Last week was a busy and
productive one for us. We mailed and e-mailed the fall
edition of
Among Friends, FSJC's quarterly
newsletter.
And we posted a new flier, bulletin briefs and prayers
of intercession on CatholicCaregivers.com. This subject
of this month's flier is "Saying Good-bye to the Family
Home." This is how it begins:
In the unfolding
seasons that are a part of caregiving and
care-receiving, many families find themselves saying
good-bye to the family home.
It’s a special time in the life of a family.
It’s a time to remember what has been and what is
passing away. There will be no more Thanksgiving
meals in that dining room, with the parents and
grandparents sitting elbow to elbow at the table
with its extra leaves, and the kids giggling at
their own, fun table. There will be no more placing
the Christmas tree (a big one when Mom gets to pick
it, a small one when it’s Dad’s turn) in that
corner....
You can find this new Topic
here
and the flier
here.
- - -
Again this week we cordially invite
you to join
the Friends of St. John
the Caregiver! (FSJC's programs include
YourAgingParent.com and
CatholicCaregivers.com.) You can find out more about
becoming a member here.
No meetings, no dues. All we ask is that
you pray for caregivers and those receiving care. Our members include
caregivers, care-receivers, and those who support both
(including quite a few former caregivers). You can:
Parishes and dioceses in
the United States have been preparing in-the-pew
English-speaking Catholics for the past six months to
get
them ready for some changes in the Mass. (For
example, the response to "The Lord be with you" will be
"And with your spirit.") Even so, come the first Sunday
of Advent--when the changes go into effect--more than a
few are going to be surprised. And a little rattled.
That's a typical reaction to change and, as
you well know, caregiving can include change after
change after change. Just when you get used to this,
along come that. A new prescription . . . A
new procedure or treatment . . . A new insurance form .
. . A new doctor . . . A new test result . . . A new
dietary restriction . . . And on and on.
Then, too, there can be the changes in your
care-receiver's health and abilities. What he could do
six months ago, he can't do now. What she so enjoyed
doing last Christmas isn't going to be possible this
Christmas.
And you change, too. Living the vocation,
running the "marathon," of caregiving takes a toll, even
when you so want to do what you're doing for someone you
love so dearly.
All this is one more reason, one very good
reason, to be patient with yourself. To acknowledge that
sometimes you are surprised, that you are rattled, by
what's happening. Whether it was expected or out
of the blue.
As we head into the holidays, it's a good
time to look again at the advice of St. Francis de
Sales:
- - -
This week we're so pleased to welcome Betty McD. of
Missouri as the newest member of the Friends of St. John
the Caregiver. Please keep her and her intentions in
your prayers. She has promised to pray for you and
yours.
And we cordially invite
you to join
the Friends of St. John
the Caregiver! (FSJC's programs include
YourAgingParent.com and
CatholicCaregivers.com.) You can find out more about
becoming a member here.
No meetings, no dues. All we ask is that
you pray for caregivers and those receiving care. Our members include
caregivers, care-receivers, and those who support both
(including quite a few former caregivers). You can:
On a day
dedicated to giving thanks to God and our loved ones, we
— on behalf of your care-receiver — want to thank you
for many ways (the cornucopia of ways?) you live that
love.
- - -
As it has for a number of years, Creighton University's
online ministry has
daily prayers for Advent, which begins Sunday, Nov.
27.
- - -
Free Christmas Gifts!
Friends of St. John the Caregiver holy
cards, prayer cards and prayer books:
--make great stocking
stuffers,
--are ideal for including in Christmas cards,
--and are the perfect accompaniment for those tins of
Christmas cookies you’re giving to family, friends and
neighbors.
Free means free! The items are free and the
shipping is free, too. This is the
order form that has
the list of material available and just click
here for ways to contact us.
- - -
Again this week
we cordially invite
you to join
the Friends of St. John
the Caregiver! (FSJC's programs include
YourAgingParent.com and
CatholicCaregivers.com.) You can find out more about
becoming a member here.
No meetings, no dues. All we ask is that
you pray for caregivers and those receiving care. Our members include
caregivers, care-receivers, and those who support both
(including quite a few former caregivers). You can:
The
first week of Advent means "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is
one of the top hymns at Sunday Mass. No doubt you're
familiar with that one.
The
first verse reads:
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
There are some powerful words there that can
accurately reflect a caregiver's situation.
At times, a caregiver can feel "captive" to the
many demands and responsibilities of assisting a loved
one, especially as needs increase and his or her "own
time" decreases.
He or she can feel "exiled" – cut off – from
family, friends, fellow parishioner and others.
No wonder, at times, caregiving is "lonely" even
though a caregiver is seldom alone. The one receiving
care may be slipping away physically, mentally or both.
And there’s "mourning." The grieving begins long
before a loved one dies.
How can a caregiver be "ransomed"?
What can make a difference?
"Emmanuel."
As you probably know, that word itself comes from
the Hebrew for "God with us."
There's reason to "rejoice" –- to be comforted;
to let a troubled mind, heart and soul be at peace –-
because the God who asked you to take care of this
person who's so dear to you (and to him) is with you
always.
Always.
Always.
- - -
As we mentioned last week, there are daily Advent
reflections
provided by Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. To visit
the
general information page click here, and to go
straight the
First Week of Advent, click here. You can also find the
Mass readings for each day at the site for the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops. That link is
here.
- - -
Free Christmas Gifts!
Friends of St. John the Caregiver holy
cards, prayer cards and prayer books:
--make great stocking
stuffers,
--are ideal for including in Christmas cards,
--and are the perfect accompaniment for those tins of
Christmas cookies you’re giving to family, friends and
neighbors.
Free means free! The items are free and the
shipping is free, too. This is the
order form that has
the list of material available and just click
here for ways to contact us.
- - -
This week
we're so pleased to welcome Julia H. of Michigan and
Michael D. of California as the newest members of the Friends of St. John
the Caregiver. Please keep them and their intentions in
your prayers. They have promised to pray for you and
yours.
And we
cordially invite you to join
the Friends of St. John
the Caregiver! (FSJC's programs include
YourAgingParent.com and
CatholicCaregivers.com.) You can find out more about
becoming a member here.
No meetings, no dues. All we ask is that
you pray for caregivers and those receiving care. Our members include
caregivers, care-receivers, and those who support both
(including quite a few former caregivers). You can:
newsletter.
And we posted a new flier, bulletin briefs and prayers
of intercession on CatholicCaregivers.com. This subject
of this month's flier is "Saying Good-bye to the Family
Home." This is how it begins:
them ready for some changes in the Mass. (For
example, the response to "The Lord be with you" will be
"And with your spirit.") Even so, come the first Sunday
of Advent--when the changes go into effect--more than a
few are going to be surprised. And a little rattled.
Free Christmas Gifts! 
The
first verse reads: