Lillie reviewed “Love Equals Sacrifice: The Journey of Loyalty and Service” by Michael Stidham. Our questions and her answers about the book follow.
Caregiving.com: Did the book meet your expectations?
Lillie: I really had no expectations but after reading the book, I didn’t think it went deep enough into the issues mentioned.
Caregiving: What did you like? What would you like to see more of?
Lillie: What I liked most about the book is when the author was talking about his father, being diagnosed with Parkinson’s and then with Alzheimer’s. My own dad had Parkinson’s and dementia, so I enjoyed that part but I wish he would of gotten into more depth about the trials and tribulations of dealing with someone with these diseases. He barely touched on each subject.
Caregiving: What was your favorite passage?
Lillie: My favorite passage is the last paragraph of the book. The author says what respect he has for all those taking care a relative or someone who is elderly or with Alzheimer’s and what a sacrifice it is. The author says, “You cannot have authentic love without sacrifice.” I truly believe this because I am living it.
Caregiving: What did you learn from the book?
Lillie: My greatest lesson in reading this book is that I need to keep my God in my life. Prayer is a very important part of my life right now, but I need to pay more attention to what I am praying for and what I am asking for but, most of all, what I am thankful for.
Caregiving: How did you feel when you finished the book?
Lillie: I felt great about reading the book. It was an easy read and was very uplifting. The last chapters meant the most to me, when the author was talking about his journey back into his Catholic faith.
Caregiving: As a family caregiver, what’s most useful to you about the book?
Lillie: What is most useful to me about the book is just knowing that there are others, just like me, doing what I am doing, making this sacrifice to care for someone else, and knowing that this is what I am here for. This is my purpose. It is what it is.
Caregiving: Would you recommend this book to other family caregivers? Why or why not?
Lillie: I would recommend the book to others because not only is it easy to read, its nicely written, and it is very spiritual. I would recommend it mostly to those who are Catholic because it does make reference to the Catholic faith.
(Editor’s Note: “Love Equals Sacrifice: The Journey of Loyalty and Service” is available for purchase in our store.)
