When
my elderly parents moved in with my husband and me twenty years ago, I had been
writing for publication for about five years. Knowing Mom’s and Dad’s needs
were great and would require much of my attention, I resigned from my part-time
teaching position and concentrated on taking care of my parents and publication. At times I became very discouraged, not only
because of the time I spent away from the computer but also because of the lack
of publishing contracts. (A few had come my way for short stories and articles,
but now I was concentrating on book manuscripts.) Then after meeting an editor
from Zonderkidz at a writers’ conference in 2001, I was granted a four-book
contract for a tween novel series, the Keystone Stables (which eventually
expanded to eight books).
But
my frustration only increased as I had writing deadlines to meet while my
parents’ doctors’ appointments, grocery shopping trips, and lunches at
McDonalds mushroomed. On top of that, the noise in my house became a constant irritant
of pots and pans banging in the kitchen, loud TV, and visits to my desk to see
how I was doing or to solve a major crisis like finding a missing set of keys.
“Lord,
how can I do this? It’s impossible,” I prayed dozens of times each day while
trying to write. Then the Lord, in his still small voice would whisper, “This
too shall pass. You CAN do this; you will do this.” Relying on God’s grace and
strength, I plugged on with my responsibilities and writing, taking a short
respite every Tuesday afternoon with one or two writer friends by hanging out
at a local café, having a quick lunch, and working on our laptops for a few
hours.
Today
Mom and Dad have been in heaven for five years and 17 years respectively. I
have 20 books published, most of them written when my parents lived at my house
and demanded more from me than I thought I could ever give. But now as I
reflect on that time of caregiving, which was so very difficult, I thank God
for the privilege of taking care of my parents and relying totally on Jesus for
the grace and strength to meet the challenges I faced. Today, the Keystone
Stables Series is a best-seller and is still in print.
For
those who are taking care of elderly parents or even grandchildren and find
themselves frustrated to tears, take heart. “This too shall pass,” and you’ll
also find that our God truly is a faithful, loving, caring God, who will see
you through.
ABOUT MARSHA HUBLER:
Marsha Hubler lives in central PA, with her husband and two dogs. She has a master’s degree in education. Her latest release is SNOW, PHANTOM STALLION OF THE POCONOS, a novel for tween horse lovers. She's the director of the Montrose Christian Writers Conference and a frequent speaker at writers’ conferences.
For more about author Marsha Hubler, you can find her at the following:
MY LOVES OF SNYDER
COUNTY FAN PAGE ON MY BLOG: http://marshahubler.wordpress.com/the-loves-of-snyder-county/
MY HORSE FACTS’ BLOG FOR
MY FANS:
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/HorseBookWriter
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