Photo by Pexels As a senior caregiver, you may be interested in finding a side gig to supplement your income and boost your professional skills. At Daily Devotions For Caregivers , we know it can be difficult to balance work and other commitments, but with careful planning and research, you can find the right side gig that works for you and that doesn't contribute to burnout . If you're interested in developing a side gig, read on for tips on how to make it happen. Benefits of a Side Gig Having a side gig provides several benefits. It allows you to gain valuable experience in an area outside of your current job. It also allows you to network with professionals in different industries. A side gig also provides an extra source of income , which can help pay bills or enable you to save for future goals. How to Choose the Right Side Gig Choosing the right side hustle is important. Consider your skills and interests when looking at potential gigs. What are you passiona...

 This morning, I woke up early and was "sorting through" several situations I'm dealing with. Okay, so I was worrying a little bit, okay? Lol. the list seems to be growing longer rather than shorter, really. I was seriously taking them all to God in prayer. I started thinking what a mess I've made in so many areas over my lifetime. I prayed about that too! Then, I started thinking about so many of the Bible characters. Some of them were real "characters" too. Not one of them was perfect and no one had everything together. I'm pretty sure that only in a make believe world everything is perfect. I started running my mind through all the stories in the Bible, and not one of them displayed a perfect person, except Jesus, of course. There was Abraham, the friend of God. He lied about Sarah being his wife out of fear. Then there was David. The "man after God's own heart" who committed adultery and then murdered a man to cover it up. Peter denied ...

 Cares come in many shapes and sizes, don't they? As "care" givers, we have a lot of cares. Sometimes, I feel kinda silly that smaller things can carry so much emotional weight. But when you are already emotionally overloaded even the smallest thing weighs more. Something like my shoe coming untied can have me in tears or upset way beyond what it's worth, you know? (I hope you don't - but I suspect you do.) This morning, I was running through my list of "cares" with God. I was going through each one, asking for wisdom, for His touch, direction, etc. By the time I got through my mental list, I was concerned about the first items all over again. So I just went back through them. Then I realized I was casting my cares over for Him to carry. I decided this is something I really need to work on - casting, then casting, again and again until I can let Him carry them all for me. So, today, I am determined to practice casting. To get good at something, anything,...

  You can't really fake faith. We can't fake peace, either. We either have it or we don't. This morning, I don't feel like I have either one. Lol. Ever have those kinds of mornings? But when we know that God's peace and grace are right there , maybe just out of our soul's reach, sometimes, that is faith. Knowing that He's got us covered when we feel anything but - that really is faith.  Many times on this caregiving journey, I've been angry with God. I know, you're not supposed to say that, right? But I think God honors honesty, and I've been downright mad that He let all this happen. I'll think, I'm just not going to pray and ask Him for anything anymore. That usually only lasts a few minutes until something else comes up, and I find myself right back at the foot of His throne, asking for help, guidance, provision, or peace. Lol. That's not lack of faith - it's frustration. I really think that continuing to run back to Him shows ...

  Caregiving can be a wonderful career choice, allowing you to make a living while helping others who are vulnerable and in need. Emotionally, it can be very fulfilling. However, a caregiver's job can also be draining. If you don't take care of yourself, you risk experiencing caregiver burnout. To avoid this worst-case scenario, follow these actionable and affordable self-improvement tips for caregivers.   Create a stress-busting toolkit   Stress is a normal part of everyday life, especially if you have a high-pressure job like caregiving. However, if you don't manage your stress, it can have negative health effects, like increasing your risk of anxiety or depression. To control your stress, follow best practices like connecting with other people, making time for self-care, and avoiding unhealthy habits like smoking. Meditation is another great stress buster. Spend more time in nature   Spending time outdoors can be another way to reduce stress and improve m...

 There is a lot to process in a day, no matter how peaceful the day is and whether or not you get bad or good news. But as caregivers, we have to process everything through caregiving. I hope that made sense. Here's where I am coming from. Yesterday, my sweet aunt fell very, very ill and is currently in the hospital in ICU. With this type of news, there are lots of emotions to work through. As I went in to care for my son this morning, I thought - I don't get a break; I still need to take care of him, even though I'm processing my own emotional baggage here.  Then, I thought back over the last couple of years. My mom passed away, and I still took care of Chris. My daddy passed away - and I still took care of Chris. My aunt, who I was also an LD caregiver for passed away. And - you guessed it - I still took care of Chris. There are good things, too - my niece got married - I still took care of Chris. Two nieces had babies, joyous occasions, for sure. But I'm still taking...

 I just love finding "new" things when I read the Bible. I"m reading it through again this year, but I've slowed down in the first few chapters of Exodus. We know God's word doesn't change, but how we see it often does. I don't know how many times I've read the account of Moses and the burning bush, but this morning, there was a phrase that caught my attention. I am reading the English Standard Version this year. In Exodus 3, we find Moses hanging out on the back side of the desert. He is there because he killed an Egyptian and fled in fear. But here God is getting Moses' attention with a bush that is burning but not burning up. God begins telling Moses of the mission he is being sent on - go back to Egypt and get My people! Moses has all sorts of arguments, but he starts with who am I?  In just a couple of chapters, Moses has been born, spared by being put in a basket, raised in the Egyptian pharaoh's house, realized he was not Egyptian, kill...

 I just love how familiar scriptures can just jump out at you with something totally new. I know the word does not change, and it stands forever. But our circumstances, experiences, perspectives, and situations change often, which helps us to see those "new" tidbits from His word. It was there all along, right? But experiences grant us greater understanding. And this is exactly what happened to me this morning. I'm reading the Bible through again this year, and this morning, I started Exodus. I am using a totally different translation than I usually use. Typically, I use the NASB and the NLT. Just for a little different "flavor," this year, I'm reading the English Standard Version. I have lots of thoughts on the first chapter of Exodus, but those may be for another blog. Lol. What grabbed me this morning was the last 3 verses of Exodus 2. The ESV says it this way.  During those many days, the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of th...

 Earlier this week, I took an evening to sit at the piano and play some songs I've written. I have a big notebook of songs - some not worth mentioning, lol. But there are a few that I think are pretty good. Whether they are "good" or not - it's fun to sit and sing them from my heart, knowing that it's just between me and God. I played and sang through so many different choruses, just enjoying the memories of when, where, and why they were written. Some were in response to a painful moment in my life, while others were just an overflowing of praise. I started at the front of the notebook and just played through them one at a time. Then I came to a little chorus I wrote in February of 1999. I recall some of the things that were going on in my life at the time as I penned these lyrics. Some things in my life I can't deny Some things still make me ask "why?" But I can't deny  Your mercy I can't deny Your grace I can't deny the work of Your lo...

  As fellow caregivers, I don't have to talk to you about those long nights we often endure. The last few nights have been those types of nights, as my son has been ill. He made a turn for the worse over the weekend, and I found out yesterday that the tests ordered by the doc's office on Friday showed bacterial infection of some kind. But, of course, they had the weekend off. I'll spare you all the details, which you are probably very familiar with anyway! Suffice it to say that had I not called yesterday to say - something is still off - they wouldn't have told me until today. But we would have been in the hospital by then, no doubt! My point is that it was inconvenient for them to take care of this situation since it happened before the weekend. They clock out at 4 on Friday and go home, leaving my son to get sicker so they can have time off. And, of course, they need time off, right! I say all this to say that after haggling with them all day and riding them to get s...

 Do you ever have those days where you feel like you are behind before you ever get started? Maybe a better question would be do you ever have a day where you don't feel like you're behind before you get out of bed? Lol. No one is going to argue that our lives are hectic and most of the time we are running on overload. For me lately, I've also been dealing with sleep deprivation, which is very common among caregivers. All together, it can make for one big emotional mess, am I right? Generally, I keep a running to-do list. I try to prioritize items that are have-to-do-todays and push other things off to other days. But lately it feels like there's a huge backlog. I just can't get ahead. I do find my to-do list helpful, though. We can be quick to condemn ourselves. It's easy to look at the day and think of all the things we didn't  get done, and ignore the things we did get done. Because it never seems to be quite enough. (Maybe it's just me.) This morning...

 You know that scripture that says to "cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you."? (1 Peter 5:7) Well, I propose that it's easy to read, easy to say, and harder to do. Peter is calling the readers to toss all our cares on God and let Him do the caring for us. But for me, as a caregiver, I have a little glitch, and it seems to be a bit more complicated of late since my son's had some upper respiratory stuff going on, and I'm getting less and less sleep. I'd like to write God and Peter some letters and ask them about the logistics of this verse. Even if I do accomplish the task given, and I'm able to hand God all my cares - there's still so much to get done. He obviously doesn't come down and take care of my son for a day so that I can have a day off. Lol. So, when I don't feel I understand a scripture or I have trouble with its application - it's a sign I need to dig a little deeper, right? If we go back and read this verse in contex...

 This morning, during my devotions I made a new discovery. We know that God's word doesn't change, but we see new things when we read it because we've changed. Hopefully, it means we are growing in faith, grace, and our knowledge of Him. So, even when we read a familiar passage like I did this morning, we see new things. I ended up in Genesis 22 this morning. This is a super familiar passage to me as back in my "ministry" days I taught from it often. We have Abraham offering up his son, Isaac, as a definitive act of worship. After the angel came and rescued Isaac, Abraham declares that God provides. However, when I looked up the Hebrew for that phrase in the Strong's Concordance, it says something a little different. Now our old definition and interpretation is not wrong - God provides. But it goes a little deeper than that. The actual phrase in the concordance says, Jehovah will see (to it) or Jehovah-Jireh. It definitely means that God provides - just as we...

Do you ever just have an off day? You're seriously trying to get yourself together all day long, and nothing seems to be working right. Today is one of those days. I slept in a bit later than normal, which set me behind to start with. Then the nurse came early, I've got clients wondering where their work is, and then my son's feeding tube got plugged. Ugh. It's only 10 am. lol. At this rate, I'll feel like I'm chasing my own tail all day long - getting nothing accomplished. I don't like off days - they are so inconvenient. But they happen way too often.  My world and mind are spinning with all I need to get done today. It's easy to feel defeated early on. It's a great day to practice letting His peace reign in my heart. Right? But I have to ask - do I have time for that? Lol. I feel rushed. I feel hurried. I feel overwhelmed. The day is going to go on with or without me, and there are so many things I need to get done today, things that have  to be d...

 We woke up yesterday to a brand new year; yay! But it didn't take but a few seconds to realize there wasn't some magic transition from 11:59:59 in 2022 to 12:00:00 in 2023. Absolutely nothing but the time and date changed. So, here we are in a new year with all the same stuff. We're still caregiving and we still have to take care of all the daily chores and tasks that need to get done when caring for another whole person. Hmmm. Like many of you, I have set some goals for myself this year. Most of them are fitness oriented, and some have to do with my writing. (I want to write more devotionals, etc.) Healthier eating options, more activity during my days - as I can squeeze them in. But all in all - it's the same today as it was yesterday. And I'm pretty sure tomorrow may be the same. Of course, even in our day-to-day "routines" (I use that term loosely) there are so many unexpected things we deal with . So, to be honest, as I woke up yesterday to a new yea...