Family and Community

Our church has very much become our family and our community! Since children and grands live too far away to make it to our Lutheran service in Kendall, NY, each Sunday, most of our activities center around Concordia. The people cheer me on, and ask how Journey With Jeff is doing. I tell them the book has gone from Rochester, NY to Jacksonville, FL - from Lubbock, TX to Wasilla, AK - from Doylestown, CT to Oaks, OK. Not only does Journey speak to families with differently-abled people, but it has also been an encouragement for other people living a difficult life. One Concordia elder wrote: "I have just finished reading your book. You did such a nice job relating your days, living with Jeff. I know it strenghened your faith and helped you in those trying days. Your book also helped me with my outlook on troubling times in my life. I have always believed we can cope with all things with the love of the Lord. You have set a great example for us all of how you did such a wonderful job with Jeff. God will continue to bless you, and so will I." Wow! Such a beloved family and community!

Caregiving For Caregivers

My neighbor is a Social Worker, a caregiver for many people. Last summer she bought a copy of Journey With Jeff: Inspiration for Caregivers of People with Special Needs.Today I asked if she had been able to plug in Jeff's story with any of her work. She said the book opened her eyes so she could help parents deal with difficulties. She was enthusiastic as she spoke of sharing it with co-workers who had people living with Down syndrome in their care, and with others in her office. Parents to whom she loaned her copy told her it was worthwhile reading. Caregivers need caregiving, and I'm so glad to see my neighbor pass it on!

Encouragement On The First Day of Spring

 

It pleased me very much last Friday when the Wellness Center elder seniors responded with laughter, questions, and their stories at my presentation for Journey With Jeff! We encouraged each other with such comments as, "All the children with Down syndrome I've ever met are very loving." Of course, I was happy to agree with this! One mother has a son who is differently abled whom she knows she will lose soon. I'm glad she could share that grief. Caregivers need caregiving,too. A woman said there were twins in her family years ago, both of whom had special needs. Many resources were not available then as they are today. One of the boys grew up to live a fairly normal life, while the other was shut away from the public eye. An Asian grandmother asked me if I agreed with her about not allowing the teacher of her granddaughter, who is an adopted child from China, to put her back in the previous grade now, instead of in September. My encouragement was to agree that she tell her children this. Before my presentation began, a woman bought Journey With Jeff, but her husband said he had no time to read such books. As everyone was leaving, he said, "I think you've convinced me that I should read your book, too." Yea! Now that was encouragement for me!

Encouragement

We all need encouragement! This week at our Lenten mid-week service our Pastor encouraged our sharing with someone else the Good News of God's love and care, by giving each of us a $5 or $10 bill to match and to pass on. There was a Benefit Show for Caitlyn, a 10 month old girl with Neuroblastoma this weekend to help off-set the costs of her treatment. To encourage Caitlyn's caregivers, Bob and I tucked the bills into four of my favorite chapters of "Journey With Jeff; Inspiration for Caregivers of People with Special Needs" and signed the book, "From one caregiver to another." We deeply hope God's love and care come shining through! (Photo is of Jeff at one year.)

Jeff as the "Cowardly Lion"

With March coming in "Like A Roaring Lion" here in upstate NY, I think of Jeff's imitation of the Cowardly Lion in "Wizard of Oz." Jeff had a mighty roar!!~~~Here is an excerpt from "Journey With Jeff" called "Jeff's Roar." The quote, "Be strong and courageous" is from Joshua 1:7a -- "Sheila Matthews, on the staff at Jeff's residence says, 'One of the fondest memories I have of Jeff is the morning wake-up routine. I thought and thought about the difficulty of waking Jeff up because he was such a sound sleeper. One day I remembered how much he liked The Wizard of Oz, especially the Cowardly Lion. So I talked to him about the Cowardly Lion as I was calling his name to wake him. Once Jeff realized what I was saying, he would awake with a roar, then go into the different scenes from the movie. I'd try to do scenes along with him but he said, 'No Sheila, not that way. I do it.' No one could do the Cowardly Lion like Jeff, which is why he was cast in the role for the LAI play.' Sheila continues, 'The other memory I have of Jeff is how he tried to scare staff members. Jeff was not very steady on his feet so you could hear him coming. But almost everyday Jeff would try to scare some staff person and I do believe a few times he actually got some of us. Doing direct care with Jeff and many of the other South Avenue gang were some of the greatest times I had in this agency. When Jeff said he loved you, you knew it came from the heart. He is missed but not forgotten. The closing prayer: Lord God, we give special thanks for the staff on night shift, responsible for getting the residents on their way in the AM. It's so easy to forget about those we never met. Bless them good, Lord!! Amen." (The photo is from the LAI production of Wizard of Oz with Jeff as the Cowardly Lion, and Claudia as Dorothy.)