"Journey With Jeff" for Caregivers

My book,"Journey With Jeff; Inspiration for Caregivers of People with Special Needs"has been on the Rochester, NY, communities' Wegman's Store shelves since the middle of November. Four copies were in each of five Wegman's stores, where I checked a couple of times, and was pleased to see only one or two left on their shelves! This week only three books were returned to me, which means 17 are now out in the community, telling caregivers they are not alone! I hope they'll accept the invitation on the last page of "Journey With Jeff," to send their responses to me at my e-mail or snail-mail address. Those responses are such an encouragement to me!!~~~Jeff's special needs were spelled out by Down Syndrome. His friend, Brian, who wrote the response to "Journey" in the previous blog, "A Tribute to My Special Friend," was inspired by Jeff when he had to face experimental treatments and finally spinal fusion surgery for scoliosis as an 11 year old. I asked Brian how he'd learned about the book and he pointed to this blog and/or Amazon.com. "It's one of those books I'll keep," he said, "and, refer back to when I need inspiration."~~~The first lines of a poem by James W. Foley titled, "Drop a Pebble in the Water," suggest how Jeff's story has spread to -- who knows where? "Drop a pebble in the water: just a splash, and it is gone; But there's half-a-hundred ripples circling on and on and on. Spreading, spreading from the center, flowing on out to the sea. And there's no way of telling where the end is going to be." All praise to You, O Lord!!!

One Special Friend's Tribute To Another

 

Brian's tribute to his special friend: "When I was young, I had a special friend that I saw almost every Sunday in church. My friend was special in many ways and helped me learn many things that a little boy might only learn from having such a friend. I can't remember when we first met, but I do remember that he was such a regular part of our worship that I could not recall attending church without him being there and missed him when I no longer saw him. He sang the songs, loudly, and just a little bit longer than everyone else. He prayed loudly, and added his 'A-Men' just a little later than everyone else. He was not shy and he was not embarrassed, he was proud to sing and worship and perhaps he made the entire congregation feel loud and proud as well, because that church could sing!~~~We would usually meet after the service and I remember at first feeling awkward when he hugged me, as a young boy sometimes does, but eventually I learned what an amazing greeting and gift these hugs were. His Mom would help him explain his latest accomplishments and helped me understand some of the challenges my friend faced~~~Of course, the friend that I am remembering so fondly is Jeffrey Reisch and what I remember so clearly was how much he loved people and the church. I can't recall most interactions with Jeff, it was about 30 years ago, but I can convey how much of an impact he made on my life. He was so enthusiastic with everything that he did, he was so very proud of his accomplishments, and he genuinely cared for other people.~~~Facing a physical challenge when I was young, I could look to Jeffrey as an example of how to be brave in difficult times and to keep my chin up. Jeffrey's positive outlook and cheerfulness were an inspiration to me as I faced experimental treatments and finally spinal fusion surgery for scoliosis as an 11 year old boy.~~~Although Jeffrey was a part of my early life, his entire story eluded me until I saw that Mrs. Reisch had written "Journey With Jeff."Although I am not a parent of a special needs child, I was compelled to set aside all other reading material to read Jeff's story. The book not only enlightened me to all of the joy and difficulties the Reisch family faced, but gave me inspiration as a parent of two young children. Mrs. Reisch's amazing perspective and faith are an inspiration to parents struggling with raising children and facing any sort of adversity.~~~Jeff truly was an amazing individual and anyone that met him was truly blessed by his spirit. Reading the book brought back memories of the wonderful spirit that Jeff had, and reminded me how lucky I am to have known him. Someday, I hope to be welcomed into the kingdom of heaven where my friend Jeff will greet me with one of his great big hugs!" Me, too, Brian!!! I can hear Jeff now, saying, "Brian's my friend, Mom!!"

A Good Gift for Caregivers

Our Pastor Mike is an inspiring and encouraging teacher to us members who are at various places in our spiritual journeys. He tells me I give him support in his teaching students with special needs. We're having a wonderful time with a forty-plus student who asks question after question about how things she learned in her Confirmation class apply to her life now. Pastor Mike read, "Journey With Jeff; Inspiration for /Caregivers of People with Special Needs" as a devotional book -- one chapter a day, laughing at Jeff's antics and sympathizing with his problems. "Didn't know your book could teach me how to teach, did you?" he grinned. I am delighted and very honored. Thanks, Pastor Mike!

Inspiration and Encouragement

Inspiration and encouragement for writers was flowing at the Liftbrige Authors Extravaganza on Sunday! I spoke for about three minutes about how Jeff Reisch has journeyed from NY to CA, from GA to TX, from AK to PA in "Journey With Jeff; Inspiration for Caregivers of People with Special Needs," and how the responses from readers have been like ripples from a pebble tossed into the sea. Afterward a friend who used to wait on us at Perkins Family Restaurant when all our family -- including Jeff -- ate there, said he was jumping up and down when he recognized me at the mike. He then introduced me to his friend who will lead a marketing seminar for published authors in January -- which really interests me! Small world!~~~ Later that afternoon I met one of the women who works at Lifetime Assistance Inc., who again told me how much "Journey With Jeff" had helped her see how families handled the challenges of children with special needs. "Indeed," she said,"the book was better than a seminar!"~~~That afternoon was an inspiration and encouragement for me, the caregiver!!

"Journey With Jeff" IS Out There

Oh, my ears and whiskers! Have you ever entered your own name for a Google search?!? When I did that I found 42 entries of my name as author of "Journey With Jeff." This included a website for the United Kingdom~~~ Amazon.co.uk! Jeff is in England! Some websites were in another language, German, I think. Do you suppose Jeff's over there?!?" Journey With Jeff" is listed in a Pennsylvania County Down Syndrome Interest Groups website, and on the National Accessability website. I was especially touched by the book being mentioned on Dads4SpecialKids.com ~~ that was a serendipitous find! Every couple of months I receive royalties from BookSurge/Amazon.com for books, and I have no idea who has ordered "Journey With Jeff." However, now I am aware of the wide width of possibilities!!

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.)

"Journey With Jeff" Goes Home with Caregivers

Three women, all caregivers, bought a copy of "Journey With Jeff" at the Women's Prayer Retreat this past weekend. Amy is a psychologist in Ohio, and plans to share Jeff's story with another friend who also came from Ohio. Martha and Karen are caregivers in special education with children with special needs. They shared the challenge of helping a child become all he or she is capable of being. Mary, a single mother, returning to the retreat this year, told me the book she bought last February had helped her in the caregiving of her own self as well as of her children. Pastor Mary Anne and I lead the retreat, choosing "The Shack" for discussion with our 28 women. Many of us have been through a "Great Sadness," and learned how much a relationship with God gives us inspiration, encouragement and hope. We caregivers are not alone!!

BIG BIRD's CAR!!

Remember Lance from the Lifetime Assistance Inc. staff whom Jeff nicknamed "Big Bird"? Jeff loved to do things with and for Lance, and was delighted one summer day to help him by washing his car. (Read this story on www.luther95.com/UNYSWE-ANY/--Click on Resources,
and scroll down to "Journey With Jeff.") This is my totally favorite story in the entire book, and whenever I am asked to be a speaker, I always share this one. It draws a ton of laughter!!~~~Today, I met Lance in the wintery LAI parking lot, and he offered his arm to walk me to my car. Royalty! I felt like Royalty! "About 450 copies of "Journey With Jeff" have been sold or gifted so far," I informed him. "I'm so honored to be in that book!" Lance said. "So many people have come up to me and asked if I was Big Bird. One person asked me to sign 'Big Bird' in their copy!"~~~I love it when I meet Lance somewhere-- it doesn't happen often. I remember the friendship he and Jeff had and I'm warmed all over again! (Photo is of Jeff at his residence where he washed "Big Bird's Car.")