What happens when caregiving forces you to confront your most painful memories? For Susie Lewis, caring for her parents became an unexpected journey toward freedom and healing.
Susie shares the contrasting experiences of caring for her mother with terminal cancer for 30 days in her mother's home, and later having her father live with her and her husband for four and a half years. While these seasons brought their unique challenges, they also offered profound gifts of restoration and growth.
The conversation takes a powerful turn as Susie reveals how caring for her father—who had inflicted "almost every form of abuse" during her childhood—triggered past trauma but ultimately led to deeper healing. When a physical therapist's simple statement about her father not being able to be left alone triggered feelings of being trapped, Susie found herself having a breakdown. This crisis opened the door to Christian counseling and addressing wounds she'd carried for decades.
Through beautiful anecdotes—like learning to crochet with her dying mother and laughing together when her mother became tangled in pools of yellow yarn—Susie illustrates how caregiving's difficulties are often intertwined with its most precious gifts. That final crocheted basket remains one of her most treasured possessions, and the skill has allowed her to create baby blankets for all fourteen of her grandchildren.
For those currently walking the caregiving path, Susie offers wisdom earned through experience: write down memories you think you'll never forget, and prioritize simple forms of self-care. "If you do not take care of yourself, you cannot take care of your loved one," she emphasizes, suggesting that even ten minutes outside walking and praying can provide essential renewal.
Listen now to discover how staying the course through caregiving's challenges can lead to unexpected freedom, healing, and the fulfillment of honoring parents in profound ways. Susie's story reminds us that God weaves relationships into our lives precisely when we need them—often before we even know we'll need them.
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