What Have I Learned From Caregivers Who Have supported Me and My Wife, Francie

What I have learned from the (mainly) women who have been caring for Francie and me over the past four years. ncoi As I think about what I have learned over the past four years by far the greatest amount has come from what I have learned from caregivers-- nurses and nurses’ aides in hospitals and the round-the-clock caregivers who have supported my wife, Francie, and me at home. What have I learned? I’ve learned the challenges that people are facing in making ends meet. I have experienced the determination and persistence of these women in pursuing their own education and supporting the education of their children to achieve ends that they never were able to meet. I’ve learned about the wisdom that these women have. Wisdom that goes well beyond what one would attribute to having a college education, which virtually all of these women do not have. I have learned how much we can learn from one another by knowing each other’s stories. I once not too long ago spent 40 minutes in the wee hours of the morning talking to a woman who was cleaning my hospital room. On another occasion, I spent time with a nurse's aide who had a quiet moment and shared stories with me about her life and her family, her challenges, her aspirations and what she is doing to meet them. These have been inspiring stories. I never would have met these remarkable women (and some men) if I had not been challenged medically or if Francie hadn’t been challenged. There is a lesson in this that is not new to me. We need to know the stories of people who are different than us. We don’t do that nearly enough today. The sense of community we had when I was growing up has been severely diminished. Fewer people are in the Scouts. Fewer people join the military service, which brings people who are different together. Fewer people are in social clubs. One would hope that religion would bring people together. And it does in terms of what is preached: treat your neighbor as yourself. But too often, at least in my experience, the church services I go to don’t provide a good opportunity for interaction, to get to know one another. One has to be intentional in doing this, but I have always found it informing and inspiring. Often, as in the case with many of our caregivers, in amazing ways. It is notably and correctly observed that the Democratic Party has lost touch with and support from the “working class.” And it has. And Trump and the MAGA movement have established that relationship with people who historically have formed the foundation of the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party has failed to show they understand the challenges and, yes, the grievance felt by the so-called working class; grievance not even so much economically, as grievance of being looked down on. Some of my own goals have been affected by this thinking. I have long been committed to the importance of everyone having a four-year college education. In recent years, it has become clear to me that desirable as it is, going to college should not be the signal of merit or achievement. Rather, the goal has to be helping people do what they need to achieve the life they want that will provide economic security and a sense of personal worth. That could be a two-year college, a trade school or an internship with a business. One of the sons of some of our best friends, Chris and Angela Schunk, is Crosley. He is completing four years at Miami and doing well. But that’s not his main interest. He is an entrepreneur. He is starting a landscape business. ************************************* All of this leads me to the pursuit of the governorship of Ohio by Amy Acton. My son, David, is helping her. It’s clear that Amy faces the major challenge of creating a message and establishing a voice that reflects her intention and ability to understand and support everyone, including those people who have felt disenfranchised, people living in rural areas, people who don’t have a college education. It starts with recognizing their worth and then identifying and implementing actions that promise to support the realization of their ambitions and personal goals. This is a noble undertaking. I believe Amy Acton has the temperament and the inner beliefs in her soul to do this. But it will need to be very intentional.