february 21 - Chicken Soup for the {Caregiving} Soul

God pushed me right out of my safe little box today....and I survived!!!  A friend asked me a couple of months ago to speak at her women's group at her church on caregiving.  At first I was hesitant, but I knew there were some things on my heart that I thought I could impart to these women.  As time went by, I thought about backing out {coward}, but I didn't.  I am really not a public speaker, but I believed that if the Lord urged her to ask me to speak, then He must believe that I have a message for these women at this time.  This was confirmed through a message from my own pastor a few weeks ago about stepping out of our comfort zones...ugh...ok ok....So I prayed for courage and direction and shared a message today.  We talked about the {heart} of caregiving, from a spiritual perspective...honor, respect and nurturing...and how this spirit of caring can be contagious...then we talked about some practical aspects about caring for aging parents, ill family members and each other.  My prayer is that the Lord used me to inspire and  encourage these women.  I was honored to have been invited and very blessed by their warm welcome.  Thank you for blessing me with your personal stories and encouraging words.  

shellieb