Praise Him, Praise Him

This is the third week that Dean hasn't felt up to attending his adult day program, which he normally goes to on Tuesdays and Fridays. He's not been sleeping so good at night, but makes up for it during the day. It seems to be related to his high blood pressure readings during the night though, so I have hopes of resolving this issue someday with medication adjustments.

Just to get him out of the house this morning, I suggested that we go to the grocery store that his day program goes to once a month. They have a sit-down cafeteria there and it's nice for the clients, Dean's friends for years now, to associate with some of the regular customers there.

They were all happy to see Dean and see how he's been doing. And they are always happy to see me. Evidently Dean has told them so much what an angel I am, that they have come to actually believe it. I get a lot of good affirmation from that crowd. Even though we have had little interaction over the years, they act like I'm their best friend.

This reminded me that through our praise of Jesus, we can actually make Him feel close to others too. They can come to appreciate Him as much as we do. The nicest praise we receive is that given when we aren't around to hear it. In other words, it's important to praise Him everywhere, not just in church.

Being Self-ish

I was so tired after my day in Hastings yesterday that I refused to do the mountain of dishes that filled the kitchen sinks and overflowed to the counters. I was sure it would be easier to do them this morning when I was fresher.

I thought I would be fresh enough to tackle the dreaded chore after taking my nephew to work, watering the garden, uncovering the bird, giving Dean his pills, making some French toast for breakfast, putting some clean clothes away, and getting Dean's clothes and towels ready for his bath. But alas, I felt even more fatigued than the night before!

After checking my blood pressure, I discovered it was low--95/55, the cause of my weakness and fatigue. I know from experience that drinking some water would increase the volume in my blood vessels and bring it back up. This has happened a few times to me this summer. Just not drinking as much as I should for this hot weather, I'm sure.

As caregivers we recognize that we can be so busy taking care of others we fail to take care of ourselves. The preacher Paul shared this concept with us in I Corinthians 9:27 when he said:

"But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

It's not selfish to look after yourself. It just makes good sense. For ANY ministry.