There are many little victories to celebrate within the Caregiving battle, and there are also many casualties suffered along the way. My Mom has had Alzheimer's for about 8 years. It has been a very slow digression. One of the great honors & blessings I will always cherish is that as soon as it became apparent of Mom's condition I backed off of volunteering at my church service and started attending alongside my Mom at her church service. We did this almost every week for 6+ years usually followed by lunch together at one of a few of our favorite local diners. I know this time together meant the world to my Mom (as well as to me). I can only imagine the joy a parent has when their adult children wantingly go to church with them. And that's what it was - a pure joy we shared together as long as we could. Then COVID hit 2 years ago around the same time Mom's condition got worse. So one of the personal casualties of our Caregiving battle is that I've not only missed in-person church with my Mom for 2 years, but I personally have missed in-person church by myself for 2 years (as well as working out, eating healthy, maintaining my house, maintaining friendships, and many other little casualties). I've watched church online during this time, but it's not the same as being there in person. Mom no longer gets up early enough to get ready for church and the packed days oftentimes makes Sunday morning church a herculean size task. But last week I was able to go and attend church, hear the Word of God preached, and participate in community praise & worship for the first time in 2 years. It's so encouraging to see God working in so many people's lives. It felt so good to be back involved in one of the greatest inventions God ever made - the church! I've never missed this much church in my life and I hope this will be the first of many Sundays that I'm back where I soooooo long to be. =)
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