Tag: Bible

From the bathroom mirror

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Psalm 71:  20-22 (NKJV)

You, who have shown me great and severe troubles,

Shall revive me again,

And bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

21 You shall increase my greatness, And comfort me on every side.

22 Also with the lute I will praise You—

And Your faithfulness, O my God!

To You I will sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel.

*******************

Yes Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer,

My hope and my rest.

Thank you for Your timeless Words.

Thank you for revealing Yourself and Your truths to me this day.

May all who find them come to know you and love you exceedingly.

In Jesus name, Amen.

J

 

 

So where ya been?

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O.K. so I’m still sick and that isn’t my excuse this time!  So where have I been?  Editing, that’s where!

This past month I’ve poured and prayed over the decision to turn these blog postings into an eBook.  I want to make sure I have the right intentions and that the end result will be something useful to others as well.  In the process of reviewing this past year of New Hope Beyond Lyme on WordPress, it became clear that my followers enjoy messages that are particularly encouraging to persons recovering from a serious illness.  Matters of faith generate the most comments and I’m pleased for that.  To Him be the glory!

I did some research on various publishing formats and have decided to proceed with a no-cost eBook format where I can do virtually all of the formatting of the manuscript and cover art myself.  I have a lot to learn about all of this, for sure!  Lyme Disease will be prominent in the text since the treatment of Lyme was my primary focus for most of this past year.  But the take home message won’t be about a disease . . .

The truths borne out of the trials, struggles, illness, and strife these past two years have once again served to strengthen my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  About a year into this season of illness, I began blogging to keep myself sane!  Now looking back over this past year of blog posts, I am grateful to write, has actually brought more hope than tears.  I was so scared of everything in the beginning, particularly when the tic episodes began escalating into full-blown seizure attacks.  I didn’t even write in complete sentences most of the time back then.  The crazy thing is that I generally have more hope and peace now when the attacks exceed 3 times per day, than when they were less!  I have the Lord’s work in my heart to thank for that!  He works in amazing ways for sure.

While I am grateful for the gift of writing, keeping my eyes fixed on the Lord through reading His Word continues to be the most important survival strategy for me in this season of life.  The cool part is that I get to look up all kinds of scripture verses as I pour out my heart onto the computer screen.  I do hope, however, that the New Hope Beyond Lyme eBook will never be a replacement for a fellow sojourner opening His or Her Bible.  Reading a verse here or there in a blog or eBook, on a Facebook Newsfeed, in the signature line of a friend’s email, Tweeted, or in a Pastor’s message is not as valuable as soaking up God’s Word in our time alone with Him.  We can’t dwell in His presence, linger before the throne of grace in the same amount of time it takes to hit, “delete!”  His grace requires a bit of time to reach our weary souls . . .

I do hope, Gentle Reader, that your own faith in God and in the person of Jesus Christ has grown as you have joined me on this journey.  I was reading today in the first chapter of 1st Corinthians where the apostle Paul teaches how we come to understand God through faith and not through an intellectual discourse.  We choose to believe that Christ died on a cross for our sins so that we may become forgiven for our sins, right-with-Him, and begin an amazing spiritual journey rich with meaning as sons and daughters of the King.  To receive the blessings and the promises of a relationship with God through the person of Jesus Christ requires faith.  If we have faith in Christ crucified, it will make a difference in our lives for all of eternity.  That will help us cope with virtually anything, today and tomorrow.

With the testimony of God’s Word as my witness, I submit to you that only with a personal relationship with the Lord, Jesus Christ will any of the stuff we endure in this life make any sense at all.    If we do have this sweet fellowship with Him, the lover of our souls, all of this stuff will be worth it.  And for me, all of this suffering will be worth it as well.  I would not be writing anything if I had not gotten sick two years ago.   Nothing I write will make any difference either if it doesn’t point someone, somewhere to something more than recovery from an illness.

How humbling that Lyme Disease may be used for good.  Such is the, “new hope beyond Lyme,” after all . . .

 

Thunder and Lightening

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“Rain, rain go away.  Come again some other day.”

The kid’s rhyme had it right for me this morning.  Oh at first the badda bing badda boom didn’t bother me as the bedroom lit up with a raging thunderstorm storm outside.  The thunder rocked the windows and I’m sure the pup in the kitchen was making her way to cower in the bathroom!  Yeah, I understand that.  It was time for me to retreat as well . . .

When I was a kid we used to say that the boom, boom, bang of a thunderstorm was the angels bowling!  We also said that the rain was the angels crying.  We Catholic kids had a lot of fairy tales we told to get us through the scary stuff.  (Smile.)  Now that I am a believer in Jesus Christ, I turn to the Bible for truth and have learned that angels are real, were created by God, and have specific tasks that they perform both here on earth and in the heavenly realm as directed by God.  Wow.  Angels have nothing to do with thunderstorms!

But thunderstorms have everything to do with my illness of late.  The tic and seizure attacks are worse when the clouds and weather systems collide out there.  I can’t control it nor stop it.  There ain’t no antidote neither.  I just hold on for the ride.  Perhaps it’s part of my sensitivity to electromagnetic frequencies these days, manifest in the computer router, various electronic treatment modalities, and extensive cell phone usage.  Sigh.  What will I be sensitive to next?  Yes, the smell of soap on my husband’s scalp last night came close . . .

And yet today I am grateful for the rain.  The grass was looking a little crispy and I hadn’t been able to water my gardens last night due to noxious symptoms.  So here I sit, earlier than I should be awake on a Saturday morning, feeling “fried” again, and wondering what to do with myself.  My husband left early to run the United States Canoe Association races at Rivergames, part of the 3 Rivers Festival in our city.  He will be racing his Mohican in the K-1 unlimited class against some stiff competition (if TED shows up today!).  I am so proud of Steve.  He held me close last night during severe seizure attacks that lasted about 1 1/2 hours.  Twas hell.  We had some tense words later about some of the difficulties managing this season of life that we are in then we each took care of various tasks before bedtime.  I’m glad to say that we “kissed and made up” too, and all is well again.  About 5 hours later, we are both up again:  Steve is off to the races and what is left of me is here with you . . .

The rain has now stopped and all I hear is the roar of an emergency vehicle’s siren in the distance.  Lord, go before them and be with those in need of your care.  As for me, I am grateful to report that I am now past the personal thunder and lightening that began this day.   For me to be of use for Your kingdom, Lord, I must rest and recover now.  Perhaps I can join my beloved later for the crazy raft races that will follow the USCA races at the Festival.  Yeah, a good laugh will be good medicine.

Looking forward to loving a rainy night one of these ‘ol days . . . Eddie Rabbit  got it right in his song decades ago . . .  Click on the link and enjoy!

Two Bowls, Two Knives, and a Body Brush

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Sometimes it’s the little things that mean a lot.

Take my 20 ounce serving bowls from Jepson Pottery, for example.  I am happy when I can make a big salad or side dish and serve it in these substantial, artsy fired vessels.  The deep blue glaze compliments most food hues and the pottery keeps the dish a little warmer or cooler until the feasting is over.  A simple pleasure.  Sweet.

Having a sharp knife in the kitchen can make the difference between injury and expertly prepared veggies, especially when those rooted puppies are parsnips!  These are tough to cut yet soften nicely when browned in avocado oil and cooked down to almost mush with lots of salt.  A simple pleasure on a special diet.  Savory too.

And nothing wakes me up better than a gentle rub down with a stiff body brush in the shower.  Many people with chronic illness write about dry brushing and all types of lymphatic and therapeutic massage using this or that technique or device.  Just give me my natural bristle, wooden brush, will ya please?  No coffee needed to get me going for the day.  A good natural bristled brush on a long wooden handle is a simple tool to wake up the largest organ in the body.  Nice.

When estranged from my home due to mold restoration work, I find that the little things mean a lot.  The hotel room is unfamiliar, cold, and dark on these wintry days.  So I had to decide what items I should bring to my “home away from home” when the whole darn house wouldn’t fit into the 600 square feet where I must lie my head at night.  Little by little, I’ve narrowed it down to the items that make me smile in addition to my hubby, Bible, devotional book Jesus Calling, treatment journal, and stash of plantain chips.  Yes, I think that’s it:  2 bowls, 2 knives, and a back brush.

Wonder if I could sneak in a German Shepherd too?  :J

An Attitude of Gratitude

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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?