So, once again, life is what it is. Accept it and learn to work with it. Accept that, unbeknownst to you at the time, you approached a fork in the road of your life. Your plans went one way while you went the other.

So what should you do when you find yourself on an unfamiliar road with a good friend who's hurting. I don't know about you, but I grab hold of my friend, hang on tight, protect her when she needs protecting, and together we set out to make a new life for ourselves in what has proven to be a very unfamiliar and, at times, a bit scary world. I advise you to treat your new life as an adventure. Your job as a caregiver is to prepare, as much as possible, for the unexpected. But accept up front that you can not prepare for everything. Just do your best, hang on, and enjoy the ride.

I hope it's a long one.