Do you ever “park” yourself in a Bible passage for a few days, reading and re-reading it every day to allow it to sink deeper and deeper into your heart? I do. Not all the time. Usually it’s when I or one of my beloveds is going through a trial. As caregivers, that’s often spelled I-L-L-N-E-S-S.

Whether it’s an aging parent we are providing senior home care for, or a grandchild, their illness can definitely give us the desire to spend extra time in prayer and reading God’s Word for wisdom and encouragement, even though that same illness may keep us too busy to have time for it.

A while back I was busy juggling illnesses and care duties between my senior mom and a couple of my grandkids. As you well know, juggling is one of the joys of the Sandwich Generation.   Most of my Bible study at that time was coming from sermons on my iPod as I drove back and forth between houses and doctors’ offices. But I did get to spend a bit of time sitting down to read and landed in one of my favorite spots for “parking,”  Colossians 3:11b-17. It was especially meaningful during this time period, as it kept encouraging me to follow Christ’s example no matter how tired I was from lack of sleep – one of the many issues we caregivers have to deal with on a regular basis!

…Christ is all, and in all. So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unit. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Isn’t that powerful? And challenging? And down right perfect for all, but especially for those of us who are Sandwich Generation caregivers!

I especially love that the words, “Christ is all, and is in all,” precedes all the rest. He is the reason we want to do the things in 12-17, He is the reason we keep striving towards these goals, and He is the power Who enables us to accomplish these bit by bit, step by step.

I think I’m going to “park” in this a few more days and allow Christ to keep soaking it into me. How about you? What’s your favorite passage to “park” in?

Arthritis in the hand or wrist? Isn’t it a pain! Literally. Not to mention a nuisance. Especially when I’m trying to open a bottle or work on paperwork to help my senior mom. It’s particularly frustrating when I’m writing letters or notes as my hand gets so tired so quickly.

After much experimenting, I’ve discovered one set of pens that works the best for me. The handle is just the right size, and the gel ink glides across the paper easier than most pens. The Pilot G2 is perfect for my needs and my hands. Not only that, I’ve discovered many others along life’s journey who also use these pens for the same reasons. Every time I find someone using a G2, we compare notes and agree on how much easier it is to write with them, how much less our hands hurt, and how much we love them.

One caveat about them. Because they are gel pens, they do take a few seconds to dry. On regular paper, this usually isn’t a problem. If you are writing on slick paper, you need to let them dry longer. I usually grab my daughter’s favorite Zebra pen.

Since it uses regular ink, there is no drying problem. It has a gripper around it, so even though it is skinnier than I like, it is the easiest pen in that size for me to use. It’ll never replace my favorite G2 but it is my second favorite pen to keep around the house. Both of these pens are retractable, so there are no caps for grandkids (or me) to lose. Aging parents appreciate that as well!

It’s amazing how much I love these pens! But not so amazing when they make writing so much easier. I love anything that helps make my caregiving duties much easier and these definitely do that.