Prayers Please

Please keep me in your prayers.I have picked up some type of"bug"and feel pretty cruddy.Started Tuesday night with a small sore throat and then came on the sneezing,sniffling,coughing,fever.chills,a leaking nose and eyes,itchy eyes and ears that itch way deep inside.I am pretty well fever free today I believe so maybe whatever it is is on it's way out.Praise the Lord if it is.Also,another friend,Marilyn Christine,has developed cancer.Please keep her in your prayers as she is not communicating with some of us and we don't know any updates this way.It's the same type that took her husband last year I think but in a different location.Thanks and Blessings all~Sharon

Sunday Saying

Friendly Visit
by
George B. O Neil

True friendship is a plant of slow growth.
~Benjamin Franklin~

*Still visiting with my sister/friend Sandy.Shes goes home tomorrow but does plan on returning to Oregon for a visit.I am hoping to not only post pictures soon but also have a book review for you all as well real soon.:-)Have to get ready for church now.*

Blessings~Sharon

Can't Stop Smiling :-)

The picture above is of my sister Sandy.She is 2 1/2 years younger than me and my one and only full blooded sister.Though the rest of my siblings are half siblings I love them equally as well as any full blooded relative.In just about an hour we will wind our way north to pick her up at the airport for a long weekend visit.I have not seen her in person in nearly 9 years;since our mom passed in Sacramento in 2001.Life has been full of changes for for Steve and I since then which is why we never got back to CA to see family.So she is flying north to see us after all this time.And I can hardly wait.It should be a fun weekend as her personality is as bright as her smile.She loves to laugh as do I.I hope my husband Steve survives all the endorphins.:-)I hope to post photos sometime next week if possible.That is after she is safely back home and the endorphins have gone to rest awhile.:-)

Blessings all~Sharon

Sunday Saying

Escape
by
Edward Raymes

"The world will never starve for want of wonders,but only for want of wonder."
~G.K.Chesterton~

Blessings~Sharon

A Diagnosis

As I had mentioned in a previous post I'd been feeling just a tad overwhelmed.Stressed out.Prayer and journaling did not seem to help.I spoke with a local Christian counselor on Tuesday of this week.She's fantastic and it took me some time to get an appointment with her as we kept playing phone tag.:-)After a ton of paperwork and a long chat about my life she believes I am dealing with complex post traumatic stress disorder and the high end of moderate anxiety.I am thankful to have a diagnosis and even more thankful to have been able to talk with someone about all we have been through the last 8-9 years.Deaths of friends and family members.Life altering illnesses that could have taken our own lives.Massive changes financially and in every other way possible.It all took it's toll without a strong support network locally and little social outlet due to having been out of church Christians for a season after my husband's stroke.There was a time I am sure I believed that stuff like this did not happen to God's children.That we were somehow immune to such things and that if we did face them we would not be impacted by them like others.No PTSD or anxiety for instance.How naive I was.How erroneous I was in my thinking.It was merely wishful thinking.Faulty thinking.Christians do deal with such things.I cannot be sure but I believe that for many it goes undiagnosed and the child of God may suffer in silence due to the stigma attached to"disorders"of the mind and emotions.But we live in a fallen world and few if us get through life on earth unscathed in some way.And the truth is,no matter what some name it and claim it types tell you,life is hard at times and not all of the bad things that happen or our responses to them are satan.We are but dust and to dust our bodies will return.I believe if a person is feeling the kind of stressed out feelings I was having then talking to someone about it is imperative.We take care of ourselves if we face physical issues but ,like me,felt a bit stigmatized,at the very thought of taking care of mental and emotional health.We are not just physical bodies.We have hearts and minds and spirits that need care as well.And sometimes extra special care by speaking to a certified counselor or your local pastor(that was who I asked about local,female Christian counselors).I am now looking forward with a bit more hope and a somewhat less stressed out perspective.Changes will need to be made for sure and I have already begun with some.I am once again using the complex fitness center.Exercise releases endorphins which make you feel good,relaxed,at peace and for me,better able to handle stress.It's some great"me"time which for this care-giver is now essesntial.I also get some solitude whenever I can.Also an essential thing for me as I gain my energy by periods of alone time.That is how God created me.So,if you are feeling overwhelmed by life and it's trials or are a caregiver(for instance)in need of some help I would encourage you to find someone to talk to.Your own life and future happiness and well being could very well depend upon it.

Blessings and Love~Sharon

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

Wishing all(if I have any) my Canadian readers a most blessed Thanksgiving Day!May the Lord bless and keep you as you gather with loved ones to celebrate His goodness in your lives!And may that gratitude spill over within your hearts the rest of the year as well. :-)
God Bless~Sharon

Sunday Saying

Solitude I
by
Darlou Gams

Talent develops itself in solitude;character in the stream of life.
~Johann Wolfgang Goethe~

Blessings all~Sharon

He Knows Our Needs

What is your need today?Healing?Provision?Peace?Time away?The Father can and will provide.It may not be in our time frame but God is always on time.He never neglects His children's legitimate needs.I have seen it time and time again in my own life.Today He knew I needed some solitude and He provided it.Husband is off helping his sister and her husband move and granddaughter just left to play with a friend.When I have needed healing he has provided it.Like the time when we were getting ready to move in here almost 2 years ago.3 days before moving day I developed a red and hot spot on my abdomen.I had had this once before and it was some type of infection.But this time I had no time to go to the doctor.So,without any fanfare,I prayed.I reminded the Lord of His promises of healing in His word and that I had no time to go the doctor due to the move.And I simply trusted Him.The spot was cool and normally colored within 2 days and all this without a doctor's visit and another round of antibiotics!There have been times we have had financial needs and got unexpected checks in the mail or even found $50.00 bills on the sidewalk.Just last year we needed a vacation badly but could not afford one.He spoke to some dear Canadian friends to have them give us a week away at one of their time share places.Oh what a gracious and loving God we serve!I share all this not to say look at how good He is to us but to say that He is a God who will and can and does provide for His children.We can trust Him.His word says He is no respecter of persons.He does not esteem some of us higher than others.We are all His children if we have accepted Him as Savior.He will meet all your needs as well whatever they may be.Just ask Him.

Blessings~Sharon

Doing Time...

...on the treadmill that is!After a long hiatus from regular exercise(please,no tomato throwing or nasty comments.:-))I have once again returned to that sometimes glorious and sometimes pain filled world of fitness centers.Thankfully our complex has a small one that is available to use for free.I was able to walk for just over 15 minutes today.Though it's a far cry from the hour long walks(on a treadmill) I was doing in 2004 and 2005 it's a step in the right direction.A returning, albeit slowly, to that thing that has been a life long issue with me.To exercise or not...that is the question.?I have never been athletic and even as a child was more bookish,more cerebral than athletic.But now that I have survived so much and seen and felt the benefits of regular walking I long to return to that place again.However,me thinks the treadmill doth protest too much.:-)If I were walking on me I would squeak too. LOL :-)But,Lord willing,I will be at it 6 days this week(even God rested 1 day).I hope to make this a regular thing.A commitment to fitness and even greater health(I have always had,thank You Jesus,great blood pressure and cholesterol).Though I may never be thin(I am not genetically predisposed to it)I can be as strong and as fit and as healthy and as thin as my Creator will allow.Fit for a King.The King!Off to prepare dinner now.
Blessings~Sharon
Image from www.precor.com

Sunday Saying

The Morning Light I
by
Melissa Bolton

" A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling"darkness"on the wall of his cell."

~C.S. Lewis~

Blessings all~Sharon

Oh My Goodness :-)

Autumn Reflections
by
Mike Jones

Life has been a whirl of activity since I last posted here.Many things have happened,both good and bad.Both sunshine and shadow,just like our weather.I find it interesting how often the weather mirrors our lives and vice versa.I have been a human pincushion lately.Thyroid blood draw(which turned out normal so no dosage change on the thyroid pills).Pro times/INR blood draw(also normal so no blood draw for another month and no change in the dosage on the blood thinner).A regular flu shot(hoping to get one for swine flu as well when they become available here).Good thing I have no needle phobias.:-)Steve also got a flu shot.And he left lasting memories with medical personnel all over the Willamette Valley I am sure.He has that effect on people.I also had to go see a new cardiologist/electrophysiologist as mine had retired and moved back to Hawaii.My heart sounded good so I do not need to see him for another year unless I go out of rhythm again and Lord willing,I will not.I have been hearing of answers to prayers I have been praying for many I know dealing with illness and disease.Oh God is so good and I must declare that here!He is such an amazing God!Truly amazing!Do I hear an amen???:-)I have been enjoying watching summer waltz into Autumn here.It's been colder and the trees are beginning to don their lovely Autumn colored garments.We've had the most refreshing rain showers.Not yet time for the days of rain and gray skies that seem as if they will be a permanent fixture.Steve is grateful for that as he really struggles with the ever present darkness that is Oregon in the Fall and Winter months.I have recieved good news in that my younger sister Sandy is indeed coming to visit this month from California and I am thrilled to no end.She will fly into Portland Oct 22nd and fly out again on the 26th and I cannot wait.We have also been busy helping Steve's sister and husband pack for their upcoming move.Please keep Linda in your prayers.We believe she has had a stroke but is refusing to go to the doctor though she has exhibited all the classic symptoms.We have all tried to convince her to get checked out but she refuses so we keep praying.We cannot force a 55 year old woman to do anything.Even though she will not seek aid I have made a decision to seek some aid for myself.As I mentioned in a previous post called"Overwhelmed Overload"or something like that I have felt like the last 8 years or so of trials have caught up with me.So I am hoping to get in to see a Christian woman counselor here in area.We are currently playing phone tag but she takes my insurance and is taking on new clients.The stress of being a caregiver these last few years with no one to talk to humanly speaking has impacted my personality at times lately and I felt like if I had one more person ask for help on something I was going to run mad into the streets.That is just my way of expressing just how stressed I felt.Were it not for the Lord on my side I may have done just that.I am also planning on beginning to exercise again as I KNOW from experience about 5 years ago how beneficial that is for reducing stress and promoting creativity(my writing was better back then I think LOL) and a sense of well being in my mind and body.Gotta love those God created endorphins!Our complex has a small fitness center and I plan on using it beginning Monday.I just wished they were open earlier than 9 am as I am a morning gal who loves to exercise at likw 6 am or so!Then shower and breakfast and start my day.But since I know I need to learn flexibility I will get there when they first open at 9.It is time for me to begin to care for me and it's a lesson I have learned and observed in the lives of other caregivers.I do not want to become a statistic on some doctor's office wall of the effects of burn out.Boy I feel better just writing all this out here.God is so good.I am so thankful for Him and for each of you,especially you who take the time to comment here.You all are real gems.Laundry calls so I will close till next time.Please pray for my sister in law if you think to.She is in the fire of circumstances right now and if she does not get care she will not be able to care for her disabled husband and autistic daughter.Thanks and God bless.

Blessings all~Sharon