Spiritual Formation Catalyst
Working to help people respond to the Spirit's call in the midst
of their everyday lives so that they may experience what Jesus describes as,
"life to the full."
Caring for another person often means putting the needs of that person before my own. And sometimes it means being creative. Thus a lesson about a donut.
To see all of Nancy’s Caregiver Journals visit the Caregiver Journal Archives.
I stepped off the bus at Pieter B. Coeymans Elementary on my way into school. As I walked alongside the bus, someone still on the bus started shouting less than kind words at me. Fixing my eyes on them, I gave them the fiercest look I could muster and then walked right into a brick column. (You are free to laugh.)
The morning I face-planted into that brick column, I was eight or nine years old. This year I will turn 54. Any physical pain has long since gone away. Yet this is one of my most vivid memories from those elementary school years. Something about being made fun of, trying to be tough, and then walking into the column, well, it did not measure up with my image of what I should be.
One of life’s biggest fears is that people will discover how little we have our lives figured out and put together. So we often make decisions or say things all to protect people from discovering the “truth we know about ourselves.” We put on mask after mask, so people do not see our struggles. Our biggest fear is that if they knew, truly knew who I am, what I am dealing with, they might not like what they see.
If we are not careful, people might realize we are seconds away from walking into a brick column. [Read more…]
Nancy’s Caregiver JournalBeing a caregiver is not always about the big circumstances of life but around issues like transportation. Dan was in the hospital in Philadelphia which is an hour away from our home. My car was scheduled to go into the garage because it had been leaking transmission fluid. Plan B involved driving Dan’s truck back and forth to the hospital. And therein was the new lesson I learned.
You can view all Nancy’s videos by visiting the playlist, Nancy’s Caregiver Journal.
Nancy’s Caregiver JournalPeople often tell me I am “strong” because of the way I journey with Dan through his illness. I struggle with that term because I understand the ups and downs of this journey. During a time when Dan was in the hospital, I watched myself stay “strong” during some circumstances and then fall apart during others. I like to say that I am strong but struggling.
You can view all Nancy’s videos by visiting the playlist, Nancy’s Caregiver Journal.
One of the first things I learned as a caregiver, was how much I did not know.
How am I filling my retirement time? I am restoring a worn-out wheelbarrow and reviving memories.
Once I completed organizing my study, it was time to head to the garage. Our garage is the cleanest and most organized I have ever seen it.
During that process, I came across my father’s wheelbarrow.
When we lived in New Baltimore, NY, this was in constant use. Whether hauling firewood, picking rocks from the garden, mixing cement, cleaning out chicken coops, there was hardly a day the wheelbarrow sat still. The wheelbarrow was used to plant and care for the trees I shared about in this post from 2016.
This was not one of those new, lightweight, breaking within the first month kind of wheelbarrows. Instead, the tray was made of steel and could handle anything you threw at it. The only downside was the thing was a beast even before you added anything to it.
When dad moved into a retirement community, I already had a wheelbarrow. Still, this thing held way too many memories to send off to the dump. It sat beside the house, one of those projects I would get to one day.
One afternoon I started taking it apart. In the end, I replaced a few parts, cleaned everything up, and gave it a good paint job.
Nobody in our house was willing to use it. They were afraid to be the first person to put a scratch on it. [At least that is why they told me they were unwilling to use it]
On one of my visits to see dad, I pulled out pictures of his restored wheelbarrow. He often struggles to remember things from the past. But, one look and he knew exactly what he was seeing. A huge smile came over his face. Then, he started talking about the property in New Baltimore and all the projects he completed using that wheelbarrow.
What am I doing in retirement?
I am restoring a worn-out wheelbarrow and reviving memories.
Daniel has been a seeker his entire life, seeking a deeper relationship with Abba Father. He has served as pastor for American Baptist churches in New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. His passion is to "help people encounter God in the midst of their everyday lives." He writes with a transparency intended to allow others to see the struggles that lead to healing and life. Daniel currently serves as Spiritual Formation Catalyst for A Place in the Conversation.
Daniel's journey was disrupted when the doctor said, "You have stage IV colon cancer." Questions of "Why" and "If only" crowded his mind. Can one encounter God in the midst of a cancer journey? Join this seeker as he shares the pain and joys of this journey not of his choosing. Daniel's wife, Nancy, joins in sharing some of her thoughts, and feelings as she watches her husband fight his battle.