“I never really quite knew what the definition of love is… I think it comes down to tests like this.” - Jay Leno on Hope for the Caregiver

That matter-of-fact statement from Jay Leno to me on my radio program stayed with me long after the conversation ended.

In a deeply personal and unexpectedly poignant conversation, Jay opened up about caring for his beloved wife, Mavis, whose health challenges have brought him into the caregiving world. Their 45-year marriage—marked by shared laughter, mutual admiration, and now, caregiving—has entered a new chapter, and Jay is showing up daily with humor, humility, and tenderness.

From finding the absurd in shoe shopping to using flashcards of old photos to spark memories, Jay shares the little victories that keep him grounded. “Maybe it’s my imagination,” he said, “but she’s remembering things she didn’t three or four months ago.”

He spoke candidly about what caregiving has taught him about love, sacrifice, and what it means to be a man. This wasn’t late-night monologue material. This was a man facing the hard part of the vow—“for worse”—and decided to stay in the room.

And through it all, he’s still telling jokes, still hitting the road on weekends, and still looking for ways to bring joy to others—whether in a packed auditorium or caring for the woman he loves.

Jay Leno made millions laugh. But in this conversation, he’ll make you think—about love, commitment, and what it means to keep showing up.

PeterRosenberger.com

Available wherever books are sold 08/20/2025

As caregivers, we often pour out until there’s nothing left—but what happens when the one collapsing is the caregiver herself?

My longtime friend Nancy Comish joined me for a brutally honest conversation about her journey through caregiver burnout, medical overload, and physical decline. She was overmedicated, under-rested, and emotionally drowning. Her husband, Craig—who knows his way around a hospital system—raised the alarm. I echoed it later on her front porch. But Nancy made the call. She read the warnings on the prescriptions. She faced what those pills were doing to her. And then she did something most people don’t: she changed.

Nancy’s story isn’t about being rescued. It’s about rescue through resolve. With courage, humor, and a clarity forged in pain, she chose life. She shed nearly 40 pounds, got off 15 medications, and took back her health and her soul.

This is for every caregiver who’s run out of gas and every loved one who doesn’t know what to say. It’s a story of conviction, love, tough truth—and the grace of starting again.

“If you don’t know what to say to a family caregiver, don’t worry about it — I do!”

- Peter Rosenberger

A Caregiver’s Companion - in bookstores 8/20/2025

In this episode of Hope for the Caregiver, I reflect on a powerful moment at home: while a news anchor questioned God’s goodness in the face of tragedy, my wife Gracie—still recovering from her 98th surgery—shouted a truth she learned from our friend Joni Eareckson Tada that’s sustained us for decades:

“He allows what He hates to achieve what He loves.”

We explored how that statement ties into the doctrine of divine concurrence, how caregivers experience fear, guilt, and resentment, and how well-meaning but poor theology—especially in some corners of the church—can make things worse. I asked a pointed question I’ve carried for years: Why do faith healers wear glasses?

We also continued our hymn series with “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” focusing on the line: “Ponder anew what the Almighty will do.” That phrase has become more than poetry—it’s a daily touchstone for those of us facing hard realities.

I closed with an update on our prosthetic limb outreach in West Africa, how Gracie’s vision continues to help others walk, and how you can be a part of it.

If you’re weary or uncertain, this episode is a reminder: Ponder anew what the Almighty will do.

RELEASE DATE 8-20-2025 PRE-ORDER NOW!

There’s a new Superman movie out this month—but when I heard that, my mind flew back 38 years to Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, a cinematic trainwreck of epic proportions. The plot was absurd, the budget was anemic, and Hollywood wisely took a long break from the franchise after that. But while the movie deserves all the ridicule it gets, the title stuck with me: The Quest for Peace.

Because if you're a caregiver, you know exactly what that feels like.

In this episode of Hope for the Caregiver, I invite my fellow caregivers to join me on that very journey—the often painful, sometimes hilarious, always sacred search for peace. Peace in the middle of sleepless nights, endless medical drama, strained relationships, and a soul stretched thin.

I open up about a struggle many caregivers carry but rarely talk about: resentment. Whether it's being overlooked by family, dismissed by doctors, or just frustrated with God—or yourself—it eats away at us. Drawing from the words of C.S. Lewis, I discuss how forgiveness, anchored in God's grace, becomes a daily practice—not a feeling, and certainly not a one-time decision.

I also continue my series on “30 Hymns Every Christian Should Know,” spotlighting Great Is Thy Faithfulness. Inspired by Lamentations 3, where Jeremiah finds hope in the wreckage of Jerusalem, this hymn—written by Thomas Chisholm, who lived with chronic illness—offers a powerful reminder that God's mercy meets us every morning, even when we can barely get out of bed. I play it from the “caregiver keyboard,” the one I use for Gracie, whose voice gives it a strength words alone can't capture.

So, no, I’m not wearing a cape. I don’t fly. But after 40 years as a caregiver, I’ve learned a few things about finding peace when everything around you is breaking. Join me for this honest, gritty, and grace-filled episode.

After five months in a hospital bed, Gracie came home—hooked to drains, fragile, and unable to sit up for more than a few minutes. I pulled her out of the truck, and just as we were about to head inside, she stopped.

Eyes closed. Face tilted upward.

“Oh… that feels wonderful.”

It wasn’t a miracle.
It was a warm summer mountain breeze.

But when you’ve been breathing hospital air for nearly half a year, that breeze feels like Eden.
The cool of the day.
In Hebrew: רוּחַ הַיּוֹם (ruach hayom)—the wind of the day, the gentle breath of God that walked with Adam and Eve through their brokenness.

That’s what this episode is about.
Not just a hymn.
Not just a breeze.
But the presence of God showing up when suffering suffocates.

I also talk candidly about a hard truth for many caregivers:
“Lord, would You please just take them home?”

That’s not a death wish.
That’s not despair.
That’s faith reaching for mercy.

How Great Thou Art belongs on the front line of every caregiver’s hymnbook.
That’s why it’s part of my new series:
30 Hymns Every Caregiver Should Know.
Because sometimes your theology needs melody—when words fail and your soul forgets the tune of hope.

🎧 Listen in.
Let the mountain breeze blow.
And remember: He still walks with us.

What does it mean to be a caregiver? And where is God when the journey feels like one long, unending dirt road?

In this special episode, Peter Rosenberger defines the true heart of caregiving—not as a job, but as a calling to stand between someone’s chronic impairment and even worse disaster. Through the lens of his 40-year journey, Peter unpacks the metaphor of mining for gold amid the dirt of trauma, exhaustion, and despair.

He shares the unforgettable story of Gracie singing the Doxology moments after her second leg amputation—and how praise isn’t a luxury but a lifeline.

Peter also launches a new series: 30 Hymns Every Christian Should Know, starting with Holy, Holy, Holy—tracing its history, theology, and meaning for weary hearts.

Joined by Gracie for the final segment, this episode ends with a moving reminder: Where He is... is home.

✨ Scriptures, songs, and stories to strengthen caregivers—right when they need it most.

NEW BOOK - Order today!

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Caregiving exposes something most of us never see coming:

Our thinking is broken — and it always has been.

Yes, caregiving brings exhaustion, stress, and crisis. But the real problem runs far deeper than circumstances. The root issue traces all the way back to Eden.

When Adam sinned, God pronounced:

“Cursed is the ground because of you.” (Genesis 3:17)

The dirt beneath his feet was broken because of sin. But if even the ground was cursed, how much more the mind that led Adam into rebellion?

"If the very ground was cursed because of sin, how much more so are our minds?"

That’s not poetry — that’s theology. And it’s the daily reality of caregivers everywhere.

We assume we’re thinking clearly. We assume our instincts are reliable. But Scripture says otherwise:

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

“Set your minds on things above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2)

“Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)

Our thinking isn’t neutral — it’s tainted by sin. Total depravity means sin didn’t just touch our behavior; it poisoned our reasoning. And caregiving simply turns up the heat, forcing our broken minds into the spotlight.

Left to ourselves, our minds write checks our souls can’t cash.

One of the cruelest lines caregivers hear is:

“Just trust your gut.”

No. Don’t.
Your gut is tired. Your gut is scared. Your gut is sinful.

Even David knew better:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)

The problem isn’t just out there. The problem is in here.

The answer isn’t in “trying harder” to think better.
The answer is surrender.

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5)

Christ, who lived perfectly, offers us His mind — not simply as a theological concept, but as a practical necessity for caregivers in crisis.

You’re not doomed to your own instincts. In Christ, you have clarity your flesh can’t produce.

Caregiving isn’t about becoming better thinkers — it’s about becoming better surrenderers.

If sin could corrupt the ground beneath Adam’s feet, you can be sure it corrupted the mind that led him there.

The sooner we admit our thinking is compromised, the sooner we can lean fully on the mind of Christ.

I love talking with interesting people doing interesting things—especially when what they’re building impacts those of us in the caregiving world.

That’s why I sat down with Dr. Severence McLaughlin, the CEO of DeLorean AI. His team is using artificial intelligence to predict serious health events—like heart attacks, mental health crises, or hospitalizations—before they happen.

As someone who’s spent four decades in the thick of caregiving, I’ve had to be more than a husband. I’ve had to be the historian, the advocate, and often the one holding the entire narrative together. But what if that burden could be shared? What if technology could actually lighten the load—and even save lives in the process?

This conversation dives into chronic pain, suicide risk in veterans, dialysis, depression, and the future of precision healthcare. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the medical system—or like you’re the only one keeping track—this one’s worth your time.

Lean in and listen.

Peter Rosenberger is the host of Hope for the Caregiver, the nation’s largest broadcast for family caregivers. After four decades of caregiving, he’s learned a few things the hard way—and shares them with heart, humor, and hymns.

His newest book, A Caregiver’s Companion: Scriptures, Hymns and 40 Years of Insights for Life’s Toughest Role, releases this August.

Learn more at PeterRosenberger.com
Follow on X: @hope4caregiver