And So It Goes

Last night I calmed an entire set of hoodlums who were really good kids in disguise, I picked up my Honey Baked Ham from a Baskin Robbins and I invited Bruce Willis over for Christmas, ending the conversation with him with “Don’t worry. My kids won’t pepper you with a million questions. They have no idea who you are because we don’t have tv. I can’t speak for the rest of the family though.” Oh, and Bruce said yes.

Either I’ve moved to Hollywood over the weekend, the weekend was more intense than I thought or else that Wok Roasted Chicken we had for dinner was making me way more creative in my dreams than normal.

I’m going for the last one. But man, it sure hit the spot after this weekend and all the “festivities” involved.

First, thank you again for your prayers. You have no idea what a comfort they were to the entire family. Not once was I sitting in the waiting room, writhing with fear or stress. It was very good.

So here’s the run-down since last we’ve talked.

• As the family was tootling around town on Thursday night, we ran into several friends at the farmer’s market. One of them offered to keep The Girl that night and all day Friday so that she wouldn’t be bored out of her gourd at the hospital the next day. The Girl quickly thanked the family for letting her avoid that entire prospect.
• We all went to bed Thursday night to sleep only to find out on Friday that none of us really did.
• We finally got up around 4 AM to get ready for the hour drive to the hospital. The heart institute that Ron was going to use just “happens” to be one of the top three heart hospitals in the country. (That God is so good.)
• We arrived at 6 AM for check-in. We found out later that Ron’s surgery wouldn’t be until 10:30(ish).
• At least 3 nurses came in and asked many of the same questions over and over again.
• We did lots and lots of waiting.
• We discovered that there is such a thing as “hospital time”. If a nurse says, “In about 30 minutes…”, then you can bet your bottom dollar it will be at least an hour. (It was a nurse who told us about “hospital time.” She would know since she’s actually there all the time.)
• While we were waiting for the procedure to start, we also discovered that Larry, one of our good friends, was also in this hospital. He was rushed in the day before with heart issues. Finding nothing, our friends thought the hospital was going to send Larry home after a night of observation. But no, by his wife Kareen returned, Larry had a pacemaker installed. Surprise! We hated to see Larry there, but we were thrilled to visit with them after not seeing them in so long. We’ve also promised to come up for a Ucher night. (I bet they whip our tails. It’s been soooo long since we’ve played.)
• Ron’s surgery finally happened. It took three hours and he did have to have a quadrupal bypass. Avon, Ron’s wife, did remarkable well for all the situation. I could see her lips moving in prayer often and I know she was being bathed in prayers from friends around the world.
• The hard part of the entire event came after the very successful surgery. Ron was having a hard time coming off the anesthesia. An hour recovery time turned into 8 hours with a heart that wouldn’t get the proper rhythm. Every time Avon walked back to Ron’s room, there were several doctors and nurses hovering over Ron. I think it was then that her nerves started to feel the effects of the day. But she was a trooper!
• Some friends came by to visit Ron and Avon. That’s such a wonder comfort to not only know that others are praying, but that some would take the time to drive an hour to sit and hold hands for a few minutes or for hours. Kareen was in and out all day giving Avon hugs and telling us that Larry was demanding updates on his good friend Ron. (They were both elders at church. They’ve really gotten to know each other throughout the years.)
• We convinced Avon to finally leave for a little bit for a spot of dinner. That poor woman needed some nourishment. IHOP never tasted so good.
• Around 10:30 PM the doctors said that Ron was finally in a great position. His heart was doing much better and that he would get the much needed good night’s sleep. We finally felt comfortable enough to go home. We were all exhausted after that 20 hour day, longer if you factor in the fact that none of us really slept the night before.
• Avon and Alan (Mr. Right’s brother) went to the hospital. We stayed home to get The Girl, to pick up The Boy from camp and to do a lot of things for Ron and Avon around the house: mow, clean bathrooms, vacuum, laundry, cook meals. We knew that Avon would have enough to do without needing to worry about that aspect of life when Ron came home.
• Sunday we finished up some tasks that Avon needed done and then we visited with Ron and other family members for the afternoon. Then we headed home and had much needed Chinese food. There’s something about Chinese food that just says relax to us. So we did.

So that’s the run down. We’re back to the scheduled program around here. Last we talked to Avon, Ron had a GREAT night. He was sitting up in his chair and taking his prescribed walk. The kids are set to be Grandma’s and Grandpa’s helpers over the next couple of weeks, and we all feel really good about the way God handled everything. We had all decided that even if God had taken Ron home this weekend, He was still very good. And He is.

Since I’m way out of the loop, would y’all please tell me something that’s going on with y’all? I especially want to hear about She Speaks if you attended. I couldn’t be jealous during the weekend, so I’ll take the time to be jealous now when you tell me about the wonderful time you had with all the our blogging friends. :o)

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Gratituesday 7

It’s time for a little shout out to the Lord, so you know that it must be Gratituesday, where one can be vocally thankful for something in life.

Why is it that I constantly need reminders as to how good God is? I mean, I know he is good, but somewhere along the way, I forget his promises for his children. Then I start thinking about how hopeless things seem, how much of we need to get by and what we don’t have, knowing that things are going to be mighty tough soon.

On Thursday, I started nagging Mr. Right about his lack of follow-through that may help us in the long run. Then I thought about the medical bills that we can’t pay at this moment, the ones that are coming up and lots of lean times and creative accounting to make sure that we can get by until some unknown, long-lost relative passes and leaves us a small inheritance to pay these bills. In other words, things were looking bleak in my eyes.

By bedtime, I could feel my heart racing and my worries growing to epic proportions. I was moody, exasperating to Mr. Right and depressed. After one long big sigh, I realized that I couldn’t keep it in, so I turned to Mr. Right and said, “Mr. Right, can I just tell you that I’m struggling with a bunch of financial worries. I know I shouldn’t be feeling this at all, but I can’t stop!” Mr. Right in all his wisdom, grabbed my hand and said, “Then let’s read.” He didn’t try to take the place of God and make things better. He loved me with all my fears and sought to offer relief for me. I know that he started praying for me too. And my spirit felt more at ease immediately. I even had a full night’s sleep, something that I thought would evade me when I was in my panic mode.

The next day when I was looking at our bank account online, the account balances page showed an incredibly high amount in our checking account. Surely this must be a big mistake! I opened the checking account to find that our IRS “bonus” check was electronically deposited to a tune of triple of what we expected, just enough to cover the present bills and the ones that will be coming in a month. I immediately called Mr. Right to tell him about this blessing, and I just started bawling. Once again, it was as if God said to me, “See? I know your heart, silly girl. Now quit your useless worrying and find something worthwhile to do. I’ve got everything under control. Just trust me.”

Throw in the fact that HE sold our house since the time I’ve written this post, and I can really see God smiling and shaking his head at me and my doubts. O me of little faith… I can only hope that God will continually help me in my unbelief.

So it’s for mercy and grace that I’m extremely thankful, not to mention God’s excellent sense of humor. When God says that he’s got it, He does, even if I can’t see it.

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Nip and Tuck This Info Away

Did you know?

• Melanoma – Melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of pigment-producing cells. One American dies from melanoma almost every hour (every 62 minutes) and is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old and the second most common cancer in adolescents and young adults 15-29 years old. If detected in the early stages before it reaches the lymph nodes, melanoma has a 99 percent five-year survival.
• Breast cancer – Excluding cancers of the skin, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. An estimated 40,930 breast cancer deaths (40,480 women, 450 men) are expected in 2008. Early detection remains the single most effective way for combating the disease with regular mammograms suggested for women once they reach age 40. When detected early before it spreads, women have a 98 percent survival rate after five years.
• Cervical cancer – Cervical cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the cervix or the lower part of a woman’s uterus. While cervical cancer was once a leading cause of cancer death for women, the number of deaths has decreased dramatically due to prevention and early detection. When detected early before the cancer spreads, women have a 92-percent survival rate after five years.

About three years ago, Mr. Right had moles removed, tested and diagnosed as the worse cancer a mole could contain: Melanoma. Couple this discovery with this statement: “Although the incidence of melanoma is lower than other types of skin cancer, it has the highest death rate and is responsible for 79 percent of all deaths from skin cancer,” you could see why I would be “slightly worried.”

Do you want to take a gander at how often I was praying for a change? Not just me, but the church, friends, family? That pray without ceasing thing was finally understood by me. We had many friends who offered to help pay for tests and to do whatever it took to ease our burdens. We have mighty good friends is all I can say.

When Mr. Right went back to the doctors, the specialist was amazed. After rerunning the tests a third time, the moles weren’t just benign; they were shown to be healthy, with no hint at all that cancer was present. So not only did God remove the cancer, he sponged away any insurance comments that would have been left on a record. That God… he sure is good.

Now I have a new pray without ceasing moment: My gynecologist ordered that I have a hysterosonogram and an endobiopsy due to some abnormal results that “just don’t look right” and some pain with my menstrual cycle. God’s been really good to me because I really don’t think about it. I have a good peace right now and I’m not worrying about it, but you know that I’m going to be there, checking things out despite the impending bills we’ll receive. Some things are worth the cost, especially knowledge.

So with that memory and my up-and-coming procedures running around in my head, I want to encourage you to head over to Karen’s place, Simply A Musing Blog. She has a wonderful Q & A idea that involves our asking questions and some doctors at Texas Oncology answering them. She’s doing all she can think of doing to “nip cancer in the bud with early detection.” Hey, like she says: “If we are only able to help save one life with early detection, it will be WORTH it.”

Here are a few details about the event, but please head over to her place to post your questions.

Her objective is to promote early detection and yearly screening as the best tool for preventing the deaths of thousands of women from skin, breast, and cervical cancers by taking is taking questions straight to the doctors at Texas Oncology to have them answered.

Leave your questions/send your questions to Karen starting today through Sunday. Comments will close Sunday, May 18 at 9pm central. By Friday, May 23, you can find the answers your questions back at Simply A Musing Blog.

We blog about all sorts of fun things, tidbit and memories. We share tips and recipes. Why not share something that just may help save a life or two or possibly yours?

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Gratituesday 4

It’s time for a little shout out to the Lord, so you know that it must be Gratituesday, where one can be vocally thankful for something in life.

I’m so grateful that there is an entire family of believers around the world.

You don’t have to live next door to someone to be a member, nor do you have to look remotely the same or even speak the same language. All that’s needed is to have the belief in Christ. God, who is Love, will take care of the rest.

I find that simply, utterly, beautifully amazing.

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And God Laughed…

Who ever said the Creator doesn’t have a sense of humor?

Dwight Nelson recently told a true story about the pastor of his church. He had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc. The kitty would not come down.

The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove away so that the tree bent down, he could then reach up and get the kitten. That’s what he did, all the while checking his progress in the car. He then figured if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten. But as he moved the car a little further forward, the rope broke. The tree went ‘boing!’ and the kitten instantly sailed through the air – out of sight.

The pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they’d seen a little kitten. No, nobody had seen a stray kitten. So he prayed, ‘Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping,’ and went on about his business.

A few days later he was at the grocery store and met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food.

This woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her, ‘Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?’

She replied, ‘You won’t believe this,’ and then told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing.

Then a few days before, the child had begged again, so the Mom finally told her little girl, ‘Well, if God gives you a cat, I’ll let you keep it.’ She told the pastor, ‘I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won’t believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her.’

Never underestimate the power of God and his unique sense of humor!

Happy Friday y’all!

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In The Space Of A Few Hours

Yesterday morning on my way to work, I was praying about being led by God’s hand, that I would follow his lead willingly and be of use to him as he wanted, not how I wanted. I was asking to help me take myself out of any equation so that he could be the only right answer.

The morning proceeded normally. I ran by Panera’s for a continental breakfast for a meeting. I made it to the meeting place in great time. Everything went beautifully, for my part at least. Then I headed back to the office until it was time for me to set up lunch for the group.

I thought I might as well use that time wisely (for me) to swing through the drive-thru at my bank to deposit one of our state refund checks.

While at the window, I turned into a teenager. And I don’t mean that I looked youthful and weighed only 85 lbs like I did back then. I mean it in the way that you want to slap some 16 year old silly if they acted that way to you.

When attempting to deposit the check, the teller very politely said, “Mrs. Shalee (she used my last name of course, but I’m not going to advertise it here even though I’m sure you could never find anything about me with such a common name like Shalee…), I’m sorry, but I will need your husband’s signature on the check since his name is on the front as well.” Really she was as sweet as could be.

Me? I did the biggest eye-roll ever known to man. I’m amazed that I didn’t injure myself with the stretching of optic nerves that I did at that moment. It was a fantastic expression of impatience, annoyance and self-pity all in one movement. I’d have slapped myself if I could have seen me.

The teller? She said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Shalee… I just don’t want to make a mistake on a government check.”

Do you want to know what brilliant words came from my mouth? “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” (Sigh) “I’ll be back later after I get his signature. Thank you.” And then I took my check and drove off.

My very first thought was, “Well there was a fabulous example to Christ, don’t you think, Shalee?” Remembering her name from her tag and I thought, “Sule probably would have preferred to see God and you totally got in the way again, Shalee.” And I wanted to park the car and go apologize to her for my rude behavior.

But I didn’t. I can be such an idiot sometimes.

I returned to the office to work for a bit, left to set up lunch and then continued on my way to meet with Mr. Right for lunch since I would be driving right by his work. While waiting for the light to turn on the interstate, I noticed a homeless person standing on the median, holding a cardboard sign that said, “Please help me. I’m homeless and anything will help me SURVIVE.”

As I waited for that light, I had multiple thoughts run through my mind as I avoided looking at him.

• I never have money on me.
• Why is he standing on that corner? He looks completely capable of working.
• What would cause someone to succumb to panhandling for money?
• He probably won’t use it for what it should be used for…
• Is he cold?
• Will this light ever change?

And as I waited for the light to turn green, I actually turned to look at him. He looked downcast, embarrassed to be there, broken, not making eye contact with any of the drivers. And I realized that all of my thoughts were meaningless in the scheme of things. Here was a person asking for help from anyone who would give it.

I quickly pulled out my wallet to see if I had anything to give. And there I found some forgotten Christmas money that I had left over from a recent purchase. I grabbed it quickly, as the light had just changed. I rolled down the window and extended my hand to him and said, “If you’ll come quickly, I’d like to help.”

Amazed that someone had noticed him, he stumbled for a moment and then ran to the window. He smiled a beautiful smile. “Right on! Oh, thank you! God bless you!” Those were the words I heard as I sped up to make my turn.

Driving down the interstate, I burst out into crying. Was it the loss of the money? Was it that that man was standing there needing help and I was the only one to see him? Was it that this is a broken world that we cannot fix by money alone? Was it because I know that I can behave so badly one moment and then be better the next? I really don’t know why I was bawling. It just felt like the right response.

And as I recalled his words, “God bless you!”, I realized that he does. Every single day. In ways that surprise me and make me want to know him all the more as he’s taking me from a selfish, inconsiderate twit in the morning to a kinder, open-handed person by the afternoon.

It was a direct answer to the prayer I prayed that morning. God took me out of the way and made himself known, at least to one man standing in the middle of the road.

And I have to tell you, I liked losing myself.

I liked it a lot.

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Refined Like Silver

Malachi 3:3 says: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study, and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.  As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.  He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.”  She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?”

He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.”

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I did not write the above, but I liked the message so much, I can’t help but share it with you.

When was a time you felt as if you were tossed in the fire, but only later discovered that not only did you not get burned, you were more beautiful to behold and had a greater sense of purpose? (Not really rhetorical – I would love to read some of your answers.)

Some times in our lives when we felt the fire was when Mr. Right was let go of jobs, two in a row, right after purchasing our house. Times were tough, pride was broken and many a tears were shed on my part.

BUT! God never let us go hungry, others were gladly willing to be of service to God (we had a few anonymous donations that paid our mortgage), friends came rallying for us and we became so much more defined in our prayers, in our faith and in our speech to others about how God is good in all things. And he still is. He’s never changing. It’s we who are the changelings, thanks be to God.

Share if you feel comfortable. If not, perhaps you will feel encouraged by others. Blessings on each and everyone of you today, and may you too feel the heat of being loved.

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Snippits

Yesterday we ran to H&R Block to have our taxes done.  The kids were so good as they sat in the waiting area; all the tax advisors there even commented on their surprisingly most excellent behavior.  (Evidently our kids’  behavior was the exception, not the norm.)  Our advisor suggested in a joking way that we should take them out for ice cream.

Since we found that we were actually getting money back, we decided that we would treat them to Cold Stone Creamery.  It was to be their first time ever to this heavenly place.  

On the way to the creamery, The Boy asked for a snack when we returned home.  We said he could have a snack, chuckling on the inside because they were about to have the best form of snack ever!  We went, they gasped, oooed and ahhhed over everything, took 5 years to make a decision because there were SO MANY CHOICES!, and then they smiled with realization that God made ice cream and it was good.

With full tummies we made our way home.  The Boy quickly quipped, “Do we still get to have a snack when we get home?”  and then he laughed gleefully.  

That Boy… he’s such a kidder.

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The Girl is finding that though she is now a member of the body of Christ, The Boy annoys her just as much as he did before she became a Christian.

She’s struggling to find the right reaction to him, but at least she’s trying.  Oh girl, this is just the beginning…

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I was reminded again last night how incredibly blessed I am to be married to Mr. Right.  This realization came as we were watching the fourth hour of Pride and Prejudice, and he was enjoying it as much as I was.  But he likes chick flicks and always has.  We love to watch When Harry Met Sally, Return To Me, While You Were Sleeping, Notting Hill, Always and many more.

Sigh.  I just love that man.

Edited to add:  Mr. Right would also like it pointed out that he likes Enter The Dragon, LOTR series, The Dirty Dozen, Tora Tora Tora, The Matrix, the Die Hard series, Gladiator, Mission Impossible series and many more.   He’s not a wuss.  (Lucky for him, I like all those movies too.)

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What A Perfect Weekend

Some weekends are just so perfect, you don’t want them to end. I’m really happy that we have Monday off as well. We’re going to soak in the beauty of an extended break.

Well, you know that the best thing in the entire world happened Friday night. The Girl specifically requested that it be a small gathering with selected friends. “Not that I’m ashamed to get baptized, Mom. I just don’t want to do it in front of everybody!” So we chose Friday night, after work and in time that her grandparents could join us for the festivities. It was such a beautiful, special time for her and for us.

After she had been baptized, I had a special moment with her in the changing room. As I was blowdrying her hair, she asked me what it was like for me when I was baptized. Thinking back to that special time, I recalled how I, too, was 11 years old. One Sunday morning, I had this feeling, this shivering, exciting feeling inside of me that made me step out into the aisle during the invitation. I knew, deep down in my heart that it was time. As I walked up to the front, I walked right by my parents. I could hear my mom say to my dad, “Don, that’s Sha!” I think it surprised them because they hadn’t discussed it with me, but because my dad was the evangelizing type and because I’d gone to church for as long as I could remember, I knew what I must to make myself right with God.

My dad baptized me that morning, April 10th to be exact. I’ve a baptism certificate somewhere, but I don’t need it to remind me of that day. It’s ingrained in my memory.

As I was talking to The Girl about my baptism memory, she was nodding, as if agreeing that that was exactly how she was feeling at the moment. And for just one moment, I had a glimpse of how it will be when she has her wedding day. That moment of connection when we’re on the same page about the events that we will share. It was an exhilarating, yet mind-boggling thought. I’m not ready for her to grow up, yet I can’t wait for her to have her special times.

Most everyone celebrated the entire event with a run to Dairy Queen because nothing caps the night like a hot fudge sundae! (Yes, Susan, we did see your son there. He was slaving away in the back.) Laughter, joy, family gathering… these were just icing on the cake to complete this most glorious day.

Saturday began with homemade biscuits and sausage gravy (Grandpa’s favorite!) and really great coffee. The rest of the day involved working around the house some more (will we ever be ready?!), a run to get our taxes done (yay, we’re getting enough back to pay off the last credit card! Hallelujah and thank you God!) and because we knew we were getting money back, we splurged for pizza that night. Ahhh, no dishes to clean… see, I wasn’t kidding when I said it was perfect.

Sunday was church, where we witnessed The Girl taking her first communion. I cried. Oh, what joy to celebrate all over again. We had lunch with our friends and we asked them if a couple of their kids could spend the night that night. The kids have played well all night and all this morning. I can hear the boys playing some kind of superhero imagination game as I type and the girls are upstairs doing girl things.

Today, at this moment, I am realizing how God has blessed us and is continuing to bless us in ways that are beyond my comprehension. Isn’t it such a humbling thought when you realize that though hard times will always cycle into life, goodness and blessings will always be prevalent too? May we all have such realizations today.

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I Call Dibs On Sitting By Her In Heaven…

Guess what family just got a little bigger….

Yours, I hope!

Say hello to your new sister.

There is no greater joy for a mother than this moment!

The angels are rejoicing in Heaven…  What a glorious day Friday turned out to be!

Would you mind saying a salutation to The Girl, your new sister in Christ? (But I wouldn’t recommend that you pull the old “Now go around the room and tell everyone’s name bit” yet… Give her a week and then pull it on her.)

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