a HUGE Shout Out!!!

To the youth in our church!!!!!!

Can I just say (and I will) that we have the best youth in the world!!!

Several of them spent a self-less afternoon in the heat of the day to come out to our back yard and river bank....to clear the visual area for my Mom.

They sweated, tired themselves and I am sure, lost a few pounds, to give my Mom's worsening eyes the ability to see her beloved river.

This view is precious to her and with her degenerating eyes she has fewer and fewer days to see the river.

With giving, loving hearts, several of the young men from our youth group sacrificed an entire afternoon, to give my Mom what she adores......a clear view of the river in her back yard.

She is beyond grateful.

We are beyond grateful.

And when our addition is complete, and Mom moves in...she will have this view on a much larger scale.

We are so very blessed!!!!!

I love Harvest Time Bible Church in Rock Falls, IL!!!!

An Update On My Niece

3 1/2 weeks ago, while in a local rehab center, Linda decided that she would transfer herself from her bed to her wheelchair on her own.

Super bad idea! She fell and broke her hip again. Yes, she did.

She was taken 50 miles away to her original Orthopedic Dr. and he did another surgery to repair the damage done.

Yes, she did learn her lesson on that one. NO MORE DOING THINGS ON HER OWN AT THIS TIME.

She was then moved to a rehab center in Rockford IL named Van Matre.

This was a God Send. She felt well taken care of. She received excellent physical therapy and thrived.

This is a picture of her and me while at Van Metre.

And the great news is....on Dec. 3rd. She was released to go HOME!! Yes, HOME!

It is nothing short of a major miracle that she sits in her living room, under a blanket, with her dogs at her feet watching the television.

Linda has a VERY long way to go. Months of physical therapy ahead.

She still has a lot of pain. ALOT of pain.

Her pain will probably be with her for the long haul. It will get better but will not leave her completely.

Her right leg will not be as strong as it was before the accident, but it does work and she walks with the aid of a walker for stability.

Sometime in the future she will graduate to crutches. We pray that she will get stronger and stronger and that she will eventually not need walking aides at all.

But if she does need aide, that is just fine.
She is here with us. God has been so very, very good in this.

Linda is a walking, talking miracle!

She is loved, blessed and a blessing to me and a lot of other people!

God is so very, very good.

And The Verdict Is....

My Niece is back!!!
Yes, that is correct...her brain is in tact, working and knowing us all!! I cannot help but weep while writing this.
As I visited with her last night, she asked me (through lip reading and her pointing at letters to spell a word) to get her an over the counter ointment for an itch that she could not endure any longer. It took me all of 1.2 seconds to get to my car and drive to the pharmacy to get it for her!!

She communicates through "mouthing" words (which I am terrible at reading) and trying to write. Her right side is not completely awake yet, so her ability to write is very poor, but it will come.

Today (9-17-13) she will be moved by ambulance to a rehab facility about 2 hours south of where she is now. She will remain there for 8-10 weeks until she can put weight on her very injured legs and begin physical therapy. At that point, she will be moved again to another phy therapy facility for intense treatment.

Sometime in the next few weeks, the work to get the tracheotomy out of her throat will be done. We cannot wait to hear her voice again!

The sad thing in this major hurdle is that now that her brain is awakened enough to know who she is and we are....there is knowledge of extreme pain in her body. My heart breaks for her. As I helped the nursing staff last night to roll her and move her I trembled at the look of pain on her face.

Linda loves her Aunt Paula and held my hand sooo tight, kissed my cheek twice! and it makes me cry to be privileged to walk through this very, very hard time with her. To kiss her back. To love on her and to see what a Mighty God we serve to have brought her back to us.

I stand amazed.

Today

Today, 12 years ago our country saw the most devastating event ever within our boarders. Praying for all the families that are left with such a devastating hole in their lives.

Today, 5 years ago our family had a most blessed event. Our little "Terminator" was born. He is so funny, smart and handsome and I cannot imagine life without him.

Today, we all pray and wait for Baby Cedar's results from her MRI. Her little arms are swelling and turning purple. This is what happened to her legs just before they found the cancerous tumor.

Today, my Niece is awake a lot more, moving BOTH sides of her body! She has a little stuffed dog that she holds on to all the time. She still has a trachea tube, and is on c-pap but breathing all on her own, no ventilator. Sadly, she does not yet recognize people as loved ones, she sees us as people. But this is something that can pass at any day and that is what we hope and pray for.

Today, I will teach a group of young ladies that beauty is on the inside, that the outside is not important enough to spend all of our time working on, but the heart is where we should focus. As I think of my Niece and the unmistakable change in her outward appearance these days, I am even more convinced that she is beautiful. She has no hair on her head, tubes coming out of her neck and arms, an ugly green hospital gown covering her, and does not smile or talk....but she is beautiful to me. She is beautiful to a great many people.

How will you show your beauty today?

Asking For Prayer

For this precious family.

This Daddy and Mommy (of 2 boys and their baby girl) are in the throws of the most difficult time in their lives.
Their 6 month old baby Girl, Cedar, was found to have a very aggressive cancer,  Neuroblastoma, which has wrapped it's self around her lower spine leaving her legs paralyzed (hopefully only temporary once all the tumor is removed).
She is such a beautiful little girl.
My heart aches for them every moment of the day.
I cannot imagine the sadness and fear that this couple is going through, and yet they see hope in their Lord and Savior. They draw their strength from the One True Living God. They know He is near, and seek Him for their every breath during a time that would leave one breathless.

So please remember them in your prayers. Lift up sweet Cedar to the Great Physician.

Thank You.

I Find It

Completely impossible to blog the joys

of this Christmas season while the

events in Connecticut are screaming in my head.

I will not ignore what I am called to do

in this situation.

That is to pray to my heavenly Father to

pour out His love and comfort to all the families

involved (as He always does)

and for those families to choose to cling

to the comfort and love being show to them

by our heavenly Father.

None of this makes sense in our humanness

and will not on this side of heaven and

Christ dying for the man who did this

despicable act does not make sense either,

yet He did just that.

Know that God loves us all.

So please, while you are praying for the

families who were a part of the school system

that were killed or injured,

remember to lift up the family of the man

who did this, for their comfort and safety

as they deal with this horror from a very

different position. Not only have they

lost a son, nephew, etc, they are also

dealing with trying to understand why

he would do such a thing.

And Again...Bragging Day....Simply Joy!!!

There is this wonderful agency named
Operation Christmas Child

The goal is to fill shoe boxes (or rather stuff) to

be sent into third world countries and then

distributed to children, ages 2-14 for Christmas Gifts.

Now, they reach children who have nothing but the rags

on their backs. Many are orphans, many cannot go

to school unless they have school supplies

which they have no money to purchase.

Our church takes on this challenge each year

and many, many of our people joyfully fill

shoe boxes to over-flowing.

This year we filled a trailer from front to back,

bottom to top with shoe box gifts.

 

 

Also 3 seats of a van and much of the van floor

 

with 711 shoe boxes!!!

Simply Amazing!

Oh My, I Am Beat!

This month is exhausting!

With birthdays and football games,

we are going non stop!

Fall is my favorite time of the year

and yet the most tiring.

And since the leaves are falling outside

 

I am dragging inside...but it is FUN tired!

We have re-done our dinning table

what a HUGE job! But me likey!

We went to Aurora to a college football game

and sat through the rain to watch only to

be caught in a torrential down pour while standing

around talking after the game and were soaked to the bone!

We had a double birthday party just yesterday for

our daughter and my hubby...yummy food

and great desserts...photos to come another day.

So much going on and so much to do

and yet, my mind cannot stop thinking about

Thanksgiving Dinner! I know....don't judge,

I am an over achiever, even when I am tired.

So, how was your weekend?



I listen to a song each day, it really speaks to me.

It is the song that makes me stop what I am doing

and just listen and contemplate.

"What if I did all the things my heart's dreaming of"?

Hmmmmmmmmmmm, how would we act?

I think it may look a bit like this:

 

Wouldn't we just love, as adults, to just let it all go,

sing at the top of our lungs and dance thru life?

I think we should! Since we ARE loved!

 

The song is by Scott Kirkpayne:

Love can swim oceans
No matter how tall or wide
Love is a refuge
Love is a Savior
And you've got it all inside

It can make you do crazy things
Cuz love will erase the fear

What if you lived
Like you were loved
What if you did all the things
Your heart's dreaming of
What if you sang your song
At the top of your lungs
What if you lived
Like you were loved

What kind of chances
Would you be taking
What sort of difference could you make
Would you let go of the secrets
That you've been keeping
If love was your shield and strength

Or maybe you'd give it away
To someone in need of hope

What are you waiting for
There'll never be, never be a better time
No one could love your more
Than He who gave His life

Today....My Friend

Today....

Something none of us is guarenteed.

Today, I spend praying, worrying, hopeing, loving and

waiting.

You see, my dear friend, Diana

is having surgery.

She was diagnosed last week with

a very rare (her Dr. has only seen this once before)

form of breast cancer.

She is a huge blessing to me.

Her friendship is one of those in which we laugh,

uplift, love, talk, and share our wonderful

realationship with our Lord and Savior.

I ask for your prayers.

I ask that you think of, pray for and

remember my friend.

She has her family,

friends, and most comfortingly

her Savior with her today.

BREAST CANCER

Two of the most powerful words in the english language.

Two words all women hope to never hear.

My friend has heard those words.

My friend will deal with those words for

many weeks and months to come.

BREAST CANCER

I not only pray for my friend, but for all those

beautiful ladies that every day

get the diagnosis, are in the throws

of the treatment, having the follow-up tests,

or are adding to the years of "cancer free".

BREAST CANCER

May we soon have a cure, better treatments

and quicker diagnosis.

May we soon have a world where it is in our history and not in our future.

 

Busy??????

I was told by my daughter that I must be too busy lately, as it has been 4 days since I last updated my facebook!
Well, if getting hugs, changing diapers, wiping noses, playing in the yard, taking short walks to my Mother's house with a little one, laughing, wrestling, tickling and the occational load of laundry and cooking are a reason, then yes! I am busy lately!!! What joy to be that busy!!!
I still need to keep my focus on Whom is the Keeper of all of this, but I believe with all my heart, that this week of "busy" was given as a huge gift by my Keeper and it is with great joy that I accept this gift. We never know what will come tomorrow or even in the next hour. But I know my Maker, and if all of this is over before I want, He is still my Lord and Savior, righteous and loving.
Thank you Lord for this gift of busy, even if for a shorter time than I would like...I still count Your blessing as pure joy. Thank You, Thank You, and may I please You.

There Is Nothing.......

As many of you know, this year has been trying for my Husband and I. He has been through several layoffs, jobs simply ending and all the frustrations that go with this.

We have had joy, anger, sorrow, peace, and any other emotion that you can think of! There were days of tears (me for sure) being ticked off, laughter and simply throwing up our hands in surrender.

A very precious soul sent this to me at a point when I was pretty low and I would like to share with you this quote from Alan Redpath........

"There is nothing - no circumstance, no trouble, no testing that can ever touch me until, first of all it has gone past God and past Christ, right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with a great purpose, which I may not understand at the moment. But as I refuse to become panicky, as I lift up my eyes to him and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart, no sorrow will ever disturb me, no trial will ever disarm me, no circustance will cause me to fret - for I shall rest in the joy of what my Lord is - that is the rest of victory."

Now, I am not there yet, I still get a bit panicky, and allow it at times to disarm me. But I CAN say that because of this 8 month trial that we have been in, that I am much quicker to "lift my eyes upon Him and ACCEPT it for a greater purpose and blessing in my life"

Has that been easy, no. Has it been fun, no. Has it brought me closer to my Savior, YES. Do I feel His presence in all of this, YES. Am I all that I should be, no. Am I allowing Him to push me in that direction, Yes.

Life, is, as I said earlier this week, un-predictable at best, but My Lord and Savior is as predictable in His love, grace, mercy and molding as ever. Thank You Lord for all that you work on in my life that leads me closer to you!