One of my most favorite family photos from 63 years ago. I notice the smiles, the bright eyes, the togetherness of my beautiful family. Let me introduce you.

After I make a request.

We’ll start with the beautiful woman on the right-hand side. She’s my sweet mama. Her name will forever be Beverly Harriet. Her favorite name was Mom. Her girlfriends called her Bev. Her lifeline started in June 1934, and her life ended on June 30, 2016. She taught me how to cook, sew, and laugh. Some of my funniest memories are with my mom. And some of the most bittersweet.

Next to her is Lorrinda Allyce. She’s my sweet sister. Oh, sure, we fought. But as the years became more difficult in our lives, we grew closer and closer. We truly love each other. Forever. She was born in February 1955. I call her “sis” and “Lori.” We were each other’s pillar-of-strength after my parents passed away. We “joked” about being orphans.

The handsome man sitting next to Lori is our talented father Donovan Richard (“Dick”). He braved the Korean War and loved his job as a Minneapolis police officer. He bought a very used guitar when he was in Korea and entertained his fellow troops. His assigned battleground was one of the fiercest. He was born on September 28, 1928, and we said goodbye on August 4, 2010.

I was the lucky one to sit on his lap as he held me tight so I wouldn’t fall. He was my rock, even when our words were tough between us. He protected me. We laughed until the tears ran down our faces. He taught me how to make a guitar sing and play complicated board and card games. One of our last times together was when we played guitars at the Marion County Senior Center in Flippin, Arkansas. Our very last time together was two days before he passed away.

Then came Alzheimer’s. Perhaps it’s easier for me to call it “the disease that robs.” It robs the memories from those afflicted, and it robs the time we get to spend with our loved ones who we watch gradually fall away from us.

Much has happened since my last posts in 2019. Tears still flow easy. Grateful for a loving Savior to hold me through the valleys and the mountaintops. Over time, I’ll fill you in.

You’ll be seeing posts again. Hopefully many. I’m now officially retired from a job that was difficult, but one I always appreciated. On the hard days, I told myself that at least the job kept my brain exercised.

From my previous posts, readers could see that I first lost my dad to Alzheimer’s in 2010 and then I lost my mom to Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia in 2016. Seven years ago, my husband Chuck Knapp assisted in the development with BOB-FM 106.1 radio to set apart five hours of radio on the “longest day” in June as a fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association. Our next broadcast is Friday, June 19, 2026. Please tune in or livestream at KLCI – My BOB Country | TOTAL Country BOB FM. And then consider making a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association through MY BOB COUNTRY (either online at The Longest Day Broadcast on BOB FM – BOB Total Country or at 763-450-0500). A day filled with hope, optimism, and stories of loss.

Friday, June 19, 2026 – From 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (central time).

I will make an announcement around 10:10 a.m. on June 19, 2026, that will be difficult. Perhaps you are reading this post as a result of this announcement.

During difficult times, reach out to Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Our rock. Our salvation. Our eternity.

As always, you can contact me at cheryl@cherylcrofootknapp.com.

Psalm 34:18 (ESV) – The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 147:3 (ESV) – He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

http://pub.lucidpress.com/regiftedgraceissue1/?fbclid=IwAR1u3cuQtMaY1iHGxwoG4Xi4wx2j3QwuoB5QG0Vtdb0K7cvGqmYfgujOkS8#OZ5XcyGjLBGf

Are you discouraged? Are you a caregiver? Caregivers, whether professional or family, are humble servants who carry a difficult yoke, often all by themselves. And I want to tell you THANK YOU!

The new e-magazine entitled “REGIFTED GRACE” is launched to encourage those who encourage others, to convey you’re not alone, to offer resources and research, and to let you know you are appreciated and loved.

Additionally, REGIFTED GRACE:The Magazine seeks to educate, encourage, and provide resources to those impacted by long-term illness, often from a vantage point of Alzheimer’s. We have walked in your shoes or are there right now. And we want to lead you to discover the collateral beauty in serving others and the belief that the grace is always greener on God’s side.

Welcome to Issue Number One!

For FULL SCREEN MODE, click on the enlarge icon.

Please send us your comments, suggestions, and submissions.

And be sure to sign up to be included in our subscriber list!

Blessings!

“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest,” Jesus said (Mark 6:31 NIV). For the last two years, my annual quiet place to get some rest has been at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. This year was more powerful than the last in many respects, and I can only give you a bird’s eye view of how it changed me.

(DiAnn Mills, Cheryl Crofoot Knapp, and Edie Melson; photo by Mary Denman, Photographer)

Why do I need to find a place for quiet and rest? First, I’m still working through the loss of my parents to Alzheimer’s and learning how to recover from that “thing” called caregiving, which was filled with collateral beauty, but I wouldn’t call it a place for quiet and rest. I’m still weary, I still grieve, and I still need rest. Second, my passion to stretch my arms out wide to encourage caregivers through writing and speaking gained legs at this year’s conference.

Eva Marie Everson hosted a practicum called, “Writing to Learn Who You Are in Christ, Who Christ is in You, And Why He Called You in the First Place.” I was fortunate to be one of the first 14 people to sign up for the three-day Bible study class. After discussing each specific passage, Eva Marie posed one or more questions that appear in the Bible and asked us to journal our responses. After one such passage, we journaled the answer to “Who has He called me to feed?” The answer came to me immediately, but I thought my reply was too simplistic–not big enough. Jesus tells us to take care of the widows, the lonely, the oppressed. Was my answer as simple as the reaction that pierced my heart? Yes. It was. My answer? “Feed my caregivers.” Many are widows, lonely, oppressed. I wept as I shared my response to the class, knowing there is no doubt I am to passionately feed and encourage caregivers. My next two projects took birth (one is a book and the other an online support class), and I will keep you posted as they spread wings. They both provide encouragement exclusive to caregivers.

Russell and Kristi Johnson led us in worship each morning and evening. Russell and Kristi have extreme passion for Jesus, and I am blessed to call them friends. Their young daughter Sidney is following in their footsteps and led worship in a song about Jesus (the name of the song escapes me). It was a particular blessing to me as her voice led me to close my eyes and imagine looking into the eyes of Jesus. Even in my mind’s eye, I couldn’t gaze very long without looking down. Even in my mind’s eye, the visage of Jesus was too much for me to comprehend. I hope to do a faith-based caregiving conference with them in the next 12-18 months. In the meantime, you can enjoy their blog and purchase their music at russellandkristi.com.

I received the 2018 Foundation Award (Article) for my submission of “Mama, I’m So Sorry: How An Alzheimer’s Simulator Let Me Walk in My Mama’s Shoes.” This was originally a blog post that garnered over 8200 views in three weeks last November. The article describes the Alzheimer’s simulator that my husband and I did in Little Rock and how I ultimately wished I could have a do-over in caregiving based on the insights I gained in the simulator. Since a do-over isn’t possible, the next best thing I can do is to encourage and educate other caregivers. The entirety of the conference propelled me to a more confident place to live out my purpose in writing. Winning this award and receiving validation from my peers is truly a gift. I’m sharing the photo that was taken by Mary Denman. Mary helped me quench the tears for a moment, but my time on stage to accept the award was spent in tears. I praised God, and then mouthed the words, “Mama, this one’s for you.”

So why do I share these experiences with you?

First, I think it’s important to be transparent with you about my vantage point. Caregiving, particularly Alzheimer’s caregiving, taught me life lessons that I can pass along to you. It’s important for you to know that you’re not alone, even if you feel isolated like many caregivers. There IS hope. There IS recovery. There IS purpose.

Second, I’m passionate about writing and speaking. These conferences allow me to grow and hone my skills to better encourage you in your life journey.

Third, the conference reminded me again that, to me, faith is an essential component of successful caregiving. My purpose is to share my caregiving journey with you and encourage you on how to care for both you and your loved one, and that my focal point is the love given to us by a compassionate God. I couldn’t have had a caregiving experience filled with extremely joyful moments if I bypassed my relationship with the Lord. I am a caregiving survivor two times over, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I realize that some may choose to not read “religious” posts about caregiving. And that’s okay. But as Kathie Lee Gifford expressed in an interview with Megyn Kelly after Reverend Billy Graham passed away, “It’s not about religion. It’s about a relationship.”

This “work” I do is to remind you that you’re not alone, that I understand from personal experience that it is a difficult journey, and that the emotions you feel (and sometimes only endure) are normal. I’m sorry if you’re walking through a difficult time in your life. My hope is that you can discover the joy of collateral beauty. My joy was found in relationships–with God, with my parents to whom I provided care, and with others. My joy was found in tender moments. My joy was in liberating my unspoken passion, since third grade, for writing.

The article award caused me to say, “Mama, this one’s for you.” And tell you, caregiver, that this one’s for you.