A little tick humor
Author: Jesus is for the Wounded
Believer in Jesus Christ, Extension Master Gardener, and retired Occupational Therapist. I'm madly in love with and proud of my husband, Mechanical Engineer and Private Pilot: Steve! I invite you to "FOLLOW" my story of the Lord's work in my life at www.justjuliewrites.com
Me and my Lord
Well soon it will be just me and my Lord here to navigate the varied waters of life for about a week. Steve will be traveling and I feel:
Sad. I long to get away and see friends and family too.
Hurt. This journey of illness has gone on way too long at a level way too challenging.
Scared. What if I can’t get out of bed and get what I need?
Worried. Will I have enough good moments to get up and take care of myself?
Curious. How will the Lord use this for His purposes, His glory, and to return as my Heavenly Husband as He did when I was single and in need just 6 years ago.
Trusting. He has provided for me before in ways that actually exceeded my needs, in His good timing, with His good grace.
Loved. My extended family was here earlier this week and poured out their love and affection right before facing this upcoming week alone.
Cared for. My husband completed many house projects these past 2 days and 2 weekends, and trusts in the Lord and the good graces of others to be there for me when he cannot. He was willing to reschedule this trip. In the end, I decided to be brave.
Brave. Heading into unknown waters once again usually strengthens me at some point.
Empty. Breathing. Living in the moment. Open. Ready. Unwell. Submitted. Humble. Expectant. Filled with wonder. Questioning. Accepting. And reminiscent of how these kinds of situations always had some sweetness in the past . . .
About six years ago I was very alone in my 3rd floor condo, unable to move due to excruciating back pain. I was single and off from work due to an injury, then fired. Workers’ Compensation was cut off and I had very little savings. I did not know how I was going to make it through the next month or how I could possibly return to any type of work unless my back got better. My mom was in another State, weakening from lung cancer.
It was Thanksgiving weekend and my mom had fallen and broken her pelvis the week before. She would not be able to travel to see me nor I travel to see her. My only surviving brother would be taking care of her at her home in Michigan. I was living in the Chicago suburbs amongst millions of people yet very alone. Most of my friends and my church was 45 minutes from my home. No one would be coming to get me for Thanksgiving dinner since I couldn’t tolerate sitting in the car to make that trip either. So I decided to do a juice fast to try to boost my capacity for healing and overall health. Yeah, instead of gorging on food like everyone else does Thanksgiving day or shopping on Black Friday, I would be weak from vegetable juicing, citrus flushes, and herbal cleanses. Might as well fast; I would be alone anyways and able to focus on the tasks at hand without interruption.
By Saturday night I was very weak. I didn’t have a T.V. remote that worked so I lain on the floor on a mattress pad in front of the T.V. with only local channels. There was nothing meaningful to watch and the worship CDs weren’t cutting it anymore. In the quiet I did not know what to do. I planned to re-introduce whole organic foods the next night yet was committed to making it one more day through the juice fast. Sleep doesn’t come easy when you are hungry for real food! I wondered if I should make some more juice? Should I try to sleep? Should I just stare at the ceiling some more? My condo sure was pretty and for that I was grateful. I talked to the Lord all night long.
I decided to channel surf one more time, looking for a sign or something of interest. At 11:30 at night on a holiday weekend, maybe there would be something decent on the tube even at this hour. So what do you think I found? What would the Lord put on late night television just for me? Would it be about turkey leftover recipes or worse and tempt me to break my fast? How could anything console me in the middle of the night? Well I found it on public television. Right there on WGN:
A telethon fundraiser on colon cleansing!
What? On a foodie holiday weekend? Fundraising by promoting colon cleansing DVDs? Yes! Right there on public television was a show just for me. Then they played it twice! I watched both segments then went to bed. I slept like a baby. The next day I finished my fast and life went on, getting stronger every day. Early in the new year I was offered a new job and by Thanksgiving of 2007, I would be moving to Indiana to marry my dreamy Steve. Wow.
God is good. All the time. God is good. Don’t believe it? Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will guide your paths.
That’s Proverbs 3:5-6. Believe in Him. He is worthy of your trust and He cares for each of us, every detail of our lives.
Me and my Lord. In the middle of the night in the year 2006 as it is right now in 2012. In the daytime and always. I love you Lord. Thank you for everything.
A New Day, A New Moment
This moment is the best one I have had in 4 days. Just wanted to share it with you! My Uncle Dave (from Brooklyn, Michigan) and my Aunt Lori (from Tarpon Springs, Florida) are coming to see me tomorrow. Very sweet. Praise the Lord and I’ll seeya later . . . so much to do. :J
An Attitude of Gratitude
Count it all joy, the Bible tells us, when trials come our way. They serve to refine us, challenge us, and bring us closer to the Giver of all good things . . .
And sometimes it all works out well.
After almost 2 months of headaches most days, the pattern has finally changed for the better. The Lord used the skillful hands of my Family Practice Physician/Chiropractor/LLMD to gently relax then manipulate my neck. This brings me to a freedom of movement that the seizure-like attacks have taken away increasingly over the past 6 months. I don’t know how long it will last and it doesn’t matter in this moment. We only have this moment to live in so I’m doing much better in this moment!
And some other good things have happened:
I was able to attend both the Sunday and Wednesday night worship services this past week. Praise the Lord! So what if I had to sit in the back or downstairs a bit due to my sensitivity to loud music. (They really rock out at Harvest Fellowship!) I was there and was able to be at my husband’s side to learn about our Jesus and His Word. Sweetness.
Gratefully, I have now sold 21 pieces of jewelry in my first 2 1/2 months in business! Trinity Jewelry by Design has touched the lives of folks across the country through many venues the Lord has provided. Wow! I have been invited to set up a display in a new gift shop venue in a touristy area of a local town, just in time for the holidays. Cool beans. My goal, Lord willing, is to also try hosting a table at one craft show this year featuring our entire product line. Oh how I love craft shows and events! There are even some rumblings of sharing the items of others related to my business style and theme online. Much prayer needed, much hope provided. :J
While some Lyme symptoms are quite troublesome, I have had a couple of 1/2 days this past month with very low level symptoms. This has enabled me to be out and about, away from the house or out in the yard enjoying life a little. Oh Lord, to be normal! I am encouraged that things will be better someday. It’s a long journey and as my doctor said today, we now have a path to follow. How many people can say that when faced with chronic illness? Thank you Jesus!
Today I was humbled in submitting my continuing education and volunteer hours for the Master Gardener Program at our local Cooperative Extension Office. The Lord has given me the strength, despite my illness, to gather enough hours to advance to the rank of Master Gardener in January! Will await final approval and the annual banquet recognition to use the title. For this I must commend my husband for encouraging me to start with the class last year even when it meant cutting my part time work hours, not knowing the wild ride that would follow with illness into the next year. Thank you for your encouragement Steve!
Also my thought processes have improved some and this blog has definitely helped. Thank the Lord for the internet! Good things are out there! I feel less isolated now for sure. Learning to blog built confidence that I would need to set up and online jewelry shop and all the linkages to make it go. Nothing is wasted in God’s economy, I tell ya! And today I found out that my Uncle David and Aunt Lori (my deceased father’s siblings) want to come and visit soon. I am delighted! Extended family contact has been limited to Facebook for me; now that all my grandparents, parents, and youngest brother are deceased the family relationships have changed. I do miss the love and care of my family and the myriad of dynamics that goes with it. Even in dysfunctional families, love can prevail over time. I felt it today when Uncle Dave called. Thank you! I love you! I look forward to our visit.
And what if none of this would have happened? Well, the Lord’s fingerprints are sprinkled about here and there when I bother to look for them. Foremost, I appreciate the love of my dearest Steve which is steadfast, unchanging. And a sweet kiss or two on the ankle from my Elle pup are cute from under the kitchen table this afternoon too. Then there was this bird on the bluebird house that caught my eye in our backyard. Oh how I do hope the bluebirds stop by one last time before the cold weather comes!
I really could go on! An “attitude of gratitude.” How am I doing? I am grateful for so much today. How about you?
Quick Prayer
Lord, I pray for your healing mercy and grace this day. My head is splitting and the nausea is increasing. Not even sure it’s a good idea to be on the computer since sometimes it sets off the neurological messes . . . just need you right now . . .
Thank you for helping me to get to church today and for visiting with some dear Christian friends. Your Word bathed my heart in hope, that you hear my prayers and care for the details of my life.
It’s a night for some stronger meds. Tylenol just ain’t cutting it. Geez!
Gotta go, Just Julie
Jesus is for the Wounded 
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