For several years I had a front row seat watching how my parents coped with being sandwiched between caring for my mom’s parents and their children. My granddad lived for three years after a stroke. He was paralyzed on one side of his body and required a great deal of physical care. My grandma was diabetic and she lived for thirteen years after my granddad’s first stroke.

Watching my parents care for my grandparents was a faith building experience. From my front row seat I learned . . .

· Faith is more important than finances.

· Peanut butter, mustard, and pickle sandwiches are a complete meal.

· Loving someone can be exhausting and frustrating.

· Reds and whites aren’t a good combination for laundry.

· Tears aren’t always bad.

· Wearing a wig backwards makes a definite fashion statement.

· Nobody wants to clean the toilets.

· Chaos is a form of landscaping.

· Being a servant is about what you do when no one outside your family sees it.

· Bodies decay, but souls are eternal.

(Excerpt from Sandwiched: Pass the Peanut Butter and Jelly: Inspirational Stories for Sandwiched Families)