Overwhelmed? (Yes, I'm Talking to You!)

Sheila Bingham Jones

Description

Feeling Overwhelmed, Overloaded? Need to get away? Are you facing an unexpected life crossroad? Then come aside, breathe deeply and immerse yourself inside the pages of this book.
Seasons of life happen to all of us at one point or another. Sometimes change occurs sooner than we expect and lasts longer than we imagine. There are times when our days, circumstances, people and life in general overwhelm us and we find ourselves in need of some encouragement and hope. Most of all, we need a reminder that we are not alone in this journey and that God has not forgotten us. In “Overwhelmed?”, the Author offers that encouragement. Drawn from her own experiences and that of others, she takes an honest look at the challenges of caregiving, busyness and the overwhelming feelings of trying to juggle it all. She also explores when life takes you down an unexpected path. It is her prayer that through the insights, journal peeks, and poems she has identified with you and captured your heart in some small way.
So, from one Superwoman to another, from one Caregiver to another, one Overwhelmed heart to another-Go ahead! Take a glance and see if somewhere through the pages of this book you see a glimpse of yourself, your circumstances or that of someone you know.

Sujets

• Caregiving
• Inspirational
• Themes
• Subjects
• Religious
• Caregiver
• Overwhelmed
• Widow
• Poetry
• Crossroads

Informations

• Publié par: LifeRich Publishing
• Date de parution: 22 décembre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781489738530
• Langue: English

Extrait

Overwhelmed? (Yes, I’m talking to you!)
 
 
 
Inspirational Poems and Insights for the Caregiver, Superhero and Those who find Themselves in the Ever-Changing Seasons of Life!
 
 
 
 
Sheila Bingham Jones
 
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2021 Sheila Bingham Jones.
 
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 author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
 
Scripture marked (NKJV) taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
Scripture marked (KJV) taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
 
Scripture quotations marked (AMP) taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org
 
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®
 
 
 
LifeRich Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.liferichpublishing.com
844-686-9607
 
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.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-4897-3854-7 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-3853-0 (e)
 
 
 
LifeRich Publishing rev. date:  06/29/2022
Contents
Dedication
Special Thanks to My Family
Additional Thanks
Introduction
Section One: I Need Help!
Come Aside, My Dear Child
Breathe
Demands
RESPITE
Section Two: You Matter!
I Notice
Where Were You?
“My Child”
Section Three: Seasons
Aging is Such A Process
Anxiety And Depression
Please Be Patient with Me
They Call Me A Widow
Tribute To Mom
My Dearest Mom
The Crossroad of Next
 
Brief Checklist
Endnotes
Commonly Used Caregiving Terms
Additional Resources
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

DEDICATION
Mom, I can’t believe I’m changing my dedication from “In Honor of” to now “In Memory of”. Just a few weeks ago, my book was scheduled to be published once some minor changes were made. You saw the cover and liked it. And now, unbelievably so, I am adding you to the section with daddy and WC. So mom, here we go:
In Memory of:
My Mommy , Christine Bingham who unexpectantly transitioned to heaven on Friday, December 31, 2021. Thank you for giving me permission to be transparent about the seasons of your life.
From time to time, you would ask me what I was going to do with those poems, especially, “They Call Me a Widow.” Thanks Mom! I finally did something with them.
My Daddy , Samuel Bingham, who truly loved his little girl and showed me what a man of integrity and honor looks like.
My Husband , WC Jones, whose love, laughter and life filled my heart with so much joy.
***
To my client and friend , Norma, who despite a stroke, displayed such grace, class and determination.

Until we meet again…
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Special Thanks to My Family
To Samuel, Reaver and Anthony (William)- My big brothers, counselors, protectors… shall I go on?
Thank you for your love, for always being there, for dispensing advice and for taking such amazing care of your baby sister. I’m so thankful for the journey we have shared through the years, especially for the privilege of loving and caring for Mom and Dad through the later seasons of their lives!
To Mary, Avis and Dee. You are not Sisters-in-law but Sisters! Thank you for your love, friendship, and for your kindness in letting your husbands care for their baby sister.
Thanks, my brothers and sisters for your encouragement and support with this project. I’m forever grateful!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Additional Thanks
There are those special people who prayed with and for me, held me accountable to finishing this project, refocused me when I became distracted with responsibilities and who edited my manuscript and offered significant insight and input. I am so appreciative to you for your support. So please allow me to name a few:
Arveal, Gwen and Portia, thank you for your friendship, sistership, prayer support and constant gentle nudges when I dragged my feet. It’s finally finished!
Cousins Deborah and Jackie and to Toni for your editing skills and your encouragement to walk down the path God has for me.
Anthony and Sherry, your perspectives and insights helped immensely in redirecting my focus.
Greg, thank you for being mom’s prayer warrior, and phone pal. Thank you for consistently praying for this project and for me. I’m very appreciative.
To my “Sequoia” Tribe: Aunt Ann, Paula, Kevin, Ronald, Melanie, Ethan and Nadra. Thank you for encouraging me that I had something worth writing, for actually framing and hanging one of my poems on your wall and for your sheer honesty from cover to cover! Your imprints are forever on my heart.
And…to all of you, my friends and family who have cheered me along the way in this journey, thank you!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Introduction
Well, hello Wonder woman or Superman. Do you have days when you feel like you’re standing on top of the world with your hands on your hip, cape flowing behind you and your superhero powers flowing through you with that, “Bring it on” spirit? But then on other days, do you feel like someone sneaked into your room, hid a piece of kryptonite under your bed and now your energy is depleted? Do you find yourself weak, barely able to move, as your thoughts are jumbled, your emotions are running wild and you are left gasping for air?
My friend, I get it! Sometimes you feel like you have boundless energy, able to carry the world on your shoulders and other times you just can’t take another step, answer another question or figure out another solution. I think we all find ourselves at a point in our lives where we feel a bit overwhelmed and we just need to come aside and breathe. Or we find ourselves in seasons when life happens, our circumstances change dramatically and suddenly we are at a crossroad. Perhaps you simply need to feel noticed, valued and understood.
If you have ever felt like that then this book is for you. This book is about Seasons~seasons of overload, seasons of caregiving, seasons of crossroads, seasons of change. It’s also about learning to respect those seasons of our lives, finding balance and then making the necessary adjustments. I write from the perspective of a daughter, wife, caregiver, widow and one who has been involved in church ministry all of my life. I also write this as a girl who has at times been truly overwhelmed! I’m a work in progress as I seek God’s wisdom to reorder my life and priorities, to adjust to each changing season and to learn to enjoy the journey along the way. So my friend, whatever season you find yourself in, it is my prayer that as you scroll through these pages you will laugh a little, be encouraged a lot and realize that you’re not alone.
Just a note about layout. Over the years I have journaled. So, at the beginning of most sections, I have included a peek into my journal during that particular time or an insight that corresponds with the writing.

I NEED HELP!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Feeling Buried?

Come Aside, My Dear Child
Journal Peek–
I feel stuck! So very tired! Tearful! I just feel done. I know my perspective right now is wrapped up in the fact that I am just buried with so many things on my plate, so many responsibilities and agendas, so many other things that are blinding me that I feel as if I’m floundering. I love ministry and I love helping others, I really do. It is one of my passions. But right now, instead of thriving, I feel like I’m sinking. I am just exhausted!
 
Do you ever feel like this? Depleted, drained, nothing else to give? Do you feel pulled in a thousand different directions? It is not as if what you are doing isn’t wonderful or needed. It is not that the investment you are pouring into ministry, missions, projects, and your vocation is not worthwhile or beneficial; but you find that you are just wiped out. Perhaps, you are trying to be all things to all people – AT THE SAME TIME! Perhaps you are trying to juggle all of these wonderful projects-WITHOUT REST. Perhaps you do not know the word, NO or