Your Dying Spouse 431 - Caregiving's Gift {#adventphoto2017}

Being the human parents to God Incarnate changed the lives of Mary and Joseph, and put them outside the lives and world they had come to expect, but it was also a gift.

With the infant jesus in their arms, they could see past the dust and toil and sorrow into a future that promised nothing less than salvation, for all the world who chose to accept Him.

The sme is true for caregiving...if you allow your heart to be open and accepting, you will see eternity in the eyes of the person whose transition you are helping. The concerns of everyday will fall away, and you will see Eternity.

With the help of your dying husband or wife, you will see, and touch, the Face of God.

Music is, just for fun, Barry Gordon with I'm Gettin' Nuttin' For Christmas.

Today's keyword for Advent-Photo-A-Day is gift.

Previous posts in this series are

December 3 - The Meaning Of Christmas

December 4 - A Caregiving Home

December 5 - Caregiver, Please Wait For Me

December 6 - A Caregiver's Vision

December 7 - A Caregiver's Magnificat

December 8 - A Caregiver's Renewal

December 9 - Caregiver, What Is Justice?

December 10 - Caregiver, Find A Moment's Peace

December 11 - A Caregiver Needs Moments Of Silence

December 12 - A Table In The Presence

December 13 - Caregiver, You Belong To God

December 14 - Into The Mystery

December 15 - A Caregiver's Whole Heart

December 16 - A Caregiver's Open Arms

December 17 - Caregiver, There Is Still Joy

December 18 - What Does Caregiving Reveal?

December 19 - Caregiving's Release

December 20 -Caregiving Is Love Set Free

Please pardon my slow response to comments. I'm doing my best, and your comments are really precious to me.

I'm really not doing well at all.

Thanks to Carol Ashby, Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart is back on Kindle, and will be available in paperback in a few days!

Friends are everything. I couldn't have done it.

I have another blog, "Starting The Day With Grace". The focus is a grace quote from someone you might not expect (like, say Mick Jagger) and a short commentary. I hope you'll join me.

Marley update... been moved to a sanctuary, and Bay County will revise their 'dangerous dog' codes.

WE MADE A DIFFERENCE!

And marley has a Facebook page! Please drop by to see how happy he is today.

If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.

Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.

Your Dying Spouse 430 - Caregiving Is Love Set Free {#adventphoto2017}

When Mary's life changed, by the angel's message, her life was forever changed...but the love in her heart was set free.

The cares of the day-to-day life were still there, of course, but they were put into the service of caring for God Incarnate, to be His guide, as He grew, to walk the path that was His earthly Destiny.

Her heart could escape the bounds of its worldly sphere, and her love could encompass the Infinite, and the Divine.

Because the Divine needed her love.

So too, for the caregiver. Your life will change; ambitions for the perfect Christmas will fall away, dreams of idyllic vacations in exotic or homespun lands will fade, and you'll be left with exercising all the love in your heart for your husband or wife, a person who is at turns pitiful and difficult, enduring and fractious, a person who carries the spark of the Divine, an image of God.

A person who needs all the love you have, set free at last.

Music from the incomparable Electric Light Orchestra, with Shine A Little Love.

Today's keyword for Advent-Photo-A-Day is free.

Previous posts in this series are

December 3 - The Meaning Of Christmas

December 4 - A Caregiving Home

December 5 - Caregiver, Please Wait For Me

December 6 - A Caregiver's Vision

December 7 - A Caregiver's Magnificat

December 8 - A Caregiver's Renewal

December 9 - Caregiver, What Is Justice?

December 10 - Caregiver, Find A Moment's Peace

December 11 - A Caregiver Needs Moments Of Silence

December 12 - A Table In The Presence

December 13 - Caregiver, You Belong To God

December 14 - Into The Mystery

December 15 - A Caregiver's Whole Heart

December 16 - A Caregiver's Open Arms

December 17 - Caregiver, There Is Still Joy

December 18 - What Does Caregiving Reveal?

December 19 - Caregiving's Release

Please pardon my slow response to comments. I'm doing my best, and your comments are really precious to me.

I'm really not doing well at all.

Thanks to Carol Ashby, Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart is back on Kindle, and will be available in paperback in a few days!

Friends are everything. I couldn't have done it.

I have another blog, "Starting The Day With Grace". The focus is a grace quote from someone you might not expect (like, say Mick Jagger) and a short commentary. I hope you'll join me.

Marley update... been moved to a sanctuary, and Bay County will revise their 'dangerous dog' codes.

WE MADE A DIFFERENCE!

And marley has a Facebook page! Please drop by to see how happy he is today.

If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.

Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.

Your Dying Spouse 429 - Caregiving's Release {#adventphoto2017}

When the angel gave Mary her future, she had a lot of adjustments to make.

She didn't expect to be with child before marriage, for a start...a terribly had burden in the society of the day (and not much easier now).

She would have expected the life of a woman of the time, running the household of her husband Joseph, gaining respect from the other wives through the passing years.

And as the Mother of The Incarnate God, now she had to release all of that into the great mystery that held her.

She would always be singular, never one of the gang.

And that is what caregiving is like, because, like Mary, the caregiver holds life in her hands.

Music from Josh Groban, with What Child Is This.

Today's keyword for Advent-Photo-A-Day is release.

Previous posts in this series are

December 3 - The Meaning Of Christmas

December 4 - A Caregiving Home

December 5 - Caregiver, Please Wait For Me

December 6 - A Caregiver's Vision

December 7 - A Caregiver's Magnificat

December 8 - A Caregiver's Renewal

December 9 - Caregiver, What Is Justice?

December 10 - Caregiver, Find A Moment's Peace

December 11 - A Caregiver Needs Moments Of Silence

December 12 - A Table In The Presence

December 13 - Caregiver, You Belong To God

December 14 - Into The Mystery

December 15 - A Caregiver's Whole Heart

December 16 - A Caregiver's Open Arms

December 17 - Caregiver, There Is Still Joy

December 18 - What Does Caregiving Reveal?

Please pardon my slow response to comments. I'm doing my best, and your comments are really precious to me.

I'm really not doing well at all.

Thanks to Carol Ashby, Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart is back on Kindle, and will be available in paperback in a few days!

Friends are everything. I couldn't have done it.

I have another blog, "Starting The Day With Grace". The focus is a grace quote from someone you might not expect (like, say Mick Jagger) and a short commentary. I hope you'll join me.

Marley update... been moved to a sanctuary, and Bay County will revise their 'dangerous dog' codes.

WE MADE A DIFFERENCE!

And marley has a Facebook page! Please drop by to see how happy he is today.

If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.

Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.

Your Dying Spouse 428 - What Does Caregiving Reveal? {#adventphoto2017}

When the angel appeared to Mary, he revealed her future, her destiny, and the place of high honour that she would hold among all women.

She would be caregiver to God Incarnate.

What does caregiving reveal to you, about you?

The husband or wife for whom you're caring isn't God, certainly...but He or she has been made in God's image, a child of the Almighty, and in God's eyes, as deserving of care as His own Son.

That's hard, because patients can be a real pain in the neck, and can sometimes be pretty far away from anything that would remotely remind you of God.

Illness brings impatience and pettiness and endless demands.

Did Mary sometimes get frustrated with the baby Jesus, with the endless three-o'clock feedings?

Mary was human, and as God Incarnate, so was Jesus.

And what that revealed to herself is what it reveals to every caregiver...you have a limit of patience.

And it's OK.

Music from Billy Joel, with Pressure.

Today's keyword for Advent-Photo-A-Day is reveal.

Previous posts in this series are

December 3 - The Meaning Of Christmas

December 4 - A Caregiving Home

December 5 - Caregiver, Please Wait For Me

December 6 - A Caregiver's Vision

December 7 - A Caregiver's Magnificat

December 8 - A Caregiver's Renewal

December 9 - Caregiver, What Is Justice?

December 10 - Caregiver, Find A Moment's Peace

December 11 - A Caregiver Needs Moments Of Silence

December 12 - A Table In The Presence

December 13 - Caregiver, You Belong To God

December 14 - Into The Mystery

December 15 - A Caregiver's Whole Heart

December 16 - A Caregiver's Open Arms

December 17 - Caregiver, There Is Still Joy

Please pardon my slow response to comments. I'm doing my best, and your comments are really precious to me.

I'm really not doing well at all.

Thanks to Carol Ashby, Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart is back on Kindle, and will be available in paperback in a few days!

Friends are everything. I couldn't have done it.

I have another blog, "Starting The Day With Grace". The focus is a grace quote from someone you might not expect (like, say Mick Jagger) and a short commentary. I hope you'll join me.

Marley update... been moved to a sanctuary, and Bay County will revise their 'dangerous dog' codes.

WE MADE A DIFFERENCE!

And marley has a Facebook page! Please drop by to see how happy he is today.

If you can, please do leave a comment. I am trying to answer all, and I am failing, but please know this - I read and treasure each one.

Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.