The Hard Truths I Learned While Looking After My Mother at Home.

1. Love Doesn’t Cancel Exhaustion

You can love someone with your whole heart and still feel overwhelmed.

Caregiving is not just an act of devotion—it’s labor. It’s lifting, cleaning, organizing prescriptions, waking up in the middle of the night, and functioning on broken sleep. It’s paperwork, insurance calls, and constant vigilance.

There were days I felt bone-deep exhaustion. And then guilt for feeling it.

The truth? Love and exhaustion can exist in the same space.