Blessed in This Mess

Describe your 2025. My year and my 2025 podcast releaseschedule can be wrapped up in this Yiddish phrase, “Mann tracht un Gott lacht.” Man plans and God laughs.   Sounds much like Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” I had planned to share a podcast episode each month in 2025.After April, that didn’t happen! Listen in as I re...

Peace of mind is a hot commodity. I’m betting you would agree. So many circumstances (and even some people we know) can steal our peace! The Apostle Paul talks about “peace that passes understanding.” What is that, and how do we access it? Peace that passes understanding is NOT… Easily obtained…it requires a willingness to study, to confess, to be humbled, to let go of control, and to believe. A v...

I know a number of caregivers or spouses who are going through some really hard changes right now. Maybe that’s you; maybe it’s someone you love. You’re exhausted, sad, angry, or just numb. You’re coming to terms with a new diagnosis, a deteriorating condition, hard changes in a relationship, a difficult move or adjusting to the loss of someone central in your life, someone you love very much. I’m...

Even before I was married, I inherited a china cabinet that held special table settings from both of my grandmothers. As a new bride I added the china my husband and I selected to that cabinet. Over time, and with a lot more life in the rearview mirror, my philosophy about using our family china has certainly changed. In this episode I explain why I use our china every chance I get, and I encourag...

It's January, the perfect month to pivot the podcast in a slightly different direction. I'm excited to share this first episode of 2025, when I'm expanding my focus to offer encouragement and support across the board...to family caregivers AND anyone who could use gentle reminders about self-care, faith formation and maintaining a posture of gratitude, especially when life is messy. What’s been yo...

New year, fresh vision, new focus for the Blessed in This Mess podcast, "Encouragement for Every Season." I’d like my digital footprint to reflect the positivity and light I carry with me, on my best days, yes, but especially when life is messy. Can you relate to a messy life? When the check engine light comes on and you smell oil. When an adult child accepts a fabulous new job...800 miles from ho...

This is the year in review, with a look at my top three lessons learned as I focused on “strengthening relationships in person ” in 2023. It has been a wonderful year, filled with unexpected blessings as I connected with other caregivers and translated my experiences into podcast episodes. Lesson #1: There is no substitute for being fully present with each other, face to face, heart to heart. Chec...

I'm flipping the script this Thanksgiving week, with this special prayer for family caregivers. Mara Botonis was a caregiver by profession until her work became personal when her grandfather, who had raised her, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Mara penned this prayer, which is really an exercise in unspoken gratitude, in her book, When Caring Takes Courage . I believe the sentiments shared in...

November provides an opportunity for us to pause, share our experiences, and be strengthened in our journeys, as it is BOTH National Family Caregivers Month AND Diabetes Awareness Month. So many of us just do what we do day to day, seldom advocating in a public way, seldom sharing our struggles, sometimes too weary to answer another question or educate even interested family members or friends abo...

Has family caregiving changed you? Your personality? Your outlook? The way you view yourself or others? I recently asked this question to a room full of family caregivers, and the response was overwhelmingly affirmative. Caregiving for someone with a chronic illness, extended sickness, or disability is life-changing, and not necessarily in a good way. I suggest we have a choice around the way in w...

A focus on gratitude has become one of the most powerful tools in my caregiver toolbox. I have found it to be a gamechanger, especially when days are long and exhausting, or one challenging day as a family caregiver runs seamlessly into another. Did you know there is science to a posture of gratitude around changes in body chemistry and neuropathways? Our bodies release chemicals when we practice...

Last month I lost a special person whose positive influence on my formative years as a young professional is undeniable. This episode takes me back to the 1980s (VHS movies, big hair and big shoulder pads) for a reflection on the passage of time, often a precarious subject for family caregivers. We may dread the hours we spend caring for someone we know is not going to get better. We may wish we c...

Two years ago, I was really struggling with sleep while caregiving for my mom, who was in her final weeks of life after several strokes and years of vascular dementia. Falling asleep was one thing. Waking at 3 a.m. and not being able to fall back to sleep was a whole other issue. The thoughts would swirl and build momentum, as I became more conscious, increasingly fretful, and fully awake in the e...

The more I connect with family caregivers, the more I see the real need for frequent reminders about self-care. It's SO EASY to neglect our own wellness when our days and nights are busy with the challenges of caregiving. Today's podcast is a story about chicken soup, but it's also encouragement to approach self-care from a direction advocated by one of my favorite writers, Emily P. Fr...

The hosts of one of my favorite podcasts, The Daily Grace Podcast , open each episode with delightful chatter about their latest “favorite things.” On days when I am particularly exhausted or overwhelmed with the caregiving gauntlet, I especially enjoy this chatter. It’s light and entertaining. You can tell the hosts enjoy it too, as they describe, in detail, the best thing about something as friv...

This episode features the story of Sue ("Mama Sue") Garrett, an unlikely social media sensation and the grandmotherly face of Mama Sue's Southern Kitchen . I stumbled upon her Facebook videos in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. That year, at the urging of her daughter, she began recording herself cooking simple family recipes in her kitchen. Her intent was to help young moms who...

As I shared in Episode 25, my personal focus in 2023 is on strengthening relationships, in person, face to face. I wasn't really sure how many podcast episodes I would produce this year. God has had the lead on this venture all along. That continues. While I relish the creative process, and I love interviewing guests, my 2022 production/promotion schedule was so time-consuming. This extrovert miss...

2022 was an unbelievable year for the Blessed in This Mess podcast. Thank you for supporting my work in so many ways! In this episode I pay tribute to the year that was and share my plans for 2023, where my focus will be on strengthening relationships in person, rather than creating new podcast episodes and promoting them on social media. In the new year, my website and the archive of Blessed in T...

I see you in the grocery store or out in the community. You're caring for a loved one whose health is complicated or deteriorating, maybe an elderly parent or medically-complex spouse or adult child, and you're exhausted. The daily grind is wearing on you. You need help, but you're not sure where to turn.  My guest for this episode knows the landscape well. Rod Lane is the Owner and Executive...

Katie Roseborough, my guest for this episode, is one amazing mama. Wife and mom of three and a licensed physical therapist, she completely reconfigured her work focus when her daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) in 2020. By January of 2021 Katie was cranking out episodes of The Sugar Mama’s Podcast, designed to support moms and other caregivers raising kids with T1D. She started with...

In honor of National Diabetes Awareness Month, today’s episode features psychotherapist JoAnne Robb, MFT, from Oakland, CA, mother of two children living with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Her passion is working with families affected by the disease to support emotional wellness and healthy relationships. JoAnne offers fresh perspective and practical answers to the behavioral questions that cause the gre...

I’ve learned that some of the most authentic dialogue in podcasting happens when the official recording has ended, and host and guest, connected by some common human experience, share their hearts with each other. That happened to me again last week. I was guest to a young mom who has quickly become an online influencer in the Type 1 diabetes world. She hosts a popular podcast for fellow T1D moms...

Just as it’s not easy being a family caregiver, it’s not easy being married to one. My special guest is Bill Schlosser, DMD, my husband and a general dentist who regularly interacts with patients who are caring for family members through chronic illness, extended sickness, or disability. Bill relates easily to them, as he’s witnessed me serve as primary caregiver for our son, diagnosed with Type 1...

There can be a tremendous amount of emotion (guilt, anger, anxiety, grief, etc.) in the life of family caregivers. Have you ever wondered if you’d benefit from talking about your experience with a licensed therapist or counselor? Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Kathleen Lyons is my guest on this episode. Kathleen provides very helpful information about when and how professional counselors...

This episode is a gift for all who have asked for a “sample” meditation to relax the mind and body. Amy Denney, certified Holy Yoga instructor, returns as my guest. (You may remember Amy from Episode 5, where she led us in deep breathing exercises.) Amy shares her insight about “yoga nidra,” which is typically done lying down. This practice is not intended to put you to sleep, but to offer deep re...