I’m Back….
Caretaking is not for the faint of heart, and I've been on caretaking overload for the last 3 years. I’ve missed my newsletter community, and being absent because of caretaking responsibilities was a hard, but necessary, choice.
Whether we’re tending to an aging parent, a child with special needs, or a loved one with a chronic illness, caregiving can be physically and emotionally consuming. It’s not always predictable—emergencies arise, routines change, and moments of rest become rare.
These past ten years, I’ve been caring for my husband who struggles with mental and physical illnesses and three years ago I added the long distance care for my mom, who lived in Milwaukee.
To be honest, I’ve felt like a ping-pong ball flying back and forth across the country. Did you know flight attendants regularly fly the same routes? I learned this when I got on the plane in Fresno one morning and the flight attendant greeted me with, “Nice to see you again, how's your mom doing? I’ve also met commuters who fly the same routes. One woman routinely looked for me on the flight from Las Vegas to Milwaukee so she could sit with me and “Catch Up.”
Because of the travel and stress of my caretaking duties, I had to make the hard decision to back away from some of my ministry, social commitments, and personal pursuits.
Finding balance and choosing love and responsibility in the face of difficult circumstances comes with feelings of guilt or fears of being misunderstood. Caretakers often carry an invisible weight of their duties and juggling roles that many never see or fully understand.
It’s important to extend grace to ourselves and to invite understanding from others when we can. While absence in these moments feels like a sign of weakness or disinterest—it’s actually a testament to the quiet strength it takes to care deeply, sacrificially, and without pause.
If you know a caretaker and you’ve not heard from them in a while, I challenge you to reach out with a card, text, or email. My favorite moments these past few years have been the unexpected texts, “I’m praying for you.” A card that says, “I’m thinking about you.” The email or social media messages with funny photos or sayings that made me laugh in the middle of a difficult situation. The surprise package that arrived filled with hundreds of post-it-notes. This might seem strange, but I LOVE post-it-notes, and this listener from the podcast blessed me. These moments have reminded me I'm not alone and to lean on my community.
BUT…I’m back now and will be in your inbox every Tuesday.
My mom met Jesus face to face on March 31, 2025. I took the month of April and May to rest, recover, and grieve. As the month progressed, I found myself writing post-it-notes almost every day of things I wanted to share with you, my community. Over the coming weeks and months, I will share some of the incredible stories and lessons I’ve learned as a caretaker.
While each of our caretaking journeys looks different, we all need the same thing.
Community!
Community!
Community!
I’m so glad you’re still here. ❤️
