April of this year also marks the fourth anniversary of the publication of my book, Dear Caregiver Reflections for Family Caregivers. As many of you may know my passion to encourage caregivers was ignited as a result of my own experience of being my husband's caregiver for four and a half years. I experienced the emotions and struggles of a spouse and family caregiver who step by step saw her husband deteriorate and become more and more disabled. As a result I first started this caregiver blog a few months after Wayne's death in early 2011, and then at the encouragment of one of my readers I wrote my book Dear Caregiver Reflections for Family Caregivers which was published in April of 2014.
Below is the synopsis written on the back cover of the book. Part of it is a repeat of what I already said. I apologize for that:
"Family care-giving for a loved one with a serious illness is a very noble and important role. It is also often a challenging and emotionally and physically draining endeavor. DEAR CAREGIVER is a book written to encourage caregivers in this all consuming but vital ministry for which many caregivers feel ill equipped. This book points to the Lord as the caregiver's source of strength. The book further seeks to provide practical and spiritual encouragement to family caregivers who have lovingly taken on a role which they did not anticipate or perhaps desire.
The author is a mother and grandmother, and she was married to her husband, Wayne, for over thirty-nine years. In 2006 Wayne was diagnosed with a serious neurological disease. The author was Wayne's caregiver for four and a half years until his death in early 2011. She knows the heartache and physical and emotional stress of being a caregiver for a loved one. Hence, her passion is to encourage family caregivers in their struggles.
The book starts with a brief synopsis of the author's personal care-giving story followed by over one hundred brief meditations written to encourage current caregivers. The author seeks to stay connected to her readers by relevant examples from her own care-giving experiences in order to drive home messages in the text and to enable the readers to persevere in the challenges of family care-giving. It is the author's desire to facilitate this goal through her willingness to be vulnerable and honest about the feelings and emotions she experienced as a caregiver for her husband. She explores both the blessings and challenges of care-giving and the blessing of drawing closer to the Lord through the experience."
You can order the book at Amazon which is the first link below. Your can also order elsewhere online and at Barnes and Noble which is the link below the Amazon link. Amazon has a Kindle version and Barnes and Noble has a Nook version as well as a paperback version. Finally you can order directly from me by contacting me for details at jesuschild54@hotmail.com If you order directly from me it will be a signed copy:
https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Caregiver-Sharon-Vander-Waal/dp/1629524263/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482027543&sr=1-1&keywords=Dear+Caregiver
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dear-caregiver-sharon-vander-waal/1119198854?ean=9781629524269
It's such a wonder to see the many milestones April holds for you. ... A month of remembrances, along with Easter... a sacred time in so many ways. I hope many people will continue to order your book too, I cherish mine, and thank you for sharing your experience and faith. <3
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ferree, for your kind comments! You and all you do have been a huge blessing in my life!
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