I waited, waited for the Lord;
who bent down and heard my cry.
Drew me out of the pit of destruction,
out of the mud of the swamp,
Set my feet upon rock,
steadied my steps.
And put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
Psalms 40:1-4
Some illness are short in duration. Others are long. Alzheimer’s disease can be a very long trial, and those who care for loved ones or relative strangers with Alzheimer’s disease can become worn down from the journey that does not get easier as it lasts for years. These giving caregivers might feel dragged down by their work, decimated by fatigue, and in every way possible- empty.

Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Amazing how this reading from Psalms recognizes the despair that people can feel, and yet find words of encouragement during the most trying of times: God is working, drawing us up and out of our despair, taking all the heaviness of our hearts and giving us a new song. How do we allow ourselves to accept this grace?
Sometimes, allowing the fresh breath of grace to comfort us is as easy as consciously turning our thoughts from how harsh our lives are to simply reflecting on God’s goodness, on the small blessings He brings that we might have overlooked, on listening not to the cacophony of sound in our world, but rather to more soothing music.
These might not seem like significant ways to make a great transformation from mired and downtrodden to lifted up. But in small things can come great gifts. And one of the greatest of these is grace.
Blessings for the day,
Maureen
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Previous Posts
Moore, Oklahoma, and Beyond
As many of us watched in real-time as the two-mile-wide behemoth of a tornado bore down on Moore, Oklahoma, yesterday, I was reminded of another night many years ago when I, a small child, my brother and parents hunkered down in our basement as two tornadoes hit our neighborhood within 5 minutes of
posted 1:00:01am May. 22, 2013 |
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Chronic Illness: What Do You Do with the Fatigue?
Premission to sleep!
Chronic illness, whether lupus, fibromyalgia, MS, or another culprit, can bring on fatigue. Not just the "normal" kind brought on by a busy night or day, or strenuous exercise. No, our fatigue is usually called "unrestorative," that is, no matter how much we sleep, we awaken
posted 7:43:08pm May. 20, 2013 |
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Lupus: Coping Skill # 3
The human spirit can endure a sick body,
but who can bear it if the spirit is crushed?
Proverbs 18:14, New Living Translation
These few words from Proverbs say it all about the importance of a strong spirit when faced with any kind of illness or pain. We can see
posted 7:24:22pm May. 18, 2013 |
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Struggling to Have a Good Day?
Everybody's happy! Everybody's active! Everybody's...NOT!
When you don't feel well, the struggle to make something, anything, good of a day can be exhausting and frustrating and, well, quite frankly, impossible. And yet, between those who say, "You have to have a positive attitude," and those who
posted 10:11:20am May. 17, 2013 |
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Lupus: Relationships and Us
Last week, some friends of mine participated in a lupus event, and they invited me to come with them. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to see their caring in action. Truly, the benefit of being enveloped by people who accept and care about you is priceless!
I know there are many lupus patie
posted 9:23:43pm May. 14, 2013 |
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