Fall

Crisp, cool air ushers in the season of fall, and we embrace a bittersweet sense of normalcy.

We may feel increasingly hopeful while planning a future for our loved ones and, in turn, a future for ourselves—a future that might include a residential facility, a nursing home, or an assisted living environment to grant us breaks from our caregiving duties. Or maybe we face a future without our loved ones, leaving us to grapple with a new normal in their absence.

Fall is not a resignation but an acceptance of what is and what is not. Whatever the journey entails, we have learned, sometimes painfully, that we will make it through with the Lord’s help. We’ve learned to trust our heavenly Father’s overwhelming love for our loved ones and us.

I recently found a calendar from 2010 and paused when I turned to August, each day overflowing: doctor’s appointments, the arrival of hospice care, important phone calls, and goodbyes whispered to a young husband and father. It was the deepest season of sorrow and mourning I have ever experienced.

Years later on a fall morning, I bask in the warmth of the sun, a beautiful day spent watching my daughter fill her red wagon with dry, autumn leaves. A day I could not have imagined in my wildest dreams in August of 2010. A day saturated with joy and gladness.

The moral of the story? Circumstances can change in an instant. You may feel like you’ve been exiled from your life like the Israelites were, but hear me with this truth: hold on with every ounce of your being.

Hold on to he who is greater than he who is in the world. Hold on to that last shred of faith, no matter how unraveled or mangled it may seem. Hold on, for goodness’ sake and every other sake, for you have no idea what’s around the bend. You have no idea what may be in store for you when the Almighty flips your page or the blessing he may bestow when you fight the good fight and finish the race (2 Timothy 4:7).

You will have your joy and gladness; you will rise and have the crown of life bestowed upon your weary head, and you will hear those coveted words, Well done, good and faithful servant. I promise—your faithfulness will win in this life or the next as you enter your eternal homecoming.

This plan contains devotions from Caregiving with Grit and Grace by Jessica Ronne. https://broadstreetpublishing.com/caregiving-with-grit-and-grace/9781424568413/