With Christmas just a few days away, it's been nearly a year since my husband Mark’s stroke. We weren't sure he'd make it, but he’s since defied the odds. Needless to say, it’s been a wild year of recovery with no shortage of curveballs!

When I think about what I’ve learned this year, 4 themes come to mind:

1. The importance of my faith. Fear became my normal for a while, and the future felt so uncertain. But through it all, faith was my anchor, reminding me that even on this rollercoaster ride, I wasn’t alone. With Mark’s remarkable progress this year, I truly believe miracles exist.

2. Learn to ask for and accept help. As they say, it takes a village. Friends, family, even strangers reached out with kindness and support. It taught me to accept help and let go of the attitude that I should do it all myself. I’m glad I did because our caregiver has been a godsend, and I even call her my “fairy godmother.”

3. Setting boundaries became critical. I learned to protect my space and nurture the relationships that lifted me up, not dragged me down. There’s no time or need for stress or drama. As they say, life is short.

4. Find ways to manage any difficult feelings. Since Mark had his stroke around Christmas, my family and I struggle to detach the bad memories from this time of year. We’re working through it and changing the color of our Christmas tree, and maybe we’ll eat Mexican food instead of our normal Christmas feast.

This past year has been the hardest of my life, but it’s also been a game-changer. You’ll learn more about Mark’s stroke recovery and my caregiving journey in 2024, as I'm writing a book about our experience to share a raw but hopeful story of what happens when life throws your carefully laid plans out the window.

Happy New Year, and I hope you’ll be right there with us in this next chapter.

Topics discussed:

- Stroke recovery

- Faith over fear

- Overcoming adversity

- Caregivers accepting help

- Boundaries

- Self-care

- Managing trauma

Takeaways from this episode:

1. A helpful Bible verse for hard times is Jeremiah 29:11: “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
2. Help from others is critical to overcoming hard times, so don’t be afraid to lean on your support system.
3. Set boundaries by removing negativity from your life. Instead, focus on positive, life-affirming connections.
4. We have no choice when bad events happen to us. All we can do is grow from them and share our experiences to help others.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Get my new book, 'Surrounded by Love: One's Family Journey Through Stroke Recovery': https://loriwilliams-seniorservices.com/book

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Get your copy of my book Surrounded by Love: One Family's Journey Through Stroke Recovery:

https://amzn.to/3Y41CxA

Mentioned in this episode:

Surrounded by Love

You can find my book, "Surrounded by Love: One Family’s Journey Through Stroke Recovery," on Amazon. It is available as a Kindle, hardcover, paperback, and also on Audible. More details can be found on my website: https://loriwilliams-seniorservices.com/book