My book, Rays of Hope Devotions, came about during our travels in the years 2000-2011. I wrote a weekly Thought for the Week to email to friends as my way of keeping me connected to my faith. I had worked as a volunteer and an employee in churches for many years serving in many capacities. Then on the road I had to find a way to stay connected. Over the years, other would ask if I was going to put them in a book. Finally in 2023, I put all other activities aside and began editing and processing all the details to achieve the final product. God provided the people necessary to assist me in getting this done as it was such a new undertaking for me. The book is now available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other bookstores in both printed and ebook versions. It is also in my Etsy Shop as a signed copy. Of course, I have copies that I can send out or deliver to those nearby. Here are some examples of what you can find in the book through the Table of Contents as well as a list of the alphabetical listing of all the 367 devotions with page numbers. You can find three different devotions as samples to read here for the style of my writing.
Finding the ability to love someone that loves you one minute and threatens you the next is
a challenge. As a novice with Alzheimer’s disease, I had so much to learn the hard way! Over
the past months, I experienced a level of stress that made me want to walk away and never
look back. Rudy and I helped my Mom move to another living arrangement, empty her
house, sell it, sell her car, reassign all her personal financial matters to me at my address,
care for her medical condition of dementia and deal with her demands for attention and
take care of our own living needs.
All of that was fine except for her many outbursts of demands, accusations, threats to her
life if I did not bring her the car or return her to her house. The struggle came in that many
days she gave permission for all the above to happen and the next day or moment she
would explode with screaming and issuing of threats to revoke the power of attorney, and
of killing herself. When the phone rings, you begin to not want to answer it as you do not
know what mood she is in.
Our time to leave approached and we gave careful thought as to how to do it to prepare her
for our departure. All the time spent getting the house and car sold ended up falling
through in the last week! We finally got a contract for the house right before we left. We got
Mom to sign it the next morning as well as a POA for my brother to sell the car in Texas. The
next morning, we had breakfast with her, said our goodbyes and she was fine. We left to get
the motorhome and pick up her car. For the next three hours she called and demanded we
return the car with threats to call the police, screaming and accusing me of all sorts of
uncaring acts. How little I knew at that time. Since I was to drive her car while Rudy drove
the motorhome and towed our car, my brother and I made the decision to leave the car but
gave a neighbor the keys. I was not in any shape to drive a long drive! She called us all day
as we drove, and we simply had to turn off the cell phone. The next morning, I called her,
and she calmed some and as we talked, she returned to the cooperative person she had
been earlier in the week.
We arrived in Denton for our grandson’s dedication at his church. As our God is so good, He
had a message for me in the sermon based on John 15:12-17,
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater
love has no one than this, that he lay down his
life for his friends...You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and
bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my
name. This is my command: Love each other.”
Yes, Lord, I can make this work but only with YOU! I am way too weak to continue on my
own. Please abide with me daily and enable me to care for and love Mom during these
difficult days. Enable her to deal with her losses and enjoy the joys she still has in her life.
Help me to define limits and continue to honor them. I praise you for your message.
Thought for the Week April 20, 2009: The road called us back into the motorhome and once again
after 6 months in Casa Grande AZ we are traveling. Our first stop was south of Tucson to visit one
of our favorite birding spots, Madera Canyon. As we walked down a trail, I spotted an amazing tree.
A sycamore with its roots still embedded in the ground, was bent over at the base not broken, just
bent at nearly a 90-degree angle. The leaves and branches still reached out to cross the creek that
flowed next to the tree. This was amazing considering that the entire center of the trunk was
missing! Yes, I said missing. The exterior of the trunk was only about 2/3rds of the way around the
trunk. The top 1/3 of the trunk/bark was missing. Nothing there! I went over and literally stood in
the empty tree trunk.
I looked at the miracle of this tree even being able to produce branches and leaves with so much of
the tree missing. But the roots were still in place! I thought of people who struggle with cancer,
with missing limbs, and many other debilitating injuries. With roots deeply imbedded in God, they
survive despite whatever parts of their bodies have failed. They not only survive but they thrive no
matter where God plants them.
Psalm 91:1-2 tells us, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of
the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'"
Just as that tree survives with much of its trunk missing, we can survive amazing difficulties when
our roots are in Christ and when he is our refuge. We can still bear fruit for the Lord because of
how he cares for us. Our lives can still have meaning regardless of what we think might be missing
if we hold on to Jesus, our root system, our Savior, our Protector. How I praise God for showing me
that tree this week. I love seeing God in the surroundings I find myself walking through. Where do
you see God in your surroundings? Look for him, he is there.
I remember many years ago being picked up for a pajama-come-as-you-are party. What fun
we high school girls had arriving at a party in various nighties. We literally had to go at that
moment with no warning it was coming. Fortunately, in those days, most of us at least slept
in pajamas of some kind.
What would happen if Jesus suddenly came, knocked on your door and said “Come, now.”
Would we recognize him? Would we believe him? Would we want to say goodbye to
others? Would we say to Jesus, “Give me a minute, ok?” Easy to say yes, we would
recognize him and that we would go with him. But what happened to the people who saw
him the first time he came to earth? Most rejected him and did not recognize who he was.
Are we prepared for him to come again? 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 tells us, “Now, brothers and
sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well
that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” A thief does not make an
appointment with you; he simply comes on his own timetable. Is your house ready to
protect against a thief? Is your life ready to recognize and go with Jesus when he comes? Is
everything settled with your loved ones? Of course, you’ll always have some items left
undone but are your relationships healthy? Do some issues needing to be settled or
forgiven?
Perhaps this week we need to ponder our readiness for Jesus second coming. It could be
anytime; we simply do not know. Thus, making the point that we just need to be ready no
matter when. Is it time to forgive someone? Is it time to tell someone how special they are?
Is it time to repay a debt? Is it time to say, “I’m sorry.” Is it time to write a letter? Well, let’s
get it done and be ready in case Jesus comes to take us to that pajama-come-as-you-are
party!
Travel, Faith, Growth
This collection, Rays of Hope Devotions, was written while traveling in a motorhome full-time. After years of volunteering
and full-time employment in a church, how do you maintain your faith and growth on the road. Carolyn found that by writing
and sharing her thoughts with others via email, she could be accountable to growing her faith and maintaining her relationship with Jesus.
Scripture was seen all around her in nature, in their activities, in their families expanding with grandchildren, in their service through
NOMADS, in her quilting, and in continuing with bible studies once spending winters in Arizona.
May these devotionals inspire you to look deeper into your everyday activities and relationships and see God active in your life.
Perhaps they will help guide you into a better relationship with God, the Father, and Jesus, His Son, through the Holy Spirit.