Needing wisdom from above

Nana is being difficult. No getting around it. She is still confused but instead of being in a foggy state where she is totally sweet and endearing, she is just the opposite. I'm sure I understand why. You see, she is totally "smokin'" on her P.T. They even added weights to her ankles on her workout on Friday. There is absolutely no pain in her pelvic area. She can even cross her legs to sit which she is thrilled about! However, she has been told not to do that until the bones are totally, 100% healed.

This is where my sister and I think the problem lies. To Nana she feels great! She is not having to sleep during the day as much, she isn't hurting anymore, and so she cannot fathom why she cannot get out of bed by herself to go to the bathroom etc. In her confusion, she feels perfect even though there are still several areas which need to be worked on. Balance is one very important area.

Last night I resorted to praying for her like I used to with Pilot. You see, I know that God's will is so much stronger and mightier than Pilot/Nana's (now I totally understand where our precious son inherited his stubborn streak---LOL) wills. So I prayed that His stronger will would come up against hers and He would keep her in bed!! Last night she did stay in bed. PTL!!

I explained to her that there were rules that needed to be obeyed. She told me she had never heard there were rules to be followed. Calmly, I explained NOW she does know there are rules to be followed and they are for her protection. Because she broke the rule the other night she hurt herself really bad. She didn't like to hear that. It is VERY reminiscent of a two year old child who is in a very heated battle of the wills with the parents. Pilot Dad and I managed to survive raising our son through his temper tantrums so I guess we are digging in for round 2. Who would have thought!

In the midst of it, I give her love, I rub her back, her knees. I try to make her laugh. I encourage, root her onward, acknowledge every bit of progress she is making, and spend countless hours with her, to have her not remember any of it. She doesn't remember the dinner at home last night. Nor does she remember eating at Red Lobster on Wednesday. We are bringing her home tomorrow after church for a steak dinner. We will see how it goes.

In the meantime, we continue to pray. Pray for us to be able to minister to her effectively, and lovingingly. May she see Christ in us and through us. Lord, open her eyes to all the people at the center who just love her to death and dote on her every chance they get. Lord, I pray that she will be a light to those who do not know you. May they see You in her. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

Morning by morning new mercies I see....

This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
~ Lamentations 3:21-23

When will it end?

Oh Lord, we cry out to You, how much more can she take? Thank you for your protected care this morning as she tried yet again to get up out of bed by herself. Father, I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Your will is stronger and more powerful than hers. I ask Lord, I plead Lord, You would supercede her will and keep her in bed. You formed her mind Lord and as it is slipping in her ability to remember important instructions, I pray that You would enable her brain to remember that she is not to get up without help. Cause her to remember to push the call button when she is in need. Father we continue to trust You for her care. I pray for healing for her face. Thank you Lord for being a God who is personal and cares. We thank you Lord for the appt with the plastic surgeon next week. And most of all, we thank you for the opportunity to see You work through this whole situation. May YOu be glorified throughout! In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.


At 5:30 this morning, I awoke to the phone ringing. It was the care center calling about my mother. My heart just about stopped until they managed to get the word "fallen" out. It was so reminiscent of the call at 3 am when my dad died and, I had to run upstairs and awaken my sister and mom. We dashed over to the center and the floor was covered in blood. It seems that she had tried to get up and fell and hurt her left side of her face. It was swollen as big as a tennis ball, with skin, which had torn away, just hanging loosely from her face. It was still bleeding and some of it had turned black, while bruising was already forming around her eye. The nurses got her changed into a clean gown before the paramedics arrived with the ambulance which then took her to the hospital ER. She is now back at the care center after having it treated, and is resting comfortably with her pain med. Marsha and I are back home and are headed back to bed. We will return to Mom at 6pm tonight.

I probably won't blog again until tomorrow. Blessings on your day!

Are YOU a pumpkin?

Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff-- including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see. This was passed on to me from another pumpkin. Now, it is your turn to pass it to a pumpkin. Happy Fall!

Beware of Insurance Fraud!!

You just can't trust those insurance company people!!


Seems the BBB got a complaint the other day about a scam that A*FL*AC was taking advantage of women on the street and stealing their money.

Now we all, at one time, thought that an INSURANCE Company has stolen from us in some way or other, however this scam is netting COLD HARD CASH from unsuspecting individuals.

The way it works is....the thief uses babies to distract the target. While admiring the cuteness of the little ones, they are robbed of their cash and never know what hit them.

I'm sending this out for all to be aware that this is happening and it's
right out on the streets where the general public is.

A passer by with a digital camera phone happened to capture the photo.

Review it carefully and use caution when distractions like this come
along.

Good Luck
Don't say you weren't warned




















(click image to enlarge)

New pic of Nana

The above pic was taken tonight, October 24, after my Sister arrived for a two week visit.
The weight loss shows up in her face, don't you think?
This pic, of course, was taken on August 19, the day before her birthday and the fall.

 

Home baked bread...

I awoke this morning to the smell of honey wheat bread baking and I do not have a bread machine. However, I do have a hubby who has started baking bread again. After a hiatus of 6 or 7 years it was a wonderful way to greet a crisp fall morning!

Yea!!! Happy, happy, happy!!!

My feet are dancing! I'm hearing Christmas bells! Envisioning a warm cozy fire in the fireplace, the tree all decorated, stockings hung on the mantel, presents under the tree. My heart is rejoicing! Why? Why? Well, of course you would ask why I am thinking of Christmas before it's even Halloween!

Because my prayer has been answered!!!!

PILOT IS COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Snapdragon...

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

Mental Comeback!!!

Praise the Lord! Mom is coming back to reality!!!! She tested positive for a UTI and her sodium was too low, both of which affect one's mental capacities when they are elderly! It was wonderful to walk in today and find her responsive!!!

God is so faithful! They started her antibiotic yesterday and she is coming around. I expect to find her tomorrow even more like herself. :D

And, my sister will arrive on Tuesday so all is well! I'm even going to bring Mom home for some dinner meals and see how that goes. She officially weighs 71 lbs. Not very much at all so we need to keep trying to entice her with her favorite foods!

Her walking is coming along great. They have begun doing exercises to prepare her for the work on stairs. I'm telling you I have floated in the heavens today and let me tell you, the view is fantastic!!! LOL!

Killing?

"Such action is favoured in scripture, not because men are sovereign or because society and the bereaved are somehow benefited, but because man is so vastly important to God - he is made in the image of God. To kill another person is to kill God in effigy." ~Walter Kaiser

Friday Feast

Feast One Hundred & Sixteen

These are leftovers from the 10/15/2004 Feast. The Chef is busy and tired. Thanks for playing!


Appetizer
What is your favorite beverage?
My drug of choice is Classic Coke but since I'm a diabetic I have settled for my second choice which is ice tea, with extra ice (alot) and extra lemon.


Soup
Name 3 things that are on your computer desk at home or work.

1)A plaque on the top of my monitor which says "Prayer Changes Things ...He answered their prayers, because they trusted in Him. 1 Chronicles 5:20

2)A framed pic of our son in his flight suit.

3)A beer stein from Germany which holds my pens and pencils etc.


Salad

On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how honest do you think you are?

Well, I would like to think I'm a '10' but truly I know that would be a lie...not very honest, right? But I would have to say that I desire to be honest in everything I do but there may be something I've done inadvertantly which isn't honest and I am unaware of it. So to cover that chance I would say I'm a 8 or a 9.


Main Course
If you could change the name of one city in the world, what would you rename it and why?Well, I really could care less about re-naming a city so I guess I wouldn't do it.


Dessert
What stresses you out? What calms you down?

When I am not prepared. Or, if something major was to happen unexpectedly I might panic at first. Like when my Mom fell in August and broke her pelvic bone in 3 places. That put an undue amount of stress on me to take care of her and see to all the major things which arise from something like that. What calms me down? Ahhhh....going to God in prayer. When I return my focus to Him and remember His promises and His faithfulness in all things, then I regain my proper attitude of not being stressed etc.

Mish-Mash

Quite a mish-mash of facts and figures, but it is interesting, and even funny. Enjoy!


In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"
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Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
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Coca-Cola was originally green.
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It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska
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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400
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The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
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The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."
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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."
It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
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Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.

The God of the impossible....

Are you like most people experiencing some kind of difficulty at any given time? I know I go through times which I think of as "tough times." Lots of people place their confidence in someone or something other than God to get them through. No matter how complex your difficulties are, I believe the solution is simple: knowing and trusting in God's faithfulness. Why? Because the basis of my confidence is the character of God. When a person doesn't know Him, when they have an inaccurate picture of who He is and what He can do, then they allow the storms of life to overtake them.

However, as I live my life before Him, confident that He knows exactly where I am and what needs to be accomplished through my life, I can walk with joy through confidence in Him. You see, God is always with me. And He is always with you if you are a believer. He isn't standing idly by, hoping against hope that life will turn out okay for us. He's active and involved. I can have complete confidence that everything that comes my way has either been sent or allowed by a God who is both all-loving and all-powerful.

I don't know what you are facing in life right now, but I do know what I am facing. It may seem like you are up against the impossible. I belong to the God of the impossible. A God who loves me, who is greater than my needs and problems, who has the power and ability to help me, who has my best interests in mind. He's a God in whom I can place my confidence at all times. Why don't you give Him a try?! Call on Him for help. He will be faithful to respond.

El....

I was getting ready to post a new entry but took time to cruise around some of my favorite blog homes. You know the kind. It's where the door is always open, iced tea is always in the refrig with lots of fresh lemon, and there's always a chair pulled up to some excellent reading matter. I just love dropping in at friends and coming away refreshed!

The place in particular this evening was at Gina's, over at Refreshment in Refuge. Here's her post which uplifted me mightily! Maybe it will also uplift someone else!

"Hope is an absolute must for healthy living. Without hope, there is despair. Without hope there is depression. Without hope, faith cannot survive. Without hope, love gasps for breath.

Notice something with me. Hope. Help. One letter difference, but what a difference. In the center of Help is El... God. I believe that is by divine design.

Hope and Faith are not designed to last forever. We hope and we put faith in the Everlasting Father. But Love is the Everlasting Father. I am quite satisfied with the hope and the faith that God gives me... I could not live without it. While we have breath, there is hope. While we have breath we have faith, but once breath leaves us, we either have Love, and love lasts eternally; or we do not have Love, and a soul without love is tortured.

Help does not come to the dead. Help comes to the living, breathing physical beings that we are. So, indeed, a living dog is better than a dead lion. How can it not be so?

Psa 121:1 A Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the hills; from where shall my help come?
2 My help comes from Jehovah, the Maker of the heavens and the earth.
3 He will not give your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel will not slumber nor sleep.
5 Jehovah is the One keeping you; Jehovah is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night;
7 Jehovah shall keep you from all evil; He shall keep your soul.
8 Jehovah shall keep your going out, and your coming in, from now on and till forever."

Thanks ever so much Gina!

*sigh*

After getting Mom ready for bed tonight...I'm sitting knee to knee with her...

Me: I love you

Mom: I love you, too. I'm so glad you're my mom.

"Because of the LORD'S great love we are not consumed" (Lam. 3:22).

"At this my heart pounds and leaps from its place.

Listen! Listen to the roar of His voice,

to the rumbling that comes from His mouth.

He unleashed His lightning beneath the whole heaven

and sends it to the ends of the earth.

After that comes the sound of His roar;

He thunders with His majestic voice.

When His voice resounds,

He holds nothing back."

~ Job 37:1-4

Note to Self:

Quit making God my "top priority" and make Him my life!

Share a Hug Today...

Share a hug today! I know I was glad to get one!

Wednesday Happenings

Today has been a very long day. It began with a phone call from my mom wanting me to come earlier than normal because she wasn't feeling well. It lasted well after I returned home late this evening, with more phone calls from my mother. Suffice it to say that she did not understand what was taking place and I could not get her to understand what was happening. It resulted in a second phone call and I was able to eventually talk with the CNA who was taking care of her this evening. I explained what he needed to do. Thankfully, there were no more phone calls.

Oh yes, I have had some great laughs with my mom during this time but I have also cried tears upon leaving the care center. It is so difficult for the child to become the parent. Role reversal isn't easy. She clings to me as if she is hanging on to a life line, and I suppose, in a way, she is. I am the constant in her life right now.

On the other hand, she is walking so much better and does not seem to have any pelvic pain! She is using the walker to get from the bed to the bathroom. This is excellent news. I watched her P.T. this afternoon and she truly did very well...much to her surprise! LOL! I told her it wouldn't be long before P.T. began working with her on doing 'stairs'. And then that would mean she was almost ready to come home! She gets really excited at the thought of her coming home.

However, if she doesn't begin eating there won't be anything left of her to come home. She is down to 75 lbs and the nurse explained with the edema in her leg, that counts for about 10 lbs. of weight. So, in reality she is less than 75 lbs.

I was talking with a dear friend today and I told her I was more at peace with this whole situation. She of course wanted to know the "hows and the whys". I've been thinking about it since our conversation. I don't feel like I'm fighting the Lord anymore. It's more like my spirit has settled down. I feel I am more gentle with Mom and everyone else around me. When I look at submission, the foundation of praotes, or gentleness, I see it basically means "to cease fighting God." My prayer is that I am able to express calmness in the storm. May every person I interact with at the care center see Christ in me. I pray that I disappear before their very eyes. That's what I desire...an inward grace of the soul. May I have acceptance of God's dealings with us considering them as good, in that they will enhance the closeness of our relationship with Him. Isn't that what life is all about? To grow closer, and to deepen, our relationship with our Lord and Savior? I'm choosing to rest in Him and Him alone.

Hosting Bloggers!

Redhead Editor, Pam, Pilot Mom

I sure had fun, and from all the laughing everyone else was doing, I rather think they had fun as well!

After a very long day driving from Montana to Utah, Pam from Ramblings and Other Things, and Ellen from Redhead Editor, arrived at our home about 10 p.m. After despositing bags into their respective bedrooms we gathered in the family room to get to know each other. The funny thing about blogging is that when you finally meet it is as if you have already known each other forever! And, in the case of Pam, I truly felt that way because of my niece, Claire, living next door to her for several years before Claire's husband was transferred.

Finally, around 2 am, Pam's eyes began to droop and everyone went to bed. They were up early the next morning and managed to make it out of the house by 8:30, right on schedule.

If you haven't ever hosted bloggers I highly recommend it! What a riot it is. The only draw back, in my opinion, was this visit just wasn't long enough. So Pam and Ellen, let's do it again!!!

Busy Weekend

Blogging will be sparse this weekend because I am attending a Beth Moore conference! It is also a holiday weekend for my sweet husband so I will have more time with him. And, I am going to have a blogging friend, Pam from Colorado, and her friend spending Sunday night here on their way back to Colorado Springs. How fun is that?

I've never met Pam but I feel like I know her, not just from our blogging, but because my niece, Claire, and her husband and family (when it just used to be 2 children rather than 5, almost 6)lived right next door to Pam. Isn't it a small world?!

So take care and may the Lord bless your weekend!


While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. ~Psalm 146:2

Friday Feast

Feast One Hundred & Fourteen


Appetizer
Name a song you know by heart.
"And Can It Be" It's a Christian song talking about God's amazing love. The chorus says: Amazing love! How can it be
that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be
that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Soup
What will you absolutely not do in front of another person?
Pick my nose.

Salad
How often do you use mouthwash and what kind do you like?
I don't use mouthwash all the time but I do floss all the time. I think we have Listerine right now.

Main Course
Finish this sentence: I am embarrassed when...
...ever attention is brought to me.

Dessert
What was the last food you craved?
This is easy. Chocolate. Today. I was leaving the care center today and heading over to my ladies Bible study and I craved chocolate. I thought about stopping at the store on my way but I knew that was NOT a good idea! But, the Lord is soooo good! When I arrived at the home of the study, there were homemade chocolate chip cookies there!!!! Normally we have things to drink like coffee or tea etc but not usually any goodies. Yet, today, the Lord blessed me with chocolate. :) Color me HAPPY! :)

Wednesday's Sunset

Pilot Dad and I were on our way home from Mom's tonight and this was our sunset. God has a wonderful color palette, doesn't He?

 

My Geraniums

 

Circumstances...

Live ABOVE the circumstances, not UNDER them.


Since, then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. ~Colossians 3:1

Character Building...

It has been an emotional weekend for me as I have endeavored to come to terms with my mother's situation. We took her up in the mountains, on Friday, to view the aspens and other trees with their changing colors. How she enjoyed them!! However, it brought home to me exactly how far she still has to go to be able to come home again. And, I think it caused her to think about it too.

I realize that this is the beginning of the end. And, for selfish reasons I am not really ready to see her go. However, because of my love for her I never would want to keep her here when she could go on to glory. How long that will take, I do not know. But in the process we will all continue to look to our Lord for our strength and our encouragement.

How I thank Him for the small things in life which He brings our way. The tender touch of an aide, a smile and a joke, conversations with people we know, the gentle of touch of a nurse dressing a wound, all are acts of kindness.

I once taught a Sunday school class to a bunch of women and I talked about the valleys and the mountains of life. When we are in the valley things can seem difficult and hard. And, when we are on the mountain top we seem to shout for joy. We always seem to be looking for happiness here on earth. But, that really isn't our goal, is it? Not if we are Christians. Our goal is to become more Christ-like, to grow in character. After all, God is truly more interested in making our life holy rather than making our life happy.

I read something not too long ago, which I believe was by Rick Warren. He stated that "Life is a series of problems. Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one." How we respond to those problems is the real test. If you think about it, we all have good and bad things going on in our life at the same time. Instead of thinking of life as time spent in the valley, then rising up to the top of the mountain, only to ascend back down to the valley, I like to think of life as two rails on a railroad track. At all times we have something good happening in our life, as well as something bad.

We need to recognize that no matter how many "bad" things are happening to us, we can still find so many good things to praise God for. For me, it is much better to focus on other things, other people rather than on my problems. When I focus on my problems I become rather self-centered and I believe my pain and agony actually become more acute.

However, if I focus on others then it seems as if God alleviates some of the pain I am experiencing. By learning to deal with the good and the bad God strengthens my character and opens up possibilities for ministering to others who may be going through a difficult time.

I shared with a very precious friend the other day who has gone through very similar circumstances. She lost her father very suddenly...a call out of nowhere, I lost my father very suddenly--a call at 3 am. Then, she nursed her mother through several months of failing health before she died. I shared with her it is never easy to lose a loved one no matter how it happens, fast or slow. But, she shared with me, "I would take what I had with mom over anything else. What precious months we had together! And so it is with your mom. It's difficult, yes - but you know where your strength is coming from. His grace is sufficient and He is able to carry you. I know you know that, but I want to encourage you in it." (Thank you, Gayla, for your words of encouragement! You are precious in the sight of the Lord and a true friend who I can trust to speak the truth!)

She is so right on. And, I DO know that. It is a privilege to be given this opportunity to love and care for my Mom until He calls her home to glory...whenever that may be. I so appreciated her encouragement and for directing me back into His Word for, really, that is where I find God. Thank you, precious friend!

Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand;
With Your counsel You will guide me,
And afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
That I may tell of all Your works.

~Psalm 73:23-26; 28