SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 28. Surely this can't be right?
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 28. Surely this can't be right?
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 28. Surely this can’t be right? Jeremiah 29.11 Some days I wake up calm, even cheerful about my life. More often I’m floundering in the morass and the thought pops up, ‘Surely this can’t be right? Surely God can’t want this for me?’ This i…
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 27. Stormy weather
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 27. Stormy weather
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 27. Stormy weather Matthew 8.26 It is easy to get lost in the midst of the overwhelming, all-consuming task of caring for someone. The 36-hour day saps all our energy and we hardly recognize that exhausted face we catch a glimpse of in t…
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 26. Someone to lean on
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 26. Someone to lean on
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 26. Someone to lean on Proverbs 3.5 Isaiah 26.4 Watching television the other day, I was reminded about the fashion for outdoor artificial ice rinks. I love to watch how someone goes on the ice for the first time, very wobbly, but then a f…
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 25. Snakes and ladders
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 25. Snakes and ladders
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 25. Snakes and ladders Psalm 126.5–6 Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, the pioneer in helping people face death and bereavement, reckoned that five stages are involved: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. And she felt it was importa…
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 24. Sharing the load
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 24. Sharing the load
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 24. Sharing the load Matthew 11.28–29 We get so used to going it alone that it can be very difficult to switch off when we finally get some help and some time to ourselves. I’ve got a respite break at the moment (to let me write this book…
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 23. Running on empty
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 23. Running on empty
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 23. Running on empty Isaiah 40.31 One of the biggest problems and danger areas for carers is tiredness. Exhaustion. Bone-deep weariness that makes you want to sit and weep. This is when you know you’re running on empty. It’s strange. We do…
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 22. Rags, and losing them
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 22. Rags, and losing them
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 22. Rags, and losing them Ephesians 4.26a I like to think of myself as basically an okay person – and I’m sure that you are much better than okay! But one of the things I dislike most about being a carer is that it shows me up to myself …
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 21. Ouch! I'm trying to help
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 21. Ouch! I'm trying to help
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 21. Ouch! I’m trying to help . . . Romans 12.18 I saw a woman in the supermarket yesterday. She had the generally washed-out look of the over-exhausted long-term carer and was hurrying to get her shopping done. Then I noticed the tell-ta…
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 20. Only the lonely
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 20. Only the lonely
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 20. Only the lonely Proverbs 27.10 When your loved one can’t get out, or only with a lot of difficulty, your days will likely be spent mainly within the four walls of your home (unless you’re fortunate enough to have someone to help, who c…
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 19. Me and St Stephen
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 19. Me and St Stephen
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 19 Me and St Stephen John 8.10–11 It was one of those days. Exhaustion had set in early but there was still too much to do and only me to do it. Get help? Well, yes, of course that would be nice. In fact, someone had offered . . . But wo…
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 18. Living with the chaos
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 18. Living with the chaos
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 18. Living with the chaos Mark 5.36 There’s a hymn that seems to be most people’s favourite, ‘Dear Lord and Father of mankind’, and it used to be one of mine. Until I became a carer, when one of the lines jarred with sudden force: ‘Let o…
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 17. Let it out!
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 17. Let it out!
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 17. Let it out! Psalm 116.1–2 Some days, some weeks even, I can cope. There are even nice days, happy days, good days. But then there come days when things don’t go right and everything seems to build up until I’m ready to scream, ‘Stop! …
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 16. Let it be
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 16. Let it be
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 16. Let it be Hebrews 2.18 Being a carer is tough but I’ve been wondering recently whether things really are as tough as I’ve been thinking. I’d been feeling overwhelmed but suddenly thought: is this true? Or am I creating a maelstrom of w…
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 15. Keeping your head above water
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 15. Keeping your head above water
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 15. Keeping your head above water Mark 6.30–31 Do you have days when you’re coping – just? Days when you could use another couple of hours’ (or days’) sleep, an extra pair of hands (or a few clones of yourself !) to get everything done? …
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 14. Just a carer
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 14. Just a carer
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 14. Just a carer Zephaniah 3.17 ‘And what do you do?’ people ask, pretty much as the first question after you’ve been introduced. Do you say, ‘Nothing really’? Or do you find yourself stammering as you search for something to say along the…
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 13. It hurts
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 13. It hurts
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 13. It hurts Psalm 69.29, 33, GN Nobody warns you that disability or degenerative illness – whichever it is you’re dealing with – hurts. Your loved one who is actually enduring the condition may feel no direct pain – but you do. What you f…
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 12. I give up
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 12. I give up
by SPCK - Dorothy M Stewart
ONE DAY AT A TIME Meditations for Carers 12. I give up Luke 10.33b–35 For most of us, there comes a time when we cannot look after our loved ones appropriately or safely on our own at home. For some of us, our own health breaks down, and help is crucial. Bringing in a paid carer …
One Day at a Time: Meditations for Carers - 11. Hi ho, hi ho!