Renewing Her Strength

 But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. ~Isaiah 40:31

As I write this post, my husband, Danny, and I are still at my mother's house in Oxford so we can see her on a daily basis as she attempts to recover from her fall last week and battles an unexpected case of pneumonia at the same time.  The latter is, as you can imagine, our biggest worry at the moment, although the antibiotics seem to be kicking in quite nicely.

Mom should be able to actually start PT tomorrow after she is officially assessed by a specialist.  As she struggles with early onset of dementia, we are hoping and praying that she will be able to follow directions and stay determined to get well enough to return home.  Until we are assured she is making positive progress, we won't be budging from Oxford, as it's only about 40 minutes away from the rehab hospital.  We may get a break this week if my brother, Bill, is able to drive up from Brunswick to relieve us for a couple of days.  And that would be so welcome!

I think we are looking at some long weeks of recovery ahead.  At 92, and with her declining mental state, we're praying for the best, but trying to be realistic about her future, too.  The longer she is confined to bed, the weaker her muscles are becoming, and physical therapy will take a concerted effort on her part.

Your continued prayers are cherished and welcomed, dear friends.  Not just for Mom to renew her strength, but for Danny and me to stay the course with hope and trust in the Lord.  This is our time to run and not be weary, to walk and not be faint.

Your prayers will make all the difference.

Amen!

Prayer is Enough

 

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.  When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." ~Luke 11:1

Restless, sleep escapes her

When most, she needs it

To comfort, assuage

Worries overtaking

Heart, soul, mind

Until the dam breaks

Thoughts flood unchecked

Sweeping all away

From her perspective bleak

All that's left is prayer

Prayer is all that's needed

Prayer is enough, enough

And ever will be

Amen

Post Script:  My mother fell at her home on Monday and fractured her knee.  Danny and I are leaving today (Tuesday) to be ready to get her out of the hospital.  When it rains, it pours, doesn't it?  Yes, all that's left is prayer, and it's the best gift we've been given by our Lord.  My Mom needs yours, and you are all prayer warriors, par none!  I know you will come through, and so will our loving Father.  Danny isn't supposed to travel, but is willing to make this journey out of love for Mom.  May all of our journeys be made with that same faith, trust and hope.  Blog on Friday?  I'll try!  We will see how this all unfolds.  Blessings to all of you, dear friends!

A Long, Long Day

 

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. ~James 5:16

As promised, here is a brief update on my husband, Danny, after his surgery on Thursday.  

We arrive at the hospital an hour ahead of schedule, but they take him back to prep him almost immediately, 8:30 in the morning to be exact.  I don't see him again until 6:00 p.m. that night when he's coming out of the anesthesia.  Yes, the actual surgery lasted over five hours!!!

Needless to say, it is a long, long day for both of us, but it has all paid off.  Danny is discharged this morning (Friday) before noon, and looks to be the very picture of good health.  Both of couldn't be more relieved and grateful to the doctors and nurses who performed the procedure and looked after him in the hours that followed.

And we can't thank you all enough for your prayers.  I could feel them.  They kept me strong and hopeful throughout my hospital vigil.  I wouldn't have made so calmly and collectedly without them.

May our loving Father in Heaven bless each and every one of you, and keep you safe and secure in His comforting arms!

Amen!

And the Beat Goes On

 

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ~Psalm 51:10

Last March, as my regular readers know, my husband, Danny, experiences a shock from his pacemaker while working out on the treadmill.  He ends up in the hospital for several days, and his doctor prescribes medication to address his heart's sudden fibrillation.  The downside?  The potential side effects of this drug look worse than those associated with chemo.  Red flags, anyone?

The doctor schedules an MRI for May 11th.  He has hopes that through a process known as catheter ablation, he can return Danny's heart to as normal as it can be.  For those of you unfamiliar with this surgery, according to Get Smart About AFIB, "Catheter ablation is a procedure to restore the heart's incorrect electric signals which cause an abnormal heart rhythm."

Once this procedure is complete, Danny can get off those dangerous meds, and be well on his way to living his days in a healthy and hopeful way.  He is scheduled to be operated on this coming Thursday.  That being said, your prayers are so very appreciated for the doctors and nurses who will be performing the surgery, and caring for Danny post-op.  He will probably be kept overnight for observation, and should be able to come home on Friday.  Pray for that, too!

So, friends, there won't be the usual blog post from me this Friday, though I will attempt to give you and update either late Friday/early Saturday on Danny's status.  With your prayers, the outcome will be the best!

I'm so thankful for the giant leaps and bounds we have made in medical technology that allow people like Danny to be physically given a clean heart, free of the scar tissue and memories of the organ's past failures.

But only God can create our clean spiritual hearts, and renew steadfast spirits within us.  When our hearts are weary, scarred, worn, and torn, let us turn to the Lord in prayer for healing, renewal and strength.

If we do that, our hearts are sure to beat strongly, on and on and on!

Amen!

Playing Favorites

 

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~Romans 8:38-39

Pictured above is the Mother's Day gift sent to me by daughter, Sarah, and son-in-law, John.  I get such a kick out of their sense of humor!  Of course, this starts a good-natured sibling rivalry between son, Daniel, and Sarah, with Daniel vowing to outdo his sister next time around, so she'd better bring her "A Game" to the fray.

I'm reminded, too, of the schtick the Smothers Brothers used to pull - Tommy inevitably, and sometimes jealously, declaring to Dick, "Mom always liked you best!"

We can all enjoy a good laugh at these things, because we know in our hearts, they aren't true.  No mother loves one child more than the other.  She can't, and she won't, play favorites.  Sure, there are those moments, maybe many, when it's easier to like one child better than the other - just think of toddler tantrums or teenage tirades.

But love?  That's a constant!

There is nothing our children can think, say or do that can cause a parent to love them less.

And it's the same with our Heavenly Father.

God may not like how we act, how we treat others, or the sins we commit, knowingly or unknowingly.  But He will never stop loving us.

As the Apostle Paul states in Romans 8, nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord.  That is the eternal promise, and one in which I take great comfort.

We are all God's children.  He loves us all equally.

And He never plays favorites.

Amen!

Rest

 

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ~Matthew 11:28

Little big girl

Tuckered out and worn

By demands of world

Unfriendly, hostile

Innocent heart longs

For peace, serenity

Cat Henry embraces

Melts your cares away

Intercedes with Father's

Blessing, reassuring

Beloved of what's true

And always will be

When God's rest is yours

You can trust in Him

Amen

It's the Simple Things

 

Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness. ~Psalm 96:13

One of my greatest joys in springtime, one that I missed last year due to the pandemic, is choosing and potting plants and flowers for our deck.  We have to be careful about our selections as there isn't an overabundance of sun in our wooded environs, but I'm pleased with what we are able to find at our local Home Depot.

As always, we go with some shade-tolerant impatiens, a large one with pinky-purple blooms, and a smaller with darker blossoms.

These have a track record for success!

Not as flashy, but suited to the task, are two ground-cover plants, the Virginia Creeper

and Lemon Coral sedum.

The good news is, these two will grow long past the summer months.  The Virginia Creeper develops red and orange hues in the fall, and with any luck, we will eventually see blooms on the sedum!

Several years ago, we did purchase a hydrangea.

We plant it in our yard in the fall, knowing it is a perennial.  The drawback?  We have a plethora of deer in our neighborhood, and we find out the hard way that deer consider hydrangeas a delicacy.  Who knew?  Anyway, this plant will live on our deck permanently, provided we can find a pot large enough in which to transplant it when the time comes.  But one question remains:  Will the blooms be pink or blue?  We'll have to wait until the actual gender reveal!

And what's this little Christmas fir doing here?

No, we don't buy it from Home Depot.  It's a Christmas gift from son, Nicco, last December.  We leave it in its original pot in the yard through the winter, and are pleased and surprised to see new needle growth this past spring.  It simply made good sense to repot it; we hope to plant it in the yard in the fall.

Here's the flashy superstar of the show, the Petunia Amore.

What's not to love?  Yet, this plant could prove to be problematic if it needs more sun than what shines on our deck.  And our recent heavy rains (think six inches!) have wreaked havoc with the flowers, but we have faith that this beauty will make a comeback.

Needless to say, I'm rejoicing in my tiny spring garden, and looking forward to enjoying the plants all summer long and beyond.  I've come to realize that it's the simplest of life's pleasures that bring the most joy and contentment to me.

I pray you've discovered that very same thing to be true for you.

Amen!

The Why

 

But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." ~Luke 18:16

When I finish writing my last post about Savannah's birthday, I find myself reminiscing about the days when I was a child, playing with my stuffed animals as though they were living, breathing creatures.  In my mind, they could interact with me just as easily as my younger brother or my friends could.  The memory culminates in the poem below.  Can you identify?

Unicorns dance and prance

In a mind filled with wonder

Where worlds coexist

Reality, fantasy

Curtain torn, reveals

Imagination, truth

Side by side, at one

With creative bliss

In Father's image born

The who we're meant to be

The why we are here

Amen!