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INSPIRATIONAL TOUCHDOWNS
scroll down....added new materials to the bottom 09/22/07
February 6, 2006
Email from my friend:
I now have the greatest peace ever, in my every day days I know for sure, without a doubt, doing what God intends me to do...care for my best friend. He plucked me right out of Wal-Mart, and set me right beside this guy.
Vonnie Skidgel caring for Alzheimer’s husband
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Help, Hope, and Healing
OUR FINEST GOAL
In 2002 my mentor and friend Vonnie stood well into her journey of care for her husband, Gene. Because of her caregiver duties our phone conversations ceased and we settled for short emails to keep updated on our news.
That same summer I attended a writer’s conference and dreamed of being a published author.
But God had other plans. In December 2002 we rushed my husband Gary to the hospital.
The surgeon said, “At some point, Mr. Crawford, your appendix burst. We found pieces floating throughout your abdomen. We did remove a large mass from where your appendix should have been. You have a rare disease called Pseudomyxoma Peritonei, a cancer of the peritoneal lining …”
And our world changed.
I left my desire to be published and became husband’s most dedicated caregiver. Emails to Von all but ceased in the cancer crisis days. The caregiver job didn’t pay anything in monetary value, but the dividends were superb. I figured someday Von and I would have a wealth of laughter and tears to catch up on.
Back in those days of change I wrote many short devotionals that fit in the H category. I saw HHHHH’s as my goalposts and the written word as the football thrown for that great inspirational touchdown.
Take a minute to read the touchdowns of my life written when life felt more fragile than now. And yes, both husband and I found Help, Hope, and Healing.
Halo
By Kat CrawfordÓ2005
A halo doesn't encircle my head regardless of how many people call me the angel lady.
It all started before Christmas 1986. Despite my husband’s cautions, I drove across town in an ice storm, the kind where all the trees and bushes are covered in crystal beauty along with the streets. By the grace of God I missed hitting a jack-knifed semi. The pickup behind me didn’t, he rammed the semi and demolished his rig. So did the next two vehicles.
After it was determined no one was hurt, the pickup driver learned I lived only a few blocks from his house. “Would you take my daughter to my wife? She’ll be worried sick.” The young man scribbled out his address. That’s when the family gave me my first halo.
God uses many problems to get our attention. At the home of the young family the mother hugged me, cried, hugged me again and called me her daughter’s angel. I felt blessed to have survived the accident. If it made the mom happy to shine my halo, it was okay.
When the young father returned I learned the family faced tough times with astronomical medical bills and now no vehicle.
I left that house convinced that God did send me as an angel to that home. Within hours I stirred the hearts of our church families to share with these needy kids. With a host of delivery vehicles we delivered Christmas and all it’s trimmings to that young family.
For a moment I let the halo rest on my head and then I thanked the Lord for the honor. He chose me to deliver one of his children safely home and gave me eyes to see a need that might be filled.
Help!
Lord, all those years ago you let me be that child’s angel. Help me to see the needs of my husband, your child. May I be his angel of mercy in his time of need.
Hope:
“An angel of the Lord encamps around …” Psalm 34:7a (NIV)
Healing:
After the Christmas delivery of gifts, food, tree and trimmings we learned the family struggled in spiritual matters also. They were believers avoiding God. The Lord woke them up when he kept both the father and daughter from harm. Healing came when the family praised the Lord and sought marital counseling.
The Lord woke me up when husband sat at deaths door. I quit fussing about what I didn’t have or hurts from the past. I began to enjoy each day God gave us together. Each moment became a gift from God.
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Halt
Halt brings a soldier to mind. A guard that blocks a civilian entry. The protector that stops the enemy from trespassing. The sentry that stops an illegal alien from crossing the border. The priest that forbids sin to enter the inner sanctuary.
Halt! My head said, “Be careful here lady. You are not your husband’s savior.” Still, I rather liked hearing my husband thank me for saving his life. Our children expressed more than once that they felt I sacrificed myself for their father. Then Julie, a co-worker said, “You are a strong woman. An incredibly strong woman.” And for a few moments pride entered my heart and mind.
“Halt!” For a moment I thought I heard an audible voice. But no, it was the urgency from within, a caution of the Lord like a guard holding up a hand.
“Recognize this,” the whisper said, “Don’t allow false pride to enter your heart and mind. You are nothing more than a mere tool, an instrument used of God to perform a service for Him needed by His child, your husband, for the moment.
Nothing more.
Help!
Lord, Today I pray you will keep me focused on you. Help me remember that you are the giver of life. You have guided us from oncologists, to nutrition and to find a cancer specialist in our own backyard. I praise you for that Lord. Keep me humble in the role you gave me for this place in my life.
Hope!
Here is where your proud waves halt. Job 38:11
Heal!
- Keep a journal: list the names of every person involved in the care of your patient. It helps to keep you thoughts in perspective. No caregiver is in the role alone.
Hair
By Kat Crawford Ó2005
My husband's hair is his crowning glory. When we married he sported a flattop with a ducktail, the hairstyle of the day. In his fifties his thick, dark hair turned gray. By sixty-five his hair color turned nearly white and although thin, he still needed a comb.
In January 2004 Gary agreed to see a cancer specialist, Dr. Brian Loggie. We felt blessed to find one of the leading doctors in the research of PMP in Omaha--within husband's comfort zone. The initial consultation resulted in arranging for surgery the week after our forty-fifth wedding anniversary.
After Gary recovered from the MOAS 1, IPHC 2, and the post op complications I teased him. "Do you know every chemo patient loses their hair?"
His eyes widened. I smirked. It felt good to have the teasing role reversed in our family. The idea of hair loss for his type of chemo seemed quite improbable to me, but I let him think he might lose his hair.
Four months after his chemo treatment, Gary’s hair thinned daily. My fun turned sour. Then I thought, God does know every hair on our head and he loves us with or without
.
Help!
Lord, I enjoyed teasing my hubby about possible hair loss. Truth is I panicked the year I suffered the same problem due to stress and an allergic reaction. When my hair filled my brush I knew I’d be bald in a week. My Bible verse for that year led me to the scripture "the very hairs are all numbered". Thank you, Father, for understanding our most vulnerable moments enough to supply scripture for reassurance.
Hope!
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:28-31 (NIV)
Heal !
The body, a complex mess of bones, sinew, tissue and hair.
A wonder of bony feet, knees that ache and hips that hurt.
A mass of organs that pump blood and clean the sewage.
A beautiful gift from God, even right down to numbered hair.
The body, hemmed in behind and before by God Himself.
Magnificently and wondrously imprinted your Hand, Oh Lord.
One cannot fathom trying to flee from You, for you are everywhere.
We are known by You at creation in the womb, with or without hair.
The body, when we trust our maker we allow Him the pleasure of Headship.
Even in the darkest of darkest moments He holds our hand and guides.
Fearfully and wonderfully made down to every bone of every frame.
We praise you oh Lord, for the aches, pains, and each hair to comb.
Inspired by Psalm 139
1 MOAS: Abbreviation for Mother of All Surgeries, tagged as such by the support group found on PMPbellybuttons@yahoogroups.com
2IPHC: Interperaneal
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new Sunday September 22, 2006
Hand
When we lived in Colorado Springs I worked as a cashier in the costume jewelry department of a large J.C.Penney store. Part of my job involved the displays.
Because of space limitations all my display materials were stored in the upper reaches of an attic with an open-weaved metal floor. The stairs leading to the displays were spaced far apart and looked like a scene from a movie, the kind where the good guy races after the bad guy. You could see between the spaces to the floor below.
I dislike heights with a passion. To climb and see the space freaked me out. I told my immediate supervisor, she understood and sent others to fetch whatever I needed.
Only she took a vacation and the substitute boss demanded a display change, I felt frustrated and angry. Angry at the boss for not leaving orders for others to help me; angry with the one who demanded I change the display that day; angry with myself for being afraid.
I faced my problem.
There are times in life when we are faced with our worst fears and must move forward or be crippled. A caregiver faces these decisions often--they can never stand still and wait for the boss to lend a hand. The good news is the Lord is ready to take hold of the hand of the caregiver and whispers, “Never fear. I’m at your right hand.”
Help:
Lord I know it’s easier to complete a task myself, but help me remember, it’s a waste of needed energy to do a duty with anger. This is my season to be caregiver. Help me to love, to minister, to give a willing hand. Amen
Hope:
For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you. Isaiah 41:13
Heal:
- Ask for help even when it’s not offered.
- Let others do the mundane tasks, save your energy for the necessary. (My sister-in-law stuffed capsules with the barley powder – a thankless, time consuming task that saved us money.)
- I did learn that some help is better left behind. The individual that refuses to work the hours of need, talks too much, or chooses to prepare foods without the proper recipe is not help but hindrance.
All materials found on this website are property of Kat Crawford. Please write for permission to copy or use any materials from Lionhearted Kat. . Copyright © 2006
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