For Caregivers

January 4, 2024

Imagining the next life stages I

By Bob Sitze

In For Caregivers, Lifestyle, Personal Power, Soul Searchings, Time

January 4, 2024

2 Min Read

Add Comment

04January

(Today’s blog is the first of a series of four entries that treat a matter that most older adults eventually face: How will we live well when that becomes difficult?) Presently, Chris and I take care of ourselves, our capabilities not yet severely diminished. I think we’re ready for what comes next. We’ve followed the guidance of counselors, physicians, financial advisors and friends, putting inMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

October 26, 2023

Off-the-rails ministry

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, For Caregivers, Personal Power, Relationships

October 26, 2023

2 Min Read

Add Comment

26October

  It’s difficult to be a pastor in normal times, but that ministry may be even harder right now: Some members and their enterprises are coming undone. Those of us who try to care for others may encounter individuals whose mental states seem to be coming off the rails. As your pastor may be experiencing, that’s tough work. What, then, can we do for our cherished leaders? A few thoughts comeMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

September 14, 2023

Holy crosses

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, For Caregivers, Lifestyle, Soul Searchings, Words

September 14, 2023

2 Min Read

Add Comment

14September

  On Holy Cross Day (September 14), we honor Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. We thank God for Jesus’ willingness to endure a tortured death for our sakes. Centuries later, this day might also be set aside to observe the (holy) cross-bearing of those who sacrifice their well-being for the sake of others. This day could mark the suffering of anyone whose life is filled with sorrow—who carryMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

April 20, 2023

Digital inheritance questions

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Death/Dying, For Caregivers, Words

April 20, 2023

2 Min Read

Add Comment

20April

When it comes to end-of-life preparations, I think Chris and I have done a good job. (Wills, trusts, insurance policies, powers-of-attorney, memorial worship services, etc.) One vexing task remains, though: What to do about all the aspects of our estate that are primarily digital? Some writers have dubbed this phenomenon “digital inheritance”, a legacy that may present a problem for those whoMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

January 12, 2023

Helper and helped one

By Bob Sitze

In For Caregivers, Personal Power, Relationships

January 12, 2023

2 Min Read

Add Comment

12January

(Because of my advanced MO degree, I am a bona fide Master of the Obvious. That’s why this entry will likely tell you something you already know. In this case, what’s obvious is this: That although I think of myself as helpful, I’m probably also someone who other people think could use some help!) For a good share of my life—continuing into these later decades—I’ve thought of myself as someoneMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

December 8, 2022

Moral injury

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, For Caregivers, Personal Power, Words

December 8, 2022

2 Min Read

Add Comment

08December

The December, 2022 issue of Scientific American included an article titled, *“An Invisible Epidemic.” Its subject: Moral injury, a psychological condition that results when someone’s principles are violated by contextual necessities. Examples include: healthcare providers during COVID’s worst days or soldiers killing civilians during wartime. Ethically wrenching situations were their new normalMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

October 11, 2022

For pastors (only)

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, For Caregivers, Mind/Body, Relationships, Soul Searchings

October 11, 2022

3 Min Read

Add Comment

11October

I’ve known lots of pastors like you over my life. Your work has always been difficult, but recently it may have become tougher to fulfill your sense of purpose. Maybe you and I can step back here, and remember together what God offers to the world because of your vocation. That calling may be hard to describe, but it’s work that’s vital to fulfilling God’s will right now. You bring God’s wisdomMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

October 6, 2022

Ians by a different name

By Bob Sitze

In Death/Dying, For Caregivers, Lifestyle, Lifework, Personal Power, Words

October 6, 2022

2 Min Read

Add Comment

06October

Hurricane Ian seems oddly christened. In its original Gaellic, Ian means “God is good.” As a suffix, ”ian” indicates that its root has the same qualities. (Thus we know that a guardian shares the characteristics of a guard, or a librarian can be identified by whatever a library might be.) Right now it may be hard to see Ian, the catastrophic hurricane, as something good. There doesn’t seem to beMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

June 6, 2022

Dementiated conversations

By Bob Sitze

In For Caregivers, Mind/Body, Personal Power, Relationships, Words

June 6, 2022

2 Min Read

Add Comment

06June

For about twelve years, I’ve visited a resident—let’s call her Gladys—at the same assisted living facility where my mother spent her last years. We used to talk about current events, revived memories, family circumstances and wisdom of all kinds. Now, with Gladys’s dementia working its will, the back-and-forth of a satisfying conversation might seem impossible. That’s not true, thoughMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment

June 18, 2021

Blessed assurance

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, For Caregivers, Lifework, Personal Power, Relationships, Words

June 18, 2021

2 Min Read

Add Comment

18June

  Schools are out, so this may be the time of year when your grandparenting kicks into high gear. A good share of that honored relationship could be summarized in the phrase, “Blessed assurance.”  (Yes, I am aware that some readers may accuse me of stealing words from a beloved hymn writer. In my defense, though, let’s just say that I’m singing them differently….) Much of your work withMORE...

Read onRead laterAdd Comment