Support and wisdom when serious illness strikesSally Wilke gets it. She has lived with and through the serious chronic illness of someone she cared deeply about. And she has provided pastoral care to individuals and families in similar situations. Waiting for Good News captures her hard-won, helpful, and hope-filled wisdom.Wilke organizes this book around seven questions that those who face serious illness often ask. From "What Is the Diagnosis" to "Where Do I Find More Help?" she accompanies readers on their own journey. The heart of the book is the stories--Wilke's own, those of others who have struggled with severe illness, and accounts from the Bible. Here, readers will find strength, support, and a way forward in a difficult situation.As practical as she is wise, Wilke offers tools, tips, ideas, and resources for reflection and for obtaining additional support. Chapters conclude with questions that may be used for personal reflection and discussion with family members, patients, and support groups.Clergy, other pastoral-care providers, and family and friends of those who struggle with serious illness will find examples and helpful practices to guide their efforts as they partner with those seeking to find their way.
Sally Wilke's father died too young, his body destroyed by diabetes and kidney failure. Years later, her husband's liver transplant and eventual death deepened her knowledge and feelings about living with illness and pain. Now a Lutheran pastor, Wilke uses her own and others' stories to offer hope and assurance of God's presence on a journey with chronic illness.
Introduction Chapter 1. What Is the Diagnosis? Chapter 2. Why Do I Feel Like This? Chapter 3. What Challenges Will I Face? Chapter 4. What If the Patient Is My Child? Chapter 5. What Can I Control? Chapter 6. What Do I Need Now? Chapter 7. Is There Any Good News? Chapter 8. Where Do I Find More Help? Resources Bibliography
"In Waiting for Good News, Sally L. Wilke gathers together the stories and experiences of caregivers facing chronic illnesses of loved ones--children, husbands, fathers, mothers, and friends. Each chapter focuses on specific interdependent issues in caregiving: diagnosis, what caregivers feel and experience, the challenges caregivers and patients face, a parent's response to a chronically ill child, issues of control and what needs to be done, and where caregivers can find help. An excellent and important book that needs to be in the libraries every pastor, healthcare giver, or person facing a chronic illness and their care givers." --Dr. Paul O. Ingram, Professor Emeritus of Religion, Pacific Lutheran University "Both informative and compelling, Waiting for Good News by Sally L. Wilke invites deep involvement. Her experiences of living with chronic illness in several contexts and her weaving together of others' stories produce a moving backdrop to engage the reader. Her approach to integrating narrative, medical information, psychological and systemic processes, practical wisdom, and spiritual tools is masterful. Down-to-earth and rich with shared vulnerability, this volume will help pastors, caregivers, and especially people who are living with or caring for those with chronic conditions. Wilke teaches us the importance of honoring grief, learning to ask for help, and discovering God's presence in the midst of it all." --Rev. Dr. John Beck, co-pastor, Pointe of Grace Lutheran Church, Mukilteo, WA "Sally L. Wilke's Waiting for Good News belongs on every caregiver's nightstand as well as the reserve shelves of the seminary, medical, and nursing school libraries. Written with clarity and grace, she seamlessly weaves together story, wise professional counsel, and spiritual consolation for those living with chronic illness. As in the Bible itself, the physical, family, and social realities of illness are laid bare. A real-world theologian of the cross, she proclaims hope not in denial of reality but, as did Luther, in 'saying what a thing actually is.' Lament and assurance walk side by side." --Rev. Dr. John A. Bernsten, author of Cross-Shaped Leadership: On the Rough and Tumble of Parish Practice "With engaging stories, personal experience, and a strong faith witness, Sally L. Wilke offers those of us dealing with difficult physical conditions--and our caregivers--something basic: a much-needed conversation with a friend who's been down the same road." --Bob Sitze, author of It's Not Too Late: A Field Guide to Hope "In this wise and hopeful book, Sally L. Wilke embodies one of her references who says, 'A witness is always stronger when it comes out of personal experience.' Filled with touching stories from her own family and from those with whom she has ministered, along with wise expert and rich spiritual resources for coping with life challenges, Wilke offers graceful pathways of resilience for hopeful living in the face of serious illness." --Dr. Paul Hopkins, Pastoral Counselor
