Yesterday we carried an excerpt from Because You Care: Spiritual Encouragement for Caregivers, a new book by Cecil Murphey (90 Minutes in Heaven) and Twila Belk. I hope you enjoyed what Cec and Twila shared.
While I am not a long-term caregiver, I unexpectedly found myself in the role of caregiver when my 87-year-old mother became seriously ill last summer. Before a week passed by, I had the presence of mind to call my brother from out of state and ask for help. He came in and after meeting together with our mother to discuss needs and possibilities, we hired trained personnel who stayed with her 24 hours a day for several weeks until she had recovered.
Had I been able to, I would have gladly cared for my mother, but I was working all day at my job and then caring all night for her. If I hadn’t called for help when I did, I would have been sick, unable to work, and unable to care for Mom. This experience gave me a strong dose of the reality of long-term caregivers. As Cec and Twila tell us in the book, part of long-term caregiving is realizing you “don’t have to be a superwoman or superman; you only have to be human.”
I wish I’d had Because You Care to read a year ago. I wouldn’t have felt so overwhelmed or clueless about what I was doing in caring for my mother. There are 13 vignettes from several people—all who are caregivers. From learning about a diagnosis to facing guilt to death, these stories are filled with compassion, understanding and hope written by people who are living it. As comforting as the stories are this gift book is in full color with calming earth-tone pages punctuated by Betty Fletcher’s photographs of nature. Somehow in just looking at the pictures, a calmness washed over me. In Because You Care, you’ll enjoy 48 pages of hope including 4 pages of practical suggestions.
If you missed yesterday’s excerpt, you can read it here. See below for links to other caregiving articles by Twila Belk. Be sure to leave a comment about today’s post (or yesterday’s) for your chance at the grand prize listed below.
Find Us on Facebook:
Because You Care Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Because-You-Care-Spiritual-Encouragement-for-Caregivers/250527628357568
Articles by Twila Belk on Caregiving:
- Waiting and Wondering: http://www.encouragementcafe.com/2012/04/16/finding-peace/
- Insensitive Remarks: http://www.encouragementcafe.com/2012/04/17/quick-to-listen-slow-to-speak/
- Toenail Love: http://www.encouragementcafe.com/2012/04/18/humble-example/
- Because You Care, You’ll Care for Yourself: http://www.encouragementcafe.com/2012/04/19/to-do-list-for-caregivers/
- Caregivers Need Encouragement: http://www.encouragementcafe.com/2012/04/20/support-system/
- Book—Because You Care: Spiritual Encouragement for Caregivers
- Book—Hope and Comfort for Every Season
- Hallmark journal, list pad, and memo pad stack
- Glade “Angel Whispers” candle
- Hershey’s Bliss dark chocolate
Instructions to Enter the Grand Prize Drawing:
- Leave a comment about the book or author on the blog post during the blog tour.
- Each blog tour host will draw one name from those comments to send to the tour coordinator by October 12.
- The coordinator will put all the names into a drawing, and select a winner, using an online randomizer.
- The coordinator will notify the blog tour host who submitted the winning name.
The blog tour host (that’s me) will notify the winner and collect the mailing info so the author can send out the prize.
Although I've not read this book, I know Cecil Murphy to be a very insightful writer who nails whatever subject he's writing on.
ReplyDeleteSally,
DeleteI agree. Cecil Murphey knows how to hone in on the target and do it concisely, yet compassionately when needed.