MYTH #1: A prospective care-receiver might think, "You'd have to be pretty sick to need to bother someone else with your problems".

There is much to observe waiting 36 hours in the airport for your flight home. I left to go to the airport hours early that first day liquids were banned from carry-on luggage. It wasn't early enough -- for me or for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of others at that airport who could not get through security in time.

I saw, in myself and those around me, the signs of dealing with disruption and loss: numb shock, denial, bargaining, anger, depression, and, even for those with less than ideal outcomes, acceptance. I saw strangers reaching out to each other. I suspect few of us thought of it as reaching out for help or to help. But that is what was going on. Yes there were some non-constructive behaviors. Security was called to settle an abusive traveler. Airline staff got short at times. But there was a lot of sharing among passengers on standby or rescheduled flights. We listened to each other rant and express, offered wishes, fostered hope, showed understanding, were there for each other. Although the time was short and the conditions were not too severe, the beginnings of a caring ministry arose naturally in that situation of need. The point is that anyone, anywhere, can find themselves in a situation where it is not only helpful but indeed wise and sane to seek and accept the caregiving of others.

Many years ago, I found myself in a position where I badly needed some perspective on what I was experiencing. In typical male fashion, I told myself that there was nothing special about my situation and that I just needed to tough it out alone. Years later I happened to get enough refreshing support from a friend to realize how unproductive it had been to suffer in silence. Come, consider with your Stephen Ministry Team how a caregiver could help you get through your painful concerns.

Glenn Wolfgang