Daily Devotions for Caregivers

 Relationships can be difficult for caregivers to navigate. Sometimes, there just isn't time for social interaction. Other times it is due to how we are perceived. Planning social activities can be quite a chore too. And no matter how well you plan, there can be one of those "somethings" that comes up last minute, causing others to perceive us as unreliable or inconsistent. It's okay that they don't get us, though. They don't have to. But for me, sometimes, it's super frustrating to try to make plans with so many possible "unknowns" in the air. Maybe as a culture, we miss the goal of relationships. A relationship always has a start date. I became friends with my BFF when I was 8. There is a day I met her and we've been friends now for over 50 years. (Man, that makes me sound old... but she's older than me so there's that... lol) We didn't set an "end date" for our relationship, because it's an ongoing occurrence. We ...

Do you have a lot on your caregiving plate today? Maybe you have more than one platefuls to deal with today or even this morning. Too bad there isn't just a big checklist where we can check off items that are done when they are done. What a sense of accomplishment that would be - exhilarating and liberating! Well, we can at least imagine, can't we? I think it's more cyclical, and we are never really done. As I was letting my mind wander yesterday, I started thinking it sounded a lot like whining. I hate whining. It can be so easy to do though. It's kinda hard to distinguish when we are airing out our frustrations in a healthy way and when it turns to whining, don't you think? I'm certain that yesterday - I was whining. When I first started this caregiving journey and brought Chris home from rehab, I really didn't know what I was going to do other than trust God for the journey. I spent some time crying (and whining) to God about the life I lost and the fear ...

  Do you ever get overwhelmed? Are you ever lonely? Does the social isolation ever get to you? (Who am I talking to? lol) Today is one of those days that it feels like everything is caving in on me. I'm behind at work because of caregiving duties. Chris still isn't up and it's nearly noon. I'm just now getting to write this morning's devotion, and I'm sitting here shaking my head thinking that I'll never catch up today. I'll never get it all  done today. But I feel that way almost every day. lol. Most nights when I start getting ready for bed, I'm certainly at my end. I have learned to focus on all the things I did  accomplish during my waking hours, rather than all I failed to get done. And then, for 5 or 6 hours I try to rest. There's just no way to get it all done. I keep thinking I'll get caught up with housework, cooking, work, and all the other things I need to do. Once I get organized it'll be easy sailing. Then I wake up and reali...

 As I stepped outside this morning, I noticed the unusual coolness for this time of year. I glanced toward the sky and saw the grayish-blue clouds hovering overhead. For a few minutes, I just watched the clouds, and then I saw a break in them and a glow from the sun broke through. Even though I could not see the sun - it was hidden behind the clouds.  Sometimes, it just helps to know it's still there. We know we'll see it again soon, right? This past weekend became very dark for me as my son fell ill again. I opted to not run to the hospital, but to monitor his numbers closely (oxygen, heart rate, temperature) and go only if I had to. His body needs to fight off this crud he keeps getting. While I was content with my decision, it made for a long, dark weekend where I just sat and watched him breathe. Thankfully, he pulled through, and other than some extreme tiredness, he's doing well again.  It's those dark nights that get to you though, right? The heart and mind race ...

 This morning as I was getting around, I was praying for my son. I do this a lot! lol. His chronic breathing issues are troubling and the medical system seems to be tiring of us. So, I took my concerns to God. I was walking and praying and asking for wisdom to handle the situation in the best way. Of course, I was moaning, groaning, and fussing at God for "letting" this all happen. lol - I know you've never done that, but I do.  I took a brief few minutes to think about what like might have looked like. After all, none of us planned on him having a wreck at 24. There are many such unexpected things that happen to disrupt our plans, though. Am I right? My mind went to Job. He was wealthy and had no plans of losing all that wealth in a day. Job didn't plan on his kids all dying in a single tragic accident. He didn't plan on getting sick either. But what Job did plan was that he was going to worship and trust God in the no matter what s. Now that's a plan that ca...

 This morning, as I was waking up, my mind seemed to already be racing. Some of it was all the stuff I need  to get done today - including those that needed to be done yesterday. I'm also dealing with a lot of emotional baggage right now. For some reason, I feel especially lonely. Like alone- alone. I hope you don't understand, but I'm pretty sure you do. As I was wiping the sleep out of my eyes, my mind was running through all this. Over and over and over. I had to take a couple of minutes to kind of shake myself and remind myself that His peace is still right here. He doesn't have an off switch for when we are sleeping, or not paying attention. His peace remains - it never runs out. Neither does His grace, mercy, and love. They all remain, even when my mind forgets. Then, I had this thought about how I set reminders on my phone. I have tons of them. lol. I have one for any out-of-the-normal meds for me and Chris. There's one for each of the Bible studies I do week...

Maybe we have all had those moments where we were disappointed with God. I know I have had my times for sure. I always thought He was going to come riding in on His white horse and whisk me out of my stress and pain. When it didn't happen like I imagined, I often thought He'd abandoned me. Sure, He sees. Of course, He hears. But what good is it if He doesn't act? Mary and Martha were disappointed with Jesus. They told Him that if He had been there, then Lazarus, their brother, would not have died. Jesus' reply was that He was the resurrection and the Life. Then, He demonstrated it by bringing Lazarus back from the dead. I can certainly say I've never seen Him do that! But I still believe it. The day I realized that I was disappointed in Him, after all, He didn't come when I thought I needed Him most. It can be frustrating to feel like He's not acting on our behalf. Right now, I'm in that spot. It seems  like He's not doing anything. Now, I know He...