Month: August 2020

Merry’s Heart

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Not my normal post today but then we have had some exciting things happening in our family this year and I wanted to share a bit on my blog today. We have been blessed with daughter-in-law Deb Caligirui who added her own special Cagan seasoning to our Yankee family. It has been amazing as we have watched her and our son raising four adoptive children in addition to our second oldest grandson. It seems as if they are always off to some new adventure together (as if home schooling them all wasn’t an adventure in itself!)

With the graduation from High school of their oldest and the youngest out of diapers Deb found time to go back over some manuscripts which she had begun a long time ago. Today I am excited to introduce to you Merry’s Heart from Keystone Heart Books . While Merry’s Heart is set near Amish country this is a modern day love story which deals with all the craziness and challenges of today. From adoption, singleness and teaching to the complexity of trying to figure out 21st century relationships Deb doesn’t shy away from the real life problems we all face. If you think you’ve got this story line figured out from the beginning you better hold on for the wild ride ahead to her heart warming conclusion.

Did you ever Wonder Whatever Happened to Sunday?

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In this busy angry confused world I sometimes wonder: whatever happened to Sunday.  I fondly remember walks I took with my Grandfather early on Sunday mornings. He would hold my small hand as we walked the two blocks from his house to pick up his paper at the drug store which in those times was the only establishment open on Sundays.

It was always such an amazingly quiet morning with hardly a car passing even on Main Street. Even though I was so small I felt a wonderful sense of awe in that quiet pause between Saturday and Monday. It felt strangely comforting to know that no one’s affairs were so urgent that they couldn’t be put on hold for a day. Usually after church my grandmother would make us a lunch of pancakes and sausage followed by a whole afternoon of doing nothing but playing in the back yard with my cousins. The Bible talks about the Sabbath but I am afraid that today even within the church we have forgotten it.

Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day. Isaiah 58:13

Today in most states in the U.S. there is a chain of convenience stores called 7/11. The store was so named because it used to be open from 7 AM to 11 PM. But, today those stores are open 24/7 and 365 days per year. The 23rd Psalm tells us why God gives us rest, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.” In the beginning God didn’t rest on the seventh day because He was tired. No! God rested to paint us a picture of His restoring grace!

It was as if when God finished creating the world He just took time to enjoy it and then He blessed the Sabbath and made it holy. God rested because He was finished and spending time resting with us was the most important thing He could do. But according to the world’s way of thinking all that matters is work – work – work. But God heart is all about quiet delight, and rest. We all need that moment when like the dove that Noah sent out from the ark, we also find a place to rest. Only then will we will be able to carry in our hearts the Olive branch of God’s  peace and find again what happened to Sunday!

Unseen Caregiving

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What to Do When a Disability is Unseen

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 ESV

Do not be surprised or discouraged that as a caregiver a lot of what you do is unseen or misunderstood. In my years as a chaplain I have gotten to know people in many different kinds of long term care settings. I have seen, prayed for and been involved with people struggling with all different types of disability. While most people are familiar with disabilities linked to wheel chairs or breathing assistance; they may not think of those unseen disabilities involved with mental or emotional illness. If you are in such a place and are dealing with a loved one who battles with depression, memory loss, dementia or other unseen issues that leave you feeling frustrated and misunderstood you are not alone. The most important thing to remember is that God sees. Our battle in caring for our loved one may be unseen but as today’s scripture reminds us; we walk by faith in an unseen God who is able to help us because He sees our heart! He will give us strength for the journey and has promised to never leave us even when no one sees what we are up against. He is still more than enough! I loved and was encouraged by this short video from Ken and Joni on how God has helped them to see how caregiving has both challenged and strengthened their trust in the Lord. Through it all God has faithful to them and He will also see you through even at those times no one else understands. He who knows every detail so much so that he has even counted every hair on our heads will bring us through! Have a blessed Saturday everybody!