Why ARMORED?
I was recently asked why I named my book ARMORED. As I was writing this blog post, it occurred to me that the easiest way to respond to this question is to go to the source by quoting directly from the book.
Choosing ARMORED as my book’s name
Reason One:
I have witnessed how my cumulative experiences over my lifetime have built upon each of my individual strengths to equip and empower me. When I embrace my uniqueness, I am stretched and pressed to accomplish great achievements. That has proven to be true whether I feel prepared for the challenge or not. It is also true whether the challenge is massive or seemingly small and including if it is professional or personal.
Reason Two:
Ephesians 6:11-18 is my go-to Bible verse. I am a visual learner and this verse serves as a graphical reminder for me that we are to be an active participant in armoring up for any battles that we face.
This is further explained by providing an excerpt from ARMORED’s Introduction:
With a career encompassing more than 27 years, I have successfully navigated through many vast and varied trials. However, my largest valleys have been personally alongside my husband in the past twenty-one years as he survived three major, life-threatening illnesses.
In characterizing these times, you might call me an “unexpected caregiver,” since every illness that afflicted him came as a surprise, sneak attack. Although I have never felt like the noun caregiver adequately described me, nor how I served my husband.
As someone comfortable being a big dreamer, unconventional, and naturally curious, I pressed myself further to explore why. By the way, did you know that the term caregiver is used mainly in the United States, Canada, and China; while the UK, Australia, and other European countries use carer as a moniker for these activities? Researching and discovering this further validated to me that all of us have the freedom to call ourselves whatever we choose whenever we’re in battle situations.
Since caregiver doesn’t fit as a description of the role that I played in Daran’s recovery, I searched to find a better word. I settled on the name care coach. It is a better measure of who I am and what I do.
In full transparency, I have no medical background and limited maternal instincts, so my brand of care was not intentional, it was innate and authentic. It encompassed all my past experiences, which unwittingly prepared me for these battles.
Care coaching allowed me to have a role in my husband’s recovery in my own, nontraditional way. My definition of a care coach still encompasses the conventionally ascribed aspects of care including deep love, devotion, compassion, and respect. However, care coaching also entails much more such as being an advocate, providing hope, reminding the patient of who they are and what they are fighting for, as well as being a strong supporter through the most challenging of times. Most of all, care coaching is about lovingly motivating the patient through their battles with unwavering faith.
Trust me, whether it’s a spouse, aging parent, or other loved ones, if you’re not in a battle now, there is likely one in the horizon. My goal in telling our story is that you will be inspired, no matter your caregiving (or care coaching) background or skill set, and understand that we all have the power within us to encourage our loved ones through the darkest of times in life’s journeys. As a care coach equipped with only the armor of my unique past experiences, if I can motivate and support the person that I love most in the world through his major illnesses, then you can too.
For more details, please visit www.dawnflandry.com. I am so excited to be at this point in the process and cannot wait to release ARMORED. COVID has delayed print times, so the release date is impending. However, it is coming soon, so stay tuned.
As always, thank you for your continued interest. Please let me know if I may ever be a resource to you and your endeavors by contacting me at dlandry@authentizity.com.
