Remembering Nancy:
She Knew All This and More

Resources on Caregiving

Nancy was a expert caregiver. Simply put, she had a natural and deep empathy for others. Also, she was very practical and concrete in how she thought. She was a doer. She did not talk about caregiving but lived it. That outlook combined with her religious faith helped her in being an excellent caregiver.

We have chosen and recommend here two books that might be helpful in your own caregiving roles.

“On Caring””

The first is a book John read during his illness. That book, Milton Mayeroff’s, “On Caring”, is more philosophical. It is a short book, 104 pages, first published in 1971.  It is a serious book but a very readable book. Not academic. Not esoteric. Rather, a book that helps us understand caring as both relationship-driven and as a worldview. This book, much like Martin Buber’s “I and Thou”, helps you see caring as relational, as a lived dialogue, and, importantly, a way of ordering one’s own life. Authentic caring creates what the author calls being “in-place”. Those who are “in-place” experience contentment and clarity and can face hardships with equanimity. They are steady and present to others. In caring for others, they are better equipped to help others face the unknown and the unfathomability of a serious illness. John’s copy of this book was filled with underlining and his handwritten notes.

“Hope for Caregivers”

The second book, “Hope for Caregivers: a 42-Day Devotional in Company With Henri J. M. Nouwen”, is more a Nancy kind of book. It is very concrete and practical. It is literally a 42-day devotional, a prayer book, based on the theologian Henri Nouwen’s writings. It offers readers wisdom, guidance, and hope. This book literally is a resource. It is something to read and hold onto in dark moments given the shocks and stresses and sadness that accompany a serious illness. This too is a short book, only 80 pages. It was published in August, 2022. Obviously, Nancy never read this book, but it is exactly the kind of book she would be attracted too.