It all started with a prayer. I had been worrying about what I would have to sacrifice in my busy schedule. What being a care partner to my mom was going to take.  I feared my church life, my YMCA life, and my home life would be rearranged, diminished, or removed in order to keep my mom safe, fed, and satisfied. The endless phone calls to solve the problem of the moment, to find the missing item, to review what had already been said were not enough. Making the 30-minute drive multiple times a week in addition to my vigorous schedule was wearing me out. Something was going to have to change. And I feared that it would be my schedule and me (in fact, I knew it would be my schedule and me). I just wasn’t willing to let it all go. Yet. To get my head and heart around those changes required some level of motivation, inspiration and commitment. Some move of God. Faith.

So I went forward in the Sunday service to the altar to pray, where prayer partners were waiting to join our petitions. I chose Melissa, a friend, a woman of faith to trust and hear my concerns. I whispered in her ear that I was conflicted about the growing needs of my mom, that in order to truly be helpful to her, I would have to back off my other activities that I held dear. I asked for divine guidance, a willing heart, and a path to follow. 

As Melissa lifted my struggle to the Lord, a peace began to settle over me. The conflict and chaos that I had been living began to ease and I had a vision that seemed to make everything all right.  In my mind’s eye, I saw myself sitting on the couch in my mother’s den. The dark paneled wall behind me was lit by light streaming in from the window over my left shoulder. All was quiet. I was calm. And I was writing.  

One of the things I was currently doing was writing – just little vignettes about people I knew, spiritual lessons from my dog, everyday life seen through the lens of faith – things like that. Seeing this vision gave me a fresh perspective on what might be a blessing – an alternate plan – perhaps God’s plan, instead of an inconvenience and a diversion from my life.  It began to dawn on me that sacrificing the plans I had and attending to the need right in front of me was the right thing to do. Tearfully, I told Melissa what I had seen in my vision. I felt like the decision was made. So I walked away from the altar feeling empowered to trim down my schedule and turn my heart toward my mom. Trusting that everything would work out. 

That was 2008. Today is June 21^, 2019.  The Longest Day. The day people are doing something to commemorate or honor a person with dementia. The day the book, Dementia-Friendly Worship – A Multifaith Handbook for Chaplains, Clergy, and Faith Communities goes on sale, on amazon.com. The day I am a published author.

Because I chose the path of caring for my mom, the desires of my heart are realized.  

The years we spent together after that day at the altar were full of trials, unbelievable challenges, sorrow, uncertainty, and grief. However, the further we went, the responsibility I felt for my mom began to turn into devotion and love. The stories I now have to cherish and share came from that fork in the road that led us down a path of hope, faith, and trust.  And have ended up in a book. Amazing. 

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.