When The Unexpected Strikes: A Caregiver's Journey to Purpose

By Leah Jennings and Michael Jennings

This is a caregiver's story from pain to prayer. Imagine if the different roads you traveled in life could lead you to the center of your purpose. Imagine there are four main roads: experience, passion, opportunity, and abilities-all designed to direct you to the intersection of your purpose in God and, p

• Language: English
• Publisher: November Media Publishing
• Release date: Oct 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9780578909097

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November Media Publishing

Copyright © 2020 Leah & Mike Jennings

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

For permission requests, write to the author, addressed attention: Leah Jennings, at the email address below.

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Ordering information: special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the author at the email address above.

Printed in the United States of America

Published & Produced by November Media Publishing

All Scriptures quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), King James Version, CJB, Voice, RSV, EXB.

ISBN-13: 978-1-7354542-5-2

ISBN-13: 978-0-5789090-9-7 (e-book)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

B eep, beep, beepppp!!! Beep, beep, beep, beeepppp!!!!!!!!

As I slam my hands hard on my vehicle’s horn, my husband jerks his head to the left, with his right eye peeping open, staring at me.

I look away and loudly say, Are you going to move your truck or what, sir? The light changed a minute ago, and you’re still gazing out of your side window at the pouring rain! I continue to complain to the driver of the vehicle ahead of me as though he hears me.

I have thirty minutes more to travel before I reach my destination, I think, with less time to spare for Mike to be on time for his first therapy session.

Oh, come on, move it, move it!!! I shout at the back of the elderly gentleman’s head. He is driving a dented, beat-up red Honda Accord that stopped at the light in front of me.

Although this is a weird and dreary Tuesday morning, my impatience is out of character. Usually, when I take Mike in for therapy, we leave with plenty of time for us to drive the scenic route. I am calmer when we do. I like taking my time when driving in the rain, but for some reason today, my alarm clock failed to go off at its usual 6:00 a.m. Luckily, we woke up at 8:15 a.m., which meant we had to move at lightning speed. My husband has no concept of how to move fast. His speed is either slow or painstakingly slower than slow!

Geez!!

In addition to all of that, today’s morning-commute traffic is heavier than usual—moving at a snail’s pace.

Mike has three rehab sessions. The first one is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. When we left the house around 9:20 a.m., the sun brightly pierced my Volvo truck’s windows with no hint of rain on this brisk, cold morning in Chicago.

As we cruised down Pulaski Road, the clouds suddenly loomed above us and blocked out the sun. In less than a minute, the sky turned from light to a grayish dark. It no longer looked like morning but showed early signs of dusk.

My thoughts swayed back and forth from real time to several hours prior…

Sometime during the night, as I slept, Mike had to go to the bathroom. Since he didn’t want to wake me, he grabbed the urinal from the bedside table. While trying to relieve himself in the bed, he didn’t hold the urinal properly because he only has use of one hand. He thought he spilled a drop or two of urine onto his disposable briefs. However, what I found at daybreak was more

Reviews for When The Unexpected Strikes

[Mallory Haws · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm not sure what I expected from this book, but as I had had a period in the past as a full-time caregiver for a relative, I thought it might prove familiar, and useful.  Then I was amazed at how helpful this book is, and how inspirational! The co-authors,  Leah and Michael Jennings,  a married couple who are parents and grandparents,  are devoted Christians and well-grounded in Scripture.  Their ability to break themselves down into their component pieces and be truthfully honest, authentic,  and vulnerable, inspired me to changes in my own life.  Like Job, they have suffered,  and that unexpectedly; yet by their faith in the Creator they have managed to persevere.  They are not "holier-than-thou," they are honest humans with failings, as are we all. I highly recommend this to those who are suffering.  There is light to come even when we cannot see ahead.