"Where There Seems To Be No Way"

Speaking of hangry, we've got something going on at the Truth Network that's going to help the world not be so hangry. Yeah, he's talking about just needing God's Word. He said, please help the Truth Network send Bibles to Africa.

And we know that they need God's Word. We have until the end of the month, just $5 gets a Bible in the hands of a poor, impoverished believer all over the African continent with the help of the Bible League. Just $5.

Just think about that, Robbie. Just $5. So please give. If you can give more than $5, man, we'd love for you to do it. And the number to call is 1-800-YES-WORD. 1-800-YES-WORD. 1-800-YES-WORD. Welcome to Hope for the Caregiver.

I am Peter Rosenberger. This is the nation's number one show for you as a family caregiver. We're glad that you're here with us. Glad to be here on American Family Radio, bringing you 35 years of experience to help you stay strong and healthy as you take care of someone who is not. And if you want to be a part of the show, 888-589-8840. 888-589-8840. And we'd love to have you with us.

Want to get into a couple things right now. First off, let me start off with Psalm 119, 105. You all know this. Psalm 119, 105. And it is, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. You all know that one.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. And that brings me to our trivia song for the day, which we're reflecting to our opening monologue. And I want to do all of that to tie it all together.

It'll be a nice package. So if you know this song, feel free to call in. Do you know that song? And that is a, the message of that song is going to be very applicable to us as family caregivers. And that brings me to a story I want to tell you of Gracie, myself and our sons many, many years ago. And we were leaving West Yellowstone, Montana. We've been at the park that day. And if those of you may be familiar with that area, we were going from there to Big Sky, Montana. And there's a highway that goes out of West Yellowstone and it goes straight up to Big Sky. But it goes still staying through the park. And when you go through the park, there are no lights.

There are no dwellings for a long stretch of that journey. And it was snowing heavily when we got there, when we left West Yellowstone. And the lights of West Yellowstone were bright and all that stuff. And then we drove out and all of a sudden, boom, all the lights were gone. And you're driving on this road and it's covered with snow.

I mean, covered with snow. And the snow was pouring down. Remember that scene when you first saw Star Wars when they went into hyperspace and the lights just kind of came at you.

And, you know, it was just such an amazing moment in the movie theater. Well, that's what it felt like when we were driving. And so I'm driving down there and there's a line of people leaving.

And I'm kind of following along these people. I'm looking at their taillights. And I'm kind of following because you can't see the road. And one by one, though, it I think it must have dawn on all of us in that caravan of cars leaving, that we were all looking at the taillights and trusting that that person in front of us knew where they were going. But I knew that the Gallatin River and the wilderness is there to easily get off the road and you're in trouble. And I thought, okay, do I know if these people are doing what they need to be doing? Or do they know where they're going? And one by one, though, everybody kept pulling off and letting everybody else pass them.

And pretty soon I found myself in the lead. I'm driving on a road. I've got the kids are asleep in the back. Gracie's dozing off and I'm holding on to the steering wheel for dear life because I truly cannot see more than one reflector in front of me. It is these big tall reflectors. They put double decker reflectors out there on this highway and I couldn't see anything past that. There's one on either side of the road. And I know if I stay between those, I'd be on the road. And that's all I had. And I did that for many, many miles driving through the snow.

Now, that's pretty normal for everybody out here in Montana on a regular basis, but it was my first time doing it and it was a little bit nerve wracking. Eventually, we saw the lights of big sky and we got there and everything was OK. Well, what's the lesson learned from this as a caregiver? I think it's pretty obvious to you, me and everyone else that sometimes all we have is one reflector at a time.

That's all we get. And as long as we stay, you know, guided by that reflector, we're going to stay in the road. Reflectors are put there for a reason that we as caregivers like to live way down the road. We like to worry about what's coming.

And we are certain we know what's coming. But oftentimes the light that we have is only for the next the next step. That word is a lamp into my feet and a light into my path.

It's what it says. It didn't say it's a searchlight. That word is a lamp into my feet. And when you're dealing with the uncertainties that you deal with as a family caregiver, are you anchoring yourself in the Word of God to understand what your next step is? Now, I've looked through all of scripture and there is no place where it talks about a guy taking care of his wife with 80 surgeries and both of her legs amputated. So I can't go to scripture and say, OK, Lord, should we go see this doctor?

That's not it. But what happens with us as caregivers is we are so torqued by our fear, by the strain that we live under, that we make sometimes rash decisions. And we have to slow down, slow down, turn on our low beams. You know, when you're driving in snow, you don't want to have your high beams on.

You have to turn on your low beams and you're only going to see what's right in front of you. And in order to better deal with that, you're going to have to just go slow and deal with the next step at a time. Now that sounds unpleasant, and it can be, but it's not nearly as unpleasant as driving off into a river. It's not nearly as unpleasant as getting stuck in the snow, you know, late at night in the middle of nowhere.

That's unpleasant. And so we as caregivers can get ourselves stuck in some very tough situations. But God has set things for us to be able to look at, if we're paying attention, we can follow the reflectors that are there. So when you have bad news that comes in, what are you, what's the reflector that puts you back on solid footing, that keeps you on the road?

What is that reflector for you? What has God done in your life and communicated clearly in your life that you realize, oh, this is where I'm supposed to be. This is safety. Because He doesn't just willy-nilly abandon us to these things. He is there with us.

That's the whole point. That's what His name means, Emmanuel, God with us. He tabernacles with us.

Okay, that's what it means. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for what? Thou art with me. And so He is not going to abandon us. But are we going slow enough, intentional enough, deliberate enough, and respectful of the conditions enough that we're not going to get ourselves hurt. We may not get there as fast as we'd like. In fact, I'm certain of it, we won't. But that doesn't mean that we won't get there safely.

You follow what I'm saying? So that's our song today. 888-589-8840. 888-589-8840 if you know this song. I'm walking over to the caregiver keyboard. Caregiver keyboard.

Now I'm here at the caregiver keyboard. Okay, if you know that song, give us a call. 888-589-8840.

And tell me why that song is important to you. 888-589-8840. This is Hope for the Caregiver.

This is Peter Rosenberger. This is the show for you as a family caregiver. You know, healthy caregivers make better caregivers. Are you healthy today? Do you feel healthy? Would you like to be healthy today?

What does that even look like for you? This is what we talked about in the show. Don't go away. We got more to go.

We'll be right back. Jeremiah 29-11 says, I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. To give you a future and a hope. I know, I know the plans I have for you. I know just what you're going through. So when you can't see what tomorrow holds and yesterday is through, remember I know the plans I have for you. Welcome back to Hope for the Caregiver. This is Peter Rosenberger. This is the show for you as a family caregiver.

That's my wife, Gracie, from her. I love that song and I love that, that voice and I've been listening to that voice for a lifetime and love, love, love, love, love what she does and with a song and I'm glad if you want, by the way, if you'd like that, if you would like that, that CD, we actually have a lot of equipment we have to ship over to Africa right now. Prosthetic limbs that we recycle and thank you all, by the way, we've been getting so many used prosthetic limbs into the prison where they recycle them. They're coming in from all around the country and they go to a prison in Arizona. It's run by a company out of Tennessee and they go to a prison in Arizona where inmates volunteer to disassemble them for us so we can recycle the feet, the knees, the pylon, all the screws, the adapters, all that kind of stuff and you have to build a new socket for the patient, but you can recycle a lot of materials on it and that's what we do. And so now we got to ship it over there and we've got quite a bit to ship and we could use your help. If you want to be a part of that, we'll send you, actually I've got a special thing, if you want to do just a one-time thing of $250, we'll send you a copy of my book, Gracie CD and my CD. You can go out to hopeforthecaregiver.com and learn more. hopeforthecaregiver.com. If you like this show and what's going on with this show and the message of this show and you want to be a part of helping get this out even further, go out there today, hopeforthecaregiver.com and be a part of what we're doing.

All right, I got a few folks that seem to know the song and we're going to go to them right now. This is, well, this is Betsy in Tennessee. Hey Betsy. Hey Peter. No, I'm Peter. I'm Peter, you're Betsy. Yes, I know. I've been messing with my phone trying to get me off hearing you on my phone and just the radio.

I'm calling in because God will make a way. Indeed. But by the way, y'all, I knew when I saw Betsy in Tennessee, I knew who this was. Betsy and her family are one of my longest old, well, not oldest friends. They're one of my longtime friends.

I mean, we go back 40 years. I just love her and her family. Betsy, tell me this. You know the song. Why is it, why is that song important to you? Well, that song when it came out, and I don't know when it came out exactly, but I'm trying to remember who sang that song. Don Mohler.

Yeah, okay. With Integrity Music or something, one of those. But it really was ministering when I, when I listened to the first time, I think I just cried because it was so powerful and because it was so full of truth and it just at that time was very special to someone very special to me. And I was able to pass on that song to a very special friend and it really ministered to her and it has ministered to me whenever I've heard it. And just now when you started playing it, I just had a wonderful thought of that, the power of the words in that song because when you do belong to Christ, he does make a way and he does cause everything to turn out for our good and he does put the lamp on everything.

He opens and shows the way and we just praise him for that. You know, the story from what I understand of why he wrote this is some friends of theirs had gone through some kind of terrible accident where multiple family members had died and Don wrote this. And when you listen to the lyrics, I'm over here at the caregiver keyboard, Betsy. I know it. God will make a way where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see. He will make a way for me. He will be my God, hold me closely to his side. With love and strength for each new day. He will make a way.

God will make a way. It would be better if Gracie sang it, but she doesn't get up this early in the morning. And well, I was just thinking you can sing too.

That was very good. But when you're married to a singer, it's best if I don't. She does kind of do over you a little bit.

She has a beautiful voice and y'all are one team. Well, I think this is thank you for that. I think this is this song Betsy is for me. It's one of those simple lyrics God will make a way and I think about driving through that snowy Canyon and only going one reflector at a time. And you know, it's you.

You'd love to be able to race down the road and get there. You feeling kind of nervous and unsettled. You don't really know what's going on. You don't know what's ahead of you, but you just got to go one step one reflector at a time knowing that God will make a way where there seems to be no way and if there's nothing else that a caregiver will remember in those moments when it gets so gnarly when it just gets so crazy that God does indeed make a way and so that's that's what I felt like I that we as caregivers would benefit from today.

How's that sound? Well, I know that I haven't ever done anything that that hard in my life. I only helped with my mom for about six months and it was it was some hard times, but at the same time God and he does he makes a way and when you think that there's no way to get through a day sometimes then you know when your trust is in him, he just he's the one that holds and carries you and he will he will get you through no matter what it is and you you don't do credit to the journey that you and your family have had which has been significant and you've had moments when you guys, you know looked at each other wondered how we've had some interesting moments and you know some and I remember one particular time.

I won't go into the story of it. But then I remember thinking I don't know what to do. I don't know how to handle this. But all I do know is that the Lord is with me and I'm going to have to trust his word and you know, it just again makes me think of another passage, you know Proverbs three five when you just trust in the Lord with all your heart all your heart. You can't lean on your own understanding and you ever left you ever leaned on your own understanding. Betsy many times it's not a good idea. It's like leading on a broken crutch for me.

It just doesn't go anywhere. Yeah, there's no way because we don't have the you know, even I wouldn't even say a little fraction of God's wisdom and understanding and foreknowledge. So we put our life in his hands and he will get us to the destination and we might be a little beaten up but we'll get there. Well, I remember when when Gracie was facing her first amputation way back in 91. She had struggled for years to you know, deal with that leg and finally it was going to have to come off and she said later.

She said I didn't know what was on the other side of that operating room door, but I knew who waited for me there. Oh, I mean, and I think that's that's the that's that's the the faith. I'd like to emulate is knowing that he is already there and he's not only with us, but he's already where we're going to be going and that the uncertainty is what plagues so many caregivers. We live torqued up in fear. We lived with these things and it's the human condition.

It's not just unique to us as caregivers, but it is the human condition of wondering. Okay, what are we going to do? What are we going to do?

What are we going to do? And when it just crashes down on us, that that that verse thy word is a lamp to my feet and I find that if people will will intentionally deliberately and and and and regularly go back to the word of God. They will find that clarity of thought to be able to take the next step so that they understand that God indeed will make a way and and that word is a lamp unto my feet. It is not a searchlight. It is a lamp and a light unto my path. He's not it's not like you're landing on an airstrip with there's tons and tons of lights. And so we want that but that's not what he's offering. He's asking us to trust him and that he's there with us.

And that's the whole message of the song of that verse and and what we're trying to do on this show is to let people know that you really can trust him with each step. Those reflectors that were put there in that I was driving to they weren't put there in the dead of winter. They were put there in the summer when they had clear light. So I could trust that they were going to get me to where I want to go.

Well, the reflectors that God has put in were put in because he is the light and he knows exactly what he's doing. So Betsy you have well, it's always a treat. I got to ask you one favor. Say hello to mom and dad because they're listening. They listen every Saturday morning. Say hello to mom and dad because I know how much they love you.

Good morning. They're lighting up right now and they're listening right now. So they will you love on your family and you tell Tommy that he's always welcome to call in to. I know he won't I know I know he won't but he's always welcome to Betsy. Thank you very much.

This Peter Rosenberg. This is hope for the caregiver. This is the show for you as a family caregiver. We are grateful that you're with us 888-589-8840 888-589-8840 If that's all been important to you, if that's been meaningful to you, let us know about it. Welcome back to hope for the caregiver here on American Family Radio. This is the show for you as a family caregiver 888-589-8840 888-589-8840 If you want to be a part of the show and we're glad to have you with us.

That was Gracie again. I she just proved why I don't sing very much and she does and so I love listening to her say that's from her CD resilient. Go out to hope for the caregiver.com hope for the caregiver.com. You see how to get that a copy of that CD.

And if you like what you're hearing on the show to the show is meaningful to you. Would you consider helping us by going out there today? We really have a pressing need of getting a bunch of supplies of prosthetic limb parts over to West Africa. We've been working over there for 15 years and this is what Gracie envisioned after giving up both of her legs of being able to help her fellow amputees. Inmates at a prison Arizona recycled prosthetic limbs that come in from all over the country.

And then we ship those supplies over to West Africa where they will then use those to build a custom fit limb. And if you want to be a part of doing that we're asking for one time gift 250 bucks and you can we'll send you a copy of Gracie CD my CD and my book as a thank you for that go out to hope for the caregiver.com today and see how you could be a part of this. Let's go to Dewey in Texas Dewey. Good morning. Hello. Good morning Dewey. How are you feeling? Oh, I'm feeling great this morning. You're on the radio. I love you every Saturday morning.

Well, thank you very much Dewey. Thank you. Tell me what's going on with you today. Oh my wife about eight years six years ago six years. Yeah, she developed cancer in her throat and in her stomach area and they got rid of all the cancer through chemo and you know how that works just a lot of needing extra care and stuff and then she's cured of the cancer they said but she's still got stomach troubles and she's still sick half of the time and it's just one thing after another and then I had to have a pacemaker putty a new pacemaker putty in and it's just been a real struggle the last couple months and your show really just livens up everything for us. Unfortunately, I did not know the song this morning. I usually do but you know what now I was able to get through.

Yes. God will make a way and tell me your wife's name. My wife is Mary Grace. My wife's name is Mary Grace. So from one caregiver of a Mary Grace to another caregiver of a Mary Grace, you know, God will make a way Dewey and I love that line God will make a way where there seems to be no way and you know, ultimately the way he made was to the cross.

There was no way there was no way that we could be reunited with God. So God made a way where there seemed to be no way and then everything else reflects down from that and you know the situation with you and Mary, Mary Grace is it's a painful thing to walk through Dewey and then knowing that your own health is taking a little bit of a beating. It's a painful thing and one of the reasons I do these songs is in those painful moments if you can remember just that first line God will make a way. It sometimes helps settle us down in the midst of craziness. And so is there a particular song that means something to you Dewey?

Listen, if I get a guy calling up here whose wife's name is Mary Grace. I'm going to take a moment with you. Okay. I'm just going to take a moment with you. So is there a particular song hymn that means something to you? Yes, Amazing Grace.

Beautiful. You know and I play these things a little bit slower usually because my life is frenetic enough. I don't need my music to be frenetic and you know when you just kind of hover on those hymns you know and just you know, they're beautiful hymns and you listen anytime it gets gnarly for you Dewey anytime just because your wife's name is Mary Grace anytime you call into the show and I'll play something for you. All right, and I appreciate you calling. I appreciate you listening Dewey. I'm glad to know that the show is meaningful to you. It is not an easy thing to take care of a Mary Grace.

I'm just saying that for personal experience. She's asleep so she won't hear that. She's asleep.

Yeah, mine is too I hope. Well, I will leave you with this Dewey. I'll leave you this and I got take some more calls, but I'll leave you with this. Our Savior is the ultimate caregiver of a wounded bride. Okay, you're taking care of your wounded bride. I'm taking care of my wounded bride, but you know what our Savior takes care of his wounded bride and he's the ultimate caregiver of that. So as you care for Mary Grace, just remember that you have a Savior who truly truly gets this. Okay, he truly gets this and he will not abandon you in this.

Okay, I know Dewey. I thank you for the call and I look forward to future calls with you. Thank you so very much for taking the time. Okay. Yes, and thank you for being a blessing.

You're quite welcome. All right, let me go to Paula in Arkansas. Paula, good morning. How are you feeling? I'm headed to a doctor's appointment. Well, on a Saturday morning, that's a challenge, isn't it?

Yes, it is. Well, I have a note here that says you're feeling guilty. Talk about that a little bit. Listen, listening to you on Saturday morning and all that you deal with, you're such an encouragement. And I'm not a, what you would call a true caregiver.

My mom's independent. But the last three months, it's been a tough one. I lost my dad three months ago.

I had gallbladder surgery two months ago. The next day, I lost my mother-in-law. And then this last Friday, two Fridays ago, my mother was in a terrible accident, which is what I lost my father from.

And she is in the rehab center quarantined for two weeks. And I'm just having separation anxiety. And that song you played this morning is such an encouragement. And it just makes me feel guilty for being so stressed when we have such a mighty God we serve. And listening to your story and these other people's stories, it just leaves me feeling guilty that I just need to praise God, I guess.

Well, let's go back to why you're feeling guilty. The way you feel, all the things that you're feeling, you've been kind of through a meat grinder here in the last couple of weeks and months and so forth. And did you hear the beginning of the show when I was talking about driving on that snowy road?

Yes. At no point on that drive did I ever feel settled. I was gripping. They had to pry my hands off the steering wheel when I got to where I was going because I was nervous the whole time. I had everyone I loved dearly, most dearly in this world were in the car counting on me to get this right. But I intentionally paid attention to the reflectors and drove slowly and did the next right thing. It was an intentional decision.

It was not haphazard. I did not just kind of wish myself into feeling more settled. I just said, OK, I'm going to willfully and knowingly trust that these reflectors are in the right place. So as you feel guilty for this and that, I get it. But I would ask you to intentionally just say to yourself out loud, you know, God will make a way where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see. And when you intentionally say that to yourself over and over and over, you're reminding yourself of truth. You're speaking it out loud.

When you intentionally say that word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, you are doing what? There's a great story. If you ever get a chance to read it, go back and read it. I think it's in 1 Samuel. And David was on the run. King Saul was chasing him all over the countryside with all his men. And David had his men with him. And the Amalekites came while they were all fighting a battle and took all of David's family, all of his men's family, all their possessions, their livestock, everything. So they came back to the camp and everything was gone. And his own men were going to stone him.

They were so outraged and upset. And David, it said, strengthened himself in the Lord by himself while he was facing being stoned. And he just strengthened himself in the Lord. That is our invitation during these moments when we feel the way you're feeling right now. You strengthen yourself in the Lord.

And how do you do that? You say out loud. You remind yourself of the things of God. So when Dewey called in a moment ago and we played Amazing Grace, that if you can do nothing else, just say to yourself, Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. And now you're strengthening yourself in the Lord. And you're giving yourself that next right thing.

You're looking at that next reflector. And you're moving along this road however slowly. It doesn't matter. Slower is the better sometimes. But don't put torture on yourself of thinking, I need to be feeling this way. I need to be feeling this way. Just declare it now that God will make a way, that his word is a lamp unto my feet, that his grace is sufficient. And when you say these things, you're strengthening yourself in the Lord.

You're calming yourself down. And then you can make the decisions that are in front of you with a clear mind and a calmer heart. Does that help a little bit?

It helps a lot. Well, listen, you are welcome to call in any time, Paula. And just as you go through the day, as you go to that doctor's appointment, just hum to yourself, God will make a way.

God will make a way where there seems to be no way. You're quite welcome. And thank you for calling. This is Peter Rosenberger. This is Hope for the Caregiver. We are so glad that you're with us. 888-589-8840.

We'll be right back. Have you ever struggled to trust God when lousy things happen to you? I'm Gracie Rosenberger. And in 1983, I experienced a horrific car accident leading to 80 surgeries and both legs amputated. I questioned why God allowed something so brutal to happen to me.

But over time, my questions changed, and I discovered courage to trust God. That understanding, along with an appreciation for quality prosthetic limbs, led me to establish Standing with Hope. For more than a dozen years, we've been working with the government of Ghana and West Africa, equipping and training local workers to build and maintain quality prosthetic limbs for their own people. On a regular basis, we purchase and ship equipment and supplies.

And with the help of inmates in a Tennessee prison, we also recycle parts from donated limbs. All of this is to point others to Christ, the source of my hope and strength. Please visit standingwithhope.com to learn more and participate in lifting others up. That's standingwithhope.com. I'm Gracie, and I am standing with hope. Welcome back to Hope for the Caregiver. This is Peter Rosenberger. This is the show for you as a family caregiver.

888-589-8840, 888-589-8840. That's a song from Gracie CD, Heaven's Not the Reason. I wrote that with my friend Hank Martin many years ago, and I got a little bit tired of people talking all the time about going to Christ because they want to go to heaven. Go to Christ because you want to go to heaven. Go to Christ. And I'm thinking, is that really what we're about here?

Is that, you know, we're just getting fire insurance? And do they understand the magnificence of who Christ is? And I look back at, you know, Thomas, for example, when Jesus appeared to him and showed him his scars, on his hands, on his feet, on his side, and Thomas just fell down and says, my Lord and my God.

You know, I believe. You know, and it was when people were encountering Christ, it wasn't about going to heaven. It was about encountering Christ. And I thought, OK, I'm going to write a song about that. It's called Heaven's Not the Reason.

I fall down on my knees. Streets of gold cannot compare to what Jesus means to me. A million angels singing can outshine Calvary. Jesus is all the heaven I need.

And it's not that I don't want to go there. It's just that I'm beginning to understand the magnificence of what he did on the cross and what he has done for me and the transformation that has gone on in this life. And that's what I'm grateful for. So again, that's on Gracie's CD. We're hearing a lot of Gracie's.

Sorry we had a little technical problems there, but that's OK. That's live radio. Tony in Virginia. Tony, good morning. How are you feeling? Wow.

Guilty in a lot of things. I love your program. And I can relate to a lot of things. But three weeks ago, I don't remember her name because I've tried to call. And anyway, I'm so grateful to learn.

Somebody called in, and they said her husband died in 2019 in September, which when my husband died, I took him to the doctor for a procedure. And he never came back home. A week and a half later, he was gone. And I didn't even know that at the time. And I suffered from guilt in a lot of ways.

But mainly what I've learned is that I mainly what I appreciate is that at that time, we didn't have this virus thing. I climbed up in the bed when he was dying. I held him, and I was with him.

If that would, what I appreciate is if that were to happen now, I couldn't have even been in the same room or touched him or anything. But my sweet husband, it was snowing so hard, and we were driving up to Canada, and the snow was coming down so hard you couldn't see it. But there was a full moon. And he turned the lights off, and we drove that way. He was from Germany. He was used to snow and stuff. And we were on the road, and there was a cliff on either side.

And I learned right then that's how people could lose a finger or their ear or their nose or something from frostbite or whatever. I know I'm talking a lot. No, it's OK. It's all right. I was thinking, out here where I live in the Rockies in Montana, and a lot of people can't understand that if you turn off the lights when there's a full moon, you turn off the lights when there's a full moon out here, and you can see, particularly when there's snow on the ground, it is actually clearer than driving with your lights on sometimes. Absolutely. It is really stunning when you're out in the wilderness like this when you have a full moon, and particularly when there's snow on the ground, because everything just lights up.

And you can see very clearly, but you've got to watch for deer. Something similar to that. I was a professional caregiver. I retired three times from that. And then I stayed home. I took care of my husband. Actually, he helped me to be a caregiver, because I could help other people. And I became to love people.

I mean, I still think of some people that I were with. I was with for three years, but sometime I had to be tough and pull the knobs off of their stove, because they'd turn the stove on. And I said, no, I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to let that happen. I'd pull the knobs.

I don't know how many times I've pulled knobs off of stoves so people wouldn't turn their stove on. Well, and sometimes you have to do that. I mean, that's just the way it, you know, because you're protecting them from sometimes themselves.

And it's, yeah, I get that. And depending on the circumstances. Well, do you still feel guilty?

Sometimes, yeah. My husband wanted some ice cream. And my freezer had broke. I still had two drawers of freezers, which is plenty. But it was every, I didn't have any room.

And I told him, I said, we don't have a room in the freezer right now. And it wasn't very long after that. It was in the same time frame. But there was a time I was driving home. It was late at night.

And on this road, there was trees on either side. And I could, there was no lights. And my lights were getting, they came on when I started the car. But they got dimmer and dimmer and dimmer. And then they went out.

I didn't have any light. But there wasn't a lot of traffic on that road. But I looked up, and I could see the sky in between the whatever you call the tops of the trees.

And I just drove between that. I know I'm jumping around, but. That's all right.

Listen, you're entitled, and it's OK. When you feel guilty, what do you do with that guilt? I give it to Jesus. He is all I have. And right now, I'm alone a lot. I talk to myself. I answer myself.

It's not that bad. I answer myself. I can hear what I want to hear. I draw the line. I don't ask myself, what did you say? Then I say, no, no. Well, in the early 70s, I'm going to be 82 years old.

If I live in September and a few more months, I'll be 82 years old. But there was a time, and I said, no. I don't believe in you anymore. I don't believe in Jesus Christ. I don't believe in God.

No. No, I don't believe in you. And I told them that every day.

He has this great sense of humor. Well, it's an interesting dichotomy when you tell somebody that you don't believe in them, and yet you're telling them. If you didn't believe in them, why would you be telling them that? Why? Why? He knew in his heart how I was, I guess.

I was like a spoiled little brat at that time. He does, indeed. But now, I don't know.

He does, indeed. Well, listen. Like a four-year-old child, you ask them how old they are. And at that time, they say, four and a half. They'll say, put that half in there. I don't know when it is they leave the half off.

But when you get to be my age, you put the half back on. Well, I can understand that. Well, listen, Tori. I appreciate this very much. I appreciate you calling.

Please continue to remind yourself of what to do with that guilt. And we look forward to just more talks with you. Thank you for listening to the show. And I really do appreciate you calling in, OK? As we wrap up for today, we only got like about a minute.

I'm not going to be able to get to all the calls on it. But as we wrap up, I wanted to just, again, leave you with this, because there are going to be times when you get disoriented along the journey. It's going to happen.

It may be happening today. And if you get nothing out of this show besides just this text, God will make a way. If you could just hang on to that, God will make a way. For there seems to be no way.

My word is a lamp into my feet and a light into my path. Keep that in your heart. Remind yourself of that. Slow down. Slow down.

And look at the reflectors that are there for you to keep you safely inside the lanes there so that you don't go way off careening into a ditch somewhere. That's how we do it. That's how we do it as caregivers. We got enough going on. We don't need to borrow trouble from the future.

And we don't need to race to it, OK? Hope for the Caregiver. It's Peter Rosenberger. Healthy caregivers make better caregivers.

Today's a great day to start being healthy. And we'll see you next time. This is John Butler. And I produce Hope for the Caregiver with Peter Rosenberger. Some of you know the remarkable story of Peter's wife, Gracie. And recently, Peter talked to Gracie about all the wonderful things that have emerged from her difficult journey. Take a listen. Gracie, when you envisioned doing a prosthetic limb outreach, did you ever think that inmates would help you do that?

Not in a million years. When you go to the facility run by CoreCivic and you see the faces of these inmates that are working on prosthetic limbs that you have helped collect from all over the country, that you put out the plea for, and they're disassembling, you see all these legs, like what you have, your own prosthetic legs. And arms, too.

And arms. When you see all this, what does that do to you? Makes me cry because I see the smiles on their faces. And I know what it is to be locked someplace where you can't get out without somebody else allowing you to get out. Of course, being in the hospital so much and so long.

And so these men are so glad that they get to be doing, as one man said, something good finally with my hands. Did you know before you became an amputee that parts of prosthetic limbs could be recycled? No, I had no idea. I thought of peg leg. I thought of wooden legs. I never thought of titanium and carbon legs and flex feet and sea legs and all that.

I never thought about that. As you watch these inmates participate in something like this, knowing that they're helping other people now walk, they're providing the means for these supplies to get over there, what does that do to you just on a heart level? I wish I could explain to the world what I see in there. And I wish that I could be able to go and say, this guy right here, he needs to go to Africa with us. I never not feel that way.

Every time, you know, you always make me have to leave, I don't want to leave them. I feel like I'm at home with them. And I feel like that we have a common bond that I would have never expected that only God could put together. Now that you've had an experience with it, what do you think of the faith-based programs that CoreCivic offers? I think they're just absolutely awesome. And I think every prison out there should have faith-based programs like this because the return rate of the men that are involved in this particular faith-based program and the other ones like it, but I know about this one, is just an amazingly low rate compared to those who don't have them. And I think that that says so much.

That doesn't have anything to do with me. It just has something to do with God using somebody broken to help other broken people. If people want to donate a used prosthetic limbs, whether from a loved one who passed away or, you know, somebody who outgrew them, you've donated some of your own for them to do. How do they do that? Where do they find it? Oh, please go to standingwithhope.com slash recycle. Standingwithhope.com slash recycle. Thanks, Gracie.