The Promise Never Changes | by Linda Brendle

Christmas is a time of tradition. By definition, tradition is the transmission of customs from generation to generation, but as anyone who has raised children knows, each generation feels a need to put its own stamp on any custom passed on by the previous generation. As a result, while Christmas is a time of tradition, it is also a time of change. Here are a few of them.
In my lifetime, I’ve seen a lot of changes in the Christmas tree. First, the natural evergreen gave way to the flocked tree which was covered by some kind of fluffy concoction that mimicked the appearance of snow. Next came artificial trees. Thankfully, the aluminum ones that were spotlighted with a spinning color wheel were short-lived, but the first plastic ones weren’t much better. They were made of a green material similar to what is used on the end of party toothpicks, and they shed needles almost as badly as the natural trees. Artificial trees have since evolved to the point that it’s hard to tell them from the real thing except that you don’t have to water them, and they don’t begin to droop after a week or two. Having perfected the tree itself, manufacturers have moved to the next level by adding fiber-optic lighting that eliminates the tangled mess of lights that never all work at the same time.

Senior Humor – Jeopardy

In our market, Jeopardy comes on right at dinner time, so we watch Alex and play along most nights while we eat. We do pretty well on categories that involve Golden Oldies or nostalgic TV shows and movies. Unfortunately, we don’t do so well on some of the more intellectual subjects. I think that if we could be assured of these categories, we might throw our hats in the ring and make some money!

Blessings,

Linda

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD: A Caregiver’s Tale of Life, Love, and Chaos

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Quotes and Tips for Caregivers – A Safe Place | by Linda Brendle

One of the most healing experiences in my caregiving journey has been sharing my story through my blog and my book. Not only is it a cathartic process as I work through the joys and sorrows of my years with Mom and Dad, but the responses I receive are also healing. When someone tells me that my stories have helped them in their own struggles, it helps to give meaning to what seemed like a meaningless journey through Alzheimer’s and dementia.

My sharing didn’t begin with my writing, though. I first learned to share my stories in a caregiver support group in my church. It was a safe place where I could talk about my hurts and fears with people who understood what I was going through because they were going through similar things. It was a place where people listened and a place where I didn’t feel so alone. If you haven’t found a safe community where you can share your story, I encourage you to make that a priority in the New Year. You will be blessed.

Blessings,

Linda

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD: A Caregiver’s Tale of Life, Love, and Chaos

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Quotes from A Long and Winding Road – Navy Showers | by Linda Brendle

What I failed to consider is that nothing is easy when Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia are involved. Personal hygiene was a continuing issue, both during our seven-week RV trip and throughout the many years I cared for Mom and Dad. Caregivers learn to take into consideration the limitations of their loved ones, we learn to choose our battles, and sometimes we learn to rely on wet wipes and lots of deodorant.

Blessings,

Linda

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD: A Caregiver’s Tale of Life, Love, and Chaos

Available in ebook format at:

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All About Writing – Thesaurus | by Linda Brendle

Maybe it’s just me, but the older I get, the more thankful I am for the Thesaurus feature in Word. There are times when I have an entire sentence or paragraph mapped out in my head, but by the time my fingers get to that critical word, it has disappeared to that special place in my mind — you know the one — the place that is similar to the spot in the washing machine where socks go to hide. Normally, I can get close enough to the right word to look it up in the Thesaurus, but there are times when even that doesn’t help and the word is just completely gone. Fortunately, I’m still creative enough that I can usually rewrite the sentence using a completely different word. If this never happens to you, please don’t tell me. I might end up with one of those…um…what’s the word…something to do with a complex? I might end up feeling bad about myself.

Blessings,

Linda

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD: A Caregiver’s Tale of Life, Love, and Chaos

Available in ebook format at:

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Four Christmas Gift Fails | by Linda Brendle

I don’t do a lot of Christmas shopping any more, but when I do, I have fun. My budget is usually limited, so I don’t feel pressured to find the perfect gift for each one on my list. Instead I shop the way Mom and I did when I was a kid. I go to a local store and wander through the aisles until something jumps out me. Regardless of how you shop, there are those gifts that simply fail.

The year I was sixteen, I couldn’t wait to go Christmas shopping. I worked at Woolworth’s making $1.10 an hour, and I was anxious to share my wealth. I don’t remember most of what I bought, but I remember what I got for Mom – a frying pan.

Quotes from A Long and Winding Road – No Place Feels Like Home | by Linda Brendle

Many caregivers have experienced a time when their loved one wanted to go “home,” even though they were already in their place of residence. My understanding is that, because of their slide away from reality, people with Alzheimer’s and dementia always feel upset and frightened due to lack of understanding and loss of control. When they say they want to go home, they are seeking a place of familiarity and comfort, somewhere they can feel safe. As caregivers, we cannot take away their feelings of fear and displacement, but we can do our best to provide a stable environment for them and to make them feel as safe as possible wherever they are.

Blessings,

Linda

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD: A Caregiver’s Tale of Life, Love, and Chaos

Available now in ebook format at:

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All About Writing – Don’t Be Paralyzed | by Linda Brendle

 

When I first started writing, whether it was a book, a blog post, or a newspaper article, my fear of the end result and of what my readers would think of it, slowed me down to a near crawl. I read and re-read almost every sentence, second guessing everything I wrote, until I edited the life out of it. As I gained experience, including some negative responses that didn’t kill me after all, I began to relax and just write.

Now I rarely read or edit anything until I’ve completed an article or a chapter. I still have lots of editing to do, but if I get out of my own way and let the thoughts flow, the main structure pretty much takes shape in the rough draft. After that, the re-writes are just a matter of polishing and refining.

When you sit down with pen in hand or keyboard at fingertips, don’t worry about the end product. Just write, and the book or blog post or newspaper article will emerge.

Blessings,

Linda

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD: A Caregiver’s Tale of Life, Love, and Chaos

Available now in ebook format at:

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What Happens When I Don’t Have a Schedule | by Linda Brendle

Even though I’m retired, my life is somewhat structured, and most of my days have at least a loose schedule. It usually looks something like this: quiet time, breakfast, shower, personal work or part-time secretarial work at the church, lunch at the Senior Center, more church work or back home for house or yard work. There’s lots of room for variation, but it keeps me more or less focused.

The Friday after Thanksgiving was an unusual day. There were no scheduled activities since both the church and the Senior Center were closed. I had written and scheduled my blog posts ahead of time, so I had no deadlines until Sunday. The refrigerator was full of leftovers from the day before, I didn’t plan to participate in Black Friday, and there was nothing around the house that couldn’t wait until Saturday, so I had a more or less free day.

Caregiver Quotes and Tips – Headphones | by Linda Brendle

Photo (WFAA)

WFAA-TV in Dallas recently ran a story about Miss Cora, a 90-year-old woman with dementia who often sits quietly all day–that is until she gets down with her tunes. I tried to embed the video, but I couldn’t get it to work. However, it is well worth an extra click to see this endearing video that shows Miss Cora and her caregiver sharing a connection that only seems to come through music.

To see the story and video, CLICK HERE.

Blessings,

Linda

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD: A Caregiver’s Tale of Life, Love, and Chaos

Available now in ebook format at:

B&N // Kobo // iTunes // Amazon // Smashwords // Google Play