Illnesses
Aging & ElderlyAlzheimer's DiseaseVisitation
Telling Life’s Stories

Telling Life’s Stories

Reminiscing is healthy! It's the process by which we make sense out of this mystery we call life. Reminiscing helps those who are older to find meaning and purpose in the years they have lived. It can create new levels of appreciation and intimacy between generations and can transform times spent beside beds or other visits into memorable times together.

The following questions will provide you with hours of worthwhile communication. If possible, tape or write down your discussions. Then the stories can be shared with other family members and friends.

CancerDeathWisdomWisdom Podcasts
Caregivers Taking Care of Caregivers

Caregivers Taking Care of Caregivers

Don't overlook the major caregiver. He or she needs some uplifting too! The most difficult time for my wife (Jean) and me was dealing with the two-and-a-half-year losing battle with cancer waged by our nineteen -year-old son, Paul. Within days of the diagnosis, his left leg was amputated two-thirds above the knee, and after metastasis he endured a series of six lung surgeries. My response was to personally appropriate the stories of Jesus' encounters with heartbroken parents: Mark 5:23 became, "My son is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on him, so that he may be made well, and live."

IllnessesYoung Child
Illness Of A Young Child

Illness Of A Young Child

Sharing the Pain, Sharing the Joy

When my daughter, Crista, was four months old, her pediatrician found a lump on the right side of her abdomen. The first indication of the blood tests, ultrasound, and needle biopsy was that the tumor was malignant. For two and a half weeks we waited anxiously, yet with the peaceful knowledge that God was in control.