They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:23
In every season, there is a lesson to be learned. One of the hardest lessons is realizing we are not in control. Nothing makes that more glaringly obvious than death and disease. When these storms come, the ground beneath us will never be the same. We are forever altered. And yet—
Through all of it, there is one truth that remains. God does not change. He is faithful.
It is at His feet we find rest from our troubles, a balm for the pain, and strength for the next mile.
What season are you facing at this time? What lesson are you learning?
Gail Johnson 
We have had quite a spring and early summer. My mother is battling congestive heart failure and in March developed an encephalopathy from thyroiditis. Her doctor at first just kept shrugging his shoulders saying he was at a loss and didn’t k ow what was wrong; I had to insist on tests to be done, a neurology consultation, and after a few days we had a diagnosis other than “dementia.” Treatment helped, but by that time Mom had lost a significant amount of weight, and her balance was very poor. Her attitude, however, was still one of “I don’t need this walker,” “why am I in this place ?” (When we went her to skilled nursing for rehab.) Always a very proud woman, she was not the most cooperative patient. Having short term memory issues was no help. After four months in and out of the hospital, she has finally gotten back home and stayed out of the hospital for nearly 3 weeks! Hallelujah! We know her long term prognosis is not very good with her heart failure and her age, but we will take the time we have left and give her every opportunity to enjoy her own home and independence. (Yes, the walker has been stored away since her determination won out and her balance is much better.)
Meanwhile, our youngest daughter’s antidepressant began causing her significant side effects. Things came to a head after she completed finals for her spring semester, and she has had a rough summer so far. Also independent, she now is unable to drive because of panic attacks, and this has created all kinds of issues in the family schedule .
At a time in my life where I feel I should be needed LESS by my family, I am being needed MORE. Trying to be thankful for the opportunities here, but I am home weary.
*bone weary…
Shauna, I am so sorry to hear of all your troubles.
I can sympathize with the feeling of being stretched beyond your capabilities. It’s not an easy place to be. It’s a place where it seems nothing satisfies the soul. We do not have the time to process anything as we scurry about putting out the fires. We just do.
But the one thing I can do for you, dear friend, is to pray. I pray the Lord calms your storm and sends a ray of sunshine your way. I pray for your mom that she will continue to improve. I pray for your daughter’s healing.
I can say, without any doubt, He is there in the midst. Lean on Him, Shauna and find rest. Just breathe. He understands. And He truly is faithful.
Please let me know, how things are going with you. Until then, I will be praying for you.
Thank you for sharing your heart. Blessings.
Gail, I am so sorry for not responding…somehow I missed seeing your comment. Thank you for your prayers. Things are leveled out for the time being. My daughters are both doing well, and my mom was finally able to return home. We have had our ups and downs, but thankful for a hubby who is supportive and was able to locate a pill dispenser that has made a huge difference for her. We programmed it for the times she needs her medications, and I fill it each week. I also help her keep track of her appointments, and we are blessed to have a couple of friends who are available to help get her to those appointments if I am working and unable to get away. (Thankfully that does not happen too often, I have supportive coworkers who help cover if we plan ahead.) God has made a way so far for her to be able to stay in her own home. Some folks have not agreed with our decision, but they aren’t the ines dealing with the situation and have plenty of their own stuff to worry about. 😉
It has been a struggle keeping up with the blog stuff, my mind is overwhelmed much of the time. I have a friend who likes to scrapbook and we find little getaways to go and be creative with less interruptions. I always feel a bit selfish, but my friend also is in need of support, so it’s really a two-way street.
Blessings to you, I do read my emails and your posts from the reader list, just don’t always get time to “blog hop” and post! Prayers for you and yours!