Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Follow-up on Madison

Praise the Lord--Madison is out of surgery and it went well. The doctors were able to cut through the scar tissue of her previous 3 open-heart surgeries and get through to the sternum and put in the cow jugular. She is in recovery. Please continue to pray that the recovery will go smoothly--Madison has in the past had lots of complications post-op. Thanks!

Please pray for Madison

Hello everyone. Madison is a little girl I've asked prayer for before. Today (11/30) she is having her 4th open-heart surgery in her 6 years of life. Today will be another valve replacement as her body rejected the valve that was put in 3 years ago.

There are lots of exstinuating conditions with Madison, not the least of which is she is on blood thinners so the risk of excess bleeding is very serious.

Please pray for the doctors and especially for Madison's family as they go through this emotional day. Thank you.

Outcome of Football game Saturday...

...was (for those of you who don't know) Ohio State 37 and MI 7--woo-hoo! :) It was ugly at first but then we started to play better.

Thankfully we have a few more college football games in the other conferences...I love football season! :)

Saturday, November 27, 2010

GO BUCKS!!!


I "stole" this pic from one of my friends on facebook, because I like it so much. For those of you who don't follow college football, today one of the longest rivalries occurs. Ohio State vs. Michigan. We Ohio State fans are very fierce about our dislike of MI--one of OSU's past coaches wouldn't even call the state MI--he would just say "the state up North"!
Be assured that I will be watching every minute of the game and lots of games after that. Love me some college football! GO BUCKS!!!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!


"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Woship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us and we are His; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."--Psalm 100, NIV

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Update on a Prayer Request

I wanted to give you an update on this.

I'm so pleased to report that weeks later, Ed is awake and alert and seems to be cognitively able to function fine. His gross motor skills are severely affected, but all of that can be "re-learned" with therapy. I went to see him a couple weeks ago and he looked like himself. He has been moved to a specialty hospital where they can help him best.

Ed is a physicist and so his mind is literally his job. It would have been so tragic if he was cognitively impaired. We are so excited to see all of what God has been doing in the way of healing and encouraging Ed and Rosana.

Make no mistake, Ed has a very long and hard road ahead of him, but the future looks bright. Thank you for praying!

Happy Veterans' Day!


I know it's not officially until tomorrow, but I think it's great to think about this much more than 1 day a year.
Thank you, Yellow Hats, The W's, The S's and all other Veterans and their families for your selfless service!
I've just finished reading a series of books set during the Revolutionary War. Back then, ordinary citizens' lives were turned upside down because a war was on. As late as WWII, they were rations and shortages (I'm told) for the average citizens. Yet in today's day and age, it's so easy to forget we're at war, because I don't have to do without things just because we are. I'm afraid that leads me (not that it's an excuse, but it is a reason) to take my freedom for granted. I am really going to try to stop doing that and begin to be intentional about thanking the Lord for our Armed Forces and our Veterans. Thank you for what you do!!!




Tuesday, November 9, 2010

A Miraculous Story

If you need a reminder of how mighty our God is, if you want to be encouraged today, then read this post. Be sure to watch the short video and have your sound up to hear the song.


If then, your interest in this precious little boy's story is picqued like mine was a year and a half ago, please click here to read Stellan's story from the beginning. It is truly amazing how far this little boy has come--from medically dead to vibrantly, perfectly, happily alive and healthy today.


I have been reading MckMama's blog for about a year and a half. I came upon it in a roundabout way. I stared reading Kelly's Blog because Kelly's was listed on a friend's blog as one my friend read. I have been captivated with Stellan and his and his family's story ever since. It's no secret to the few of you that read this that I love children. Stellan is now one of 5 kids 5 or under and I so enjoy just the snippets of life and beautiful pics of it that MckMama posts. She is also very quick to share the shortcomings and not-so-picture-perfect parts of their story, and how their faith has seen them through the trials they've endured by God's grace. I am inspired and encouraged each time I read her blog.

Isn't technology amazing? While I have actually had the privilege of meeting MckMama, I read several other blogs of folks I don't know and God has inspired, convicted and encouraged me through those as well. And to think that I may well never meet these folks until we get to Heaven!

Just had to share Stellan's miraculous story with you on today, his "re-birthday", the anniversary of the day God literally brought him back to life. What a great visual for how God rescued us from the pit of death by giving His Son for us, so that we in turn (upon trusting in His salvation alone) might have (ETERNAL!) life.

God is good and is still performing miracles, just in case you wondered.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

10 Years Ago Today...

...my life changed radically. I wrote the whole story here. Since that's a very lengthy post, I'll give you the "nutshell" version.

Ten years ago today, I made the decision to have a hysterectomy due to endometriosis. My choices were to do that or continue to put up with the side effects of the drugs and I had done enough of the latter that I finally chose the former.

Looking back, as my Dad says "hindsight is always 20/20", I wouldn't have made that choice. However, with the information I had available to me at the time, and with what the Lord was doing in my heart (turning my life around from the sinful mess I'd made of it)--I know that I made the right decision, albeit the hardest one I've ever made in my life. Surrending my ability to bear children (my lifelong dream) had become somewhat an "Isaac" I felt I needed to sacrifice out of obedience. Sounds weird, I know, but it was and is what I believe the Lord was calling me to do.

Each year when November 3 comes and goes, I am filled with mixed emotions. Obviously grief for what will never be, but above and beyond that, a deep, heartfelt thankfulness for God's faithfulness to me then and ever since. While I still do not understand how this all fits into His plan, I am choosing to trust Him.

I will be the first one to admit that as the years tick by, I wonder if I will ever be a mother or a wife. I know God is able (Eph 3:20-21), but from a human perspective it just seems so impossible. Could I be called to live out my days as a single, childless woman? Perhaps. Ultimately it boils down to, I do not have what I've longed for TODAY. That doesn't mean I'll never have what my heart yearns for. I do not know what tomorrow (or next week, or next month or next year) holds. But praise Him, I know who holds time and eternity in His hands. He was worth trusting November 3, 2000 and still is.