Ladies Retreat

About 10 months ago, I volunteered to take on the task of organizing a women' retreat. I really didn't volunteer....God prompted my heart and I obeyed!   For me it's so much easier to obey when it involves using the gifts He has given me.  It's much harder to obey when it involves the issues of my heart!

I began to pray that God would direct me to the right people to serve on a planning team!  God had placed a passion inside me to connect women of old and young alike in the body of our church.  I think that is probably because I am so missing those connections in my own life.  I made six phone calls last October to various women asking them to serve on a planning team.  (I made those phone calls sitting in a waiting room at Mayo Health Clinic in Rochester, MN.)   Out of the six ladies that I called, 5 of them said yes!  And not only did they say yes, they were ladies who had gifts and felt called to lead in the exact areas that I needed.  So our little team began to pray and plan!

When God began to bring in registrations and I begin to see the names of those who were going to attend, I could not believe it was actually coming to fruition.  Why would I have ever doubted that if God had prompted me and given me a passion for something, that He would not bring that about?  To be real honest, I did doubt. But I am so thankful that despite my doubts, God still worked.

Today, I just finished cleaning up my many bags of supplies from a weekend away with a wonderful group of ladies.  Ladies of all ages worshiped together!  We had a speaker that talked about giving our issues to God.  We had a speaker that reminded us how much we were loved and cherished by God.  We had a speaker who asked us to make our "perfect friend."  There's no human that can be our perfect friend!  But our God is a perfect friend and He cares about me.  There really couldn't have been a better message for me personally.

Women connected in small groups.  Women connected over dessert and various meals throughout the weekend.  Women connected as we made activity bags to deliver to the hospital for preschoolers who need something to keep them busy when they are stuck in bed.  Women of all ages connected.  And not only was it a passion that God had put in my heart, but it was a need in each individual there.  As I read the evaluations last night, there were many, many responses that said how much they needed to connect with other women.

Thank you Jesus that you gave me the vision, the passion, the gift of organization, and that you prompted my heart to obey your calling!

Funny Things

Took my two youngest to the doctor today.  They are now both on antibiotics.  So hopefully, they will be well soon!!

We have had several laughs that I thought I'd share.  One of them I can't believe I'm telling on myself.  But we have laughed on and off today about several things so I decided to share some of our funny things today. 

One of my friends called me this morning as I was getting ready to leave for the doctors office.  We use the same lesson plan software and she had question.  I logged onto mine and figured out the answer.  I then proceed to chat with her while I load everyone up in the truck.  I get purse, diaper bag, keys, etc. and load up in the car.  I get about half way down my driveway and my friend says, "Hold on, I can't hear you.  Let me go get another phone."   Instinctively,  I take the phone down to look and see how much coverage I have on my cell phone only to realize that I'm not on my cell phone...I'm on my land line phone.  So I pull back up so she can hear me, tell her I will call her back and run the phone back inside to its rightful place.  I get back in the car and start down the driveway again.  Conner has figured out what I've done by now, and he says..."Way to go Ace!"  We all got to enjoy some laughter at this crazy happening.  Needless to say, when I called my friend back and explained what had happened, she got to share in our laughter!  Now...I'm pretty sure you're sharing in our laughter.  And let me set the record straight....my hair is not blonde!  It' just turning gray!

We are in doctors office and Krisann is being quite demanding.  The doctor is trying to put our prescritions in the computer system so that we don't have to wait at pharmacy.  While he is doing this, Krisann is desperately wanting us to sing "This Little Light of Mine" as evidenced by the motion of putting it under a bushel.  Chloe had been trying to figure out what she was wanting so when I spoke what she wanted, the doctor proceeded to serenade us with the song. The entire time he sang, Krisann had the strangest look on her face.  No words can describe that wrinkled up nose and look she had!  I have seen that cute little face over and over again today and it makes me laugh everytime.  It was almost like she couldn't believe he knew that song too!

This afternoon Conner was goofing with Chloe and she said, "Conner you're squishing me.  Is my face red?"  He looks at her and says, "It's a bit violet!"  Tonight, Zine came in Chloe's room where I was taking her to bed and told me to move, it was his turn.  So I proceeded to do exactly as he asked...I moved!  Except I didn't get out of the bed.  So he squished me!  And Chloe says to him that he's going to turn my face violet if he doesn't move.  He assures her that I'm going to be just fine!  And then she says...well...I'm getting squished in the process!  Guess she didn't want her face to turn violet twice today!

I love how we can enjoy life together!

Trust and Thankfulness

I have a friend that sent Zine and I the devotional book, Jesus Calling.  She sent it right before we went to Mayo. That book has spoken boatloads to me almost everyday! 

A quote from today's devotional...
"Trust and thankfulness will get you safely through this day.  Trust protects you from worrying and obsessing.  Thankfulness keeps you from criticizing and complaining:  those 'sister sins' that so easily entangle you."

So I began to ponder what to trust really meant.  I think if I had to define that word it would be to rely upon or place confidence in.  I realized that my trust in the One who loves me the most has been lacking!   I have not had problems relying upon Him to get me through the difficult days. Some days I have uttered up many prayers of survival! My problem has been in the placing confidence in.  All of a sudden, I felt like life had been tossed around and things were a mess. But I didn't place my confidence in the Lord of my life.  Instead, I've felt like He was responsible for the mess.  This past week, God gave me a real sweet analogy that I will share in a later post!  It really opened my eyes to the lack of trust on my part.  I can't say that my attitude changed all of a sudden.  But God pricked my heart to see where I was lacking!  Now my job, is to start placing that confidence in Him.  Thankfulness seems to come when I am relying upon and placing confidence in.  The two "sister sin's" are so closely related that I can't fathom how the two can be separated. So...if my trust has been lacking...I'm pretty certain my thankfulness has been lacking.  As a matter of fact, that's the area where I realized I had been lacking in first!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "In everything give thanks for this is the will of Christ Jesus for you."  I have struggled so much with this verse.  I can ask God to help me be content in the circumstances of life, but I'm not sure I can be thankful for immune deficiencies, chiari malformations, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis.  In search for getting my head around this verse, John MacArthur had a phrase that caught my eye.  He said no matter what the situation we are to find ways to thank God.  And all of a sudden a light bulb came on in my head...at this point in  my life...it's okay to not be thankful for those diseases.  But I can be thankful about things that happen in spite of those diseases.   Maybe one day, I will be able to say I am thankful for those diseases.  But for today, it is my job to be thankful despite those diseases.

Sickness Abounds

Sickness has plagued our house this year.  We rented a condo in Destin for the New Years.  Ended up coming home a day early because all the kids were sick!  K's respiratory virus turned into croup for the 1st time.  We followed that up with everyone having a stomach virus.  That was definitely not fun!  C had few days where he wasn't sick but he wasn't well either.  Then 2 weeks ago, K started with a runny nose and congestion...which turned into croup for the 2nd time.  And she shared it with all of us except Zine.  Our youngest C has complained of her ear hurting today.  K is to the point of needing an antibiotic I think.  So...I am sure hoping that when spring comes the sickness leaves.  It actually could leave today and that would be awesome!  I think for the entire year of 2011, I have gone to church about 3 times!

My mom's lung disease has resurfaced.  She has what they call MAC disease. It stands for Mycobacterium avium complex.  She is back on three medications a day for that.  She has Alzheimer's Disease and takes two medicines for that.  She takes a heart pill daily as well.  So when we added those three lung medicines back, it definitely increased her pharmacy bill.  And then this week, the pulmonologist  put her on some asthma medicine as well.  With Medicare, you can change drug providers once a year.  You base that decision on your current medication.  I changed hers in December.  So I am sure crossing my fingers with the addition of the new drugs that it will still be a good plan choice!

My dad had a big scare with his health as well.  He had some blood work done, and his white blood count and platelet level was low.  They referred him to an oncologist.  He had a bone marrow biopsy but thankfully, it came back normal.  So...we are definitely going to have those blood numbers watched closely but for now I am so thankful that he had a good report!!

Zine's parents have had upper respiratory stuff going on since before Christmas.  They couldn't seem to shake their gunk.  We were  beginning to be concerned about his dad.  But he finally perked up.  They just spent a couple of days here so we are praying that the respiratory junk we have here doesn't make them sick again!  We enjoyed them being here.  Zine's dad helped me get a couple of things done here that would have been impossible for Zine and I.  K  absolutely loves them!  She was so excited to see them.  I bet K called Nana a hundred times in two days!  It was sweet!  And...they filled my freezer up with beef and C's deer that he killed over Christmas.  So...we'll be eating good for awhile!  I can't wait until everyone feels like eating so we can have some of C's first deer!  C and his papa are already planning a week of deer camp in the fall!

Zine continues to struggle with stiffness.  That seems to be his number one complaint!  I'm so thankful that for the first time in over a year, the past two weeks he has seemed happy again.  I don't know if it will stay or not but I'm enjoying it right now!  It seems hard to believe we started this process a year ago.  After a couple of months of begging him to go to the doctor, he saw the primary care doctor for the first time on March 30.  He saw neurologist for 1st time on April 5.  Had MRI on April 11.  On April 14, we received his probably diagnosis of MS.  On April 19, he had a spinal tap to confirm diagnosis.  On May 10, we were finally given the news that the lab had made a mistake and his labs were never sent to Mayo!!  So...on May 11, Zine had his second spinal tap.  On May 14, we returned to HH for a blood patch due to horrible headache.  On Wednesday, May 26  we received the confirmed diagnosis of MS.  Zine was sent straight to HH where he recieved 3 days of IV steroids.  And then he took 6 weeks of oral steroids.  On August 23rd, we went to UAB and saw a MS specialist where Zine recieved a diagnosis of Primary Progressive MS.  That was definitely not what we wanted to hear.  So the week of October 25, we spent at Mayo in Minnesota for 2nd opinion.  And the diagnosis was indeed PPMS.  So all that to say, it has been quite a year for him.  I'm thinking he has every reason to be sad and not happy!  But I personally like him a lot better happy!

C goes once a year to Richmond, VA to see a MD specialist.  We always go in the fall.  However, I moved her appt. there due to our trip to Mayo Health Clinic in Rochester, MN.  So it is scheduled for April 20.  It is just not a convenient time for us to go.  I am currently debating on how to handle that situation.  Do I push her appt. back a couple of weeks or do I just push it back and get us back on the fall rotation.  Decisions, decisions, decisions...

The good news about all this sickness that abounds...God has been with us every step of the way.  Even when we haven't felt His presence...He has sent reminders along the way to us that He is apart of this season of our lives. 

Trying Again

Okay, I have failed miserably at this blogging stuff. But...I'm going to try again. I have had several people ask if I wouldn't consider blogging given all that is going on in our lives. I blogged when we were at Mayo and people really liked that.  I have a friend from when I was in elementary school that blogs and she has inspired me as well to give it a try.  I sure enjoy reading her blog entries and I haven't seen her in YEARS! http://jenniferajanes.com/

My ideas for this blog...once a week or so, I'll update as to what is going on in our family. Once a week, I will try to share what God is doing spiritually in my life. I also want to try to learn to be more thankful so I'll be listing a few things I'm thankful for on another day. Another day I'd like to try to give an insight into how our homeschooling is going. Yet another day, I'd like to reserve strictly for quotes from books that I have read, devotionals that have touched my heart over the week, or books that I have read.

Bear with me as I navigate this blogging escapade! I'll have to learn along the way!  If you have any tips for blogging let me know!

So...for the first post....you get to hear some things I'm thankful for this week.

#1 I'm thankful for doctors who help care for my children and even meet me on the weekends when needed!

#2 I'm thankful that my husband and son got to spend some quality time together at a professional tennis tournament!

#3 I'm thankful for my dad's good report from oncologist this week.


#4 I'm thankful for my in laws coming and filling my freezer up with meat.


#5 I'm thankful that I got to steal away for few minutes and have dinner alone with my hubby....even though I have three sick kids!  We don't get alone very often much less while we have sick kids.


#6 I'm thankful for my father-in-law helping me get some books packed away and bookshelves moved to storage in effort to get my house ready to put on market.

#7 I'm thankful for a few ladies who have helped me plan a retreat for the ladies of our church.  And I'm looking forward to a wonderful weekend together next weekend. 


#8 I'm thankful for a cover school director who sends me text message that says...you have been on my mind today and wanted to check on you!


#9 I'm thankful for the opportunity to experience some counseling by a wonderful lady and to be encouraged to give up my pride and be real with others.

#10 I'm thankful for a friends adoption paperwork to be on its way to China!


I think I have centered so long on the negatives in my life that I might need to post thankfulness points everyday!  It has been good for me to reflect over the week and look for positives!