Am I My Sister's Keeper?

By Betty Hill Scott

The day began as usual, yet there appeared to be fear and confusion in her eyes. I accompanied her to the neurological specialist, and there was the seemingly eternal wait for the dreaded diagnosis.

A few days later, the phone call from the doctor confirmed our greatest fear. My story will help you to know that no matter how desperate the situation appears, you are not alone.

There may be times of feeling guilty, times of feeling angry, and even times of questioning God, Why did you choose me for this task? But in the end, love always wins.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9781490801957

Betty Hill Scott

Betty L. (Hill) Scott has a Master of Arts in Professional Pastoral Counseling, and is a licensed clinical pastoral counselor. She is also a certified temperament therapist and an ordained minister in the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana). Betty is the founder of Living Waters (counseling) Ministries in Columbus, Ohio. She is a published author and composer of music, the stepmother of two sons, and has five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Betty is a retired case manager from the County Office on Aging, in her hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

Book preview

Am I

My Sister’s

Keeper?

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Betty Hill Scott

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Copyright © 2013 Betty Hill Scott.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4908-0194-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-0195-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013912705

WestBow Press rev. date: 8/5/2013

Contents

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Dedication

Forward

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Acknowledgments

Dedication

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To My Father, Mathew E. Hill

The softest hearted man I’ve ever known, who taught his daughters to love music and each other.

To My Mother, Mattie L. (Sockwell) Hill

She would have given her life for her daughters.

To My Sister, Joan E. (Hill) Carter

My beloved older sister who was my inspiration in creative writing, and writing this book. She was also one third of the popular Hill Sisters Trio.

To My Sister, Phyllis M. (Hill) Campbell

My beloved younger sister with whom I’ve spent many precious moments. She was also one third of the popular Hill Sisters Trio.

To My Adopted Sister, Rinda (Hill) Walker

She will always remain in my heart and prayers.

Forward

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T here are many testimonials of those who have had the experience or experiences of caregiving, but it struck me as a novel idea for one to write about the journey of caring for one’s sisters. It is with the combination of real originality, deep love, and a spiritual steadfastness that Betty L. Scott invites us into a world, little spoken about, to experience the joys, laughter, and pain of being a caregiver to siblings.

Within the pages that follow, the author directly and indirectly examines the nature of life’s unexpected events that change our lives sometimes purposefully and intentionally, while at other times, thrusting us into the middle of a cyclone, leaving us breathless and wanting for air. Yet, she doesn’t leave us there, but leads us to the calm assurance that God is in the journey every step of the way.

The author’s sources of strength are varied, the chief ones being prayer and faith in a God bigger than herself, yet, the human voices and partners along the way are fountains from which she draws. The reader recognizes the author’s indebtedness to those who not only encourage her with their words, but,find it necessary to be hands on in the journey.

The reader should be prepared to smile, laugh and cry, but also be challenged to ask him or herself the age-old question, where is God in the midst of human suffering? Yet, without doubt, the reader will be reminded that in the midst of life’s sufferings, God has a way of pulling us into His secret place of safety and peace that belong to those who trust Him.

I welcome you on this journey; for it is a journey that has become a memoir and treasure to my siblings and me. The author: my role-model, friend, prayer partner, spiritual counselor, surrogate mother, and maternal aunt, has graciously and genuinely traveled this road so that we who follow can journey more easily.

DR. KIMBERLY S. THOMAS

CHAIR, ADULT SCHOOL OF CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES

MID-AMERICA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

Introduction

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I t would not be unthought-of, or even surprising to realize that I would need to become the caregiver for my parents or even a grandparent. But, to become the caregiver for my sisters was unimaginable—not the sisters I played house with in our back yard under the huge apple tree? You surely couldn’t mean the sisters with whom I played baseball, kick the can and hide and seek. And certainly not the sisters I argued with over whose turn it was to wear the cinch belt (our parents could only afford one, so we had to share).

My sisters and I were so close in age that between the months of July and November we were stair steps. There was a time when people thought we were triplets, especially when mother bought identical dresses for the three of us.

I was the middle child—the oldest was the smartest, the youngest was the cutest, and then there was me. No one thought I would be able to take care of myself, much less anyone else.

Am I My Sister’s Keeper? I hope you will discover the answer to that question as you read my story.

Chapter 1

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A t the hospital, Phyllis was given crutches so she could move around. And since they did not have bathrooms in the nonprivate rooms, she had to go down the hall to the bathroom, where there were several stalls. Phyllis went into a stall and locked the door. She began to feel faint, so she pulled the emergency cord, and as she passed out, she could hear the footsteps of the staff running down the hall. Phyllis fainted and fell against the stall door.

The attendants could not open the door, because it was locked, and Phyllis was lying against it. One of the staff had to climb over