Mike Queen
I have kept my star word on my desk and looked at it every day. Truth is, when I randomly got my word, I knew what it would mean for me.
My word was “dependability”.
With Bobbie’s disease progressing steadily as it has, I knew more would be required of me. She is now virtually totally dependent on me for everything. I say that, not to complain, but to explain.
She asks me for everything. She has lost all confidence in herself. She doesn’t like for me to leave the house without her. Even when our daughter is her caring for her, she constantly asks when I will return.
Early on in the disease, she lamented that I “did not sign on for this”. I told her that I thought I had. “For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health”.
So, yes, my star word has spoken to me. Every day. Pretty much every hour. This is my responsibility. This is my calling, at this point in my life. My being dependable for her gives her a sense of security, which she desperately needs these days.
I must also say that many of our family and friends have also been dependable. When I have a doctor’s appointment or need to be out of town, someone steps up. I am both grateful and dependent on each and all of them. Thanks be to God for their grace to Bobbie and me.
And, of course, I am dependent upon God. Perhaps it is because I am now older or perhaps it is because of our circumstance; but nurturing my relationship with God has become even more important to me. I find myself leaning on the everlasting arms most every day. And those arms…they are open, strong, and dependable.