Respite Care Can Save a Caregiver’s Sanity | by Linda Brendle

I Need a Break!

If you are or ever have been a caregiver, you know how important it is to get a break now and then. I read an article this morning by Jeff Anderson called Tips for Taking Caregiver Vacations: Respite Care. Jeff wrote mostly about how caregivers can use short-term stays at residential care facilities to get a break. I never took advantage of this kind of respite care. The idea of making the arrangements for both Mom and Dad and packing their clothes and medications, not to mention the expense involved, was overwhelming. But there were many other kinds of respite care that gave me an occasional break in the routine and saved my sanity.

Mini-Breaks

Even when Dad could no longer hear much of what was going on and Mom couldn’t understand what she heard, we continued to go to Sunday School and worship services every Sunday. I dropped Mom and Dad at a class for older adults before going to my own class and picked them up afterward on the way to the sanctuary. It was amazing what that hour did to raise my spirits.

Check Out My Yahoo Contributor Profile | by Linda Brendle

Image via CrunchBase

Last year I wrote a post about the prayer of Jabez and about expanding my territories. In the post I talked about a new outlet for my writing, a Bible study I was teaching and a women’s conference I was coordinating. The study and the conference are finished, but I’m continuing to expand my writing outlets. They tell me it’s a good way to catch the eye of the right publisher.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom | by Linda Brendle

Helen Hagan Robinson, my beautiful mother, probably around 19 or 20 years old

Today was my first Mother’s Day without Mom, and it wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be.

The Last Transition – Moving into Assisted Living

A few weeks ago, the good people at Assisted Living Directory asked me to write an article for their website. I wrote a brief account of Mom and Dad’s journey from independent living through moving in with us and on to assisted living. The article featured one of my favorite pictures with this caption:

Garlic Wars Escalate in Emory | by Linda Brendle

“You lost another garlic plant last night,” said David yesterday after his morning inspection of the kingdom.

Simple words, but with earth-shaking consequences for the garlic monster that’s taken a third plant. That’s 15% of my crop, and even God only asks for 10%.

“Okay, no more Mrs. Nice Guy,” I said. “We’re going to Hooten’s after lunch so I can talk to the garden guy.”

I’m a City Girl and I Hate Bugs | by Linda Brendle

One of the bad things about living in the country is the bugs. I’ve come a long way in the two years we lived here. I no longer scream and flail around when a multi-legged creature lands on me – at least not much. I’ve even been known to pick a lady bug or other benign insect off a leaf and evict it from my garden with my bare hands. But there are limits to my tolerance, and those limits were reached several times this week.

Senior Humor – Edition 15 | by Linda Brendle

Last month www.Ageingcare.com posted an article by Marlo Sollitto called LOL: Why You Should Laugh Even When You Don’t Feel Like It. It said that laughter is good for you both physically and mentally. The author acknowledged that caregivers often find nothing funny in their lives, but even fake laughter can have positive effects. I sometimes wonder if my caregiving experience would have been easier for all of us if I had laughed more.

Two elderly ladies met at the grocery store after not seeing one another for some time.

“Oh, Helen, it’s so good to see you. How are you doing?”

“You know how it is, Joan. I’m not bad for a woman of my age. How about you?”

“I know what you mean. Other than a high this and a low that I’m fine. How’s Ted?”

Confusion and Certainty about God | by Linda Brendle

I’m not a very deep thinker. When I was growing up in Dallas, there was a D.J. on WRR named Jim Low. One of his tag lines was “even nonconformists conform to nonconformity.” It made sense, but wrapping my young and simple mind around it gave me a headache. I feel the same way about some articles I’ve read recently about the existence of God.

There’s Still Hope | by Linda Brendle

With all the stories of bombings and mass shootings that surround us on a daily basis, it’s hard to remain hopeful about the future of mankind. But sometimes hope comes when you least expect, maybe from a crooked little smile or a Kit Kat bar.

A Pictorial Garden Update | by Linda Brendle

I had a couple of serious posts in mind for today, but I went out to give my plants a drink and decided some garden pictures would be much more fun. To catch up on the history of some of my babies, go back to my post called “Plans, God, and Day Lilies.”The irises and day lilies Dirk gave me are doing great. One of the irises is proudly sporting two buds…