Friday, May 30, 2014

The God of Again

This is too good not to share. Be sure to read all the way to the bottom. It's worth two minutes of your time.

http://blog.lproof.org/2014/05/the-god-of-again.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LPMblog+%28LPMblog%29





Wednesday, May 28, 2014

More Than Enough

Had to say goodbye to a wonderful co-worker today. Have really been struggling with this for the past two weeks as she is a believer and has become a great friend. However, someone suggested that I decide it will be ok, and that's what I did. Obviously I know God has a plan and works all things together for good, but it will miss her a lot! Then, when rummaging thru a "junk drawer" tonight, I found a portion of the following lyrics that our choir sang in April 2011. It's by Brooklyn Tab and so appropriate...hope it encourages you as it did me...

"Jehovah Jireh, my provider
You're more than enough for me.
Jehovah Rapha, You're my healer,
by Your stripes, I have been set free.
"Jehovah Shamma, You are with me
and You supply all of my needs;
You are more than enough,
You are much more than enough,
You are more than enough for me.
"Jehovah Shamma, You are with me,
You supply all my needs;
"You're more than enough,
more than enough,
more than enough for me."

Monday, May 26, 2014

Remembering

Thank you to all our veterans, past and present, that have served to keep our country free...and to free those across the world that have no other hope but us. We owe you much more than one day of remembrance, but you are not forgotten.

And I can never mention our military without thinking of my favorite military family, The Yellow Hats. Thank you for service. I never knew how difficult military life was until we reconnected several years ago. I still don't know because I've never experienced it, but I have had a glimpse, and it's changed my perspective completely. We owe you a debt we can never repay.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Update on Dad

Dad had his 6 week post op appt. today, and it was mostly good news. He still has quite a bit of pain, which the doctor said is "typical", but the surgeon does want Dad's pain doctor to do cortisone injections in the Sacroiliac joints on either side of the fusion incision. These joints are often inflamed after fusion surgery. He is to wear his brace another 6 wks and have more PT, this time at a facility and not at the house. There have been lots of problems with the insurance paying for the medicine the doctors are prescribing. Dad is also experiencing significant pain in his foot due to the neuroma that was not surgically removed. We would appreciate your continued prayers for healing, patience, wisdom, and encouragement. Thanks.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Madison is home!

Thank you for praying for Madison. Yesterday she went home. This was the first surgery I know of that she's had out of the many in her young life that didn't involve a traumatic setback in the recovery post-op period. We are so excited that she is home where she belongs and doing so well. Praise be to The Lord!

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Update on Madison

Madison is doing well.  She may be released tomorrow.  They are waiting on her Coumadin levels to come back at the therapeutic levels in her blood.

I went yesterday to visit and it was great to see her and her Mom Jennifer.  It had been a couple years since I had seen them and Madison has grown quite a bit and is able to talk very clearly, both huge answers to prayer.

I helped Jennifer give Madison a shower and of course that helped Maddy feel a lot better.  Something she said after, though, just broke my heart.  She is trying to process all this, and the other hospital visits she's experienced in her young life.  She asked Mama, "Why God made me sick?"

Please continue to pray for Maddy and her family, as there will be other hospitalizations.  This is a way of life for her with the challenges she was born with.  Jennifer's prayer is that "she will accept her lot in life as given from a loving good God that sees and understands more than we. He has promised that all things work together for good for those that love The Lord. It is my prayer that she loves The Lord and is able to recognize the good he has for her even in the crummy circumstances of health. What an amazing life she will experience if she will cling to the God of that truth. It is truly her only hope, she will be miserable if she looks only to earthly comfort and chooses to become angry at what simply just is."

Thanks for praying for this sweet family!

Friday, May 9, 2014

Cutest little Bluebird Ever!!!

So, yesterday was a rough day for a variety of reasons, and I was working at home in the evening, after a 10 hour day in the office, when I got this picture via text:


They are doing Snow White and K is a Bluebird!!!  Love...and it made my day so much better. :)

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Madison does NOT have to have open heart surgery!

Praise The Lord! Madison was able to have her heart valve replaced via catherization today, a procedure called the melody valve because the doctor that invented it was a musician. This means she will not need to have open heart surgery. There was considerable doubt, due to the scar tissue she has from 4 prior open hearts as well as other issues, whether Madison would be a candidate for the procedure. 28 have been done of these, 19 at this hospital.

Madison feels horrible, but the recovery will be so much easier from this. There is still a considerable hurdle to get over with regards to the transition of the short-acting blood thinner she is on immediately after surgery, to the long-term one she lives on, Coumadin. In the past, Madison has had life-threatening bleeds during this transition.

Please continue to pray, but first pause to praise Him who has done a great and mighty thing this day! Thank you.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Please pray for Madison

Friends, please be praying with us for a sweet 9 yr old named Madison, who is having another heart valve replacement tomorrow. They are hoping to do this one thru cath so she doesn't have to have her 5th open heart surgery. Please pray for her, her brothers and parents as well as the medical team. Please also pray there would be no complications in her recovery, no matter which procedure she has to have. Thank you.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

A little bit smarter?

I have been willing my lovely purple cell phone to remain alive, which I have had at least three years (because I had it on my trip to Kyiv in 2011 to see this sweet family). I knew I had to replace it because it wasn't holding a charge very long but was thinking about taking the plunge to smart phone land (yes, I'm one of the last two people one earth that didn't have one)...but I didn't want to deal with that while studying. So, Saturday, this is what happened...


While I honestly would have been perfectly fine with a free "smart" phone I could have received (after paying the upgrade fee), since I have a brother that works for Apple, purchasing any other brand would be considered treason. :)  And, it is really easy this way because every person in my family, including spouses has one of this "i" devices, so we can do Facetime (Apple's version of Skype) and my pictures and videos and songs are SUPPOSED to share themselves between the phone and iPad.

Insert skepticism. 

I have only just now gotten the ability to receive voicemails after having this "phone" in my possession for 3 days.  It seems the "smart" phone was not intelligent enough to record a voice message, which my old lovely purple non "smart" phone was perfectly capable of doing.  So after 2 trips to the AT&T store and 2 calls to them, I can finally receive and retrieve voicemail messages.

And, I don't know why I didn't get the white one.  Why did I think it would get dirty when it would always have a cover on it?  This bright lime green is horrid.  Too late.  (The black/silver ones were $100 more and I certainly wasn't going to do that.  Blue is what my Mom has.  Pink and yellow were too flashy as I might have this out in a meeting at work...) The picture above does not quite capture the brightness of the green...*sigh*...oh well!!! At least the girl found me a cover that basically makes the phone look purple...

I know I will come to love this handy gadget in my pocket, but right now it's caused me more time and angst than it's helped me.  I do not intend to use much data because I don't want to pay for it, so it will basically be when I'm traveling and don't have access to wifi that I use it like a smartphone.  You should have seen the look on the little boy's face at the store when I told him this.  Like I said the world was ending.  Really.  I can live hours - and days!  without reading Facebook or even the news.  As long as I can get in touch by text or email or phone with those I love...that's really all that matters.

Whether I'm smarter or not as a result of this new device remains to be seen...though my SS teacher did tell me about the "gas buddy" app that will pull up the prices of gas stations around you and show you the cheapest one.  That is something I can use.  And am willing to pay for. :)