wants rather than insisting on what she needs, which causes more problems than it solves. I could understand her point, but it still bothered me that we’re doing everything while he does almost nothing.

Yesterday, though, I had a bit of a revelation, and with it, a change of heart. Because he did something that we can’t do: he brought his granddaughters to visit. They had gone to a parade and they each brought a string of long pearlized beads for Grandma — a very appropriate gift since she’s always had a love of pearls. She was still smiling about it when I saw her last night, and that made such a difference for me. There’s so little that makes her really happy these days. If he can do that for her, that’s quite a contribution.