What's Saving Our Caretaker Life

and creating sparks of JOY

I realize the update last week was loooong. Thanks to those of you who are still here after that! And thank you for the kind messages and encouragement. I truly believe the internet can be a beautiful part of life if the intention behind it is encouragement and kindness.

I thought I’d share a few things that have helped us in our caretaking journey and created sparks of joy for us. They will just be general things but if anyone wants to know some of the items that helped us with the boots on the ground stuff—adult diapers, bed alarms, etc., send me a message and I’ll share those separately.

What’s Saving Our Caretaker Life Lately

• Every Sunday night in the fall, winter, and early spring we make Bri’s pot roast and it’s the easiest decision we make every week. Plus, it’s SO GOOD.

• The Bible Recap as my daily devotion. It’s made to be a way to read through the Bible chronologically in a year. I’ve missed a few days here and there and that’s okay. (I read it through the Bible app on my iPhone).

• I’ve already told you about MemoryCare in the last newsletter but I couldn’t leave it off this list. They are an incredible resource for loved ones with dementia and their caretakers. They are based in Asheville, NC but I imagine there are similar resources in your town.

• Another incredible organization in the Asheville area is Mountain Care. Before my parents moved in to the care facility they are in now, they would go to Mountain Care twice a week for five hours or so. The staff at Mountain Care are amazing and just having that little break gave us a much needed boost of encouragement in our caretaking.

• The Merlin Bird ID - I’ll admit it. I’m a bird nerd. I’d proudly wear that on a t-shirt! If you’re looking out the window, or spending time outside and hear a bird and wonder what kind of bird that is…pull out your phone and open the Merlin Bird ID app. It can identify birds by sound or run you through a few questions to help you visually identify the bird. It’s so satisfying to add a bird to your “life list”. I’ve proudly identified 42 species. Told you, I’m a nerd. (Also, this bird feeder¹ is the best!)

• Family FaceTimes - every Sunday afternoon our family gathers to talk about our week, what we learned at church, encourage each other, laugh, etc. It’s a scheduled appointment on our shared calendar and we all do what we can to make sure we’re there. Sometimes it’s just two or three of us but most of the time, we’re all there. I realize this may not last forever, but during this season, it’s a precious gift.

• Take-out Fridays - every Friday night we would support a local restaurant and get take out. Going to the restaurant was sometimes a challenge with my dad’s physical capabilities so we would save that for special occasions like birthdays. But every Friday night we would grab take-out.

• Reading, of course! Lots of Kindle reading this year through my local library with the Libby app but if you buy a physical copy, please support your local bookstores!

• My first ever pair of Birks! I hope they last me more than a few warm weather seasons.

• Freeze-dried dark chocolate strawberries from Aldi!

• Happy Viking Triple Chocolate protein powder for my lunchtime smoothie—about a cup of frozen fruit (I like strawberries and bananas), one scoop powder, one scoop of ice, heaping spoonful of peanut butter, a cup or so of almond milk. Blend.

What about you? What has been saving your life lately?

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