Life is one big comfort zone for me. Give me a lion, soft comfy shirt and a pillow to prop me up. Do you see I found a super long, navy blue, polka dotted scarf to tie me together. Look happy as a lark, don’t you think? Now I wait.

It’s the wait that gets to me. This morning I decided to crawl out of bed at 5:30 a.m. just to listen to Joyce Meyer. I figured she’d have something worth listening to, and she did. 

“You can count on this. You are not your feelings.” Those words were a great comfort. I’m still in wait mode, if I sat around in “feeling zone” I’d have done nothing. Instead I called my old friend Esther in California. Woke her up and you know she didn’t even care. We laughed over old times, hashed a few memories and talked about her caregiving experiences. Read the rest of this entry »

Help! Hope! Healing!

 

 

  

HALF

Half cannot begin to describe the amount of time a caregiver gives. Whole is a must. Never half. Not in between. The patient is on the mind of the caregiver twenty-four/seven.

 The first days of Gary’s hospital stay I didn’t try and spend nights at the hospital. He had good care, I needed to sleep. And I did. When he came home the burden changed.

Like the latest TV craze, reality is known by extremes, whether it’s extreme makeovers of houses and bodies, weight loss, or the well-known Survivor Series. The caregiver is a passionate reality fanatic.

The word passionate has evolved to something sexual in today’s world. The true meaning of passion is suffering. The caregiver cannot give half—they cannot stand on the fringes and not feel the pain. The one truly giving of self will work with a wholehearted passion. Totally involved. Never half. Read the rest of this entry »

Help! Hope! Healing!

INSPIRATIONAL TOUCHDOWNS

June 28, 2009 

Email from my friend:

I now have the greatest peace ever, in my every day days I know for sure, without a doubt, doing what God intends me to do…care for my best friend.  He plucked me right out of Wal-Mart, and set me right beside this guy.

Vonnie Skidgel caring for Alzheimer’s husband

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 Help, Hope, and Healing

OUR FINEST GOAL

In 2002 my mentor and friend Vonnie stood well into her journey of care for her husband, Gene. Because of her caregiver duties our phone conversations ceased and we settled for short emails to keep updated on our news.

That same summer I attended a writer’s conference and dreamed of being a published author.

But God had other plans. In December 2002 we rushed my husband Gary to the hospital.

The surgeon said, “At some point, Mr. Crawford, your appendix burst. We found pieces floating throughout your abdomen. We did remove a large mass from where your appendix should have been. You have a rare disease called Pseudomyxoma Peritonei, a cancer of the peritoneal lining …”

And our world changed. Read the rest of this entry »

Verse:   For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Phil 2:13

Some memories are priceless. Like the year our daughters planned a surprise party for my 30th birthday.  After dinner the girls, Kathy Ann (12) and Marcy (10), encouraged me to clean up. Their concern put me on edge. They didn’t usually care if I smelled good Read the rest of this entry »

I often wake up during the ‘fourth watch’ (about 3 a.m.) the darkest hour. Sunday morning I snuggled deeper in the covers and fought a battle with the elements. (That can mean the enemy or self—never sure who to blame.) But somewhere in the thick of battle I asked the Lord, “God, am I out of your will? Am I doing something wrong with all my booksignings and pushing to sell articles and A Cup of Comfort books?” Read the rest of this entry »