Have I, a Caregiver, Failed??

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

HAVE I, A CAREGIVER, FAILED??

Fran

I sit, watching him sleep,

watching his peaceful, even breaths

that include, every now and then, a long pause. 

I think I hold my breath too, when he gasps.

Then he breathes evenly once again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

     It’s been a difficult twenty-four hours. For a caregiver this is really not a surprise, but for this household, yes, this is a surprise. 

     Most days have moments to get through, things to ignore, things to do, and things to undo. But still, they are just moments.  And then………..
     Yesterday, in a split second, he bent over, got dizzy, hit the floor. I
moved, quickly, but not quick enough to catch him. On the bright side those of you who know us know that he is 225 pounds, and I am 96 pounds. Perhaps my moving quicker might have resulted in injury to myself. Still, instinct says try, and this I did.
     The damage is not too bad. He has a pulled abdominal muscle, two pulled muscles in his chest, whip lash of his neck, a bruised left hip, deep bone bruise of right wrist, and a two inch section of missing skin on his forearm. Movement of any kind is now painful to him, and the night was a very long one. Still, we are grateful nothing is broken. I must

Train Up a Child

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TRAIN UP A CHILD

Fran

Scripture: Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Reflection: It is 1980…

     “Dad, it’s Sunday. I need some sleep.”

     The voice of a young boy rang out loudly through the house in response to his father’s call to awaken, knowing what his father’s answer would be—it was always the same: get up, get dressed, and go to church.

     It is 2007…

     “Dad, it’s Sunday. I’m tired, let me sleep.”

     The man standing at the staircase bottom heard these words as he called to awaken his son. The memory of those same words he told his father in 1980 made him smile.

     The boy of 1980 had become a good father, faithful to his God and church, never failing to seek help through faith. Two hours after awakening his son, he watched the child don his robe and light the candles as acolyte at Sunday services. The young boy was proud, smiling. He told everyone

NO ROOM IN THE INN—OR YOUR LIFE?

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

No Room In The Inn – Or In Your Life?*

Rev. Albert W. Kovacs**

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

And she gave birth to her first-born son

and wrapped him in swaddling cloths,

 and laid him in a manger,

because there was no room for them in the inn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

     Babies can come at the most inopportune times.

     A young couple may delay having a child until circumstances improve. They want to save for a home, become more secure in the job, wait until the economy improves, or until the spouse returns from Iraq.

     As the Bible tells us, the Lord who opens and closes the womb sometimes has other ideas—and one of His new creations is on the way, the latest handiwork of His awesome wonders.

      Mary’s son was on the way when she and Joseph were on their way to Bethlehem. What a time for a census! Such a long way to go just because of some fool politician’s effort to exact taxes. And now that they finally arrived. Joseph talked to the innkeeper, then had to go out to tell his oh- so-pregnant wife: Mary, there’s no room in the inn. The best he could do was let us stay in the manger.

      Yet that was just the beginning of the intrusion of this son on their life. Just days later they would

Walk Slow and Notice Everything

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WALK SLOW AND NOTICE EVERYTHING

Kern F. Little

 

Walk Slow and Notice Everything

my father

walked slow

noticed everything

as a youth

I ran fast

missing everything

as a father

I rushed around

going to work

going to school events

visiting friends

just doing what needed done

missing everything

first he took my job away

I never slowed down

he took my wife away

I never slowed down

he took my

All is Well

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ALL IS WELL

Anonymous 

SCRIPTURE:   Psalm 139:5  …Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.   

REFLECTION: Many years ago, while pregnant, I was diagnosed with a very serious illness called diabetes. Usually diabetes goes away after the baby is born. In my case, it did not.

     With diabetes, your body stops producing a drug called Insulin. Insulin maintains the sugar in your body at an acceptable level. A too high or too low sugar level requires medication, in pill form or a shot, to

“Singing My Victory Song

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“SINGING MY VICTORY SONG”

Della Spearman

Going to do the Lord’s battle today Taking my buckler, sword and shield, Armed with my worship odes and poems, There’s an arsenal of inspiring praise songs.   I’m looking at Jehosophat as my guide, And I’m stretching out on obedient faith Marching to

Are you a Martha or a Mary? Lent Devotion #38

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ARE YOU A MARTHA or a MARY? Lent Devotion #38

Tom Groomes

SCRIPTURE: Luke 10: 38-40  Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”(NKJV)
DEVOTION: I arose at 5:45 a.m. that July Sunday morning, feeling the beauty of a new day. The ground was wet with heavy dew; the sun was beginning to warm the day. The birds sang as if they too were praising our Lord for his marvelous creation of this earth.
     While other family members slept on, I decided to enter the quiet of my church to read Scripture.
     As I entered the sanctuary I noticed the dirt from

Jesus

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JESUS

Rafael Alejandro Jara

I picked up a squirrel lying in the road.
I pitied him, thought him a poor fellow
And deserving of enough dignity
To be spared being crushed by tyres in the sun.
I thought about other daily slaughters:
How many snails had been crushed

Everyday angels

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EVERYDAY ANGELS

Kathleen Clark

Everyday Angels
       faithful friends
                 surround me,
giving
       sharing
            sustaining
                encouraging. . .
When my spirit wings low
you lift me up,
light the way
with hope.
Nothing compares
to the healing balm
the tender

A MIND SHATTERS

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A MIND SHATTERS

THE PHOTODOCTOR

 
a mind shatters
like a dropped plate

the glue that holds
your mind together
does not hold
 
your world falls apart
because the center
your mind
will not