From the Author
Mary Tutterow
We may be very different people, but you and I have a lot in common.
Loving and caring for someone who has chronic needs can be exhausting, confusing, even devastating – and only other people who have been through it really understand it.
My husband, Winn and I have two adult children. William is grown and living on his own. Our daughter Mary Addison is an adult and living at home with us. She has a chronic seizure disorder as well as mental and physical challenges, yet she is truly the Light in our family. She is full of joy and courage and we adore her!
A few years ago, Winn’s mom got sick.
Winn is a wonderful, compassionate man with a servant’s heart, but he is also an only child. The years of caring for both Winn’s mom and Mary Addison were a real pressure cooker for all of us. Winn’s mom has since passed away, but the lessons we learned are gifts that will last a lifetime.
It has been an amazing journey, yet in the beginning, I thought God had done something terrible to me, to our family.
Like you, I have often felt so alone, like I was the only one not handling things well, like somehow the world was passing me by as I spent hour after hour in the hospital, with the therapists, managing care schedules, in doctor’s offices – advocating, praying, fighting.
With that kind of thinking everything looked hopeless, but I have discovered that the very thing I thought to be the end of me was actually an invitation to a new beginning. The Heart of the Caregiver® is your invitation to a new beginning – to see yourself, your situation and the person you are caring for in a whole new way – through the light of God’s amazing love.
I am a wife, mom, author, speaker, teacher and caregiver. I wrote The Heart of the Caregiver® during some of our most difficult years. I began teaching the content to small groups as an excuse to have other caregivers to share with. Only those who have experienced being a caregiver themselves seem to fully understand. It is now my joy to help other frazzled caregivers find beautiful transformation in the caregiving process – for themselves, their family and the people they care for.
I like to write about our family and our caregiving experiences (see MaryTutterow.com). I like to share stories (with permission) from the amazing folks in my small groups. I’d love to share these stories with you and hear yours as well. Sign up to receive insights, inspiration and announcements in our free newsletter. It’s great to be connected. You are not alone.
With love,
Mary
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About the Logo
The Heart of the Caregiver® logo is four intertwined hearts representing God’s Heart, your heart, the heart of the person you care for and the heart of community. As we learn to love and care for each other, even in our deepest suffering, God is revealed in our midst (the cross).