Compassionate Caring for Your Loved Ones and Yourself
By William and Nancy Martin

I am a lover of the Tao Te Ching, and have been studying its wisdom for many years. When I received a copy of this book to review, though I’m a fan of the Tao, at that time in my life, I wasn’t a caregiver to a sick or elderly friend or relative, so it got stuck in my stack of Just In Case books to read. Weird – like anyone ever plans on being a caregiver!

I recently found this book again, and just felt the urge to sit down with it. My life had been feeling very stressful, and I was suddenly in the position of being the only caregiver for not one, but two elderly relatives; a task exhausting, and stressful, yet strangely humbling.

I wish I would have started reading this book when I first received it! It is such a beautiful, thoughtful, and compassionate book; its wisdom is for every day, every person, and every situation – not only caregivers!

This book is very special, in that it is inspired by, and expresses the wisdom of the Tao; but is re-written in a poetic language easily accessible to anyone.

For example, verse 57 is about Not Knowing.

A plan of care may be helpful,
but the Tao cares without a plan.
The more we try to manage events,
the more they will surprise us.
In fact, the harder we try,
the more we fall short.
The more we want control,
the less predictable we find things.
~ From the book – page 88.

This book is so comforting, that even when I’m stressing about something other than caregiving, it helps me feel better. This verse, in particular, helped me through a very stressful situation that had to do with my own personal worries and stress and absolutely nothing to do with my caregiving duties.

Not everyone is necessarily caregiving for someone elderly, sick, or dying. But, we are, all, caregivers. At any given moment we could find ourselves in a situation we have no control over, and we’ll have to make a choice between acting and reacting. That choice will either move us toward well-being or away from it.

The Caregiver’s Tao Te Ching is short, simple, and well written. At 130 pages, you could read through the whole thing in an afternoon, like I did the first time I read it. However, my favorite way to read it is to flip it open to ANY page, and let the wisdom comfort me.

I find this book to be a loving companion on Life’s journey; whether you are a caregiver by trade or by chance, or just seeking comfort for yourself in times of sorrow or difficulty. I now keep a copy for myself, and a spare to share, because this is a book that begs to be shared in these times when a soft landing can make all the difference in how we manage the challenges that lie ahead.



Deanna received this book from the publisher, at no cost, for the purposes of reviewing.