Here in Kentucky it's in between snow storms. I decided I wanted a picture to make us think of spring and I found that in this photo. More than that, I saw this flamingo, standing firm in spite of a very gooey situation, reminding me, no matter what gooey Sandwich Generation situation I find myself in, I have to rely on God to enable me to STAND FIRM IN THE LORD!

…Now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 3:8

…Stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. Philippians 4:1

…Stand firm in the faith… 1 Corinthians 16:13

…Stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught. 2 Thessalonians 2:15

More than one pastor has pointed out that if God repeats Himself in the Bible, there's a VERY good reason for that.  As a Sandwich Generation grandmother, one of my biggest desires has always been for my kids and grandkids to know and love God with all their hearts, souls, strengths, and minds. Next, once they have done that, I desire for each of us to STAND FIRM IN THE LORD! These are all some of my primary prayers every day! And I am blessed because I know that these are God's desires for us as well, which means I am praying according to His will in all of this. Very encouraging!

What are some of your favorite verses to pray for your children, grandchildren and yourself? 

For more inspirational Bible verses coupled with intriguing pictures, sure to encourage all of us in the Sandwich Generation, be sure to visit Forever His. And don't forget to sign up for the FREE SandwichINK email and get words of encouragement for Sandwich Generation senior home care givers and grandparents delivered to your inbox regularly.  

I was visiting at one of my favorite blogs, Penny Raine,  and discovered a delightful meme she is participating in, Word-Filled Wednesday. The purpose of Word-Filled Wednesday is to share God’s Words (no famous quotes or other literature — only the precious and beautiful words of our Lord God) through photos & a Bible verse! I noticed we can also add a little thought of our own, as well. What a great idea! And what a great encouragement it was to me as I read the various sites.

I decided to share this with you, as well, on a weekly basis. As Sandwich Generation senior home care givers and grandparents, we can always use extra encouragement. So I am actually posting early for my next post and in the future, I hope to be participating in this great meme each Wednesday. I’d love to hear your comments about it. And do be sure to check out the other encouraging and uplifting photos and verses which you can find at Penny’s site. It’s a great opportunity to stop for just a second to spend time in praise and worship to our wonderful Lord, then head back to caregiving duties with a lighter heart!

The earth is full of Your lovingkindness, O Lord, teach me Your statutes. Psalm 119:64

When I am tired or discouraged, I love to walk out to look at the gorgeous flowers, delightful trees, fluffy clouds…

All of God’s creation is a gift to us, reminding us of His love, His power, and His majesty!

As I look at all the beauty He created, I am blessed and encouraged!

Thank You, Lord God!

Cold and flu season was in full swing. After a particularly difficult and exhausting week of senior home care giving and grandparenting, I was sitting in church listening to the pastor read a passage from the Bible, Matthew 14:22-33.

He told of the time after Jesus miraculously fed a multitude of people. He had sent the crowds away, sent his disciples off on a boat, and gone off on His own to pray. Later that night, the disciples were still on the boat, when it was caught in a major storm, with the waves pounding against it. All of a sudden they saw Jesus coming towards them on the water and they were terrified, thinking He was a ghost.

…they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!” Matthew 14:26b-33

Did you notice something in that passage? Jesus immediately spoke words of comfort to them when they were in the midst of being buffeted by the waves, and He immediately reached out to grab Peter when he became afraid and started to sink in the water. BUT the storm kept going on! It did stop when He got on the boat, but not sooner.

God is ALWAYS with us in the middle of our trials, whether they be from caregiving or from other situations we may be dealing with. He is always ready to speak words of comfort and encouragement to us through His Word, through hymns and praise songs, and through sermons. But the trials do NOT always stop immediately. Sometimes they go on for a few minutes or hours, like here. Sometimes they go on for days, as happened for Lazarus’ sisters when he died. And sometimes, as Paul discovered, trials, such as prison, beatings, illness, and thorns in the flesh can go on for months or even years!

It’s vital for us to cling tight to Him no matter how long our trials endure, trusting Him and praising Him. As Paul tells us in Philippians 4:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I pray that you will each be blessed this week with the comfort of His presence and the encouragement of His Word as you go about your Sandwich Generation senior home care giving and grandparenting!

Last year, my long distance grandkids enjoyed it when I mailed them the fun kids coloring pages to print. They especially loved the Princess and Strawberry Shortcake coloring pages I sent them!

This year, my oldest is reading and writing and we discovered she loves to fill in business-like forms of all kinds. “She doesn’t care what they are,” says mom. “She just has fun filling them in, just as I did when I was young.” So now I’m on a hunt for fun and interesting forms to help her set up her pretend businesses. I bet my nearby grandkids will enjoy them as well. For that matter, I thought some of your grandkids might also, so I am sharing with you the fruit of my labor.

Kids Turn Central has some fun genealogy forms that are just for kids and grandkids. They get fun forms AND fun pictures on many as well. And they get to learn more about their family. Terrific!

The IRS has tons of free forms available for printing on their site. It’s never too soon to teach our grandchildren about obeying the authorities over us by paying our taxes.

The state of Colorado has some interesting real estate forms with lots of lines and boxes my grandkids are sure to enjoy.

PNB has all sorts of intriguing forms with boxes and lines and circles to keep my grandkids happy learning the “banking business.”

Entreprenuer has all sorts of interesting forms including job applications, payroll records, and independent contractor’s agreements. This would be a great chance to talk to our grandkids about working as an employee vs. self-employment.

One caveat – make sure you only select the forms themselves. Otherwise you’ll be printing out lots of instructions your grandkids won’t care about.

Don’t you love it when you can put a smile on your grandchild’s face with just a few minutes of your time and some paper, envelopes, and stamps! And they get to enjoy pretending they are all grown up, and even learn more about the world around them. Hmmmm, I do believe this would make an excellent social studies projects for many of our grandkids’ homeschooling programs!

For more fun ideas and projects to do with grandkids, be sure to sign up for the SandwichINK free email updates!

My grandkids and I are well into Autumn and Awanas so this week we’ve been busy memorizing “The Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world” and “Great is our Lord and mighty in power,” among other verses.

We’ve also continued reviewing our Fruit of the Spirit songs and verses during the occasional bath times I participate in. That is such a great time to sing verse songs about the Lord combined with plenty of laughter, hugs, and joy!

They got to spend the night last night so this morning we were busy having our shower and song-fest. As I sang to them and with them, I was amazed at how God used their little verses to encourage me and lift my spirits over some of the Sandwich Generation issues I’ve been grappling with!

It has always been a blessing through the years as I taught God’s love and Word, first to my kids and now to my grandkids. He has so richly blessed me with the fruit I see in each of their lives. I love how He also uses my teaching of His Word to nourish and strengthen me as well!

This truly is a gift that keeps on giving – even into the Sandwich Generation and Senior years.

How about you? What ways does God use you to teach your grandkids and yourself? We’d love you to share them!

It’s an oldie AND a goldie idea that I know well, yet often forget. When my grandson and I came up with it together today, I thought I’d share it with you as well.

Story writing and story telling have an excellent track record for helping our grandkids of all ages. It takes work and time but both are usually quite enjoyable.

Sit down with one grandkid at a time, along with some pencils, colored pencils, markers, and/or crayons. You’ll also need some paper, lined or unlined or both.You can start with the picture they draw, a story they tell you, or even a story starter you give them.

Our first project consisted of my grandson drawing pictures of his favorite superhero. Then he told me about the picture and I printed out what he said. We put together a four-page story, along with a title page, dedication page to his secretary – yours truly, and the date. This not only gives us a fun memory together and a great project for homeschooling programs; it also gives us a baseline each year of the changes in his writing, drawing, and creativity skills.

For our second project, we reversed the process. This time my grandson told me his story. I wrote it out and he decorated it with pictures. When done, we numbered the pages, stapled it all together and sat down to enjoy it as we read it.

All three grandsons enjoyed both books for their nap time story time, along with their daily Bible story. As “editor,” I did make an occasional suggestion. Some they loved, some they turned thumbs down on. I was very pleased they liked my ideas of adding a spiritual component to their superhero tale. By talking about their hero loving God and drawing on His strength in their quest to help others, they realize that God is even BIGGER than any superhero ever could be and it becomes a springboard to a wide variety of important discussions.

All in all, this project was great educational fun for all my grandkids and myself and helped us accomplish some of Deuteronomy 6:7, “You shall teach [God’s Word] diligently to your [grand]sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”

Senior Home Care Giver

Know someone in an eldercare facility? Call them! A call means SO MUCH and lets them know you care. Great reminder from @AgeWiseLiving and @PrivacyProf

Loma Linda University Receives Grant for Alzheimer’s Disease Research.  Good news from @AgeWiseLiving

Genetic Testing of Embryos May Cause Dementia, Obesity In Adulthood. @prolifeinfo

“I am forgetting to eat” by David Thomas, M.D.- A Psychiatrist with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD).  Great insights from David Thomas!

Drivers With Parkinson’s Disease At Higher Risk Of Crashes In Low Visibility Situations.

60 Minutes A Blow To The Brain — This is Your Brain on Football (Video and Text). “This 60 minutes report — A Blow To The Brain — indicates that head trauma can lead to dementia.”   I read this yesterday, then bumped my head twice today. Kept thinking of this!

@100plusclub discovered this fascinating article about a 101 year old lawyer who is still practicing law and is not retiring anytime soon! I especially loved this quote by Mr. Borden, “As long as you are capable, you ought to use what God gave you.”

Tips To Help Seniors And Their Caregivers Prepare For Surgery. Per @Carebuzz, @DementiaGuide, and @mike_gamble

@Journeywoman found an excellent resource for travelers with disabilities – very useful for senior home care givers.

There’s a lot of info about the Swine Flu but it’s important to keep the regular flu in mind as well. Caregiving.com has some good tips for all of us in Flu Alert: 10 Warning Signs That It’s Time to Call the Doctor.

Grandparents:

Free angel craft book. Fun projects to do with your grandkids. Thanks to @pennyraine for this tip.

For grandkids, including those involved in homeschooling programs, Heart of Wisdom has some free Homeschool Bible Study ideas, reading plans, and worksheets.

9 Ways to Save Money for Grandparents and Grandkids.

How to Make Handmade Baby Quilt -a great Shower Gift for a new grandchild. Thanks to @babyquiltlady for this tip.

If you are going to be traveling to visit grandkids over the next few months, check out the Best Western 4X the Rewards promo! Earn double, triple or quadruple points when you stay 2, 3 or 4 nights at Best Western IF you register in advance!

Another yummy sounding Artisan bread in 5 minutes a day! Bet your grandkids will love helping to make it AND eat it.

There are many great verses in Deuteronomy including, “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (NIV)

Sandwich Generation:

The Telegraph has a sweet story about Britain’s oldest newlyweds who have a combined age of 181!   Per @nerdnews

WOW! This Indiana couple is celebrating their 80th anniversary!! How wonderful!

Finally, remember the article about aging parents who are fascinated with Dubai?  They might be interested in this article as well. Dubai Is Nearly Out Of Cash. Per @StephenLaughlin

The great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.

“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

Rev. 12:7-11

As a Sandwich Generation senior home care giver and grandmother, doing a sit down Bible study daily is both a vital necessity and a luxury. Many times I opt instead for a great sermon or two on my ipod as I drive on various errands.

Today I was blessed to spend solid time reading through Revelation as I continue to work on Kaye Arthur’s Revelation Precepts course. As I read the passage above, I realized my lamp was shining right into my eyes. At first it was more of a subconscious thought that led to a feeling of irritation. Then I focused on the issue and realized that all I needed to do was turn my chair a bit. Problem solved.

Another example was a game my grandkids and I enjoyed. They loved it, but it was a bit too frustrating for them at their age. We brainstormed and adjusted the rules. Problem solved and positive new lessons are now being worked on as we play it.

Then again, some things can NOT be changed. When an aging parent is placed in the Hospice program or has developed dementia, you can change many of the circumstances, but some things are difficult and even downright unchangeable.

When nothing else can be changed, we have to choose to submit it all to God and rest in His promises. Not that I shouldn’t have submitted the first two issues as well. I’ve learned I need to submit everything and all of me to Him.

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:7

When I’ve hit those solid walls of a one-way situation and feel like I am wedged in tight – no way in or out and the walls are getting closer and closer – that’s when my submission takes on even deeper meaning. When we can’t look anywhere else it makes us look at Him. If we are already looking at Him, it makes us look deeper into His eyes.

Sometimes these occasions will be huge, like hospice. Sometimes tiny, like a room arrangement we can’t change that is driving us nuts. Regardless of size, we will be blessed when we hold it out to God and let it go to Him. I’ve even done that physically and dramatically to help myself. I’ll hold out my hands and tell the Lord, “Here is my situation. I give it to You. Please make sure I leave it with You!”

As John points out in Revelation, we in the Sandwich Generation will be blessed when we choose to submit everything to God even when faced with unchangeable circumstances including death.

Autumn leaves are much loved by my grandkids and me. When everyone else is busily raking their lawn to achieve the bare look, my grandkids and I are crunchily dancing in the leaves, watching in awe as they fall to the ground in God’s awesome “Autumn Ballet,” and making craft projects with them.

We have fun collecting a bag or two of leaves, picking out the prettiest ones and gluing them to construction paper. These projects can be as simple as a random display or as fancy as their imaginations take them. I love to bring Autumn into the house by hanging these masterpieces all around.

Another fun idea is to let them help me decorate by filling a couple of wide-mouthed, clear vases with leaves, as well as artfully decorating my fireplace mantel with them. It can also be fun to add other autumnal decorations such as pine cones, cute little scarecrows on a stick, etc.

These are simple and fun ways to create great fall memories, teach our grandkids to rejoice in God’s lovely world, and just plain have fun with them. Happy Autumn, y’all.

Being a Sandwich Generation senior home care giver and grandparent can often mean taking the plans you love to make and tossing them out the window. When that happens, God often uses the situation to nudge me back to one of my favorite verses:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Today, as we were finishing up the work involved in yet another change, I was encouraged when I met a new neighbor who had moved in due to problems discovered in her brand new home. As we compared notes, I discovered another who also loved this passage. It was like a special “Hug from God!”