Daily Devotions for Caregivers

The other day I heard someone slip up and say "365 years a day." Obviously, they meant to say "365 days a year" but the phrase caught my attention. I was like, sometimes it feels like 365 years in a day.  Maybe it's just me but it feels like I'm behind all the time. With so many things to do it can seem like I'm trying to get 365 years of tasks done in a single day. As caregivers, we have so many things that need to get done it can feel like we have to run full throttle all the time to get everything done in a day. After a while, it can start to wear away at your mind. Eventually, it goes deeper and wears away at your soul. That's when we become soul tired. When I reach that point it feels like my arms and legs are weights and it takes all my strength to hold my head up. I'm sure I'm about to go down for the proverbial third time  and I don't know if I ever want to surface again or not. There are times I really like my cave. lol Let...

I could not fathom doing what I am doing - caregiving-wise - before I did it. Sometimes people tell caregivers you are so strong.  But if you are like me you don't feel it at all. We tend to not see carrying the load we carry as a strength. I think of myself as more of a juggler trying to get each thing done letting it suspend in mid-air for just enough time to touch another project or chore before juggling another task around to be worked on. And it never seems to get done. I think juggling is more appropriate than strength. lol If you are like me - there are good days and bad days. Some days I feel like I'm ready to take on the world. And some days it has to be done to get things accomplished. Other days I can feel so very weak. I'm not overcome - I am just tired through and through. Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that he would boast in his weaknesses since the real power - the real strength comes from God. He even goes on to say in the very next verse that he is...

This morning I started reading in James as I prepare another study guide. I read through the first few verses, sighed and moved on. Then a friend shared her devotional for the day and it was on the exact same verse. So, I thought maybe I should camp there awhile. In James 1:2 we are reminded to count it all joy when  we fall into different trials. It doesn't say if... it says when. I get that- you know - something's always going on. and for caregivers, it's a daily struggle to make ends meet emotionally, financially, mentally and physically. But do I have to consider it joy? Well, if you'll read it again, it's not talking about being joyous because of the trial, it's because of the result. It's the testing of our faith  that will produce endurance. I can testify that this is true. I've talked a lot about a redefined faith - one that sustains us. It's that deep-felt heart-abiding faith that won't let you give up. The same one that can honest...

As a full and part-time caregiver, it's difficult to read the word without seeing it through caregiver tinted glasses. Of course, this is true no matter what comes at us in life whether a long-lasting recovery, serious illness, divorce, or anything else. The good thing is that the Word of God does not change to fit what we are going through. His Word stands sure - no matter what we go through - it remains applicable. It has to be - right? If our situations change it - which is stronger? Sometimes, parts are not as easily understood because we view them through pain-tinted glasses. But His word still stands. It is still true. It does not change. For this I am thankful. I read sometimes, looking for parts that can be lived from the cave. You know? Even though I can get out a little more - I still deal with frustrations when I can't find the "me" I used to be. The one who was always there for everyone.  I didn't miss church. never missed meetings, etc. I was on ...

 Caregivers are an amazing breed. That's been my experience anyway, with all the caregivers I've been privileged to meet. Daily tasks are quite difficult for most - no matter what level of caregiver you feel you are. Even long-distance caregiving has it's set of difficulties. Making choices for another person just isn't easy. Some days are so difficult just trying to decide whether Chris (my son with a TBI) would prefer to sit in his wheelchair, the recliner, or the rocker - can be so hard to decide. For the most part, we just take those difficulties in stride. It's all in a day's work,  isn't it? Then there are days like my Tuesday this week. You know those days - something gets chunked in the way to change up our already complex navigations. For me, this week, it was a major asthma attack. On top of that, I actually had plans for Tuesday night. I was supposed to teach a Bible Study class at the church we've started attending. Being type A - having ...

Yesterday, while I was out on a run, I had some music playing. I don't recall which artist or song it was but at some point in the song it referred to God as the "chain breaker." I have a very vivid imagination, and I could see His huge, very strong hands breaking a thick chain. For a little bit, I thought about the strength it would take for hands to break chains. But then another pictorial thought entered my mind. I thought of these two same huge, strong hands. But instead of a display of raw strength, it was with great tenderness they picked up the pieces of my broken heart. The contrasting image moved me in a strange way. God is big enough and bad enough (even without our help) to break off the chains that bind us. In one motion, He can crush them with His powerful hands and set our hearts and souls free from bondage. Yet at the same time, His strong hands can tenderly, gingerly, with compassion and love, pick up the pieces of a broken heart to bring comfort and...

It was 9 years ago today that I brought my son home for the first time after his accident. That in itself was a huge feat since I had no home. I literally had to get an apartment and create a place before he could go to rehab. So, I did. To say I was terrified is an understatement. But I was as determined to give it a shot as I was scared. Each time I transferred him I got sick to my stomach - afraid I'd drop him. At first, I constantly worried I wasn't helping him, didn't want to hurt him. I was sleep deprived, had just started my first online job. I was alone and afraid. Each step of the way I figured it out. lol Of course, he has changed in leaps and bounds ( real slow one because TBI recovery is never fast! lol).  But this morning, I'm thinking about some of the things I've learned over these 9 years. He's changed, he's made so many improvements - maybe I'll share it later. But I've changed too. I've gotten rounder for one thing! lol ...