DEVOTIONAL FOR CAREGIVERS PROVIDES SELF-CARE STRATEGIES

Dr. Jeanne Porter King is the author of Leading Well: A Black Woman’s Guide to Wholistic, Barrier-Breaking Leadership and Caring Well: 90 Self-Care Devotions for the African American Caregiver. PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE BOLTION GROUP PR.
Dr. Jeanne Porter King is the author of Leading Well: A Black Woman’s Guide to Wholistic, Barrier-Breaking Leadership and Caring Well: 90 Self-Care Devotions for the African American Caregiver. PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE BOLTION GROUP PR.

DEVOTIONAL FOR CAREGIVERS PROVIDES SELF-CARE STRATEGIES

By Tia Carol Jones

Dr. Jeanne Porter King was caring for her mother during the COVID-19 pandemic and it was a radical change in her and her husband’s lives. She would post about coming through challenges in the caregiver journey on her social media pages. She was amazed at how many other people were also going through a caregiver journey or had been through a caregiver journey.

“I found myself sharing stories, that came out of this journey, especially when God would intervene in a really mighty way,” Porter King said.

Porter King went back to her social media community and invited them to share their caregiver journey, which she turned into a blog called Caregivers Corner. Katara Washington Patton reached out to Porter King’s literary agent and asked if she would write for the Our Daily Bread Voices Collection. The result is Caring Well: 90 Self-Care Devotions for the African American Caregiver. Porter King journaled through her caregiver journey, along with the blog and sharing on social media. The content in the book is taken from those experiences.

“The reader will find inspiration; the reader will find a framework and strategy for her or his self-care while caregiving for a loved one. The reader will find opportunities to reflect and remind themselves of not only why they do what they do, but how and why caring well for themselves helps them to care well for others,” Porter King said.

Porter King is a Pastor, Consultant and Coach who specializes in women’s leadership. She is also the author of “Leading Well: A Black Woman’s Guide to Wholistic, Barrier-Breaking Leadership.”

The book has 90 devotions with three categories: mind, body and soul. There are nine sections: enhancing spiritual wellbeing, drawing from the culture, personal wellbeing, relational wellbeing, mental wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, physical wellbeing, vocational wellbeing and environmental wellbeing.

Porter King wants those who care for their loved ones not to lose their personal identity and not just to see themselves as just a caregiver. She also has stories of how her mother cared for her grandmother. People have been excited about the book and bought multiple copies of the book to give to people they know who are caring for a loved one. She noted that self- care is important for caregivers because without it, many caregivers pass before the loved one they are caring for.

Porter King said she is excited about the momentum around the book and that it is being used as a resource for caregivers. She had someone who was a caregiver tell her that he wished the book existed when he was caring for his mother. Others have been encouraged after reading the book.

Porter King hopes people who read the book come to know that serving as a caregiver can be difficult, but it can also be rewarding. The caregiver’s perspective and ability to care for themselves can make all the difference. She also wants people to know they are worth their own care.

“Often in our community, we see it as giving back to our elders or church members who have helped, and that is right and good, but I also want readers to see that it is right and good to care for themselves, to carve out the time for reflection, for prayer,” Porter King said. “They are worth caring for and pouring into and this book would allow them to pour into themselves.”

The book is available for purchase at https://ourdailybreadpublishing.org/caring-well.html. For more information about Dr. Jeanne Porter King, visit www.drjeanneporterking.com, or follow her on social media @drjeanneporterking on Facebook and Instagram.

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