Tag: caregiving

Cozy & Content

Published on by Jackie1 Comment

My fuzzy blanket wrapped around me, I’m relaxing after another busy day.

The sun has set (a few hours ago) in a fiery blaze that framed the hills in the distance.

Today was good.

I stepped into the little white church this morning, and it felt good. Almost… normal. I still miss my home church people, but I’m getting to know this congregation. They are a gift from God, all of them have given me such a warm welcome since I moved here.

I sat beside a little boy who decided to be friends, and put a fishie sticker in my Bible. He’s about the same age as my nephew that I miss so much… and my auntie heart was delighted to have that bit of interaction with a child again.

I came home from church and warmed up leftovers for lunch. (The bacon in the casserole was a gift from friends who visited me recently. I think the world would be full of happier people if we would all gift each other with bacon occasionally.)

I took a nap in my comfy bed, then went upstairs to spend the rest of the day with my people.

I blow dry hair, go for walks, serve meals, give hugs, sing Christmas carols, trim fingernails, search for missing hearing aids, change bedding, give hugs, draw pictures to color, retrieve abandoned walkers, listen to sad hearts, put clean laundry away, give hugs, brush teeth, lay out fuzzy pajamas, tuck the sheets just so…

I give one more hug, and say “Goodnight, I love you, see you tomorrow!”

The Christmas carols today. That was so fun. We were having a great time, some of us singing the lyrics on the page, others singing the best part of the song over again just for good measure.

Sunlight streamed in on our impromptu choir, and grey heads and wrinkled faces were shining golden as we all praised Jesus together.

Heaven comes a little closer in moments like those.

Or when someone says, “One of these days I’m not gonna need this wheelchair anymore! I’ll be walking in heaven!” I reply, “Not only will you walk – you’ll be flying!”

She asks who I think will run faster, me or her. I said, maybe I can race you!

She laughs and says, “Let’s do that someday. But first I gotta go see Jesus. After that, we can race!”

Another gentleman, who is a wealth of sage advice, has told me that I’m stuck here forever. “You can try to leave,” he warns, “but I’ll always pray you come back again! And God hears me!”

These dear people.

I like being here, too.

This life really is beautiful.

They Call Me Mom

Published on by JackieLeave a comment

My people are all sleeping.

Blankets were tucked around wrinkly chins, gray hair was brushed into ponytails for the night, and shaky arms reached up to hug me before I turned out the light.

I held hands larger than my own and prayed bedtime prayers for a good night of pain free, restful sleep.

They’re not my children.

Most of them are old enough to be my grandparents, or at least my parents.

But they call me, “Mom.”

Sometimes they say it teasingly, but there’s an underlying note of seriousness. And other times, depending what they’ve just asked me to do for them, there’s a depth of emotion in their voice when they say, “thank you – Mom.”

A lot of the residents in the care home where I volunteer are children at heart.

They remained dependent on their parents into adulthood, and still need to be mothered. But their moms have either passed away, or are too elderly to care for them anymore, and so they are here to receive the care they need.

I wish I could have met the moms represented by the people I serve.

These women who must have been wonderfully dedicated mothers, for how affectionately they’re spoken of by their now-elderly children.

These women who knew just how to tuck the sheets, and which kind of bedtime snack, and how to soothe a hurting heart.

I’m trying to learn these things about each resident, because they deserve to feel at home. I come here to work; they live here. This is home to them, and we need to provide care with all the homey touches their moms had.

It’s daunting.

But I love them. And even though it’s challenging, and not always easy, I’m determined to love them well.

Whenever I’m faced with a task that’s not so appealing, I remind myself that this person was created by Jesus. I visualize Him kneeling beside this bed, or pushing this wheelchair, or cleaning up this floor.

And I ask, “How would Jesus love this person?”

I can never replace their mothers that they still miss so much.

I certainly can’t know and meet their needs in perfection like Jesus would.

But maybe, with the daily challenge to do each act of service the way Jesus would, I can provide care that lets them know without a doubt: they are precious, and they are loved.

I know one thing for sure: they fill my heart.

And, out of all the names I get called in a day (trust me, there’s a wide variety) I always smile when they call me “Mom.”