Hope For the Caregiver
Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. Psalm 73:23
Our Memere was 78 years old and living with her son. Her husband, our Pepere, had passed away many years before. Now that Memere was getting on in years, she really needed someone to watch over her. She was still a bright, feisty, woman, like my mom, and she could take care of herself, but just needed that extra watch care. Then one day, something happened, and her son, my mom's brother, announced he could not care for her any more. Oh my! What to do with this little, short, feisty woman, that did not want to go anywhere else. There were nine other siblings that could have taken on this responsibility, but for some reason or other, they were not available. My mom stepped up to the plate, and even though she had her hands full with five children of her own, she decided she would take her mom in to live with us. The day was fast approaching when Memere was going to come and live with us. We were all excited to finally get to know her. Mom always had her hands full raising five children, and dealing with a husband that liked to drink alcohol a little too much. She had no time for visiting, so needless to say, we did not get to know our family on her side very well, unless they came to see us. They seemed to be too busy living their own lives to bother with much visiting. I always thought this was very sad. On the day she arrived it was very rainy outdoors, but we welcomed her into our home and hearts, trying to shed sunshine the best we could. We enjoyed this woman who looked and acted very much like my mom. A few months went by, and mom started to feel the pressure because Memere's health was failing fast. She ended up with a stroke, and could not take care of any of her own needs. All too quickly mom became her caregiver. This lasted for many more months, and I would catch my mom crying at times because of the heavy work load. Memere finally ended up with another stroke, but this time had to be placed in a nursing home where she shortly died. It was so sad. Does being a caregiver have to be a huge trial or could it also be a blessing for you, and the precious soul you have to care for. If my mom would have learned to lean on Jesus more, she could have saved herself a lot of pain and sorrow. She was not a praying woman, so she did not go to the Source that could have helped her cope with what was happening at the moment. God's holy word is filled with hope and precious gems that will get you through any trials that you are going through. Search the scriptures daily for in them you will find hope. God does not ever leave our side, we leave Him.