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Embracing lament: health and hope for anyone burdened by loss
A new series of Monday meditations will give us examples to help us embrace God's gift of lament.
Two lives ending bring me questions I can only trust with God
Which is worse? To see a young life snatched away too soon? Or to watch a long life twist to a tortured end?
Navigating change is everyone’s challenge, but for me it’s different
We live in an age of constant change, even though our instinct is to resist it. But for caregivers like me, facing change is a weekly challenge.
Good people. Good question. Two words. Good weekend. Good progress
Everyone who knows about Alzheimer’s anticipates that Evelyn is not doing well. But my new friend asked about me.
Beginning with tears, ending with reflection: An old man’s pattern
I don’t know why I had tears that morning. But a story from Scripture gave me a new idea.
A trip to a scenic corner. A step in the journey that now feels new
Another family vacation without Evelyn. Wonderful—and sad.
Stanley Tucci, Italian cooking, cancer, and the meaning of life
I was getting a little bored with the book till I came to the last chapter and realized Tucci had touched something far more profound than what we’ll fix for dinner.
A popular lyric. A friend’s example. The challenge I’m facing today
The resolution to one friend’s stress could lead to deeper peace for me, too.
Marking an unremarkable anniversary with the woman I’ll never forget
For the first time in 51 years, we didn’t celebrate our wedding anniversary. But I marked the occasion in a way I’ll always remember.
Calculating ‘quality of life’ amid my not-finished-yet goodbye
Another trip to the hospital for a condition that hadn’t taken us there before. How many more trips will there be?
Four more conclusions in response to a caregiver’s plea for help
A caregiver’s plea for help in dealing with his task reminded me of conclusions that have come to me in more than five years of caregiving.
A caregiver’s plea for help: ‘I feel bad about feeling bad!’
A reader asked for advice, and that’s not what this blog is about. But maybe some stories from my experience will help him.
Making the best decisions will likely continue to be a challenge
I thought the pressure of making difficult decisions would end with Evelyn living in residential care. Saturday morning I realized that end won’t likely be anytime soon.
An acrostic to help me remember six goals for a life on purpose
The list helps me keep from living my life haphazardly. I don’t accomplish every goal every day, but these are a good checklist for every week.
My first dinner guests at home alone: enjoyable, but different
I’m living alone, and I’ve decided to cope with that by not always staying alone. So I invited three couples for dinner. Like everything else in my life now, it felt odd, a strange mix of the familiar with the all-new.
I’m finally admitting that ‘Mark and Evelyn’ doesn’t describe reality
This year I signed Easter cards with my name alone. I’m finally ready to admit that our reality has changed.
One week after our big transition: I’m hoping the shadow has passed
I can honestly report, “We are doing fine.” This is true for several reasons.
Too soon? Too late? Right? Wrong? I have made a difficult decision
Yesterday I moved Evelyn into a residential memory care facility. I’m hoping I remain convinced that was the right decision.
I have a full glass, barely holding all I’ve had to pour into it
“Every time you say ‘yes’ to one thing, you must say ‘no’ to something else.”
What probably would have been and what possibly could someday be
Sometimes I wonder what I’d be thinking and feeling and doing if our lives hadn’t been invaded by illness.