Blog Tour–Interview with Linda Brendle

One of the most challenging tasks for 50+ women is caregiving for relatives with Alzheimer’s Disease. Joins us on June 28 for an interview with Linda Brendle, author of The Long and Winding Road.  Linda will share her experiences as an Alzheimer’s caregiver and discuss why she wrote her inspiring book. Here’s a preview:

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD:
A CAREGIVER’S TALE OF LIFE, LOVE, AND CHAOS
By Linda Brendle

 

Synopsis:
Sometimes reality really bites. Alzheimer’s has wrapped Mom’s brain into knots, vascular dementia has attacked Dad, and, instead of carefree retirees, we have become caregivers. Regardless, dreams die hard, and we somehow stumbled into the purchase of a forty-foot motor home. That’s when all four of us set out on this seven-week trek across sixteen U.S. states. Now, Dad stopped-up the toilet again, Mom wet her last pair of clean jeans, and David just announced that he was hungry. My head is beginning to pound, and I know this isn’t going to be the easygoing retirement we’d imagined for ourselves.

Linda Brendle takes you on a roller-coaster ride of emotional and spiritual challenges that many families are facing right now. Co-dependency, mental breakdowns, and finding love after divorce are just a few of the issues weaved into this journey of caregiving. Whether you’re looking for an inspirational story to help teach you how to “let go and let God,” considering becoming the caregiver for one of your own parents, or are just looking for an entertaining travel book, this story is sure to strike a tender nerve.

Release Date: July 1st, 2014

Buy Links:
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-long-and-winding-road-linda-brendle/1119618774?ean=2940045967358
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/-Long-Winding-Road-Caregivers-Tale/book-qPW1ojSVaE20m2Ed0ZTBdA/page1.html?s=BRRfJpMHcUuBlPnUtLlLYQ&r=1

iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/long-winding-road-caregivers/id884636242?mt=11

Author Bio:
After 15 years as a family caregiver, Linda began writing to encourage, inspire and amuse other caregivers. She loves to travel and since retiring has traveled mostly by motorcycle and RV. She and her husband live in a small East Texas town where she gardens, writes and attends church.

Author Links:
Author Website: http://www.LifeAfterCaregiving.WordPress.com
Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/LindaBrendle/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/linda.brendle
Goodreads: http://goo.gl/SeqyBz

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Linda, why did you decide to write your book?

When I became a real hands-on caregiver, especially after Mom and Dad moved in with us, I often went to my aunt for advice. She cared for both her mother and her husband for many years, so she had experience to back up her advice. One thing she told me was to keep a journal, because one day my experiences might be of help to someone else. I didn’t write every day, but after a particularly trying episode, I’d write about it and post it as a “note” on Facebook. People responded in various ways: This is hilarious. Wow, I didn’t know anybody else ever felt this way. Thanks, I needed to hear this today. It encouraged me to continue.

When we planned the trip I tell about in the book, I decided to keep a daily journal. A couple of weeks into the trip, I mentioned the journal to Christian Piatt, my son and a fellow writer. He suggested I expand it into a story, not just of the trip but of our lives. It took several years and lots of growing pains, but after fourteen edits, it became a book.

How have your experiences with Alzheimer’s Disease affected your spiritual life?

I have always battled with pride and with the feeling that I know the best course of action in any given situation. At the same time, I am a somewhat fearful person with a need to control everything about my life. Being an Alzheimer’s and dementia caregiver taught me that I know very little and can control even less. For fifteen years, Mom and Dad slipped away a piece at a time, and there was nothing I could do but cast my cares on the Lord and cling to the promise of Proverbs 3:5-6.

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
In addition, I learned the real meaning of caring for the least of these. As I organized Mom and Dad’s medications, laid out their clothes, or helped Mom bathe and dress–and especially when I knelt in front of her and clipped her toenails–I understood a little better the love Jesus felt when He washed the feet of His followers.

What three main points do you want your readers to take away from your book?

First, I hope all my readers will be entertained by the chaos that happens when two people who don’t know much about traveling in a motor home, and two people who struggle with knowing what is going on around them, spend fifty-three days together in a four-hundred-square-foot box on wheels.

Second, I want caregivers to be encouraged by what they read. Just knowing there are others who understand what you are going through can be invaluable. In addition, I hope they will realize that it’s okay to admit caregiving is hard and that, even though you love your “caree,” you sometimes need to get away.

Finally, my story is intended to inspire anyone who is going through a hard time, whether it involves caregiving or some other aspect of life, to continue to enjoy life. While your life may not have followed the path you planned, there is joy and love to be found wherever you are.

Alzheimer’s is an insidious disease, and caregiving can be an overwhelming task. Helping others by telling my story seems to bring meaning to Mom and Dad’s otherwise meaningless struggle.

CHECK OUT LINDA’S GIVEAWAY:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d3e9352/

 

 

What Martha Learned (Luke 10:41-42)

“Martha, Martha! You are worried and troubled over so many things, but just one is needed. Mary has chosen the right thing, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

 
Oh, how we wish we all could be “Mary’s.” We certainly want to choose the “right thing;” but, especially as we move into 50+ living, we, like Martha, face “worries and troubles over many things.”

What’s on your list of “many things” that concern you as you age? Check all that apply:

___ Your health (Where did all these aches and pains come from?)
___ Your loved ones’ health (How do I get my [husband, child, parent, relative, friend] to stop smoking?)
___ Your finances (What nest egg?)
___ Your job (Can I retire now . . . please?)
___ Your relationships (Who said “Single and Sixty” was exciting?)

What was Jesus trying to explain to Martha about what was going on between Him and Mary? I believe He’s trying to share the same message with us as our list of concerns piles up.Another verse from the Gospel of Matthew gives us a clue: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33, NIV).

Jesus understood what Martha was trying to do. After all, He was no ordinary house guest! Martha wanted to make sure everything was “just right.” Sound familiar? We try so hard to get our 50+ lives in order. Our households, our health, our finances, our work, our relationships—who can keep up? As Martha learned, “keeping up” requires only one thing—a strong relationship with our Savior.

Luke 10 doesn’t tell us how the rest of the day went at Mary and Martha’s house. We’re left to imagine if Martha went on with her meal preparations, while Mary continued her fellowship with Jesus. I like to believe both sisters received a great blessing that day. Martha learned an important spiritual lesson, and Mary enjoyed close fellowship with Her Lord. Perhaps Jesus may even have continued ministering to both women, as He helped with the meal preparations!

We don’t have to speculate about the outcome of our fellowship with Jesus. Trusting Jesus won’t shorten our list of concerns as we age, but our perspectives will sharpen and improve immediately, as we shift our focus from our concerns to Jesus’ faithfulness. Give it a try. Take one—just one—of the items on your “worry list,” and commit it to Jesus. As you experience His devotion to you and His provision, you will find it easier to trust Him for all your concerns.

Only one thing is needed for your 50+ years. But, within that one thing you will find all the strength, courage, love, and freedom you need to live your years full of grace.

From Miss to Ma’am: God’s Perspective of Aging

Have you ever heard the expression, “Women get old; men become distinguished?” As much as we may want to believe our 21^st-century society has evolved beyond such thinking, the sad truth is that perceptions of aging are not gender-neutral. In many situations, women have to invest greater effort than men to ward off the effects of aging.

Changes in the ways others perceive or treat us as we age can lead to feelings of low self-esteem and even depression about getting older.

We should remember how God views our aging process. Fortunately for us, He doesn’t measure our value by counting the number of candles on our birthday cakes—or the number of wrinkles under our chins!

Here’s a short meditation to help us focus on God’s perspective of aging:

From Miss to Ma’am*

Both start with an “M,” but there the similarity ends. Miss and Ma’am are like two ends of a one-way worm hole. You enter as Miss, spin wildly through blasts of light, sound, and experience, and exit as Ma’am in a galaxy far, far away. Yet, the journey may take only a few flips of the calendar—or a few changes in dress size. Once labeled as “Ma’am,” you scour your brain to recall what became of “Miss.” Was she not me, just a few years ago? What happened to prompt this perky young gentleman at Publix grocery to alter his parting comment from “Have a good day, Miss,” to “Do you need help, Ma’am?” Miss he may follow out the door and scribble his phone number on a receipt; Ma’am he offers no more than car-loading assistance. Has Ma’am less to offer than Miss? Surely God doesn’t think so. Miss He danced with on Prom Night. Ma’am He communes with in candle light. Both have stolen His heart.

*1st place winner of the 2014 Annual Poetry/Prose Contest of the American Christian Writers East Metro Atlanta Chapter

© 2014 Sharon V. King, PhD

Also published at:

LivingBetter50

 

Welcome!

Hello and Welcome to the Years Full of Grace blog. If you’ve been blessed with 50 or more years of life (or soon will be), this is the place to share your comments, concerns, and testimonies about how God’s grace sustains us as we age (Isaiah 46:4).

A favorite saying of mine is, “The only way to learn about aging is to do it.” How’s your aging process coming along? Remember what you thought your life would be like at 50 back when you were 20? Bet’cha thought by now you would have things all figured out! Surprise! Fifty may be the new 30 and 60 may be the new 40, but life is just as complex now as it was then–just in different ways.

We need God’s grace in new and unique ways as we stack candles on our birthday cakes. Fortunately for us, His grace comes in all shapes, sizes, and ages. Whatever challenges we face as we get older (I’ll share mine if you’ll share yours), God has a point of grace custom-made to meet our needs.

I’ll be posting a new topic periodically, taken from my books (see “About”) and articles or other authors who write about Christian spirituality and aging. I’ll share my thoughts and experiences, and I invite you to comment or suggest your own topic for discussion.

So let the calendar flip over (and over and over!). Bring on as many years as we’re blessed to have. Each will be a Year Full of Grace!