As we move from the holidays into a new year, Betsy and I would like to thank you for sharing your hearts over the past two years about caring for older family members. Your stories of family conflicts, the need for support groups, and dealing with feelings that range from joy to desperation have touched our hearts. You inspire us each day to strive to help you in your caregiving journey. The issues family caregivers face are sometimes simple, but at other times they boggle the mind.
Every situation is unique, and every family caregiver needs to equip themselves with a vast array of resources to draw from so they can successfully manage almost any situation imaginable! You must be flexible, resilient, resourceful, and faithful to the tasks and responsibilities you have taken upon yourself. Some days are harder than others, and every hour holds its own challenges. You might not have chosen this path, and nobody ever aspires to it, but if you find yourself needing to care for another, we want you to know that you are not lost or forgotten.
You are the unsung superheroes of our society. Nobody writes books or movie scripts about you. Rarely are you recognized on stage with a plaque or a trophy. Most of your work is done behind closed doors, and there is no audience giving you applause. Being a family caregiver is mostly thankless work unless you draw your strength from sources other than worldly praise. God sees what you do every hour of every day. He knows how hard you try to manage, and He will give you the strength to keep going through even the most difficult of days.
There may not be a building named after you, but you are a towering presence in your loved one’s life, and one day your faithful walk will be rewarded. Just hold on and press ahead, one step, one minute, one breath at a time. Reach out to God and others to share your journey and ask for help. Every superhero needs supporters. Find yours.
Betsy and I hope you’ll join us this week at Heart of the Caregiver and share your heart about tools and techniques that help you be someone’s caregiving superhero.
Heart of the Caregiver 