This is Donna's final episode of the Caregiver Tea Time Podcast Series. Donna shares how the podcast came to be and about the podcast theme song. She shares a quote from a devotional book by Solly Ozrovech about the value of choosing to make memories that bring joy. This episode includes a Honey Granola Recipe and a shortened sing along version of the podcast theme song, "Nothing but the Good Things."
00:30 Donna acknowledges those who helped make this podcast a reality: producer Bianca Grooves, sound engineer Sammy Wags, song writing teacher Joe Marrero, and all of her friends and family who encouraged her along the way.
03:45 Donna shares a quote titled "The Value of Memories" from a devotional book called "New Beginnings" by Solly Ozrovich.
05:10 Here's Donna's special message: "You can choose whether to let the sorrowful memories color your world or focus on the happy memories as an inspiration to make choices that you'll look back on with a joyful smile."
05:45 Honey Granola Recipe:
Supplies: buttered jelly roll pan, 11 by 17 inches, a large bowl, wax or parchment paper
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups old -fashioned oats.
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup melted butter
1 /4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon cinnamon,
1 /2 a teaspoon of salt
1 /2 cup honey.
1 /2 cup raisins to stir in after baking and cooling the granola
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter jelly roll pan. Melt butter. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Drizzle the melted butter and honey over the dry ingredients and stir together.
Spread evenly in the pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Stir halfway through.
Pour it out of the pan onto wax paper or parchment paper, spread out and let cool.
Place the cool granola in a bowl and stir together with the raisins.
Bag up or put in sealed containers to keep it fresh. Can be frozen.
07:20 Words to sing along version of Nothing but the Good Things:
Nothing but the good things,
Nothing but the good things
In this world,
Living in my heart.
I like dancing barefoot in the grass.
I like ice cream and kittens make me laugh.
Friends and family are sending love to me--
Much more love than you or I could ever see.
Don't get me wrong, there's tough stuff everywhere:
Bad news, sad news, mad news and despair.
Still the rising moon reflects the sun's bright light,
And the stars break through the darkest night!
Nothing but the good things,
Nothing but the good things
In this world,
Living in my heart,
Living in my heart.
Hey there, it's Val!
And this is so exciting. I have reached the end of my podcast series. I have to pinch myself because it's hard to believe that I've been able to accomplish so much in this past year. And I could not have done it without the help of my producer Bianca and sound engineer Sammy. And of course my friends and family are out there supporting me too. Thank you so much!
I planned caregiver tea time to be a limited run series with a beginning and an end. After all, I'm heading for a new beginning in my life and this podcast is just one stop along the way. My original idea was to create a podcast from a book I wrote for caregivers of young adults going through bone marrow transplant. I wanted to give those caregivers something to listen to while they stayed in the hospital with their loved one and waited to get news from doctors. I wanted it to be encouraging, that they will get through it, and so will their loved one.
But then, my loved one passed away, and I had a different story to tell. Caregiver Tea Time was born to be a supportive podcast for all caregivers, and I'm grateful to be able to accomplish what I set out to do.
So, in this episode called New Beginnings, I'll be sharing about life after caregiving. I'll share a special message, a recipe, and then I hope you will stick around to the end and join me in singing as I share with you the sing -along song version of my theme song "Nothing but the Good Things."
Almost a year ago, I signed up for songwriting lessons with Joe Marrero, who taught me how to write a song with clear images. I wanted to write a theme song for the podcast to be about how I felt when I shared my caregiver story. Usually the conversation turned somber because of the serious side of caregiving. But then a smile would come up and I would say, but there were so many good things too.
So I made a list of good things that I think about. Joe picked up ukulele, strummed a few chords,
and we had the wonderful start to what became "Nothing but the Good Things." Now, I have something else to tell you about this. I wrote this part of the podcast when I was at a coffee shop just down the street from where I had my music lesson with Joe. I'm just typing away and a man walks by me and he goes, "Hey, I know you !" And you won't believe this, but it was Joe!
And I said, "Joe, I can't believe this. I just wrote this paragraph about you and here you
are."
Yes, there is a life after caregiving. I've heard it said many times, a caregiver's grief never goes away. It's just that we're able to build a life around it so that the grief is no longer in the forefront and its place in our lives becomes less as our new life around it becomes more.
I want to share something I recently read that helped me put a new perspective on the choices I'm
making as I start this new beginning. It's called The Value of Memories from a devotional book called. believe this or not, "New Beginnings." It's by Solly
Ozrovech.
"Every one of us has memories. Depending on their nature,
they may either cause joy or intense sorrow. It's a wise person who realizes that
today create tomorrow's memories, and that their future happiness is therefore in
their own hands. Memories of the past play an important role in our everyday life.
If you have clung to an unhappy incident for more than twenty years, you might find
your thoughts tinged with bitterness and negativity. The grace of forgiveness is
essential, and So is the blessing of being able to forget. Recalling happy memories
is a source of inspiration and joy and can often provide guidance for future
behavior. "
After reading that, I say "thank you" for happy memories and the ability to
recall them. Now I try to remember, I have a choice regarding the memories I'm
going to create. This helps me to make important decisions for today that have
consequences for tomorrow.
And here's my special message: You can choose whether to let the sorrowful memories
color your world or focus on the happy memories as an inspiration to make choices
that you'll look back on with a joyful smile.
And now, I'd like to share a recipe. It was given to me by another caregiver
mother. Her name was Becky. Her son also had cancer, and at the time his successful
treatment gave me hope. I have shared it with many friends who have shared it with
their friends, and it's turned out to be a favorite. It's called:
Honey Nut Granola.
The supplies you'll need are a jelly roll pan, 11 by 17 inches, and a large bowl.
Here are the ingredients:
2 1/2 cups old -fashioned oats.
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup melted butter
1 /4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon cinnamon,
1 /2 a teaspoon of salt
1 /2 cup honey.
Then after you bake it, you can stir in 1 /2 cup of raisins.
So here's how you prepare it:
First melt your butter, then combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Drizzle over the melted butter and the honey and then stir together.
Spread it in your pan evenly.
Then you bake it for 20 to 25 minutes. Stir halfway through.
Then when you pull it out of the pan, spread it out and let it cool.
Then you can put it in a bowl and stir together with the raisins and
Boy is it good!
Just ask Bianca and Sammy. Hope you enjoy it.
Cheers!
And now for this final episode, please sing along with me:
Nothing but the Good Things
Nothing but the good things,
Nothing but the good things
In this world,
Living in my heart
I like dancing barefoot in the grass
I like ice cream and kittens make me laugh
Friends and family are sending love to me
Much more love than you or I could ever see
Don't get me wrong, there's tough stuff everywhere
Bad news, sad news, mad news and despair
Still the rising moon reflects the sun's bright light
And the stars break through the darkest night!
Nothing but the good things,
Nothing but the good things
In this world,
Living in my heart,
Living in my heart.
Caregiver Tea Time was recorded at the Koop Studio, Irvington, New York.
Engineered by Sammy Wags and produced by Bianca Groves.