I had just begun to live alone and enjoy some measure of independence when my father passed away. I am now taking care of my mother. I need your prayers. I love my mother with all my heart, but I feel lonely, scared and trapped. I just desperately need the Lord to grant me grace to deny self and follow Him.
Taking care of an elderly parent is one of the hardest and thankless jobs to have. Especially while grieving. My heart goes out to you and I hope you are carving out time for yourself. If your Mom is old enough, consider enrolling her in an Adult Daycare facility. This will enable you to have consistent breaks. You need the breathing time.
Reach out to a social worker in your area, or if you Mom has a case manager, ask them about local adult day care. If none is available, check into Senior Centers. They have loads of activities for seniors to participate in. If my Mom hadn't been so ill, I'd have made sure she had the chance to hang out with other seniors at the center.
Again, this depends on your Mom's health and abilities. Note: At first, she may be negative about the idea of getting out of the house and doing something different. Take her anyway. She'll change over time as she gains confidence in herself and friends!
Blessings to you!
First, I am very sorry that you lost your Dad. My Dad too passed 5 months before Mom did. So I lost both parents within 5 months of each other last year. Your feelings of feeling "lonely, scared, and trapped" are normal human feelings. I felt the exact same way.
I can say with truth that the Lord helped me every step of the way. Now that I look back, I could not have survived without Him. That is not to say that I am perfect and healed and smiling every day, on the contrary, I am still living with guilt, regret, could of's, should of's, would of's, or feel no pain. I still do every day just the degree changes day by day. And that is how I live now, day by day. Prayer is extremely powerful; the enemy hates it when you pray cause he knows that God hears you and the enemy wants to "kill, steal, and destroy." When Mom was at home and when in hospice, I witnessed to her about her savior Jesus Christ and she accepted Him into her heart as Lord and Savior. Now I know where Mom is and I rejoice at that fact. I am not in limbo not knowing where she is. I read Scripture to her, prayed with her and for her while she was sleeping, kept on a Christian radio station 24/7. And God did do miracles for her. Even though she had AL, I could tell that the Holy Spirit was inside of her by the things that she said. His understanding is infinate.
Ask God for the strength, His strength, not your own, His power for you to put Him first, even before your Mom, and He will answer and bless you. Faith can move mountains. Grace will carry you on. You are already on the right track by asking for the Lord to grant you His grace, to deny yourself and follow Him. He hears you, His grace is sufficient for you. His love will carry you through this. Tell your Mom about what Jesus did for her. I will pray for you.