Struggles
Always Have God
Today was a particularly challenging day. As always, God showed up. It was in today’s meditation from “Jesus Calling” which my mom read to us after dinner. It said at the end, “You will always face trouble in this life. But more importantly, you will always have Me with you, helping you to handle whatever […]
Faith in Grief
I heard from a friend of mine today that her husband passed away. I met them years ago. My mother was participating in the Parkinson’s exercise class and so was my friend’s husband. He was having a very difficult time already back then – particularly with falling. He even fell during the class. My friend […]
The Village
I have learned that it takes a village not only to raise our children, but to care for our elderly. I am grateful for the nurses who come over, those who bathe my mom, those who come spend time with her, and of course family. Today we had a new addition to that list. My […]
Defense Against Anxiety
My mom read her reflection from “Jesus Calling” this evening. The first sentence gave us both cause to pause. It is written as if Jesus is talking directly to you. “Anxiety is a result of envisioning the future without Me. So the best defense against worry is staying in communication with Me.” Enough said. I […]
Hand Massage
My son’s girlfriend recently completed her massage therapy certification after a year of hard work. Today she came over and visited for a while. My mom has a particularly difficult time in the afternoons, so the young woman gave my mom a soothing hand and arm massage. She was so calm and gentle and spoke […]
Self Care
I was talking with my counselor today and reflecting on what it means to take care of myself. I had been attending a caregiver group at the Aging Center for a couple of years, which was helpful to some degree. After my dad died last year, I knew I was a mess. I tried a […]
Mother Mary
The other day, I was introduced to the song, “Mother Mary”, by Eric Clapton. It has been running through my head today and I am grateful for that. He wrote the song after a band member had died, Richard Manuel. Clapton himself had hit rock bottom, abusing alcohol. In “Clapton: The Autobiography,” he wrote: “I […]
Good To Hear
I knew a friend of mine was going through a physically difficult time and I reached out a couple of times with no response. So, we just kept praying for her and her family. She called this afternoon and told me just how tough things have been. She had extensive back surgery, which I knew […]
Orion Appeared
My mom slept well last night – until 3:00 am. Then she was up and down for hours with a bit of a stomach upset. I was sleeping in her room, so I was up and down with her. At one point, after she laid back down, I just meandered through the house as I […]
Steady Faith
This morning, I heard a lot of commotion outside the garage door. I went to investigate and saw a fire truck and ambulance parked next door. The EMTs were actually at the home of the “roof mate” of our neighbor’s. Several people were outside, concerned for the residents. The man who lives in the home […]
