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Don’t Lose Focus On the Most Important Thing

Don’t Lose Focus On the Most Important Thing

by myconcretedove | Jun 11, 2021 | Five Minute Fridays, Prayer, Serve

Today I’m posting for the Five Minute Friday linkup. Visit or join the linkup here. FMF is a writing community gathering every Friday for a 5-minute free-write to a one-word writing prompt. Today’s prompt is DISAGREE. Five minutes starts now –...
Slow Down and Smell the Roses God Already Knows What We Need

Slow Down and Smell the Roses God Already Knows What We Need

by myconcretedove | Jun 4, 2021 | Blog, Christian, Serve, Writing

Hi Friends, How have you been? I’ve slowed down a bit lately, thought about writing, gathered ideas and quotes to write about, but haven’t actually written much lately, just a few short Instagram posts I tagged you in, here and there. I wonder why we slow down...
Shhh! I Want to Hear God’s Whisper

Shhh! I Want to Hear God’s Whisper

by myconcretedove | Sep 1, 2020 | Blog, Christian, Devotional, Prayer, Serve

My world is deafening right now. I wonder about yours. Can you hear God’s whisper? Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! –Psalm 4:1 (ESV) Work is both intense and...
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Suzette | Family Caregiver

myconcretedove

Helping #caregivers manage the overwhelm & keep smiling.
Selfcare | Tips | Encouragement
My Concrete Dove Blog
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It's been a while... Here's an update on why you h It's been a while... Here's an update on why you haven't seen me much. . . . #caregiverjourney #caregiverselfcare #caregiverlife #iamacaregiver #griefjourney #walkingforhealth #keepwalking #keepwriting #caregiverselfcare #leanonjesus #trustjesus #newbeginnings
Meet Michelle, my beautiful sister. In this pictur Meet Michelle, my beautiful sister. In this picture, she's all dressed up for Prom. 💃I miss her, but I know she's in heaven and probably dancing. Today is a special day to make the world aware of very special people with Down Syndrome. . . #worldownsyndromeday #downsyndromecaregiver #downsyndromeawareness #sisters
Why do you need a plan? Because recovery is harder Why do you need a plan? Because recovery is harder than preparation. ⁠ ⁠ Your health is important for you and your care recipient because preparing now is way better than repairing later. If you have a health event, it will also impact your care recipient.⁠ ⁠ Fellow family caregivers, there is no reason to do caregiving the "harder" way (It’s hard enough already, right!?). Your plan doesn’t have to be perfect. It's okay to change it as needs increase. ⁠ ⁠ 👉️Get started with the basics. ⁠ -Get extra help⁠ -Organize your living space⁠ -Research available support ⁠ -Make your living space safe⁠ -Time for yourself, friends & family⁠ -Mind your health⁠ -Consider getting a caregiver coach⁠ ⁠ Trust me when is say preparing is better than repairing. ⁠ ⁠ So, don't wait for the perfect circumstances to get started. Perfection really isn't a thing in family caregiving. While caregiving is rewarding, it can also be messy, unpredictable, and sometimes, difficult. ⁠ ⁠ Having a plan can help you see through the chaos to take the next steps on your caregiving journey.⁠ ⁠ ❓️Do you have a plan? ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #haveaplan⁠ #caregivingjourney⁠ #caregiving⁠ #familycaregiving⁠ #familycaregivers⁠ #caregiverselfcare⁠ #selfcareisimportant⁠ #selfcareis⁠ #caregivingplan⁠ #planahead⁠ #caringforparents⁠ #caringformom⁠ #agingparents⁠ ⁠
Happy 96th Birthday 🎂 #caringforparents #care Happy 96th Birthday 🎂 #caringforparents #caregiverselfcare #caringformom #caringforparents #caregivers
Happy 96th Birthday, Mom! 🎶Keep singing🎶 Y Happy 96th Birthday, Mom! 🎶Keep singing🎶 You are a treasure💜 Alouetta is one of my mother's favorite French songs to share with others. #keepsinging #keepsmiling #happybirthdaymom #alouette
And just like that, we’re back to spring again!⁠ ⁠ That's right, family caregiving has its seasons. Family caregiver friend, learning to identify and navigate through the seasons of caregiving is important to your overall well-being. Caregiving may end someday, and you’ll want to be healthy when that happens. But you need to stay healthy as you go through it, too. ⁠ ⁠ It doesn't happen by accident. You need a plan.⁠ Start here... ⁠“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)⁠ ⁠. . Visit myconcretedove.com for the rest of the post, where I share why you need a plan and a few ideas on where to start. Click the link in bio for more.⁠ ⁠ Hope to see you there. ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #makeaplan⁠ #familycaregiving⁠ #seasonsofcaregiving⁠ #starthere⁠ #caringforparents⁠ #caregivingplan⁠ #futureplans⁠ #Godhasaplanforyou⁠ #planningisimportant⁠ #caregiverjourney⁠ #caregiverlife⁠ #caringformom
Cherish the perfect days. I took this photo at a Cherish the perfect days. I took this photo at a market in Paris a couple of years ago. It was a warm, perfect day. 🖌🎨 This was the perfect snowy weekend watercolor project. ❄️ Happy snowy Sunday. . . #watercolorpainter #stressrelieftips #familycaregiver #visitparis🇫🇷 #preventburnout #caregiverburnout #watercolorpainters
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝘾𝙖𝙧 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨’ 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙪𝙢⁠ ⁠ Are you thinking, "I want to do this, but it scares me."⁠ ⁠ I'm not saying we don't want to care for those we love. Most of us do, but we don't always know what that care entails at the outset. ⁠ ⁠ 😧It's only after getting started when questions like these start cropping up:⁠ ❓️How long will this last⁠ ❓️What are the physical and financial burdens (and they are burdens)⁠ ❓️How will caregiving impact my family, job, health, and life⁠ ❓️Will I have help⁠ ❓️Can I even do this⁠ ⁠ When the realities of caregiving become apparent, those of us who aren't naturally born family caregivers (like the one who wrote this) can become anxious and overwhelmed⁠ ⁠ We start struggling with those energy-sucking emotions I mentioned in my post last week (blog post link in bio) wondering, "What did I get myself into?"⁠ ⁠ I'm not trying to scare you, but some family caregiving situations can be quite demanding. Things like Alzheimer's, MS, Aging parents, recurring cancer, COPD, children with special needs, a debilitating injury--these things don't discriminate. They can happen to anyone and they are often progressively more difficult to manage over time.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ 🫤Look, I don’t have all the answers, but I do have a practical survival guide to help you manage the overwhelm of family caregiving. ⁠ It’s free, so go to the link in bio and download it today. ⁠ ⁠ 💪🏻You can do this!⁠ .⁠ .⁠ Drop a heart in the comments if you have been or are a family caregiver now. 💟Thanks for reading.⁠ .⁠ .⁠ I can't remember where I found this graphic. It was a few years ago and I'd like to give the artist credit if you know who it is..⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #confusedcaregiver⁠ #caregivinglife⁠ #familycaregiver⁠ #caringforparents⁠ #agingparentcare⁠ #caregiverstrong⁠ #caregiverburnout⁠ #caregiverselfcare⁠ #elderlycare⁠ #selfcareforcaregivers⁠ #choosejoy⁠ #caringformom⁠ #caregivertips⁠ #alziemersawareness⁠ #downsyndromecaregiver⁠ #strugglingcaregiver⁠
It's a "me time" day! Caregiver self-care reset. It's a "me time" day! Caregiver self-care reset. 🖌🎨For me, time spent painting is very helpful when I need a mindset reset. I started a new pen & ink with watercolor class and, regardless of my talent level, I love it. It takes patience and concentration, both of which I struggle with. Somehow, it's very calming to concentrate only on which colors go together and which doodley line I'll use to make a shadow. My last visit with mom was frustrating, but I don't want it to be that way. 😕 Caring for parents is hard. But taking a "me time" break might just keep the frustration to a minimum. Try it and see. 🖼 Which one do you like best, with color or without? . . #caringforparents #caregiverlife #caregivingtips #watercolordoodle #caregiverselfcare #metimemoment
𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐲⁠ ⁠ So, you’re a family caregiver (or see it in your future) and you’re not thrilled. 😰Yikes!!--am I supposed to say that? ⁠ ⁠ Hey, I get it. I'm a family caregiver, too, and I've been there. But it's important to learn not to stay "there" in regret, anger, guilt, or any other energy-sucking emotion. ⁠ ⁠ If that's where you are today, I'm sorry. But it's important to learn not to stay "there." These emotions don't serve you or your loved one. ⁠ ⁠ So, how can we choose joy instead? ⁠ ⁠ 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 - 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘑𝘰𝘺𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘳 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘖𝘯 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 is two-part series encouraging family caregivers to make the best of life today by choosing joy. ⁠ .⁠ Click the link in bio to get to the blog post. I hope to see you there.⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #cargiverlife⁠ #caregivers⁠ #choosejoy⁠ #lovecaregivers⁠ #familycaregiversrock⁠ #familycaregiving⁠ #iamchoosingjoy⁠ #choosingjoy⁠
I'm still here....⁠ ⁠ You haven't seen me a lo I'm still here....⁠ ⁠ You haven't seen me a lot in the past year. Posts, reels, stories, newsletters, freebies haven't been high on my to-do list. I just haven't had the bandwidth or interest (quite frankly). That happens with grief. ⁠ ⁠ "The world seems to lose its color when someone you love is gone."⁠ –Unknown⁠ ⁠ We've had several losses in our family. Some were expected, but others caught us by surprise and, as a family, we've been sad but we're getting through it. ⁠ ⁠ I'm not sharing to get sympathy but to say it's okay to step away. To hit pause and take a breath. That's what I've been doing but I think it's time to get moving again. ⁠ ⁠ 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰.⁠ ⁠ 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙐𝙥𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚: I'm still sharing care for Mom and her needs have increased. She will be 96 soon and still has her sense of humor, thank God, because getting to be a nonagenarian really isn't so funny. But, when I asked her how it feels to be 95, she said, "Well, it doesn't hurt." And for that I am thankful. ⁠ ⁠ What are you thankful for today? ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ I'd love to give credit to the person who said the above quote. If you know who said it, let me know. ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #familycaregiving⁠ #caringforparents⁠ #griefsucks⁠ #grief⁠ #caregivingjourney⁠ #iamacaregiver⁠ #caregiverlife⁠ #familycaregivers ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠
I spotted this downtown last week. Go Lions! #god I spotted this downtown last week. Go Lions! #godetroit #detroitlions lions #lionsfootball #lionspride
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