Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Story (SpreadTruth.com)

 Because of the message of "The Story", I look forward to each day, and am not afraid of the future. Today, I see my oncologist again, and have blood tests, etc., but I'm not fearful, because "I know Who holds the future, and I know He holds my hand".
Just click on this...
The Story (SpreadTruth.com)
May this STORY be shared!  More and more!
Have a blessed day!

Monday, June 27, 2011

just having people like that...

 The vacuum is pretty heavy to pull out, and then by using it, muscles in my lower back for some reason notice it.  It's not like huge pain,  but it makes for a backache for several days.  I first found that out with my weed-eating experience a little over a week ago.  (Though I didn't feel like stopping, my daughter came and insisted on finishing the job---actually doing about ninety percent of a yard recovery act!)  It was probably a good thing she did.

I don't like this deterioration in my body!   But friends are wonderful.  They remind me that every ache or pain I have, does NOT mean that its the cancer growing!   I'm thankful, too, that the Lord has a path planned for me, like my sister in her blog wrote.  (www.esthersjoyinthemourning.blogspot.com for June 24th.)

I guess one thing I'm learning from this unexpected journey is to let go of my pride. 
It's humbling to accept people doing things for you!   Really, it's not so hard to let a daughter do it, : ) but friends???

It's humbling to accept people doing things for you!  But when friends come by and insist, it really is wonderful!  My floors are vacuumed and even some of the bigger furniture was moved to get the dust removed where it hasn't been gotten for awhile!   Thank you Lord for just having people like that in my life!

  Thankful that the Lord takes notice, too.   "Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be."  Rev. 22:12


Saturday, June 25, 2011

5 word poems... encouraging me...

A friend of mine loves making poems.  She asked me to give her 5 words...a noun, an animal, a color, a verb and a "soul word" (emotion).  Off the top of my head, I gave her tree-rabbit-rose-gallop and cry (this last word because at that moment we were in a waiting line of people at a viewing for a friend who died.)  I thought I'd share this little poem which she blessed me with, within about 10 or 15 minutes.  She named it, "Better than Food."

BETTER THAN FOOD

Rose-red sunset
     streaks through the trees
as galloping horses
    lift high their knees;
the cry of the hound
    makes rabbit flee...
as I watch dusk settle,
    ...supper will keep.
RAV 6-23-11

Another poem using her mother's 5 words "lamp-gazelle-white-gambol-love has a real depth of meaning.  She named it "Loves Light"

LOVES LIGHT

lamp shining whitely through the gloom of night
moths gamboling like gazelles in its glowing light
midst heaven and earth love takes its flight
surrendering to its compelling might

like moths to the flame
we seek out love
finding its fullness
in God above
RAV6-23-11

and truly whether cancer survivor, or cancer victor, or cancer the means to take me to heaven, I find "the fullness of love in God above"


Friday, June 17, 2011

My Dad had cancer, too...

My dad had cancer, too.

But he didn't make a big deal of it at all.  I think he and Mom prayed together about the diagnosis, but either I was in my own little world or for some reason was not hearing it.   Even way back then the "C" word was bad...probably worse than now.  Dad had a portion of his bottom lip removed because of cancer... he also had some skin cancer in various spots.    Mom would give his back an evening back wash and scrub, and cared lovingly for him, until her own malady (one with the same symptons of Alzheimer's but not diagnosed as that) made her the one who needed the care.

On this Father's Day, I want to remember how he was an example of a Dad who would bring JOY into a home..  The acrostic of J-O-Y meaning Jesus first, Others next and Yourself last was truly exemplified by my Dad..

Jesus first.....  He loved God's Word, and had a lot memorized.  He made sure we, as a family,  had Bible reading and prayer before breakfast.  He and Mom always prayed together before they settled in for the night.  He had a burden for neighbors who didn't know the Lord.   He started a Sunday School, and then helped get a church going where he would pastor.  (How he found time to study, I don't know, but he would have his well worn Bible with him, even out in the fields, when he would take a little rest at noon with some lunch, and the warm jar of "ice" tea. that us kids would bring out to him.)

Others next...  One thing for sure was the way he cared for his family.   He would put long hours in as he put up hay for the winter for the cows.  I remember our farm in Canada had a little of everything...cows, pigs, horses, chickens, a wheat field, a barley field, (oh, those stickers on the barley!) and yes, we grew oats, too, as well as the hay field, and then there were the trees to cut and let dry out so they could saw them up for wood for the fire throughout the long Canadian winters.  Then the huge garden was plowed, planted and tended...(though after the plowing, the rest was mainly Mom's job, which she found was good for kids to learn character in pulling weeds and helping with the canning!)  That quarter section of land really produced!
Others were the neighbors that he so willingly helped, and visited, too, despite his busy life.

Yourself last... Never did I see my Dad push himself forward.  He was tall, quiet and loving.  Just thinking of all this makes tears come to my eyes...I miss him!

Thank you dear Heavenly Father, for a Dad who made learning to love a Heavenly Dad so easy!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Learning from Bartimaeus today...

Today we had the "little people" Nick and Lucyah Della Valle sharing their talents and love for the Lord in the gifted way God has given them. (Go to 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL7gsV0Mw44 to get a taste of their story-telling).
As they told the story of Bartimaeus, they brought out in the end about his spiritual sight being more important than his physical sight, and how faith in the Lord even when you don't see Him, is what Jesus taught Thomas, when He told him, "Thomas, because you have seen me you have believed.  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29)

I think that is teaching me to continue on with life, and praising God each day,  whether I see/feel things in my body that make me question whether the cancer is growing or not.  Right now the only things that makes me question, are the nagging lower backache, and my often getting cramps in my legs throughout the night and particularly when I stretch in the morning.  I praise the Lord that I feel normal...well, as normal as this lady can be!

Thank you for those who pray for me.  God is truly blessing me with His strength, peace and joy.   I guess one thing I'm learning more and more, is that the future is His.  I'm thankful He is there for me.   Like Paul, I want to say,  "For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:19-21)

I'll save the rest til next time... as I want to share with you some pictures of the time I enjoyed being in Israel, too.  God is so good !