You may have noticed that the next volume to come out is a collection of daily readings for caregivers. I have chosen to make it 100 days instead of an entire year, but at some point might decide to produce an expanded edition, who knows! However, since it is on the verge or publication, I thought my current connected readers might enjoy a sample as a sneak peek.
Maybe you know someone who could use this particular book, too. You will be among the first to know when it goes live, so please, share the news. I selected a sample that I thought can be useful in many of life’s situations, though it is geared toward the world of caregiving. Enjoy!
Day 5 Philippians 1:22-25I had to make some decisions over the last few weeks, myself. Such as, do you want him transferred to a bigger hospital? If the situation turns bad, what measures do you want us to take and not to take? Should we transfer him to another kind of rehab facility now, or wait a few more weeks? I really don’t need to list for you all my questions; they are the same kind of questions as the ones you have probably had to face, or one day will.
In some cases, those decisions are less difficult to make because you have guidance from a living will or conversations you have had with your loved one long ago. But even then, I would comment that helpful as these things are when making decisions, the emotional impact of it all can still be very strong on you. I remember words of decision coming out of my mouth, voicing the guidance I had been given years before, but as I heard them out loud, it felt like signing somebody’s death warrant. It was hard to walk away.
One recent decision was apparently a real toss up, advantages and disadvantages whichever way I decided. There were family members I could consult with, but they were not on the scene with all the observations you get first hand and time was of the essence. Ultimately, it was my decision to make, so I made the best judgment I could based on the information I had or could get, and based on the reality of how things were that day.
Sometimes, the path is not so clear. Sometimes we are in situations much like Paul’s, where we could go one way or the other, and we have to choose. We know our choices may result in consequences we had not foreseen. It is the reality of life, the reality of caregiving. Gather your information, seek appropriate counsel, ask God for wisdom, then make your choice and give the consequences to God. Then walk away, knowing you did the best you know how to do in the situation with the knowledge you had at the time.
