The power of faith, family and community
In the past I have shared about my busy family with toddlers and my father who currently struggles with Alzheimer’s disease. My faith, husband, family and community have been pillars of strength and support to help me have a strong foundation and not be overcome by the many challenges that life brings.
Have you ever heard about the generation syndrome or sandwich? It is exactly that syndrome that has been keeping me busy. I have the pleasure of raising two beautiful toddler girls, work as an HR professional and my parents are now at a stage where they are needing additional assistance, especially my father.
Being in the middle of the generation sandwich can be stressful, overwhelming and many times it feels like the load is much bigger than what one can handle. However, I have been learning the importance of asking for help, focusing on essentials and relying on my faith, family and community.
My faith in God is my strongest foundation. I am able to keep on going because I know that He will be with me. The importance of faith in this stage of my life has never been more crucial. Faith is the root holding me down instead of a leaf that when a storm hits in blows everywhere. If you haven’t yet, I encourage growing your faith, regardless of your religion or belief system.
My husband and my family are just like everyone else. However, learn- ing to support each other, be there, listen and help during the many responsibilities that are required from a working mom in the middle for the generation sandwich is crucial. My sister and I have different dads, but the many times she has listened to my struggles with my dad, watched my girls so that I can deal with emergencies and her advice lets me know that I am not alone. If you are a sandwich mom, get closer to your family, ask them for help and let them know that you need their support during this phase in your life.
If you have met me before, you know that I love my Yuma community. It is the community that lifts your arms and brings you hope in times of difficulty. There are many friends and community members in Yuma that have provided me with advice on areas like how to raise my children or how to take care of a parent with Alzheimer’s. The resources, knowledge and experience that the Yuma community has shared with me are more valuable than you can imagine. If you want this type of support from the community, you also have to be part of the community and Yuma is a great one! I encourage you to reach out and learn about the many benefits of being a Yuman.
Being a sandwich mom can be very challenging, but it is during this phase that you learn what you are really made of and I hope that you are made with components that include your faith, family and community. These essentials are what will make your load at lot smaller and easier to handle. You got this, sandwich mom!
Diana Maldonado is a benefits analyst at Yuma Regional Medical Center. She can be reached at dmaldonado@ yumaregional.org.