The last several months have definitely been doozies! Aging parents are calling with valid concerns. Grandkids are wondering why adults are occasionally talking so seriously in hushed voices. The reasons, naming just a few, include the stock market, the economy, the layoffs, the growing unemployment issues, the down and up gasoline prices, the continuing concerns about terrorism, and now the Swine Flu! My prayer list has grown longer. It’s full of requests for grandkids with health issues, friends’ kids in the hospital, jobs for several out-of-state friends including many in the Sandwich Generation, job protection for many more friends, aging parents dealing with new trials , and the list goes on!!!! Oh my!

With all of this, I have been seriously pondering Jesus’ words this week from John 16:33. “In the world you have tribulation…” I did a little research into the Greek and discovered one of the definitions for tribulation includes, “a pressing, pressing together, pressure.” Isn’t that a great description for the way things are going in our country and our world lately? It sometimes reminds me of one of those houses in a cheesy old movie, where the walls get closer and closer, pressing in on whoever is in it.

I am so grateful that isn’t all there is to that verse. The whole verse is,

Jesus answered…"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

Isn’t that awesome! As I continued to think about this passage, I found some other encouraging verses in my study guide that went so well with it:

• When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God , whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. Psalm 56:3-4
• Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances , for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess 5:15-18
• Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

We may not understand what is going on in the world, but how wonderful to know that, because Jesus has overcome the world, He is truly in control . Because of that we CAN trust in Him and we can be joyful and give thanks in ALL circumstances. That is truly GOOD and encouraging NEWS!

As a caregiver, I spend a lot of time waiting. Whether it’s in a doctor’s office, therapist’s office, school pick-up line, or the post office line, it can get a little boring if there’s nothing to do. Most of the time you can find me writing, reading, or researching. Once in a while though, I enjoy playing solitaire on my cell phone. Occasionally I will put the UNDO button to good use to replay a card. Sometimes I’ll even replay a whole hand if I’m curious to see how big a difference it would make to play the cards differently.

I must admit, there are many times I wish I could do that with my real life. I would love to go back to different crossroads of time, push an UNDO button and see how things would change.

Unfortunately, we don’t have that luxury. Or should I say fortunately. Just as in Solitaire, simply making a change or two wouldn’t necessarily make things better. In fact, many times it would make them worse. More importantly, I would then be putting myself in control instead of God and trust me, that is not a good thing!

Come to think of it, I’m very grateful for things just as God made them and will gladly leave the UNDO option for the Solitaire games.

O Lord of Hosts…You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth! 2 Kings 19:15

St. Patrick’s Day is TOMORROW. Can you believe it’s almost three months since Christmas! Wow! I love St. Patrick’s Day. I always try to wear green, but sometimes forget it on purpose so my grandkids can have fun doing a bit of a pinch . I make sure I have something green close by to grab so they don’t get too pinch-happy. Then we use that as a good learning opportunity to practice pinching gently and only once or twice.

I love to teach them about St. Patrick. We talk about the fact that he really lived, that he loved God so much, and that God used him in mighty ways. It’s such a great story. Here’s a great page with some craft ideas, including making a shamrock to teach your children about the Trinity. It’s at Christian Preschool Printables .

Something fun to do for St. Patrick’s Day for everyone, from grandkids to elderly parents, is a St. Patrick’s Day Potato Bar. I learned this at work many years ago. You can do it yourself or make it a potluck. You provide plenty of hot baked potatoes in bowls. Have dishes of different toppings from the traditional – butter, sour cream, chives; to the more creative – broccoli, grated or melted cheese, nacho cheese sauce, crumbled bacon; to the radical – peppers – hot or sweet, spices, onions, garlic, pepperoni, chicken. I’ll bet you can come up with even more great toppings. If so, be sure to leave a comment below. To make it even more festive, I would put a couple drops of green food coloring into any of the white sauces, such as the sour cream, mayonnaise, etc. (Just be sure no one is allergic or reacts to food coloring.) Top it all off with some cute Shamrock cookies and maybe even some hats, and you’ll have a fun party for the whole family.

One final tip for this lovely green day, per @TheMogulMom: “If anyone says ‘Top o’ the mornin’ to you’ tomorrow, the proper reply is ‘And the rest of the day to you’.”

The lovely shamrock picture is from Trina Clark’s DigiScrapKits site. I LOVE her clipart!

Hot diggety dog. There are some great sites for you to check out on Twitter and I’ve got some of them right here:

Check out Penny Raine’s site for her new eBooks including some yummy recipes that are free. One has LOTS of chocolate. She is limiting the amount of free downloads so it would be best to check it out as soon as possible

Oh my, Amazon has five MP3 albums on sale for $5. There were two in particular that I really liked. I love the praise and worship style of the David Crowder Band and their album, Remedy, is on sale. If you prefer classical, you can find Mendelssohn pieces by Anne-Sophie Mutter. It’s important to note that an MP3 album means that you download all the music. You won’t get a CD or other type of physical music media. You should be able to play it on your computer, copy it onto your MP3 player, or burn it to your own cd using something like iTunes or Windows Media Player.

Frugal Business Twip – A lot of Baby Boomers and others in the Sandwich Generation are self-employed. Most of us probably work from home but if you are starting to outgrow the house or various family members (elderly parents, adult children, grandchildren, etc.) have moved in and there’s no longer room for a home office, have you considered sharing/renting space from another company’s offices? This is quite popular with lawyers and I’m sure it would easily work with other businesses as well.

Here’s a fun Friday story from Seniors for Living . Would you believe a 73 year old who is back in college and playing basketball for his school! Wow! No wonder 50 is the new 30. 75 is apparently the new 35! I like that!

For anyone in the US with little or no insurance, Walgreens has a great prescription savings plan for only $20 a year.  @SaraCH writes that she earned back the $20 fee on her first purchase! Now that sounds like a great frugal option.

Good news – Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.

If you have a Maytag Refrigerator, many of them are under a recall. You can get the details from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission .

If you are struggling with making your mortgage payment, watch out! News10 in California writes about scam artists who are targeting struggling homeowners.I doubt that it’s only Californians who are dealing with that kind of scam. Make sure you always carefully check out anyone you do business with and keep close tabs on your elderly parents. It’s especially easy for them to fall prey to something like this.

Farmers made a fascinating discovery of a monastery beneath Israeli soil – per CNN , via @NerdNews, two of my favorite sources of news.

If you’re in the mood for a contest, you’ll find a fun one at Our 7 Qtpies , the blog of a fellow Sandwich Generation writer. She is busy raising kids, helping her mom, loving life, and having contests. This one ends March 20 and you’ll learn about a great new product for cleaning the bathroom. Frankly, even if I don’t win, I feel like I did, because I really like the sounds of the cleaner. Great if you have family members with allergy issues!

“I read the Bible everyday and the newspaper everyday. That way I know what both sides are up to!” Zig Ziglar

“DNA proves all the Russian czar’s kids died: One of the most enduring mysteries of the 20th century.” Per CNN , via @NerdNews. Does this mean the grandkids won’t want to watch Disney’s Anastasia anymore?

The Grocery Game is a great way to save time AND money at the grocery store.

Great news – In You, O Lord, do I take refuge…For You are my rock and my fortress; and for Your name’s sake You lead me and guide me.

If you use iTunes and find the print is too small, there is an easy solution! Read Rick Broida’s article at PC World and you will find several things you can do to make using iTunes even better including increasing the size of the print. I don’t know about y’all, but it seems like the print on everything is getting smaller and smaller, just as my eyesight is getting worser and worser. It’s nice to be given an option.

Debt-Proof Living has been one of my favorite frugal sites for years. Her current article has some frugal tips including a creative way to make good use of your grandchildren’s works of art. It’s titled “Creative Preservation.”

Here’s some food tips from my favorite foodie site, @Foodimentary. I wish I’d learned this YEARS ago! Cleaning a grater after shredding cheese can be made easy by grating a potato afterward. It clears the gummy cheese out. Also, if you drop an egg on the floor, cover it with salt and leave it for a couple of minutes. Cleaning will be much easier!

Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

Well, that’s it for this week. Did you find an idea you  really liked? We’d love it if you’d let us know by leaving a comment.

What is a Blog Meme? I found a lot of definitions for this, most using $5 words. Basically it boils down to several blogs writing about the same theme, each on their own site. Then they all link to one home site, so if you enjoy the article at one site, you can easily pop around to see articles on the same theme at other sites. Most places listed the pronunciation as rhyming with theme, which makes sense. A meme on the same theme.  Look at that, I’m a poet, and don’t know it. Oh my, can you tell I’ve been watching grandkids all day!

Well, to help me back into the world of grown-ups, I’ve decided to give an interesting Meme a try. Julie Arduini, who has a blog called The Surrendered Scribe , hosts the “Current Events Wrap Up Meme.” Participants write about one or more current events from the week along with comments. I have to tell you, there are teachers all over who are fainting at the thought that I would enjoy this. (See teachers, don’t give up. There’s hope for those recalcitrant students yet!) As you might guess, I will be looking for news items that impact those of us in the Sandwich Generation. So join me for a new adventure in the world of news:

The one news topic that has really caught my eye this week was an article in WorldNetDaily by David Wilkerson, about a possible attack on New York. If you haven’t heard about it, you can read it at WorldNetDaily . Basically, he writes of  experiencing a vision “of fires raging through New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires – such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago," he explains. "There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide…” He goes on to recommend that readers purchase enough supplies to last a month.

I have spent a lot of time thinking and praying about this over the past week. I do believe the gift of prophecy still exists but that not all who think they have it do. I personally value David Wilkerson’s ministry highly and know that he had a major impact on my spiritual growth when I was a new Christian decades ago through his book, “The Cross and The Switchblade.” His ministry, Teen Challenge, continues to minister to many over the years and I still hear wonderful comments on the positive impact it has had for so many who were freed from their addiction to drugs.

He has made predictions in the past. Some would appear to have been validated by events that followed, others were not.

How should we react to this? What should we say to our elderly parents if they hear about it and are scared. What should our response be when our adult children email us and ask, “What’s up with this? Isn’t this the guy whose book you had me read years ago.”

My first reaction was fear. My second reaction was much better – pray. My third reaction was to research, pray, and think. I finally realized I don’t know how true or not this prophecy is nor  do I know what the next few weeks or months will bring.

I do, however, know several things:

I know that God is sovereign. “The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.” Ps. 103:19

I know that God is more powerful than any enemy – flesh or spirit. “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

I know that God wants us to be strong in Him, not fearful. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

I know that God loves us!  “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10

I know that, as a child of God, I don’t even need to fear death. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

I know that God wants us to pray at all times. “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I know that God tells us to pray  or all men.  “I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2

So I will counsel myself, my elderly parents, my kids, my friends, my neighbors, and you, my dear readers, to keep our eyes fixed on God, to trust Him, to pray for our nation for we certainly need it, to pray for protection for all of us all across the world. And if disaster strikes, which people have been predicting for years, I will know that God is still in control and praise Him for being there with us through it all as He has so many times in the past. And if disaster does not strike, I will praise God, keep praying, and wonder if He allowed Pastor Wilkerson’s vision/article to cause us to pray.

Oh me, oh my. Reading the news headlines just isn’t any fun right now!

North Korea Warns Intercepting ‘Satellite’ Will Prompt Counterstrike; Israeli Major-General [states]: Iran past ‘nuclear threshold’…using nuclear talks to buy time for bomb; World Bank offers dire forecast for world economy…; Recession on track to be longest in postwar period…

Gas prices are headed back up while housing and stock values are going straight down.

Even our churches aren’t safe: Gunman Killed Pastor – That type of headline is becoming just as common as the rest!

Our elderly parents are terrified. They’re worried about their savings, wondering about social security, and confused about how this will impact them. Frankly, we’re often feeling the same way.

What do we do in the midst of all these potential, looming crises? I prefer to look at a different set of “headlines:”

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Isaiah 41:10

‘Do not fear,for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right  hand.’ Joshua 1:9

I’m especially partial to the words “wherever you go” in Isaiah and the word “Surely” in Joshua. No matter what happens, no matter WHERE we go, God will SURELY uphold His children with His righteous right hand. Crises will come and go, leaders will come and go, God is always right there with us. He made this world, He is sovereign over us, and He has assured us we do NOT have to look anxiously around for He is there to strengthen and help us! Those are the kind of headlines we can use to encourage our elderly parents, our children, and our grandchildren. Those are the kind of headlines I like to read!

It’s that time again. Time to check out all the great resources from Twitter over the past week or so. I’m going to start with the most recent as it’s also the most important.

If you get an email from Delta about a ticket, DON’T open any attachment. A nationwide fraudulent email scam has hit millions!

Another vital tip – don’t forget to set your clocks ahead tomorrow, Saturday, 3/7/09. Spring forward, Fall back!

I don’t know about you, but I have several friends and acquaintances who have either been laid off or are concerned they will be. It’s especially hard for the Baby Boomer Generation as ageism can rear its ugly head at times. Seems silly, as we have more experience, but we can also require a higher salary and that is a key concern in this economy. Here’s a great article about some of the creative ways people are using this forced time off to learn, help, and/or recharge, as they wait to get another job.

I found some great new add-ons for Firefox. I gave up on Internet Explorer a few months ago due to so many crashes. Firefox crashes as well, but it doesn’t seem to be as often. On top of that, they have such great add-ons, I haven’t looked back. My favorite is called Morning Coffee. It allows you to enter as many of your favorite websites as you like. Then, when you have some time to just read, you click the cup of coffee and they all open at once. It’s great for people who always read certain sites each day. It’s also great for caregivers like me who don’t often get that luxury, but know it’s there when we do.

Another useful add-on that I just found out about yesterday is called Session Manager. “Session Manager saves and restores the state of all windows – either when you want it or automatically at startup and after crashes. Additionally it offers you to opportunity to reopen (accidentally) closed windows and tabs. If you’re afraid of losing data while browsing – this extension allows you to relax.” Talk about perfect timing. I had just installed this when I got called away from my desk. While I was gone, one of my grandkids accidentally closed all the windows. Session Manager did, indeed, save the day!

Isn’t this perfect for Senior Home Care Givers  - The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He won’t grow tired or weary…gives strength to weary!

I love working on the computer and the internet. I can spend hours at it and the time flies. I love playing with grandkids as well, and again the time just soars. Housework is a whole other kettle of fish. I work on tidying, vacuuming, making beds, etc. and the time just drags. Or it did. Now I listen to my iPod with great sermons, educational business shows, and interesting books and the time flies. It really makes things much more interesting. I’ve already listed my favorite sermon sites. Here’s a couple of great sites for podcasts.

Blog Talk Radio – . This site is well set up and easy to navigate. You can go through it by channels or use the search button. There is plenty to find there to interest you, from caregiving to frugal, from business to blogging, and more. Many, if not most, of the shows are available through iTunes but it helps to have specific names/titles which you can get from here. You can also download the podcast directly following their directions.

Another resource I just found that looks quite useful, RadioPaq -– offers shows from BlogTalk Radio, along with the BBC, several French stations, a Jazz station and more. Between these two, you should find plenty to get you through your housework, your commutes, and more.

Are you a writer, a reader or do you know someone who is. I just read an interesting article in Publishers Weekly about RedRoom which is set to be a Facebook for authors and readers. Currently it has 2000 authors/20,000 members. It’s free for readers. I’m not sure about writers. If you know, tell us about it in the comments section below.

Do your favorite ways to save money include shopping at the Dollar store? Read the article to find out the goods and bads there.

For senior home care givers, It’s always the right time to brush up on our stroke awareness, such as signs and symptoms to watch for in your elderly parents or yourself!

Here’s some great health news! An early non-invasive cancer test is coming soon, in the next two – three years.

Encouragement – A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all!

This article has some great ideas for putting together frugal gift kits for kids and grandkids using items found at yard sales and thrift stores. I’ve got it bookmarked for my grandkids. It’s definitely one of those great ways to save money.

Well, that should keep you busy for now. I’ve got plenty more for tomorrow as well!

Yesterday, I wrote about the importance of flexibility for all of us in the Sandwich Generation, along with the importance of asking. Asking for help, asking for options, asking for whatever it is that is necessary in our current situation.

While that is indeed vital, there are times when there is no one to ask. A few years ago, I was visiting out-of-state and helping dear ones cope with a nasty cold, my mom was home alone and expecting my return in a couple of days, and one of my beloved seniors in yet a third state was hospitalized. I’m telling you, for an hour or so, it was like I could feel the stress just building up inside me. I felt like a pressure-cooker waiting to explode. I wanted to be in each of the three places to help but that was impossible. In that situation, there was only one thing I could do. Of course, it was also the best thing I could do and I did it. I prayed. I emailed and called others and asked them to pray as well. As we prayed, we watched as God worked the whole situation out. He provided a neighbor to help the senior citizen, the family I was visiting finally started getting better, and a day or so later, I was able to head home to help my mom. I did this all with God’s peace that passes all understanding covering my heart and my mind.

It is so vital for us to remember that when we are God’s children, we are never alone. We are always blessed with the flexibility and power that God provides us through His gift of prayer. We need to remember to start our asking by taking our requests to Him in prayer.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! If you didn’t already see it, be sure to take a peek at the Valentine card I made for you at http://www.sandwichink.com/a-valentine-for-your-long-distance-elders . Click on the big checkerboard

I spent this day having fun with grandkids in the a.m., moving and helping my mom with her aching back in between, and now with grandkid AND mom for the end of the day. The perfect kind of Valentine Sandwich.

As I tripped over boxes, and stressed over too much to do and not enough time to do it, God slowed me down and reminded me that even if I don’t accomplish everything I want to, or even need to, I’m accomplishing a lot by spending time:

• Playing tennis with a grandchild or nine – teaching them the joy of the game along with important life lessons such as good sportsmanship and keeping your eyes on the ball.
• Writing little ones across the miles to share my love with them and thank them for the adorable ecard they sent me to thank me for the box that made it in time for Valentine’s Day – teaching them the joy of correspondence and politeness.
• Ministering to all ages with different health needs – teaching them to look out for one another’s interests as more important than our own.
• Taking my mom out to a new Chinese restaurant I discovered when I got lost – showing her that she is very important and much beloved to me.
• Babysitting for little ones so big one can get a much needed night of R&R – teaching all of us the joys of sharing and loving.

There are even more things I’ve done today that have nothing to do with my To Do list, yet everything to do with the mission God has given me at this stage of my life. So if your To Do list is as unchecked off as mine, but your caregiving skills are getting a major workout, know that you have lots of company, lots of empathy, and will reap what you are sowing in a blessed way.

2009. It’s just around the corner. This is a week of lasts. It is the last week of the year. Today is the last Sunday of the year.

Lest we get too maudlin, though, today is also a first day. It is the first day of new lovingkindnesses from the Lord. In fact, Lamentations 3 tells us, “The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

What wonderful gifts from God. When we arise in the morning, to face a fresh day with new challenges in caregiving, grandparenting, working, we can be encouraged that God is there. That His lovingkindness is ours to receive. That His compassions never fail. And that we, along with Paul, can say, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.”

Tomorrow morning, as you prepare to face your last Monday of 2008, join me in taking a moment to embrace God’s new and unfailing lovingkindnesses. Release to Him all your worries, frustrations, and frets. Finish this last week of 2008 with the knowledge that it may be full of lasts, but thanks be to God it is full of His daily love and compassion as well.