Dorothy M Stewart
Still Caring - Thank you
Still Caring - Thank you
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
38 Thank you Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5.18) There are good days. Good visits. Moments when the fog lifts and the person you knew and loved is there again, smiling at you, knowing who you are. And even when…
Still Caring - September songs
Still Caring - September songs
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
37 September sings Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12.1b) I’m watching the folk on the beach this sunny September afternoon. They’re different from the summer visitors. This crowd is made up of people at either end of the happy family spectrum: y…
Still Caring - Mrs Fix-it gives up
Still Caring - Mrs Fix-it gives up
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
35 Mrs Fixit gives up Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Luke 12.25 –26) Are your shoulders, like mine, bent with the burden you are carrying? There is another way, and last week…
Still Caring - Powerlessness
Still Caring - Powerlessness
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
34 Powerlessness Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4.23) It was one of those days. Maybe it was time for one of those days – we had had a run of good ones. Anyway, I had a plan. It’s always better to have a plan. But today it went ou…
Still Caring - You in your small corner
Still Caring - You in your small corner
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
33 You in your small corner Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15.7) It had been a perfectly amicable visit. We had coffee and he chatted. I heard about the good food and excellent chef at the residential facility where…
Still Caring - After the visit
Still Caring - After the visit
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
32 After the visit Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you . . . , as though something strange were happening to you. (1 Peter 4.12) We know it’s hard to do, sometimes very hard to do. You gird your loins, pray your prayers, fix that smile on yo…
Still Caring - False impressions
Still Caring - False impressions
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
31 False impressions We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. (Romans 15.1) We were having our usual weekly outing and stopped in a local shop. It was quite busy and among the customers were two women I knew. One greeted us cheerf…
Still Caring - What's the name for it?
Still Caring - What's the name for it?
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
30 What’s the name for it? The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces. (Isaiah 25.8) You’d think you would get used to it – the pattern of visits each week. You would expect to fall into a pleasant routine, with your life working again, but something weird happens…
Still Caring - Relax!
Still Caring - Relax!
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
29 Relax! The Lord is my shepherd . . . he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. (Psalm 23.1a, 2b, 3a) I’m visiting my sister for the first time in years and I’m sleeping late every morning. At home I usually wake around 6 a.m., but here it’s more like 9 a.m. before…
Still Caring - Need a refill?
Still Caring - Need a refill?
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
28 Need a refill? Love one another, for love comes from God. (1 John 4.7) Living on our nerves is exhausting. Squashing our normal reactions, forcing calm and patience and pleasant responses to that question or that comment for the nth time, costs us. Dealing with upsets without …
Still Caring - Once more on the roller coaster
Still Caring - Once more on the roller coaster
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
27 Once more on the roller coaster I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation . . . I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4.12b, 13) Today’s changeable weather – sunshine then showers then more sunshine – has mirrored our day…
Still Caring - Compassion fatigue
Still Caring - Compassion fatigue
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
25 Compassion fatigue Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11.28) Think of those nasty bits at the bottom of a cup of real coffee. The bits that get between your teeth and stick to your tongue...
Still Caring - No more Lone Ranger
Still Caring - No more Lone Ranger
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
25 No more Lone Ranger Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Hebrews 13.16) Friday is the day when I visit and take my husband out for the day. But I won’t be doing that today. Some of his family have come on holiday for a we…
Still Caring - New faces
Still Caring - New faces
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
24 New faces A new command I give you: love one another. John 13.34 Just when you’ve got your loved one settled, and you’ve built up good relationships with the staff (well, at least you know their names and can recognize them when you visit), inevitably there will be staff chang…
Still Caring - In this together
Still Caring - In this together
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
23 In this together And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. (2 Corinthians 1.7) They’re everywhere: folk with loved ones, especially parents, spouses, older brothers and sisters, in residential care…
Still Caring - I want to go home
Still Caring - I want to go home
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
22 I want to go home My people will live in peaceful dwelling-places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. (Isaiah 32.18) Probably the hardest thing to deal with is when your loved one asks, ‘When can I go home?’ Or even worse, says, ‘I want to come home!’ My husband u…
Still Caring - Dealing with the hassles