A Day to Remember

Our day started well. We were blessed to have prayer with a friend over the speaker phone.

Jon surprised me with his desire to visit a good friend in the hospital. This friend has serious physical struggles. He was such an encouragement to Jon when Jon was so very bad. Since Jon is "getting" better, I was a little reluctant to push too far. I figured I'd wait and see how he would continue to feel.

I got busy in the kitchen making us a "Jack Sprat" spaghetti pie. Remember the poor nursery rhyme characters? Poor ole Jack could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean.... When my blood work came back this week with my cholesterol was once again sky high, I knew I couldn't keep pretending any more. Jon is diabetic but his cholesterol is awesome! So cooking in itself is challenging. Thus a two sided pie....Jack's and his fat wife's................ His with meat and regular cheeses, mine with practically no meat and fat free ingredients.

Just as I popped it into the oven, Jon decides he does indeed want to go visiting. Out comes the pie and into the fridge...

Nothing gets boring around here! We laugh a lot... We HAVE to laugh a lot! Just as Jon stepped out of the shower I let out a blood curdling scream and dance around screaming, "It's the Tallaban!" When I had stuck my hand into my drawer and pulled out a garment, I put my hand on what felt and appeared to be the granddaddy of all slugs. It was wet! It was cold! It was slimy! It was big! Jon had missed one of his pain patches and it had obviously gone through the wash and adhered to my clothes. Whew! What a relief!

God was with me as I ran stopped at couple of places. I made it quickly through check out, found awesome bread at the Dollar Tree, found a close parking spot!!

On to the hospital. Let Jon out at the door(he insisted on unloading his walker himself) and parked in the parking garage. I knew that was going to be quite a walk for me. Once again, God blessed me with a spot the closest to the hospital. I found Jon and we made it up to the 6th floor.

We were so blessed with our visit with Stephen and Missy. Jon went to encourage them, but we came away so encouraged as well!

When we came out, I intended to drive around and pick up Jon, but he wanted to push his walker over to the rehab and visit the kind staff there. It was a beautiful glorious day! As we walked along, it felt so good, so normal! It was Jon's first time out other than to church twice. How we rejoiced. His friends there were so pleased to see him.

We headed home. We found such joy in the blooming dogwoods, redbuds, azaleas, etc. Even the trees seem to glow. When Jon was recovering we kept saying that when we got well, we were going to our great seafood restaurant, Skippers. As we made our way closer to home Jon said, "Honey, you want to go to Skippers?" I was rather surprised, it had been a very long day. But he was so happy to be out and feeling better. I agreed. Then Jon realized his oxygen was almost out, so we had to swing by the house, get a fresh tank, feed the dog and let her out! Whew!!

We finally made it there just as they were opening(it's very close to home). What a lovely beautiful time we had. Together! Doing what normal folks do! Happy, oh, so happy!

Maybe this post will bore you, if so, that's okay. But I've written post over the last few months filled with pain, suffering, stress, confusion, and faith. It just feels so good to have a day like this!

The topper..... although an oxygen tank in one hand and a cane in the other, sweet Hubs insisted on opening the doors for me! It felt so good to him! He was taking care of me!!!!

Thank you, Jesus!!!! How very good you are to us!!!

PS: Even a wonderful happy day can wear you out!!! Headed to bed, this Chick's had it!!!

Passion Week...................Monday

Sat on the deck in the early daylight hours. There was so much moisture in the air that I couldn't stay long..........just "achy" kind of weather. But I knew heavy rain was on the radar for the next couple of days.
As I sat with His Word in my hand..........I was just lost in His Presence....
The beginning of The Passion Week....so much to contemplate!
The old old story that never grows old! I was just so overwhelmed again at how He could love a "sinner such as I. Lift me from the miry clay and set me free!" How can this be? What kind of love is this? What kind of God do I serve? What an amazing Savior I have!
The words of "If this isn't love" finally had to burst forth in song!
The blessed Trinity! God gave.......... Christ came....... and then....the most precious Presence of The Comforter!!! No, never alone! He promised never to leave me alone!!
Easter........... What manner of love The Father hath bestowed upon us!!

The Golden Gift of Friendship!

I have made so many new friends, through Facebook, my devotionals, and my blog. That's social media at it's best!
Yesterday I met some brand new friends, Sandy and Terry. My friend Roberta brought them over to finally meet us.
Sandy, who has fibromyalgia as well, had read my devotionals and blog. She has prayed for me and then Jon through out his sickness! It has been amazing to hear of and sometimes be privileged to meet some of these "new friends!"
It was such a lovely visit on our deck! A special thanks to Roberta for bringing them!
Southern tea, Folgers coffee, and "homemade/Food Lion's"(lol) apple pie shared with friends on our deck made for such a special treat!

Tattooed!!!!!!!!!

It was a fall in 1969. I was a sophomore in college. I was covered in tattoos. Oh, how I wanted them removed, but as everyone knows it's incredibly expensive as well as painful to have tattoos removed. I was so miserable, I hated myself.

Yes, I was a sophomore in Bible College, does that surprise you? Oh, no.... no one else SAW my tattoos............they were well hidden, a dark secret known only to me and to God! My heart was covered with tattoos.......scared and ugly by all the "hidden/ugly" sins(pride/self centeredness/ etc.). I "looked" so good on the outside... Who would judge me? But lost, oh, so very lost I was. Just as lost, hurting, and lonely as any other soul who may perhaps wear his tattoos on the outside!!

It would be painful and expensive to have my tattoos removed, far more so than any outward ones ever would. Someone would have to pay! Someone would have to suffer pain! I found that SOMEONE!! That SOMEONE found me! He paid! He suffered! He erased them every one of them!! Not only did He erase them from my heart, He gave me a NEW HEART!!

I thought about all this as I read aloud this morning from Matthew. So many people from so many different walks of life, so many and varied needs, so many different ways of expressing their faith...... A leper worshiped him, a Centurion whose faith rested in just the spoken Words of Jesus, a mother-in-law, the demon possessed, a man with the palsy whose sins Jesus chose to forgive before healing him, a Ruler whose faith towered high enough to request and get the resurrection of his daughter, the poverty stricken women(due to medical bills) who had enough faith to believe that just a touch of Christ's garment would be enough, Matthew who immediately responded to Jesus simple Words, 'Follow me!', and the publicans and sinners with whom Jesus ate!!

Surely one would say that Jesus was non-discriminatory!! His love embraced all!! His power of healing and redemption reached all!
So today, when you see the "tattooed," the poor, the hurting................see them through the eyes of Jesus! See them as redeemed!! That's way He came! That's why He died! That's why He LIVES!!!

That's WHAT He did for me!!!

Answer to Prayer!!

Praising God today for a huge answer to prayer!!! We had to wait for a doctor"s order for Jon to have a respiratory evaluation to see if he would qualify for a portable oxygen case.

Today, he passed!!!!! This gives him a lot more freedom and keeps us for having to load up the heavy oxygen tanks!!!!

I'm so happy!!!!!