Take My Hand Again

The guide the author wishes she had when she took on a caretaker role.
By 2020, the senior population in this country will number over 115 million. Despite this persistent “graying” of America, few adult children feel prepared to take on the role of caregiver for aging parents. Those who discover they must now intervene and care for an elder they love are often at a loss. Trying to navigate the transition is like being dropped in a foreign country with no map, no GPS, and no translator—and acting as tour guide.
Nancy Parker Brummett knows what they’re going through and has the means to help. She shares her own experience of caring for a mother and mother-in-law in assisted living, as well as lessons learned through study of the academic, social, and political issues involved. Each chapter begins with relevant Scripture, but the useful information here is not limited to people of faith.
Take My Hand Again offers readers the warm feeling of having someone they trust stepping up to hold their hand and share encouragement and hope. Children of the aging don’t need a degree in gerontology; they just need for someone to ask the pertinent questions and give them an overview of the pros and cons of common options so they can make informed decisions. Whether they’ve already had their wake-up call or just want to be prepared for what’s to come, Brummett’s sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant book has just what they’re looking for.

This heartwarming picture book reassures children that a parent’s love never lets go—based on the poignant lyrics of JJ Heller’s beloved lullaby “Hand to Hold.” “May the living light inside you be the compass as you go / May you always know you have my hand to hold.” With delightful illustrations and an engaging rhyme scheme, this book offers the promise of security and love every child’s heart longs to know. From skipping stones and counting stars to climbing trees and telling stories, every moment is wrapped snugly in the certain warmth of a parent’s presence and God’s blessing. With poignancy and joy, this bedtime read captures the unconditional love parents want their children to know but so often fail to express amid the chaos of daily life.

I know what you’re thinking. How could I stay in a dysfunctional, abusive relationship for twelve years with a man who despises me? We now have an eleven-year-old son together, Lewis. For the first time my son has shoved me like all the times he seen his father, Ray, do. It only takes one time for my own son to abuse me when we end up leaving Ray to go to my parent’s house. They happily take us in, and soon I have a seasonal job at Farmer’s Market. Lewis and I have made new friends. We're happier than we’ve ever been. When I get the divorce papers, and we go to court about visitation with Lewis I’m neither surprised nor saddened. Lewis, my son, said he doesn’t mind going to see his dad for visitation. The only problem is I have to worry about Ray’s new act of playing a good father figure role will wear off. Will he start abusing Lewis, since I’m not home to take his abuse personally? In time, Lewis and I situate to a healthier, functional routine. Lewis and I both have settled. We’re still happy, and Ray has been on good terms with Lewis. I feel so great that I dip my toes in the dating scene. So, when this handsome man named Luke asks me to go out to eat with him, I agree to it. I soon regret it, though. It has nothing to do with him and everything to do with me. I’m not ready. Luke takes this to heart and becomes the rejected madman. Soon fires are starting all around us. Businesses and places my friends and I go to catch flames. I can’t believe it when Luke has the audacity to show up at my work and threaten me about the fires. Could he be the missing culprit behind them? Will this dramatic chaos ever end, so that my son and I can move on with our lives and find ourselves better situated to a healthier dynamic? Did I make the biggest mistake thinking I could date without havoc?

Fifteen-year-old Lindsey Morgan Brooks is still considered the new kid in the small town of Emit, Michigan. Both of her parents are lawyers, but her father has built his reputation prosecuting some of the worst criminals in New York and Chicago. Now, as a high school junior, she is trying to choose her own path. Lindsey feels the demands and pressure from school, gymnastics, and her parents as she battles insecurities to build friendships while steering clear of the many land mines in high school—such as the group of popular girls she has dubbed the “Fab Five.” Busy with activities and consumed with thoughts of her secret crush, Chris, she takes little notice of what’s happening around her. She gets a flat tire, gets caught with the lights-out and starts receiving strange text messages—things she assumes are just high school pranks gone too far. Her father wants her to be able to handle herself, so she should be able to handle this. But while she steals a glimpse at Chris, who is watching her? "LINDSEY is a lovely YA tale of young love and deep intrigue. Lindsey Brooks faces a peril all the more invisible because of the seemingly normal veneer of popular girls and teen crushes she deals with at high school every day." Scott Turow, Best Selling Author and Authors Guild President

Through original essays from a distinguished team of international scholars and Hardy specialists, A Companion to Thomas Hardy provides a unique, one-volume resource, which encompasses all aspects of Hardy's major novels, short stories, and poetry Informed by the latest in scholarly, critical, and theoretical debates from some of the world's leading Hardy scholars Reveals groundbreaking insights through examinations of Hardy’s major novels, short stories, poetry, and drama Explores Hardy's work in the context of the major intellectual and socio-cultural currents of his time and assesses his legacy for subsequent writers

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