Grief and Loss Can Definitely Be A Big Part of Our Sandwich Generation Issues

Oh dear! That title says it all, doesn't it? For those of us in or out of the Sandwich Generation, caring for the elderly parents and relatives in our family, death is usually a foregone conclusion. The only real question is when. For those of us who are boomers and seniors, that may not be the only death we have to deal with. Beloved spouses, dear aunts and uncles, and – probably hardest of all – sometimes a child or grandchild may pass away in the midst of our caregiving. 

Many of us may also be dealing with one or more major health issues and, again, this can impact our aging parents, other family members – young and old, and even ourselves. 

All of this brings with it so much grief, loss, pain and suffering. And yet, for those of us who know and love God and know of His might power at work intimately in our lives, we know we can trust Him to see us through it all, as we draw on His wonderful and blessed strength and provision. It's not as easy to do as it is to type, though. When I dealt with my beloved husband's death, I lost 15 pounds in two weeks! Not eating does that to you! That first year was the hardest year of my life! And yet, it was also one of the most blessed as I surrounded myself with my precious Lord – listening to encouraging praise and worship music non-stop (I rarely have music playing other than in the car but that year…it was on all day long where ever I was!), spending extra time in Bible studies each day – including an excellent one I found online at GriefShare.org, allowing myself to cry as I prayed and talked it out with Him, and even helping to start a home Bible study  (talk about stepping out of your comfort zone – and yet, I knew God was leading!).

During my senior dad's last year, I was also heavily involved in babysitting grandchildren and juggling various family health issues, so time was much scarcer. Still, I made sure I spent time in His Word daily and listened to praise hymns as much as possible – often with my dad to encourage Him as well. 

And now, I'm truly on the run non-stop and so grateful for God providing the iPod that carries uplifting hymns and verse by verse Bible studies with me where ever I am off to. Over the last several years that I've been writing SandwichINK, I've tackled various issues on the subject of grief and loss, as well as sharing many of my most favorite comforting and encouraging Bible verses. Here are some of those articles to bless you as well:

• Ten of My Favorite Comforting Bible Verses When Dealing With Grief and Loss
• More of My Favorite Comforting Bible Verses When Dealing With Grief and Loss
• Caregiving Causing Sleepless Nights? Comforting Bible Verses!
• More of My Favorite Comforting Bible Verses When Dealing With Grief and Loss and Other Trials
• Are You a Caregiver and Looking for Excellent Grief and Loss Books?
• Dealing With Grief and Loss In Your Sandwich Generation Family?
• More Thoughts for the Sandwich Generation Family Dealing With Grief and Hospice
• Pain and Suffering is Inevitable, Especially for the Sandwich Generation! So What Do We Do About It?
• Dealing With The Sandwich Generation Issues Can Often Include the Many Faces of Pain and Suffering, Including Anger
• End of Season Sunflower Houses Offer Comfort and Encouragement To the Sandwich Generation Family
• Wonderful Devotions On Grief and Loss Makes This an Excellent Book for Boomers and Senior Citizens
• Comforting Bible Verses for the Sandwich Generation: Proverbs 3:5-6
• When the Sandwich Generation Issues Are NOT a Piece of Cake
• Have the Sandwich Generation Grief and Loss Issues Left You Feeling Dry and Depressed?
• The Sandwich Generation Granny Nanny is Clinging to These Comforting Bible Verses
• Comforting and Encouraging Bible Verses for Caregivers Dealing with Grief Issues
• Looking For The Grief and Loss Book With the Keep the Fork Story?
• Encouraging and Comforting Bible Verses for the Sandwich Generation
• Grief and Loss Making Celebrating the Patriotic Holidays Doubly Hard? Comforting Bible Verses to Encourage You!
• Comforting Bible Verses and Great Resources To Bless the Sandwich Generation Dealing with the Issues of Grief

My prayer for you who are dealing with grief and loss issues, whether your own or helping a loved one, is that these articles, verses, and hymns will be a blessing and comfort to each of you, in AND out of the Sandwich Generation. And if you have any suggestions for us, we'd love to hear them in the comments section. And now, as Paul would put it, "Grace and Peace be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." 1 Cor. 1:3-4

Kaye

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