A poem for the weary hands of caregivers

Posted by Kim Webb @mrjohnwebb, 3 days ago

Won’t Go Wasted

(For the weary hands of caregivers who believe in Him)

You did not ask for this road—
the quiet dying of your own needs
in the long shadow
of someone else’s pain.

You did not choose the breaking,
only the love
that made you stay.

But nothing
is lost in the hands of God.

Not the sleepless nights,
not the silent prayers
muttered in kitchen light,
not the tears that fell
where no one saw.

He gathers them all.
He knows the names
of your unseen efforts,
the strength it took
to not walk away.

This ache
is not the end of the story.

Even now,
He is turning sorrow into soil,
planting purpose
in the places
you thought were barren.

You are not forsaken.
You are being held.
And what you give—
even when it feels like breaking—
won’t go wasted.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Caregivers Support Group.

pml | @pml | 3 days ago

Hi Kim,
What a beautiful poem! And it's so true! I know because I just went through all that with my husband who had stage 4 lung cancer. God was there for me and for him. My husband is up in heaven now and I am relieved because I know he's OK and out of pain. I also know that I'm not alone because I have God and he has been answering my prayers.
You should submit this poem for publication or maybe you already have. You are very talented! Thank you for writing this. It really helped!
PML

lrenee08 | @lrenee08 | 2 days ago

Thank you for this beautiful and inspiring poem💕

jmd2025 | @jmd2025 | 2 days ago

It hits home, so true. Thank you for sharing.

Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | 2 days ago

In reply to @jmd2025 "It hits home, so true. Thank you for sharing." + (show)

Welcome to Connect, @jmd2025 The poem for caregivers certainly hits home for so many people who are often the unsung supportive heroes for a loved one in need.
Thank you for being a caregiver. I know it’s not an easy job but certainly a labor of love.

We have so many wonderful support groups here in Connect. You’ve already jumped into the Caregivers support group. I’d love to also help you connect with others who may be going through a similar diagnosis as the person you’re tending. Would you mind sharing a little more of your story? How you came to be the caregiver?

sillyblone | @sillyblone | 2 days ago

Kim,
This was a wonderfully and amazingly written. It spoke to me . Thank you 💞

Kim Webb | @mrjohnwebb | 2 days ago

In reply to @loribmt "Welcome to Connect, @jmd2025 The poem for caregivers certainly hits home for so many people who..." + (show)

I have been a part-time caregiver for my dad and full-time caregiver for my mother. Both are now deceased. My husband of 40 years now has Lewy Body Dementia. This is by far the hardest of the caregiving I have done. He was diagnosed 3 years ago and it is truly heartbreaking to see his daily struggle.

jmd2025 | @jmd2025 | 2 days ago

In reply to @loribmt "Welcome to Connect, @jmd2025 The poem for caregivers certainly hits home for so many people who..." + (show)

Hi Lori, thank you for the welcome!
I had been a full time caegiver for my Dad (Alzheimers) and Mother (multiple diseases) who are deceased. Hubby has Neuropathy, pre diabetes, kidney disease, post surgery prostrate cancer (2017) , Hypothyroidism and just seems like so many of these new diseases popped up after the surgery. He is on BP meds, statins, so I try to advocate for him looking to aid him to feel better. He was on MetFormin but too many side effects after alternating this per Dr. instructions. He also alternates the Rosuvastatin because of the side effects (back pain, headaches, muscle aches). Now his Tinnitus got very bad while taking the MetFormin so he says he will not take that anymore, even though it did help the glucose, BP and weight loss. So its been challenging. I appreciate your email and hope you are managing wellness yourself after reading your profile.

kc789 | @kc789 | 2 days ago

Thank you for this beautiful poem. It's right on.

lungranger77 | @lungranger77 | 2 days ago

Thank you Kim.
Your encouragement is a timely blessing. last week my wife's mother passed and we couldn't attend the funeral up north in Monterey because my wife is getting 25 consecutive radiation treatments in he rt elbow in Santa Barbara. Her brother's wife died 2 days later in florida and he couldn't attend either. Close call in Feb when Denise (my wife) had to be admitted for RSV/Pneumonia for six days and postponed the surgery to remove the tumor in her elbow. Interesting how God worked in our situation recently. I insisted on putting a lamp near the dining room table and she tripped on the cord and broke her rt elbow. I felt so bad. But as it turned out the plasma cytoma tumor was in the same place and we would never have known for a while that it was growing and doing damage to the bone if she hadn't broken her arm. Things are looking up. Her doctor is very confident the radiation will do the job. The first cytoma was in 2013-brain tumor. It's been a stressful journey at times.

Your poem centered my attention on His care for us. Thanks for letting me share. It's been more Physically, and mentally stressful lately driving 2 hrs a day. I'm 73 now and Denise is 67. Thanks again for reminding me where my strength is coming from.
Ernie

Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | 1 day ago

In reply to @mrjohnwebb "I have been a part-time caregiver for my dad and full-time caregiver for my mother. Both..." + (show)

Hi Kim, Your lovely poem is so moving and poignant…obviously written by someone who has experienced the full range of emotions from the perspective of a caregiver.

Care and tenderness are among the most incredible forms of humanity. Thank you so much for sharing your innermost thoughts with us. Wish I could reach through the computer to give you a hug…