Elle, returning from a toss of the tennis ball across the yard.

Those of you who are pet owners probably know what I’m talking about.  How delightful it is to come home to a furry/fuzzy/feathered friend, excited and happy to welcome you home!  Oh I’d prefer if it was my husband Steve, yet if he’s not home I get a big smile, wag of the tail, and wimper of joy from Elle.  That’s just alright with me.

Last week I was up at 5:00 a.m. unable to sleep.  The night was a rough one with seizure-like tics and the headache and body aches that follow.  Somehow I got myself into the kitchen for a snack and a drug of choice.  God’s Word provided comfort too, then I caught the big, brown, puppy-dog eyes of our German shepherd, Elle.  She’s more timid than most German Shepherds yet smart, affectionate, protective, and fast chasing a tennis ball or unsuspecting rabbit!  And here she was looking over at me in the middle of the night as if to say, “what’s wrong?  You can talk to me.”  I felt comforted in a sweet, different kind of way and definitely had to give her an extra scratch behind the ears for that!  The feeling of soft fur is soothing at a time like this for sure . . .

They say that sometimes you just need Jesus with skin-on.   In other words, you need to see, touch, and feel the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ in a tangible way.  You need to know His presence right now, right here in the midst of the chaos.  I’ll tell ya sometimes you need Jesus with fur-on too!  Thank you Elle for being such a sweet friend in my time of need.

Sweet dreams.

Announcing our Grand Opening Special for Trinity Jewelry by Design:

Free shipping in the United States for orders in the month of September!

Check out our Lyme Disease Awareness bracelets and handmade knotted hemp jewelry at:  http://www.justjuliewrites.etsy.com

And thank you for your support of this blog.  I really appreciate all of you, even the ones I can’t see!  Tee Hee.  Ain’t the internet sweet?  :J

Take care,

Just Julie

The scorecard today reads:

Worm, 1.

Julie, 1 less.

What?  This is the 14th time I’ve discharged a worm after a medical treatment and frankly, I’m grossed out to the max.  I thought Lyme Disease was bad enough.  Nope.  There’s parasites too.  Eeeeeeeeek!  Better out than in, eh?  This one was complete.  Hopefully the last, and grandaddy of them all.

Well, you chose to read this after the title noted above so sorry to gross you out.  May I kindly emphasize the importance of rinsing your fruits and vegetables before eating them?  Yup, that’s a primary place from which they get into our bodies.  And you can’t see them or their eggs most of the time.  Just wash, k?

The other bad news is a video that I watched about Christa and Justin:  her battle with Lyme Disease and related infections.  I cried through much of it.  I’ve had the episodes depicted here virtually every day in some form or another for the past 6 months.  Gratefully mine had breaks and meds helped the pain some.  Only been to the ER once not 18 times like Christa and the intensity of my journey has been just under a year not almost 4 years like Christa.   When the breaks come, life is sweeter than most can imagine.

http://www.justinandchrista.ca

I encourage you to watch the entire movie to really get how someone overcomes chronic illness.  It takes a faith in Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to cope with the hell that is your life.  My husband Steve is like Justin.  I am blessed beyond measure to have his love and devotion at this time.  He is Jesus with skin on when my faith is weak.   If he wasn’t here, I’d trust in my Heavenly Husband just the same.

Also there’s something good:  I’ve had 2 days in a row with breaks in symptoms.  There have been over 8 hours each day with very little nausea and headaches; the seizure-like tics were of short duration and mostly just when falling asleep, maybe a zip waking up.  This is significant!  Started a new muscle relaxant at bedtime 3 nights ago.  Wow, Lord.  Thank you!  And thank you to my LLMD who keeps trying to help me.  Must be tough on you too.   So I had some fun yesterday and today buying some new supplies to make hemp jewelry.  Even seting up a little space in our home office as a workspace/studio.  Wow, Lord.  Thank you!  May I humbly submit the following to dedicate this space?

¹⁰ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

Don’t know what tomorrow will bring . . . Sometimes I’m afraid to go to bed for fear of what the next moment will bring.  In the end, I trust in my Lord and Savior.

It’s 2:11 a.m. so I’m going to take my supplements, meds and go to bed.  Maybe I can create something new tomorrow withredpaintedbeadsflankedby3glassbeadsstrungonbrownhempinalovelylongnecklacejustlikethe magazinethattheladyatMichaelsshowedmeyesterdayevening . . . This is my mind not on drugs but in “the zone.”

Yeah, I better sleep first!  :J

TOUCHED BY LYME: A beginner’s guide to learning about Lyme disease

http://lymedisease.org/news/touchedbylyme/beginners-2.html