Leaning To Trust God Even When The Word Is Cancer...

  Over the past few weeks I've realized how God has grown me in the Trust department. As those of you who know me have seen, my middle name is panic. I don't like it, but it's true. I've decided to share this Trust journey here. Probably more for myself then for anyone else. I want to write it. To express it or try to express it. I need to get it out and on paper. I need to have a record of this journey so I can go back and see each step that God led me through. I attempted to write it in a journal I keep by my bed. I just can't do it. My handwriting is atrocious and I doubt that in a year I'd even be able to understand it myself. If I write it here then family and friends, who want to follow the journey, will have an easier time of it.

   I will start here by saying that this is not my journey. It's my husbands journey. I'm walking it with him. Prostrate cancer was the diagnosis. Cancer was the word. I won't share a lot about husband's feelings. to be honest he doesn't say much. I really think it's personal enough that I should let him share it with you himself. I will from time share some of his thoughts.These writings will be about my journey with him through this. My time of learning to Trust God even when the word is Cancer.

   I do want you to encourage the men in your life to begin getting their PSA tests done when recommended by their Doctor. You can Click here for more information.
The PSA test (yearly blood test) results alerted our family Doctor of the need for a referral to a Urologist. I'll go into all that in another post, but I want to make sure you encourage your fathers, brothers, uncles, grandpas, cousins, all the men in your life to have this simple blood test done. Prostrate cancer is very treatable when caught in it's early stages. The next post will catch you up to where we are today with this journey. All the tests and referrals take time. I'm not so good with the waiting thing either, but God knows that and Thankfully He just works with me on one area at a time. This time it's being Quiet/Calm and Trusting Him, Even when the word is Cancer.

Introducing Our New Great Grandson.. He is Grand...

     Introducing our New Great Grandson..  Aydin Michael..  Isn't he a doll..  It's been a long time..
(almost 16 yrs) Since a baby has graced our home. This one is wonderful.. He is all snugly and just the right baby size.. a Whopping 6lbs. He had a bit of a rough start. He came about a month early, had some trouble with his lungs, and gave us all a bit of a worry and many extra prayers. God healed and now our little Aydin is doing just fine.
    It was great fun for all of us, even Papa to get a chance to meet him. Papa won't hold him just yet. He says Aydin has the doddals.. LOL  that means his head is all wobbly and husband is afraid he won't hold him right. Maybe next time, or definitely when the doddals are gone..
   It's funny how quickly one forgets how tiny feet can be.. how snugly warm, and wonderful smelling babies are. I can't wait to have a new little person sit at my table, help me plant pumpkins, take my hand and walk..
I can't wait.. Fishing, and cookies, and Grandma I love you.. The best most wonderful things in the world.
 I can't wait..
    Welcome to our family little Aydin Michael.. Welcome to our home and our hearts.. We can't wait to know you, to play with you, to love you..  

My Focus On This Good Friday...

  There are things calling my attention today. Cleaning that needs to be done, food that needs to be prepared, clothes that need to be ironed, eggs that need to be dyed, bunnies and baskets.  Lots of things; but Today, this moment, right now, I want, no I need to focus my mind on the day itself. Good Friday. This day along with very few others, This day I want to focus on my Savior and His Sacrifice for me.
I found a wonderful site here. It's a timeline of what His Jesus' final hours may have looked like that day.

To realize that only a week earlier Jesus was being welcomed into the city. To think about all Jesus had talked about and taught during His 3 yrs. of Ministry. To remember the last night He spent with His disciples celebrating the Passover, praying for His Father's will, and culminating in His arrest.. Mind boggling.

I try pretty hard not to think to much about the actual events. I can't imagine the horror of it. The pain, the humiliation, the sheer horror of the entire day. I can't imagine the panic as the earth grew dark and stayed dark for 3 hours. I can't imagine the fear that filled Jesus' followers, even his own mother. I can't imagine what love it took for Jesus to endure it all to the very end so that you and I could be reconciled to God.

Amazing Love.... Love that chose to suffer, that chose to die, that chose to Redeem all for all time. Amazing Love.

I have a special "Heart Song"..  one that conveys my deepest thoughts and my true heart ...
Casting Crowns song " Glorious Day, (Living He Loved Me)  you can see it here.

I leave you with the words to this wonderful song. I pray that you will focus today on a Love that will not let you go... Today I remember His Death.. but I also know Easter Morning is coming...  He is Not Dead..
 He Lives..  Praise The Lord He Lives..

Casting Crowns:  Glorious Day, (Living He Loved Me)

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises 
One day when sin was as black as could be 
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin 
Dwelt among men, my example is He 
Word became flesh and the light shined among us 
His glory revealed 

Living, He loved me 
Dying, He saved me 
Buried, He carried my sins far away 
Rising, He justified freely forever 
One day He’s coming 
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day 

One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain 
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree 
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected 
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He 
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree 
And took the nails for me 

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer 
One day the stone rolled away from the door 
Then He arose, over death He had conquered 
Now He’s ascended, my Lord evermore 
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him 
From rising again 

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming 
One day the skies with His glories will shine 
Wonderful day, my Beloved One, bringing 
My Savior, Jesus, is mine 

Oh, glorious day

Birthdays are for Family, Fun, and Cake...

It's hard to believe that my favorite husband has reached another milestone Birthday. Today he is 65... or like he says "39 again"..  It was a great day from the start. My sister Pennie, whom I haven't seen in a coon's age, came up to finish some tests and we got to meet for breakfast. It was great to see her and talk about her daughter's weddings, both later this year.

Then it was off to grab the ingredients for Husband's favorite Birthday cake. Pineapple Upside down cake. He loves it. Being diabetic he gets only one a year that has real sugar just oozing out of it. I hurried home with it, a new smoke/fire detector, (that's a post all on it's own) and a burger and frosty from Wendys for the Birthday boy. I began to think that he really is taking me seriously about this being "His" day and we could do what he wanted all day thing.. LOL

I got back home and got the cake in the oven. I had some time for a quick nap, then I got the call that our oldest daughter and Jon her youngest son, were on their way. We were both anxious to see Jon. He lives and works in Southern Ill. and It's been 2 yrs. since we've seen him. They arrived and we heard our youngest daughter was on her way. We hadn't planned on seeing her so it was a wonderful surprise.

We decided on KFC. and I ran to pick it up.. We filled our bellies with Chicken, potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, biscuits, and baked beans. It was grand. Then we listened to Husband tell stories and we laughed good hearty belly laughs. I love it..

Finally it was time for singing.. Yes, we still sing, and blowing out the ceremonial candle. then slicing and serving. The Birthday boy got his piece of cake and left the rest of us to fend for ourselves.

This is the results after each on got a piece with a pineapple ring. LOL  I guess I should have added more pineapple rings. We all laughed some more. It was a great day. Lots of family, and laughter, good food, and wonderful stories. A day for remembering how important Birthdays and families are to us all. 

Is It Really Spring....

I am almost afraid to say the word Spring, But over the last few days the weather has hit me hard. It's warm and most of time, Sunny. I glanced at an old pair of shorts in the drawer that missed the "removal for winter" items. I had an overwhelming urge to put them on today.. I also took a long look at the new sandals I got. Hmmm not yet. 

    The 15th of March and 70 degrees. Unheard of in mid-Michigan. I like it. 

Most of our Winter has been extremely mild. mostly chilly/cold and rainy. There's been some snow here, but nothing close to the 60+ inches we've gotten the past few years. I heard the other day this has been the 3rd warmest winter ever recorded here. I've never seen one like it in my 50+ years. I still think that we could be in for another good snow before Winter takes it's final bow. 

   I'm getting out the seed catalogs today. I may just have to order a few garden seeds soon. I'm getting antsy to get outside and grow something. 

  We need a new charcoal grill. I'll be watching sale ads. I've already told hubby to watch the garage sales. They will be popping up soon. 

   I want to wash up the big heavy blankets and bedding this weekend. I can hang them out to dry. I even want to start cleaning.. EGAD it must be getting close to spring. I never want to clean. 

   I want to bake some bread this weekend. It won't be to long before I'll limit the oven use because of the heat. I can't wait. I want spring.. I need spring..

   I've made my first trip out to look at the crocus. They are blooming away on the side of the house. The Hyacinths are heading up, and the Daffodils will be waving howdy soon. Spring.. Oh I hope it really is Spring. 

  

Oh No I'm Pinning Again....

 I am trying to Pin again. I'm getting an error message saying that the request can not go through. I think the site may be down for maintenance or it's overrun with crazed women pinning EVERYTHING. 

I will admit it. I was one of those crazed women. I found Pinterest and thought it was cute. Then something happened and I found myself sitting for hours looking through pins and pinning. all of a sudden I went from 5 starting boards to over 70.. then from a dozen pins to hundreds. that was in about a 2-3 week span. I was overtaken by the pinning fever. I had it bad.

 At first I saw a few friends pinning. Then I had people pinning my pins. I had followers. I had pressure. People wanted to know what I was pinning. I had to pin. Goodness knows there were thousands of ideas to pin. Dog, Cats, Recipes, Holidays, favorite everything from colors to flowers to funny animals, and hairstyles. Clothes, Movie stars, Photographs of my home state and of Countries I want to visit and places I want to go. Furniture I'd love to have, and how to organize and clean everything. It was all right there. Waiting for me to pin it. Shoes, books, boats, doors, knobs, gardens, babies, crafts, it was all there waiting for me to pin it, and pass it on for other people to pin. 

I then started to notice some folks who were starting to get leery of Pinning, and that made me start to get leery.  I started myself to wonder if I really should be pinning things photographed by others. Even though I think they are beautiful and I want the world to know it. I wondered if it was somehow wrong. I know about copyright stuff. But having never had issues with it I never considered that maybe those cute things I was pinning or taking off the net were not mine to take. At first I poo pooed it. But then I started to wonder. Am I doing something wrong. I decided to delete most of my boards and begin again. This time being more careful. This time not pinning what I know, from my minimum experience, is a photograph. This time I am adding the sites where I find them. This time I'm going to be a little more careful. This time I wrote on my profile that if anyone found an image they own, to please let me know and I would remove it. This time I'm going to do more looking then pinning. 

I still have more boards then I need, but I'm trying to use more discretion. I will watch and see how this all goes and will delete the account if I need to. I love having a place to share the wonderful things I find. I love that I can see the wedding dresses and reception decorations that family and friends may be using this year. I love that I can pass on some favorite recipes and sites to others. I love looking, and don't tell anyone, but I sure love pinning too...  

I found the above image when I was looking for one to add to this post.. It is probably the truest one I've found yet. I'll be pinning for a while. If you pin let me know. I'd like to follow you.. I hope the legal issues are worked out. I love pinning.  :-} 

Patriot Guard Riders-Their Mission-Honor Our Nation's Heroes...

 I have had the privilege of watching and participating with the Patriot Guard Riders (PGR) in our area for a couple of years. I was reminded again this morning when I read this, how very much I love them and their work. I was amazed that someone would ask who pays for all this. I guess I should remember there are people in this world who think everything has a price. I feel sorry for them because they don't really get the idea that some things are priceless.

The PGR I have known are Patriots in every sense of the word. Their only mission is to honor our Nations Heroes. They Stand silently at funeral homes and in Cemeteries. They escort our Heroes to their homes for parties, and to their final resting places. They give their own time and money because they know that the price has already been paid in full..
Thank you for sharing this on your page Shelley..

My thoughts from a few Patriot Guard Riders missions past, put on paper tonight. Enjoy: 


Who pays for this? I thought to myself as I was standing on the grassy knoll overlooking my comrades as they held the American flag to honor a fallen soldier, “what a beautiful day today God has given to us.” Then, I was approached by a person who asked, who pays for this? Who gets all these flags here, was tax money used? Where do all these people come from? Are my tax dollars used to pay for the gas of all you people? Who pays for these bikes when they breakdown? Are you using government money to fund those repairs? Who pays for all those patches you are wearing and t-shirts, and hats too? Why aren’t you at work? Who pays for you to be here? How much money are you making an hour, more than minimum wage? Huh? Are you retired? Do you get reimbursed? Who is paying for all these festivities? I want to know! I listened silently as I was standing on the grassy knoll overlooking my comrades as they held the American flag and salute a fallen soldier as this person asked me his rancid questions. So when he was done, I looked at him and pointed to the flag-draped coffin, and said, “He did”. I thought to myself as I was standing on the grassy knoll overlooking my comrades as they held the American flag to honor a fallen soldier and out of the corner of my eye I watched this person walk away speechless. “Yes, indeed, what a very beautiful day today God has given to us and this man for the freedom for us to do this honor”. No better way to have answered.......