June 29th

Caring for Parents - June 2020

Dear Caregivers~

I hope and pray that you have found moments of joy and renewal amidst the work of learning how to be a caregiver in the face of a pandemic. 

In a moment of procrastination last week, I came across a December 2018 article titled, “When you don’t know what to do, make tea.” As an avid tea drinker, I had to read it. It’s a lovely article. One paragraph, in particular, stood out:

"Social worker Melody Wilding has written that whenever we’re feeling overwhelmed or frustrated, we should always stop to ask ourselves if we’re hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. Any of those feelings are likely to fuel poor judgment, which means that it’s time to stop what we’re doing, take a break, and either eat a sandwich or do some journaling or call a friend or take a nap."

That seemed like pretty good advice, especially on a day I was feeling a little frustrated. I imagine there are moments of feeling overwhelmed or frustrated as you care for your aging parents. I would like to offer you some tea, iced tea, and conversation; a space to talk, or not, about caregiving.

May God strengthen and encourage you as you do the hard and holy work of caring for your parents.

In Christ,
Pastor Rachel