CELEBRATING NATIONAL CAREGIVER MONTH WITH RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS This is a sponsored post on behalf of Element Associates and Midlife Boulevard. All opinions expressed are as always completely mine. November is National Caregiver Month and I wanted to share the Random Acts of Kindness contest sponsored by AARP.

"One of the most difficult things to give away is kindness; usually it comes back to you." - Anonymous "Note: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Element Associates and Midlife Boulevard." Did you know that over 40 million Americans are caregivers?

Alexandra Williams, MA If you're like most people, your mental image of a caregiver is of middle-aged women taking care of elderly parents. For me, only half of that is true. I'm middle-aged (or early Renaissance; medieval if you're one of my boys).

This is a picture of my wonderful Aunt Rene. She is the last of my "parents": at least, she is the last of that generation of folks in my husband's family who ever functioned as a surrogate grandparent to my kids, since three out of four of our parents passed away before my kids were even born.

November is National Caregivers Month, a time to recognize the often-overlooked dedication of over 40 million unpaid U.S. caregivers who provide care for a family member or friend. Most caregivers are not medical professionals. They are caring and compassionate people who are responsible for the physical and emotional needs of someone struggling with the tasks of daily living.

November is National Family Caregivers Month - the perfect time to acknowledge and celebrate the 40 million unpaid caregivers in the United States. Surprisingly most caregivers - those who attend to someone else's daily needs - are not paid professionals but are simply family members or friends who are also working and managing their own families at the same time.

It is fitting that Boomer Highway support this initiative as many caregivers are boomer women, often sandwiched between the needs of their parents and their own kids. Boomer Highway actually began as a way to help men and women like me who found themselves on the busy highway of caregiving for an aging parent and also helping children at their various stages of life.

When my mother-in-law became ill and could no longer be home alone, there was no question I would leave my job and care for her. When my father was diagnosed with cancer there was no doubt I would fly or drive from Pennsylvania to Florida as often as possible to help my mother with his care.

November is National Family Caregivers Month. It is also, coincidentally, the month when families and friends gather together and give thanks for whatever it is they feel thankful for. When you combine these observations in the same month, November becomes a great time to thank those special people who may not be recognized for the work they do on behalf of others: caregivers, who are all too often unpaid and unsung.

November is National Family Caregivers Month, a time to be especially kind to those who care for aging family members. Many of those who are family caregivers are boomer women, sandwiched between the needs of their parents and their own kids. They give, give, give to loved ones, while often sacrificing their own needs.

Back in the spring, when my father-in-law was at the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center every day for weeks as he got radiation treatment for throat cancer, one little tiny "treat" I looked forward to each day was taking a puffy peppermint candy from one of the ubiquitous candy containers placed strategically throughout the center.

Ever since my parents health began to fail a few years ago, my sister Diane and her husband John have pulled most of the weight. My parents have stayed at their home in Denver for long periods of time when they needed special medical assistance. You see, Diane has an amazing network of friends and...