Caring for someone with memory loss can bring love, tenderness, frustration, grief, humor, exhaustion — and sometimes all of them in the same day. So much of the experience is difficult to explain to people who have not lived it.
Surrendering to the River grew from lived experience: my own, and the experiences of people whose lives have touched mine personally and professionally. Again and again, I have seen how much caregivers carry — and how rarely they have a place to set down the thoughts and feelings that may be difficult to say aloud.
This site was created as one such place.
The reflections gathered here are not advice or instruction. They are small pieces of human experience, offered anonymously and allowed to move together like a river. Some may feel familiar. Others may not. My hope is that somewhere in the flow, you will encounter a phrase that helps you feel seen, understood, or a little less alone.
A person sits behind every space like this one — here's a little about who built this.
I'm Barbara Bouchet, MEd, BCC, LMHC — an executive coach, psychotherapist, and author. My work has long centered on helping people meet complex and emotionally demanding situations with greater clarity, courage, self-awareness, and compassion.
Through Contact Point Associates, I work with leaders, teams, and individuals navigating change, relationships, difficult conversations, and the deeper human patterns that shape how we live and lead. I am also the author of The Enlightened Edge for Leaders: Ignite the Power of You and the novel Falling Into Blue, and part of the team developing CoachMyVibe, an AI-supported coaching initiative.
This site is separate from my professional practice. It is a personal offering, created in recognition of the often unseen inner lives of people caring for someone with memory loss.