I’m often asked by readers and fellow writers, “What does My Concrete Dove have to do with family caregiving?” I confess that I’ve considered changing the name of this blog many times. But there’s a story behind the name and, after sharing it, I’m always encouraged by those same people not to change it. That’s why I’m sharing it with you today.  

It All Started with a Crack in the Concrete

The Holy Spirit communicates with us in various ways. For me, it was (and still is) a crack in the concrete.

God’s not complicated. He made the message simple and put it in a place that I wouldn’t miss. Every day on my way to work, I drove over a bird-shaped crack in the street until, one morning after a snowfall, I saw it differently. The snow-filled crack revealed a dove. It felt as if the Holy Spirit was reminding me to start my workday with prayer, praise, gratitude for the job I headed to, and so much more. 

Shortly after that, the idea of writing a blog started rolling around in my head, and the name came to me without any second guessing. It was right in front of me every day–My Concrete Dove. But, when I started building the first My Concrete Dove website, back in the Blogger days, I knew I had to study up on concrete before I could put that title out into the world. 

This is how Merriam-Webster defines concrete (paraphrased):

Noun – Naming a real thing or class of things, a hard strong building material.

Adjective – Characterized by or belonging to immediate experience of actual things or events, naming a real thing.

Verb – to form into a solid mass, to make actual or real, cause to take on the qualities of reality, to cover with, form of, or set in concrete

The definition explains further that we can trace “concrete” back to the Latin verb concrescere, meaning “to grow together.” Interesting, right?

Can you see how the Word of God is like concrete, only better? 

• It is real. 
• A solid foundation. 
• Covers us with His protection. 
• Strengthens us to withstand any storm. 
• Binds up our broken hearts and binds us together, as one body of believers. 
• Reinforces us through the Holy Spirit, God’s gift to us, through Christ.
• And, like a concrete highway with painted lines, the Holy Spirit guides us along life’s path, always pointing toward Jesus.

My Concrete Dove made perfect sense to me at the time.

Still My Concrete Dove? 

I started as a Christian blogger. My posts often began with a scripture, on which I expanded and explored, and I’ve written several devotionals and topical series. (Click here to access page.) Today, I continue to sprinkle scripture throughout many posts. Sure, my writing focus ebbed and flowed through various topics over the years, but I never changed the name of this space or the foundation of my writing. 

Enter Family Caregiving

Then, family caregiving began to take over my life. I’ve been a family caregiver for a long time. That caregiver role grew and shrank and grew again over the years. I went from assisting parents with small things to helping with major medical issues to 24/7 hands-on caregiving for my sweet sister, Michelle, who had Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s, alongside caring for Mom. 

Whew! Family caregiving is a whirlwind. And I know I’m not the only one blown around in it.  

Now, it’s just Mom, a nonagenarian, who still lives in her apartment with a little help from her “friends” (aka family). Being a family caregiver is challenging in so many ways. I want to approach it as the honor it is. But, if I’m honest, it’s difficult sometimes. If you’re a family caregiver, you know what I’m talking about. 

Caregiving is not a solo adventure. We need all the help we can get. But, no matter how much human support we have (I count on my brother, daughter, and a wonderful husband who is “all in”), we still need God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s supernatural power, love, and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7) to live out this caregiving life. 

That’s why these days, most of my writing centers on encouraging and empowering family caregivers and doing my best to point them toward the ever-present help of the Holy Spirit. 

So, after hearing the story behind the name, maybe you understand why I keep My Concrete Dove. It still works!

Back to That Crack in the Concrete

If you look closely at the picture, you’ll see that the white, snow-filled line in the concrete outlines a bird similar to what a child might draw. 

Now, using your imagination, I think you’ll be able to see the outstretched wings from the top to the bottom of the picture, and the bird is facing left. Let me know in the comments if you can see it, too.