Nancy Reece

Leading from a reservoir of calm

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An Unexpected Gift

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For most of my life, Sundown was a Gordon Lightfoot song.  When Mom was diagnosed with dementia, sundown took on a whole new meaning.  Each afternoon, Mom’s level of confusion, anxiety and agitation would rise as the sun slowly set. She would become fixated on something that was out of place or an upcoming event she didn’t want to miss. She might ask the same question 50 times in 90 minutes. “When’s my hair appointment?”,  “Where’s the light?” , or “Why is the fan on?” After hearing the same question even 10 times, I often had to bite my tongue and sometimes leave the room so I wouldn’t snap at her.  

My Dad, however, had an immense amount of patience in the face of her unending questions. As Mom’s disease progressed, his ability to answer repetitive questions over and over again with the same gentle, yet firm response, showed me a side of my Dad I hadn’t known. He never got angry, was exceptionally patient, and showed her grace and mercy. As Mom’s slowly lost her mind, I realized just how much Dad loved her. He would sacrifice his needs, dreams and even his life to make sure Mom knew she was safe and loved.  

Dad showed me a side of God I hadn’t seen before. I can ask God anything over and over again and always know his love and patience are boundless. God loves me so much that He sacrificed his Son who gave up his life to make sure I knew I was safe and loved. From the awful loss and pain of Alzheimer’s emerged an unexpected gift – joy in God’s enduring love.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you are with me.  Psalm 23:4

The Lord, The Lord, a compassionate and merciful God, patient, always faithful and ready to forgive.  Exodus 34:6

The Red Thread

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When I left the corporate world a few years ago, I made a choice to get away and seek a time of rest, renewal, and preparation for a new season of service. I decided to go through ten years of prayer journals to discover red threads of wisdom the Lord was teaching me. While some red threads were one to two years in length, there was only one ten-year long thread.  

For that entire period, and quite frankly years before, God was working in my heart to teach me about slowing down and spending time with Him. But slowing down and spending time with Him and others competed with my tightly scheduled calendar.  

Not long after discovering this red thread, I spent two and a half hours over lunch with a friend. It wasn’t planned that way, but there wasn’t anything on my calendar I had to do. We caught up, shared insights, and encouraged each other. More time helped us listen better, ask thoughtful questions, and speak into each other’s lives in a fresh way. It was the first time in my life I’d ever made that kind of time for someone over lunch. As I was driving home, I realized the many times I had cut short a conversation that was important in order to make the next meeting. I began allowing much more time for meetings, conversations, and lunch, providing space and time for God to work. And the red thread of relationship has become more important than my calendar and to-do list.  

‘Spend time with me, slow down, and experience rest and relationship. Find peace for your soul. I will give you My heart that values people over success, self, and stuff. My heart that listens, loves and encourages. My heart that deeply cares about people.’

Psalm 62:1  My soul finds rest in God alone. 

1 Thessalonians 5:11 So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. (MSG)