After A Month Of Showering My Mother With Love ... Here

And at the end of that month? I broke.

She squeezed my hand. "Honey," she said. "I don't need a shower. I just need a sip of water with you."

That’s when I realized my mistake. I had mistaken martyrdom for love . After a month of showering my mother with love ...

Why pouring from an empty cup hurts everyone—and how to refill it.

It didn’t happen in a dramatic fight. It happened on Day 31. My mother asked me to grab her reading glasses from the other room—a two-second task. And I snapped. My voice cracked. "Can’t you get them yourself? I just sat down. I haven’t eaten today." And at the end of that month

For the last 30 days, I made it my mission to shower my mother with love. Not just the occasional Sunday phone call or the obligatory birthday bouquet. I mean full-force love.

So, I decided to go all in.

My mother doesn’t need a month of frantic, anxious love followed by a month of burnout recovery. She needs me to show up sustainably .