It has been a little while since I posted a message at caregiving.com. Recently we were presented with an opportunity to receive some physical therapy for my husband, Wayne. A physical therapy place just “happened” to move into the back part of the building of my chiropractor’s office. My chiropractor said that they had a machine in there that he thought might be very helpful for my husband, Wayne. I am deeply concerned about Wayne losing his upper body strength in the future and, hence, lose his ability to make transfers from the wheelchair to the bathroom, to bed, in and out of the car etc.; so I thought the therapy would be a very good idea.
Wayne, resisted the idea of physical therapy first, but in the end he agreered to try it. We had our first physical therapy last Wed. and the session went very well with Wayne. I think the therapy is very focused, and frankly I am very excited about it! We are going to start out slowly just once a week for first. I just hope and pray that this will be beneficial to Wayne in the long run and that he will want to stick with it. Frankly, if his upper body strength goes; and his ability to make transfers from the wheelchair is no longer there, I would no longer be able to take care of him. Wayne needs to help me, so I can help him. I believe this physical therapy place just “happening” to move in the back of my chiropractor’s office was no coincidence. It was God sovereignty and Him leading us.
I am enjoying my Wed. night woman’s Bible studies so much. They apply so much to what I am going through in this whole caregiving scenario. On thing we talked about last Wed. night was that our attempts to grip so tightly to OUR plans and OUR control of things is pointless. Our control of things is really an illusion. God is the One that is in control. So all we have to do is rest in God where He has placed us and experience the freedom of following Him. Where He has placed me in life as a caregiver is not always easy. I am trying to keep reminding myself, however, that I could have less feelings of stress, if I would always completely rest everything with God. I have so many things that need to be tended to in the next weeks, and it is difficult doing this on my own when I was used to my husband taking care of a lot of these kinds of things. I am not alone, however, God will direct me as He has in the past. Now to keep remembering that! Another thing I am being reminded of is to have a grateful heart, to try to see God’s big picture, and to see the spiritual gifts or benefits that flows from the hard times.
We usually go to my son’s family’s home on most Thursday nights for supper. Last Thursday I had my son, his wife, their four kids, my mother-in-law, and my sister-in-law for supper at our place. They all seemed to enjoy it. It meant more work for me, but I enjoyed doing it also. Also I didn’t have to load Wayne’s wheelchair, and load and load the ramp, so we could get into my son’s house. For the 4th of July Wayne and I were with Wayne’s siblings, his Mom, and his nieces and nephews for lunch and the afternoon. I loaded up Wayne’s wheelchair for this in the car. We sat outside for a picnic lunch at my sister-in-law’s place. It was a very nice day. It does make me think how I miss my own siblings on days like this, however. They all live about 500 miles away. I would enjoy being able to talk with my sisters especially now with everything that is going on in my life.
