6 tips to being the care taker

I got the pleasure of taking care of my man a few days last week. And by taking care of, I mean try my hand at being a nurse. He under went shoulder surgery on Thursday. I was lucky enough to be the one to assist to his every need. Taking a cue from Aaron here are my tips on being the right hand to someone who just had surgery.

1. Pack a good hospital bag, including reading material to last longer than expected surgery time, food, sweater (because hospitals are freezing), and a deep breath. It'll all be okay. 
2. Be ready to get up and down at a moments notice. If the remote control is to far out of reach, that's all you, or if the fan needs to be turned on in the middle of the night, yup that's you too. 
3. Try to be the one who remembers when it's time to take pain medicine, or check the ice bag to make sure it's still cold. Make it a little easier on the patient to recover by remembering the little things. 
4. Be ready to not sleep and be 100% happy with the fact. Be just as happy to wake up at 1am as you would be at 9am. 
5. If you have someone as independent as my man, try to think ahead of them and their needs. That way they don't have to feel bad for asking if the TV is already on, or water cup is already filled.
6. Finally, have a servant's heart. Put their needs first, then yours. But don't forget to take care of yourself because you'll be able to take care of them better if you feel well yourself. 

I'm thankful for the time that I was able to take care of Aaron. It served as a reminder of how I should always be serving, not just to him, but also to those I run into who do not know The Lord. What a difference my actions would be and a reflection of the example Jesus set as a servant. 

(* also thankful for my man's roomie who allowed for one of their house rules to be broken so I could attend to Aaron's needs during the night.   They hold the same house rule as Apt. 11-1D).