i have a friend i have known since my nursing school days 1986 . she believes in karma and feels this is some sort of karmic thing i have to endure because of my faults in a past life. that my sister died because she full filled her time and karam on earth ( which is true , she was a awesome person and my nest friend. my sister died qug 10 , 2013 of sudden cardiac death at age 49 years old) . i am my mother's only caregiver and i am all she has , my brother is useless and offers no help . he lives out of state , even better for him. anyway she thinks this is something i must endure and learn from. i just thought i must of been really bad in a past life to endure this.. what do you think of this thinking? have you ever thought of this? i haven't until now .
ohmeowzer, new age type friends can make you crazy. Normally they're supportive, but sometimes they say stuff like this. The trouble is that the hypothesis that you are paying your karmic debt is not testable in this worldly realm. Can you imagine how crazy life would get if we lived for a past life that we don't even know about?
My SIL once told me that God never gives you more than you can handle. I said, "Oh, poor Coy! He should certainly have married a different woman." She hastened to assure me that she knew I was strong and capable and would handle whatever came my way." I said, "Yes, but if Coy had married a weaker person who couldn't handle his care, then God would not have given him dementia!"
I guess it generally annoys me when people assume their beliefs apply to my life, and feel perfectly entitled to tell me about them. I'm afraid I would not have very polite to your friend. She can apply her karma theories to her own life and much as she likes. I'd draw the line at listening to her interpret my life according to her beliefs. She is perfectly welcome to her thoughts about it, but I don't have to listen to them!
You will learn from your caregiving experience. We all do.