Daily Devotions for Caregivers

 This morning, I was reading in Daniel. Oh, I've read the story many times, particularly the lion's den part. For those who grew up in church, this was a story we heard a LOT. We heard about the "three Hebrew children" and "Daniel in the Lion's Den" many times. I even remember my grandmother's old flannel graph stories. Yes, I'm that old! LOL. I admire Daniel's spiritual grit.  King Darius divided his kingdom into 120 provinces and set a prince to rule over each one. Then, he selected Daniel and two other dudes to supervise the princes. As normal for Daniel, he excelled. This made the other guys jealous. So jealous, they devised a wicked plot in hopes of getting Daniel killed legally.  First, they tried to find something, anything, wrong with Daniel and how he handled his affairs. They found absolutely no way to condemn him for anything. They had to be creative in their trickery. When they shared the plot with the king, he was so prideful tha...

Have you ever stopped to count how many all-nighters you've pulled as a caregiver? I can't imagine even trying to count how many sleepless nights I've spent. Thankfully, I haven't needed to do it for a long time, but boy, have there been a lot of them. I am pretty sure that this is not unusual for most caregivers. Those long nights are just going to happen. There's an old saying it's always darkest right before the dawn.  In nature, this holds true. I've found it mostly true sitting in waiting rooms and hospital rooms, too. But once it hits about 4 am, the night feels over and the day begins to be upon us. There are a lot of people who work nights for a living. I don't know how they do it! My daughter recently became a respiratory therapist and chooses to work nights. Soldiers often serve night watches because someone's always got to be watching in the battle. That's what David references in Psalm 130. In verse 6, David says, My soul waits for th...

 Local service business owners, community-minded entrepreneurs, and operators looking for a steadier customer base are running into a real challenge: familiar markets feel crowded while new demand is hard to spot early. Aging population trends are changing that, creating a demographic shift that’s reshaping what households need day to day and where spending is moving. As more entrepreneurs targeting seniors enter the space, the gap between good intentions and reliable, dignified support is widening, and market demand for elder services is climbing across many communities. The businesses that recognize these business opportunities in the aging sector can build growth around needs that aren’t going away. Understanding Demand in the Aging Economy Demographic trends only become business opportunities when you translate them into daily tasks that get harder with age. That means mapping shifts in older-adult households to concrete services like safe transportation, meal support, home...

 It's funny. I went to bed late last night, leaving some things undone, as usual. When I woke up this morning, they were still undone. All that means is that I am as overwhelmed this morning upon rising as I was last night when I lay down. Funny how that works.  Overwhelm is such a difficult thing caregivers deal with. I think most of us deal with it on many different levels. Taking care of the needs of a loved one is overwhelming enough all by itself. But then caregivers can have any number of other situations that add to that overwhelm. Many have outside jobs or work from home. Some are still caring for children or grandchildren. This list could go on and on, I am sure, if we all added in our "extras" that we do above and beyond our caregiving duties.  Life didn't hit pause when caregiving began. That means we still have to cook, clean, work, figure out our finances, grocery shop, and do all the things we normally  do or did, and add caregiving to it. It's a lot...

 Caregiver burnout is real. I'm pretty sure that this is what is going on with me. The other day, I got a beautiful wedding invitation from my nephew. It's a few states away, so there's no way I can try to tackle it at this time. I cried. I don't cry a lot, but that day, I cried.  Just a few months ago, I missed my niece's ceremony. They were very good about trying to accommodate, but it was just too far away, and funds were too low to even consider it.  As caregivers, we miss a lot. Maybe we get a little used to it, eventually. But it is a constant force. Oppressively pushing us down, if we let it. Even if we fight the oppression, it's a constant fight. Day after day of life trying to stuff us down into oblivion. It's easy for it to feel that way, isn't it? There's no doubt that we are engaging in a constant fight. It's work to keep pressing in. Even though we keep coming back to fully trusting Him, life can still hurt. It can still suck the bre...

Last week, I did a devotion called Hard Row . It was taken out of Mark 6. Jesus had sent the disciples across to the other side of the lake toward Bethesda. They ran into a strong wind. We focused on verse 48, which says Jesus saw: They were in serious trouble. They were rowing hard. They were struggling. If anyone can relate to those three, it's caregivers! But as we continue reading on in this chapter, there is another triplet that stands out.  Jesus saw the disciples and the difficulty they were in, and He came walking to them on the water. (He sure seemed to do that a lot!) What I found interesting was that Jesus said three things. It's all right. I am here. Don't be afraid. I am a number person (former math teacher), so it really stood out to me that He noticed three things and said three things. They were in serious trouble. It's all right. They were rowing hard. I am here. They were struggling. Don't be afraid. It was like for each emotion they were feeling, ...