Getting and giving help in God's timing

5:58 p.m. Today's project was to attend a caregivers' support group at Encore Village, a very nice residential care home where my friend's 85 year-old disabled father lives. I thought it might be a good discussion, as well as a nice location to begin my project of providing beautifully wrapped tubes of hand cream for elderly care home residents for Christmas. On the way home I planned to stop at Care Connexxus, an adult daycare center, where I needed to drop off the TB test result and medical exam paperwork from Steve's doctor.

The PLAN, anyway, was to usher the caregiver in the door at 8:30 a.m. and have some time to show them where the lunch supplies are, and get the them started walking the dogs with Steve. The support group started at 9:30 across town. 8:45, 9:00, Brightstar couldn't get hold of the assigned worker. By 9:45, I got word that one of our best caregivers was called as a replacement, and he was on his way. I left a voicemail on my friend's phone, told her my predicament. I decided that if that's what God allowed, then I'd best "go with the flow," instead of acting in futility of mind, so I might, as Ephesians 3:16 says,

be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.

Thus, Plan B. The Lord said, "Just go to Care Connexxus." So I not only saved precious mileage, and turned in Steve' paperwork and consulted with the business' accountant and social worker, but gave them my letter describing the donations I would be asking to collect from local businesses. With the information, I gave out cosmetic and fragrance samples. Since Care Connexxus holds a Christmas party for participants and staff, the staff was pleased with the idea. Thank you, Lord! Now, of course, I need to hotfoot it to some nearby businesses to raise participation for the free hand cream.

The Lord had more blessing in store, even as I was on my way out of the door. I saw a small lady in a self-propelled wheelchair, who looked very familiar. "Is that Rose Oliver?" I asked the social worker. "Yes, but she doesn't talk." "I know," I replied. "She had a massive stroke about 8 or 10 years ago.May I go back in?" I announced, "Rose! It's Dana!" She gave me a quizzical, but alert processing look. "I'm Dana! Remember me?" Her face just lit up, and she said, her only accessible words for the last decade, "Oh my!" Rose was such a civic-minded public volunteer in Riverside, co-chair of one of my school board fundraisers and helped coordinate the Mayor's races as well. She and Rose Mayes shepherded the city's fundraising commitment to finally, after 5 years, get the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue, engraved with scriptures, set up at City Hall. Rose is an outstanding leader and was an active member of her First Baptist Church. Since she is no longer in a skilled nursing facility, I can surmise that God has been faithful to give her a huge amount of healing. I am blessed by Malachi 4:2:

But to you who fear My name

The Sun of Righteousness shall

arise

With healing in His wings

And I will not give up on helping Steve better his health and mental acuity. On that note, while driving up to my house, I was reminded to stop over across the street at retired teacher Carol's home to share my book, Galatians: an Exploration of Faith and Freedom, with her. She had been on the run during my signing at Berean almost a month ago, and asked me to bring the Bible study over. But do you know that my 3 weeks of sciatica followed on the heels of that day, and I just couldn't walk or go anywhere unless it was mandatory. It was so good of the Lord to remind me while Steve's caregiver was at our house. We had an unhurried visit, and she not only bought a book to do the study on her own, but she plans to recommend it in her position as a Bible study teacher at their church. The other important point we covered is that she has begun taking a brain-building supplement, and her memory is improving. Claims have been that it has the effect of alleviation of Alzheimer's symptoms, which need to be examined. At the very least I need to check it out and maybe buy it for our children who have a measure of genetic risk.

I am grateful for the way my day--the Lord's day--turned out, all to His glory and our good!