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/