Monday, February 27, 2012

A Different Kind of Caregiving

Three years ago this past Friday on February 24 my grandson was born. On the day he was born I spent part of that day and also the next couple days babysitting our new grandson’s three sisters. Their daddy (my son) would take them to see their Mom and little brother at the hospital in the evening, and then he would take them home to bed.

I enjoyed taking care of my granddaughters very much during that time. Taking care of my granddaughters was a time of caregiving, but to be honest this was a much more enjoyable type of caregiving than what I was doing with my husband.

This is because my granddaughters were so open and full of love and the joy of life. They were 6 years, 5 years, and 2 years old at the time. I was very tired at night after a day of taking care of three energetic children, but it is a good tiredness.

Caregiving for a loved one with a terminal illness is so different than the type of caregiving I described above, is it not, dear caregiver? The one describes life and potential. The other describes declines and often heartaches.

With both, however, dear Christian caregiver, there is hope. First of all, this life we live on this earth is not all that there is. We have eternity ahead. Secondly, the Lord has promised to be with us each step of the way. Finally, even though we can not figure out the “whys?” of our loved ones declines, God has promised to somehow bring beauty out of the chaos which so often is a part of our lives. Trust Him, dear caregiver.

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