Janis sat in her car, the night sky studded with stars. It was West Palm Beach, where she and her family had lived until a year ago. She was aware of someone sitting next to her; someone else sat behind her. Their presence was comforting. She felt at peace.
“This is why you’re here,” a voice from behind said. “This is why you were born.”
Suddenly, Janis awoke in her bed in Illinois. It was early morning, and her husband was sleeping beside her. What a strange dream, she thought. It wasn’t the first time she’d had a dream that was so vivid and meaningful. She had once dreamed of touching the hand of a woman who had no fingers and watching, awestruck, as they grew back. She felt this dream was connected to healing, too, but what could it mean?
Janis had a husband and four daughters; theirs was a busy, happy life. The only time she’d done anything resembling caregiving was helping a senior couple in her neighborhood in Florida. The husband had Alzheimer’s, and his wife, whose health was failing, needed someone to check in on her. Janis helped with her husband, straightened up a bit and kept her company.
Not long after her dream, a new friend was showing Janis how to plant a flower garden. As they worked, she and the friend talked about their families. The subject turned to her friend’s mother-in-law.
“She has Alzheimer’s, and we need a full-time caregiver for her,” her friend said. “I would do it, but my husband needs help on the farm and we just don’t have the time. I would love to find someone.”
Janis thought about the dream. The voice. It all made sense. The words flew from her mouth: “I can care for her.”
For a year, Janis fed her, took her on walks, had conversations with her. Even when the work was hard, she still found caregiving to be rewarding. When the time came to move her friend’s mother-in-law to an assisted living home, the facility reached out to Janis.
“You’ve obviously got a knack for this,” they said. “We’d like to refer you.”
Janis went on to work in the caregiving industry for 20 years. Caregiving helped fill a void she didn’t even know she’d have. She never sought out the work; it just seemed to find her, showing her that she was doing exactly what she was meant to do.