10 Years Later

It's hard to wrap my mind around the fact that it's been ten years since I got the call that would forever change my life ... The day I was thrust into the life of being a caregiver & advocate, for the first time. It was the day that my life, as I knew it, began to unravel.

It's been ten years since my father had his heart attack and hemorrhagic stroke. September 28, 2015. The day (night, actually) I authorized emergency brain surgery over the phone. He was in Jackson, TN. I was in Coldwater, MS. Life changed forever with that one phone call. As night dawned into morning, I drove into a new life & calling. A call to forgive the past ... and whatever was to come in our future. A call to love someone who wasn't loveable on most days. But mostly, it was a call to die to self. Ten years ago, I began having to live out a faith that I proclaimed. And it was so incredibly messy!

A lot has changed in ten years. I left my traditional job to run a cleaning business so I could continue to be involved in Dad's care. My grandmother, Dad's mom, left us to meet Jesus face-to-face on December 27, 2018. I was set free from the twisted teachings of Bill Gothard and other legalistic, fundamentalist teachings. A reunion took place between me and one of my favorite teachers at a local church ... I was blessed to become a bonus member of her family, too! I got a hands-on, front row seat to God crushing my father under the weight of his sin and then reconciling us as father & daughter three months prior to his death. The LORD has allowed me to travel to Canada twice, to share what He did in Dad's life in a few different settings, to write a book, and to serve my bonus family in one of the hardest, darkest seasons of life. I closed my cleaning business to become a caregiver in a local healthcare facility which led me to being an activities director at a different facility, had major surgery, and said goodbye to one of my heroes.

Through it all, the one Constant has been (& continues to be) Jesus. Even in the darkest valleys of dementia, navigating the warped medical system that plagues America, despair, depression, a mental breakdown, a personal health crisis, cancer, and death ... Jesus has remained steadfast & oh, so faithful! 

With a power that can only be described as resurrection power, the LORD continues to fulfill His word by using ALL things - the good, the bad, the ugly - for His glory. He continues to bring deep healing where it is needed. And He continues to be near ... when no one else is.

This life I now live ... I didn't pray for it. I sure didn't plan it. But God has put me in a place where I get to serve senior adults as their activities director, aka: creative caregiver. A place where I get to love and serve seniors as I would my own father. It's a season of blessing mixed with the daily struggles of life. I am constantly reminded that this world is NOT my home as residents pass away ... as typical workplace drama happens ... as this world gets darker and darker. I find myself begging Jesus to return soon and then asking for sustaining grace should He choose to not return as quickly as I'd like. And His grace sustains for the next step. As it has for the last ten years (really for the last 43 1/2 years but this is about the last ten years). I'm learning to let Jesus fight my battles when it comes to the daily struggles of working in corporate America again. More often than not, my prayer is: "LORD, help! I need You!" 

And, my Friend, isn't that the point? To get us to a place of utter dependence on Jesus. I dare say it is.

I leave you tonight with this.

To the Believer: REMEMBER who you are & whose you are! I was first taught this by Buster, my bonus Dad ... aka: Papa. And in recent days, the reminder has been EVERYWHERE! I can only smile & whisper, "Yes, sir" when the reminder comes, knowing the look he'd give me as he'd say it.
To the Unbeliever: If you have any questions or just want to talk more, please drop me a comment below & I will get back to you as quickly as I can.

SDG!