Overwhelmed?

One of the biggest things caregivers and widows deal with is the feeling of being overwhelmed. I remember feeling that way for a while when my husband was battling his cancer. Even when he was in remission, he didn’t have the strength to do the things here at the house that had always been his responsibility. Caring for a loved one it is a huge task.
Allowing others to help when they offer may be out of your character. However, I eventually learned that not only was it a blessing to me to be able to respond, “Yes, if you want, to you could plow my driveway,” or do such and such,” but it gives them the opportunity to be blessed as well.
After I became a widow, it took a couple years to be able to adjust to all of the added responsibility and to learn how to prioritize the many things that I felt needed to be done.
Letting others do things for us and prioritizing certainly help us when we are overwhelmed. The most important thing that I remembered is when I’m weary or overwhelmed with this life, I fall into God’s arms. He is waiting for us to rest in Him. He says in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me all ye that labor and I will give you rest.” God wants to be “…our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) Tell Him how you are feeling and remember the Bible says that our load is heavy, but His is light. Ask Him to carry your burdens for you.
Although we find ourselves walking or swimming in deep waters and it feels like we will drown, we can be assured that He promised to never let the waters overtake us. I learned I needed to trust in that promise and to rest in that truth while I reached out to Him and allowed Him to pull me out of the waters and up to the other side. Once I realized my need and turned to Him, my burden became light. That weight I was carrying was gone.
It has been three years since my beloved went to Heaven, and I am still learning. However, the more I remember to turn to God and rely on Him as my husband, the calmer my pathway becomes. Remember, we do not have to walk this life alone!

Read also: Psalm 43:2 “When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee….”

Never alone

Good morning,

The sun is shining brightly today. I took my coffee and sat on the porch swing early this morning. It was not daylight yet, h0wever the birds in the trees were singing their morning songs already. I love to  sit and listen to the sounds of God’s creation around me. Last night I heard bullfrogs from the pond when I was in the backyard. The sounds all around my house remind me of God’s continual presence and love.

When you have lost someone you love, it is easy to feel alone. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are never alone. I am very aware that since my husband went to be with the Lord, humanly speaking, I am alone. That is, I live alone. However, in reality, I am NOT alone. It is impossible for our friends and family to be with us at all times, but Joshua 1:5 tells us “Only God can stand with us all the days of our life.” Our lifetime mates and our children can not make that promise. Psalm 16:8 states that God is at my right hand. “I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”

As a deceiver, Satan wants to make us forget that God is always with us. He wants us to look at our circumstances we are in.  It could be you have lost a child, as I have. Or, you may be a young widow such as me. Satan wants us to focus on these losses and to feel like no one understands. He wants us to feel alone in our grief. He does not want us to focus on God. Do not misunderstand me. God wants us to allow ourselves to grieve. He gave us tears. He does not want us to forget our loved ones. However, He does want us to feel His presence and His comfort in the midst of our grief.

Today, keep your mind focused on God and his presence and remember that He is with you always.

If any of you readers do not have that peace and comfort to carry with you daily please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to show you how you can recieve it. May God bless you today.

Poem “OUR BOY” – One Year Later

I am reposting this blog this week in honor of the one year anniversary of the home-going of  sweet Jeremiah Ulmer. I have watched his family sorrow, yet not without hope.  I have grieved in my own heart with them as well.  We continue to remember him daily. February 6th will represent the completion of a year of “first’s”. It is not, however, the end of grieving. Grieving does not come with an expiration date. Everyone’s grief is different. Still,  I know from the loss of my own dear son that their grief will continue to lessen over each new year. As each wave tosses them out into the sea of grief, each wave will also bring them back closer to the lighthouse on  shore.  As I have watched them travel this first part of their journey, I have seen the entire family keep their eyes heaven-ward and lean on their Savior.   This week is bringing to close one year of  indescribable joy and peace for Jeremiah as well as one year of learning to cling to God for His healing and peace for his family. May God bless them as they they start another year in their journey with their Lord.

“OUR BOY”

by Charlotte Ulmer Minium on Friday, March 2, 2012 at 2:44pm ·

“Our Boy”

by Stephanie R. Ulmer

I heard your prayer from up above,

For another boy to hold and love,

And so I fashioned one with grace,

A beautiful boy with a handsome face,

I gave him twinkling eyes of blue,

His baby skin was soft and new,

He had ten fingers and ten little toes,

Big chubby cheeks and a cute little nose,

A hearty laugh, an adorable grin,

He was as sweet as a boy could have been,

And so I was finished, my planning was done,

I sent him to earth, I gave you your son.

Take heed though, I whispered, his time won’t be long,

Make each moment count, for soon he’ll be gone,

And so I watched ‘or him from heaven above,

Our boy was growing, he was showered with love,

He teased his sisters and played with his brother,

He respected his father and was sweet to his mother,

He liked hunting and fishing whenever he could,

He picked on his siblings like little boys should,

He loved knives and guns and trucks that were loud,

He was boy to the core and he made us all proud,

But just like I told you it didn’t take long,

Our boy grew up. He was tall, he was strong,

No longer a child, He was more like a man,

You had hopes for his future, but that wasn’t My plan.

I missed the boy, he was Mine from the start,

I knew all his thoughts, I knew him by heart,

And so when his time on earth was all passed,

I called My boy home, back to heaven at last!

He came in an instant, My bright happy child,

And when he caught sight of the angels, he smiled.

He’s up here in heaven, he’s sheltered from harm,

He’s safer than ever he was on your farm,

His eyes are still sparkling a beautiful blue,

His skin is remade, its again fresh and new,

The memories he left are all yours to share,

They’re sweet and they’re precious, so handle with care,

And so when your feeling discouraged or blue,

Remember he’s Mine, but I shared him with you.

In Loving Memory

Of

Jeremiah Justin Ulmer

5/27/93 – 2/6/12

Jeremiah with his big 7 pt. buck. He shot him from 750 yards away straight through the eye. He couldn’t have been more proud.