Daily Devotions for Caregivers

 I've been MIA for a few days. Just been too much on the plate. I won't go through my long list as I know you have one of your own. If we compared the two, it's likely to contain some very similar items, I'm sure. Our day-to-day tasks of caregiving are probably almost identical. Then we each have our mix of extras that each have the potential to be the proverbial straw breaking the camel's back. Can you relate?  I only have one thing to say about all that - But God.  Doesn't He always come through? I often find myself on the other side of one of life's confusing mazes, wondering just how He got me through it. Honestly, I'm on the going-in side of one in my life right now - but I know He's never failed, and I know He'll show me where to put my feet. If I put my feet where He just stepped - I know I'll be good! I was pouring it all out in my journal this morning, and this little poem popped out... So, I wanted to share it with my fellow caregiv...

 This morning, I woke up with our scripture from yesterday still on my mind. I meditated on it all day yesterday, so no wonder it was still dancing around in my head. As usual, when I turned back to Psalm 94:19 once again, I saw something new. It's funny because I know His word didn't change from yesterday to today - but I was in a new place today.  Again, Psalm 94:19 says this: In the multitude of my anxieties  within me, Your comforts  delight my soul. I noticed this morning as I read and reread this verse again that anxieties and comforts are both plurals. What that said to me was that God has comfort to match our anxieties. There's a comfort for every single concern or anxious thought we might drum up.  As caregivers, we never know what a day will bring. This morning, we had a nurse visit at 8. That'll mess up your schedule. I also have to walk down to the office sometime today to pick up some supplies I ordered for Chris. No biggie - it's just one of those ...

  Boy, can my days get complicated fast! Trying to balance taking care of my son and working from home can become a bit overwhelming. You know that caregiving alone is a lot of responsibilities, and they are daily. There aren't really any days "off" because care has to be done every single day. Even if I slack on my work responsibilities, there's no time off from caregiving.  It seems like lately, work has been my biggest stressor. Chris is doing well, but that means more time working him, stretching him, feeding him, and finding different things to stimulate his brain so it can rebuild. All of that is good, especially his progress, but it takes chunks of time. That can mean I have less time (and energy) to do the work that makes the money around here. Lol. I say all that to say - I get stressed. I know many of you can identify and have your own caregiving stressors to deal with. But this morning, I read Psalm 94:19 with new eyes. It says, In the multitude of my anxie...

 I am so thankful for His grace. We've talked about how there are threads of race throughout the Old Testament, even though we think of it as the time of the Law. Their culture and environment were harsh, too, so sometimes, we miss grace and mercy. But this weekend, as I was studying through the story of David and his sons, I found one of those strands of grace. Right smack dab in the middle of 2 Samuel 14 is one such strand. If you read the chapters preceding and following this one, you'll find stories of rape, incest, anger, and murder... who needs TV? lol. We tend to lean toward fairy tale stories and think every one of them has a happy ending. We live in a world where we now expect a happy ending with everyone living happily ever after. This is one thing that has kept me from writing a book about my journey with my son - I don't have a "happy" ending yet.  But in our lives, some stories don't have a happy ending - or they don't have the desired ending....

  Over the weekend, I took some time for a little old-fashioned Bible study. I sat with my pen, journal, and coffee and just enjoyed traipsing through the scriptures. I pulled out my New Living Translation and then my Amplified Bible to get all I could out of each scripture. Finally, I ended up in Psalm 2, but my eyes went to my handwritten notes on Psalm 3 in my Amplified Bible.  Psalm 3 was written by David during the time when he was running from Absalom, his son. Absalom was committing treason and trying to take the kingdom from David. I guess David was accustomed to running after those earlier years he spent running from Saul. He wrote in the first two verses about his despair and how it seemed like no one believed David had hope left. Then, verse three starts with but... David reminds himself,  but You, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. Wow. I need to remind myself of that daily. But what about those handwritten notes? They led me...

 If you listen to the leading caregiving experts, mental health professionals, and medical providers, they will tell you how important it is to have a support system. My first thought is,  well, great, I got no one . Lol. But when I expand my thinking a bit, I can list a whole host of home health nurses, doctors, specialists, and case managers that it takes to keep Chris happy and healthy. I have my niece, who comes faithfully on Fridays to give me a couple of hours for self-care or to run errands. And if I had an emergency, I have a couple of people I could call at least.  If I expand my mind a little further, I can remind myself of numerous friends, literally around the globe, who I can call with prayer needs. There are at least 2 or 3 I could make a middle-of-the-night call to if need be. I wouldn't do that - waking them up probably wouldn't help the situation, but it helps to know they are there. Knowing there are people out there who can touch heaven when I need it m...

I was recently invited to a friend's party, but I would need to fly to attend. There are always lots of factors at play when you are a caregiver trying to make travel arrangements. Sometimes, the tasks needed to schedule an outing are a deterrent. One of the biggest factors in my decision to NOT go on the trip this time was that airlines were canceling flights. It was problematic for many travelers who found themselves stuck in a remote location trying to get home. Not only did I not need to get stuck somewhere, I didn't want to put sitters in a position to try and figure out what to do with Chris in my extended absence. So, I chose not to go. I've thought about the trip I missed a lot. I wish I could have gone. But I do feel like it was the best choice, the most responsible one. It was frustrating, though, to feel like I was at the mercy of airlines that might or might not provide the services I paid for.  My thoughts soon turned to thanksgiving as I realized God doesn...

 One of the things about caregiving is that it is so constant. Even if you take a "break" (whatever that is), you're still on call in case decisions need to be made or the interim caregiver needs information. Of course, some days are better and easier than others, but all in all, it's a constant thing. There is a daily need to reinvent yourself to take on the chores and tasks for each new day. And you know what? That's okay. Because it forces us to run back to His mercies that are new every single morning - for our benefit, not His! Each day we get up with a full plate. Hopefully, we got to sleep that night, as sometimes that's not a given, either. But God is always there to greet us. I have this picture of Him watching us sleep like all parents do. He's so excited when we awaken to a new day with Him, even if it's one He may need to carry us through. He patiently does that time and time again. Maybe if life was all smooth sailing, we wouldn't need...

 This morning as I was preparing for a Bible study class I attend on Monday nights, I found myself in 1 Kings 18. I've always loved the stories of Elijah and Elisha, and I've read this account many times. Elijah has been sent by God with a message for evil king Ahab. He meets Obadiah along the way. Verse 3 tells us that Obadiah feared the Lord greatly , which doesn't mean he was afraid of God, but that he served Him. Obadiah was returning from hiding 100 of God's prophets when he encounters Elijah. In chapter 18, we can read the amazing story that has been shared many times about how Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal, and God sent fire down from heaven to consume Elijah's sacrifice. But that made Jezebel and Ahab mad and probably a little bit uncomfortable. Well, no one likes to lose, right? lol. After this great victory, Elijah runs to the cave to hide. Why would he fear humans after witnessing such a miraculous sight? But we find him in a cave (v. 9) and feel...

 I've studied time for years now, and I'm fascinated with it. I'd really like to understand more about how God sees time because our view of it is quite limited. I wonder what time looks like from eternity's viewpoint. For now, it'll just be a lot of thoughts running around in my head. Yesterday, I saw something that reminded me that there are 1440 minutes in each day. There's no way to manipulate that number up or down. While I think it'd be nice for caregivers to get a few more minutes than everyone else, we just don't. Everyone, rich or poor, believer or unbeliever, old or young, and male or female, gets the exact same amount of time to work with each and every day. It's the only true level playing ground we have in the world, meaning no one can get more, and no one gets less. We all have to live our days out 1440 minutes at a time. At first, we may think we don't know a lot about time. But we know that time is in His hands. And we know that H...

Do you ever feel like life is a juggling act? I remember seeing performers whose greatest skill was spinning plates. They ran back and forth, working to keep the plates all spinning at once. Some days, caregiving feels like that. Lol. I know you know the drill. Feeding, transferring, dressing, bathing, walking, therapies, and the list just goes on and on. Lately, I've learned that it's okay if a plate or two hit the ground. Sometimes, it's physically impossible to keep every single plate spinning at a high enough rate of speed. One is going to fall.  Having so many things that must be done every single day is definitely not easy. Most days - it gets done. One thing is for sure, I haven't died yet if I let one or two things slide every now and then for my mental health's sake. Of course, there are things that cannot be skipped like medications, treatments, and just getting up. But I'm learning that some things can wait. I won't die if I sit down for 5 minutes...

  I've bragged about it before, but I can go from happy-go-lucky, great attitude to a bundle of emotional tears in less than a second! Sometimes, we talk about caregiving without realizing the emotions that are attached, but they are certainly part of the package. And one we cannot often ignore. They will sneak up on us from time to time. Grief is part of caregiving, whether we are grieving over a parent who is slowly slipping away or a child whose dreams were crushed by tragedy, or dreams that never were in the first place.  Grief can slowly ooze in and take over, or it can sneak up on you, and BAM! This morning, I stepped outside to tend to my plants. School starts back today for many schools in the area. As soon as I opened the door to step out onto my front patio, I heard the drumline practicing. It hit me so hard since my son was a drummer from the age of 8. Scenes of watching him march and play rolled through my mind as I crumbled into a pile of tears. Will those things ...

  Jesus told us to seek first the Kingdom of God.  Jeremiah told us that when we seek Him, we will find Him. But as I have been studying lately, I'm finding that God was the first seeker. He came looking for Adam right after they sinned in the Garden of Eden. Where are you, Adam? He found Moses on the backside of the wilderness and called him to deliver the Children of Israel. We've talked many times about Hagar and how the angel of the Lord found her.   I've been studying the woman at the well. Jesus had  to go through Samaria, He told His disciples. Why? To find a nameless woman by a nameless well. He shared with her that He was the source of living water and that He was indeed more than a prophet - He was the Messiah.  Then, this week, I found another "find" in the scriptures, and it blew me away. How have I missed this one? It's in John 9. I love this story of how Jesus healed the blind man. It's a great read! Eventually, the religious zealots kicked t...

  No matter what your caregiving situation is, some things are just difficult. Some caregivers have a little leeway and can leave their loved ones alone for short periods so they can run errands or get out for a walk. Others, like my own situation, are such that our loved ones cannot be left alone even for a short time because they are total care. When I was caring for my aunt, she used a walker, and that made it difficult to get in and out of places. She walked so slowly, it was laborious. If I take my son somewhere, there is loading, strapping in, driving to the location, unstrapping, and unloading. Then repeat all that when we are ready to go home or somewhere else. It's not difficult, but it does complicate what is a simple task for most. Add to that the difficulty of true accessibility, and you've got someone like me who is more content to just stay home. lol.  When I first became a caregiver, not being able to attend church was difficult. Later, I tried, but there were s...

 If you've read along with me over the years, you know I frequently take a run through some of my favorite verses and passages. I trust you know them and love them as well as I do. One such passage that gets frequent flyer miles from caregivers is Psalm 61. Maybe it's because we feel overwhelmed often, or that we need the reminder to just keep running to our Rock. This morning, I was up early trying to catch up on some of last week's projects, and I just started feeling overwhelmed. Along with all the things I need to get done today, I have some things leaking over from last week. Chris got a blessing last week as Medicaid finally approved a SmartVest for him. Such a blessing, but it also takes another hour or so out of each day. (Definitely not a complaint, just a statement - and I know you understand.) I just want to "clock out" for a little bit. But it seems like even a few moments of relaxation can make the pile of responsibilities taller and more difficult to...