Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you all on this beautiful Memorial Day weekend here in northern Iowa.  The weather has been so nice this past week with perfect levels of humidity, sunshine, and temps.  Our resident Wren is so happy and shares her songs with us daily!  The squirrels and chippies are scurrying around and there is one pesky coyote we think comes to do his "business" at the foot of our large tree in the backyard.  What is up with that?  Joel has been out trimming the lilac bushes, especially after the neighbor trimmed his...both intertwine.  He has gotten a lot of riding in.  We have been doing some porch sitting at night which is great since the mosquitoes have not come out yet.  

Speaking of porch sitting, I wanted to share some of what happened this past Tuesday night during our porch sitting.  I decided to get on Facebook to scroll through and as I did I saw a live stream of a woman named Julie Meyer who lives in CA and is part of a healing ministry and also has her own singing the psalms ministry.  She has put the Psalms to music and it is always so soothing.  I have only listened to her 3 times in the past couple of years but decided to go ahead and listen.  As you log on she might ask where you are from and like others I responded, mine with "Renee from Iowa".  About 40 minutes later I went into the house to get things closed up and put my phone down.  I was going to click off but decided to keep listening.  All of a sudden she said, "there are a couple people I want to prophesy over"....and one was "Renee from Iowa".  I grabbed my phone and went outside so Joel could hear.  She began speaking over me what she heard God saying and it was so spot on that Joel and I were both deeply moved by it.  She mentioned that God saw me "in the 4 walls of my house" ( I had just told Joel I hardly ever get to leave the walls of my house) and she said that God was pleased with me.  That I have been stellar in handling all that has come my way." There were other things like her saying "You got this"!  (That plaque sits on my coffee table)  and that "God is helping you"....(Lately when I go  to bed my prayer is "Jesus I need your help".  I won't share all the words given but they moved me from a place of discouragement to hope.  There are so many ways God speaks to us but this was one of the most unique for me .....through the words of a woman in CA whom I have never met and have no contact with.  But God..............God blessed us with great words of encouragement thro her.

Speaking of encouragement, Thursday we headed to Mayo for my check up with the eye surgeon and then an appointment with the Lymphedema clinic.  The surgeon told me my eye is healed well and I can move forward with the fitting for a prothesis.  She said the pain I am having is nerve pain she thought and I needed to see a headache neurologist.  She did want to give me to injections right below my eyebrow to see if they would help the pain.  So that happened and then she said, it takes awhile to get into neurology but we'll get an appointment set up.  As we stood with the clerk making appointments she also said it would take a while.....Joel was quietly praying I could see someone that day knowing it would have to be a God thing.  The clerk said, "Well, this never happens.  Must have been a cancellation.  There is a 3 pm today open with Dr. R. " We took it!  Thank you God!  So after my Lymphedema appointment we headed to Mayo cafeteria for lunch....Joel dozed in a chair while I filled out paperwork and we headed to the neurologist.  When she walked into the room she said, "Well, I spent two hours last night preparing for this appointment but you are not who I thought would be here...I don't know you!  So lets get started!!"  She spent an hour and a half with me, asking a lot of questions, typing the whole time as she listened intently to what I had to say.  Bottom line is, the large nerve behind the eye is damaged. and the reasons o number are really unimportant.  That nerve has 3 pathways that go through the eye and eyebrow, forehead, and top of head where I am  having all the pain.  The nerve blocks will temporary help more than likely, BUT I will need ongoing medication for this according to the doctor.

So, the good news is we have a cause for the pain, and the bad news is we have a cause for the pain.  We have some answers, but the challenge remains.  The shots helped a little so far.  I get two more next week.  Of course they want tests just in case............with the cancers I have had it is always just in case.......None sound fun at all, but if it helps, it helps.  We are still digesting all of this BUT we stand solid on what our faith tells us and the words a woman far away in CA shared from our God who is never far away.  We believe healing will come. God is not only helping me as Julie Meyer said, but He is sending breakthrough and healing me.  

Interesting note.......I am not sure how far we walked Thursday at Mayo....but there was a lot of walking back and forth to different buildings and the last one was for labs which was a 2 block walk!  We closed down Mayo I think ....after arriving at 8:30 am after a 1 hour 40 minute drive from Iowa, then we left there at 6:10 pm. stopped quickly at Trader Joe's for supplies, getting home around 8:30.   It was a very long but informative day.....And we were so blessed to see God in the midst of it all!!!!!!!   We felt like we learned so much from the neurologist and knowledge is power~

So grateful today for everything I wrote about above.  Grateful for the prayers of so many....for the love of family and friends.  For how much our God loves us all.  For texts, phone calls, and emails.  And............so much more.

Enjoy your weekend!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from a beautiful May day in northern Iowa.  I can here our resident wren singing outside and a cardinal trilling its distinct sound in the backyard.  I love this time of year.  It is a balmy 70 degrees with little wind and dry air.  Joel is off riding.  A perfect day for it.

We watched our granddaughter A. graduate from college today, Un. of Wisc. Eau Claire.  She is interviewing for jobs within her duel degrees....Early Elementary and Special Education.  So proud.  In 2 weeks another granddaughter graduates from H.S. and last week another graduated with a Doctor degree in Pharmacy.  So great to be able to watch the two college ceremonies online live stream.  Amazing!

This has been another roller coaster ride of a week.  After 11 days without hardly any pain, the pain returned Tuesday morning and we are back to tiptoeing around the affects it has on my body.  The Fellow at Mayo called Wed, and talked about the idea of it being "referred pain", and I heard from my surgeon's medical secretary Thursday.    I see the surgeon next Thursday and hope by then that things have settled again.  Really getting old! BUT the eye looks good on the outside AND the pain was 90% gone for 11 days so it will leave again!  Thank you Jesus!

Speaking of thanking you Jesus, we are so grateful for His continued Presence in our lives.  I was quietly praying the other day and I "saw" myself wearing  white armor.  When I looked closely it was made of white feathers. (feathers hold special meaning for me).  I was carrying a large sword that glimmered blue.  I thought I would be fighting another battle but I took the sword and stuck it hard into the ground. I heard the words, "Stand firm" and then saw myself doing so.  I then saw the word BELIEVE float up in the air.  I asked Jesus if the word TRUST would be next and then saw it engraved in the blade of the sword.  I looked around and felt like I was standing alone....... then I heard, "You think you are alone, but you are not".  Yes, God is with us always...in every battle...in every celebration....in every moment.  So grateful this reminder came to me.....

I have not accomplished much this week but getting through it.  And that's okay even though it does not feel that way.  "Some days are diamonds....some days are stones"....(John Denver) and we are blessed to be able to experience life in all of them.  I did walk daily.....I helped with meals, cleaned bathrooms, napped, rested, listened to audio books, watched TV talked on the phone.  Yeah....just an ordinary week except for the pain, extra rests needed, and stubborn determination to get through it.  Haha

Grateful today for these grands of ours doing so well.  For graduations, for jobs, for their whole lives ahead of them..  Yes, so grateful.  Grateful for Drs. who make phone calls, for wrens and cardinals that sing and chatter.  Grateful for livestreams, for laughter, tears, and everything in-between.  Grateful for routines, resting, and again, everything in-between!  Ha....  Grateful for prayers, phone calls, texts, emails, and so much more.

Enjoy your weekend~!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from rainy Iowa where the ground is getting a lot of nourishment.  The yards are green and lush, the trees bringing forth a variety of leaves and blossoms.  The animals are busy scurrying around as they jump into Spring "tasks".  Thursday Joel watched a squirrel chase a hen out of the yard he was in because he felt threatened she would get his stash of corn kernels!  The ducks are nesting and the squirrels stuffing themselves and storing it too.  We have put some wire cages around our front garden plants in the hope of the deer not getting to them.  We have deep yellow velvet pansies up front, too, and Joel brings the pot up on the porch every night.  They are a delicacy for deer and rabbits!  It is so fun to see all the vibrant colors filling our porch view.  

Speaking of plants, I went with Joel plant shopping on Wednesday and it was nice to get out again..  We found a couple of hanging baskets to bring home and will slowly add more.  Friday we headed to Mayo for a CT scan.  Long story I will try to shorten.......... On May 1st I had sent an email to my opthamology team defining the levels of pain, etc.  Unbeknown to me the surgeon replied to her staff on Wed. the 3rd requesting a CT scan in case there was a sinus infection.  I did NOT get a call from them until May 9th to set one up!   NOT okay.  This week the pain has been a lot less and my energy  has been a lot more. (thank you Jesus) but Joel felt I should follow through on the order and I agreed, so we went Friday, driving nearly 2 hours for a 5 minute test!  We spent more time at Trader Joe's and eating in our car at a park then at the clinic.  We drove back home in time for a nap and to watch our oldest granddaughter graduate (live stream) from Drake school of pharmacy.  So proud of her hard work!  And the CT?  It was clear.  Joel headed back to the eye clinic on Tuesday and everything looks good.  Dr. would not rule out that he had a second TIA because of the extreme fatigue he had with and after, so his primary is getting a report.  Bottom line though is that he feels good!  No after effects now.  He went biking with some church members Wednesday night, one of a few rides lately.

One of our outings was to a local Dollar Tree and as we were checking out the clerk said hi to Joel and asked, "Oh, and did you find the ____________  you were looking for?  Immediately knew that he was looking for this item for Mother's Day....poor guy.  He has the hardest time surprising me but I love that he continues to try!  He also bought me the pansies for Mother's Day. A beautiful surprise.   I love pansies, which goes back to my immediate family and their love of pansies too.  I just love this time of year!

Joel is preaching tomorrow at two churches, and I will be watching from home.  Just not ready to get out into the world yet.  We'll have a special meal and enjoy the day I am sure.  I hope all of you mothers have a blessed day filled with love and joy. I am remembering those who mothered me...my mom Ann, Jo, my oldest sister who helped raise me, Janey, my older sister who nurtured  and took care of me too.  My mother-in-law Isabelle deserves to be mentioned too.  

This week has been a "broken" week.  The garage attic ladder broke when Joel pulled it down so he spent a bit of time fixing that..  Then Thursday night we had a full load of clothes in the dryer when it started making weird noises......the dryer broke.  Oh, boy.  Joel took all the clothes, bless his heart, and hung them everywhere downstairs to air dry.  We BOTH are missing the comfort and ease of a dryer.  Today he is trying to figure out if it is a belt or a motor problem.  Things usually happen in sets of threes so we are on guard for what is coming.  I did as Joel would it count if I said my brain feels broken?   (cognitive issues resurfaced over a week ago)  Haha

Wrapping up this scribbles, I am so grateful for our family, for the moms in our family and the blessings they have been to their children.  Grateful for continued healing,  a "clear" CT, and good report for Joel.  Grateful for beautiful flowers to view when we are porch sitting, and for being able to porch sit!  Best money we ever spent on this house was to add a porch~!  Grateful for making homemade bread, enjoying the first grilled pork chops of the season, and eating out lunvh at Soldier's Field Park in Rochester....been there a few times.  Grateful for Trader Joe's!  Grateful for Mayo Clinic Connect, a place to go online and connect with others on aromatase inhibitors.  Grateful for the major support of family and friends, but especially my husband.  Grateful for sleeping well again at night, for laughter and tears,  texts, emails, being able to watch grands in their sports and graduations.....So grateful for the mothers who influenced by life, and grateful for so very much more!

Enjoy your weekend~

  

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you here in our corner of the world where Spring has everything budding.  It is so nice to see the many vibrant shades of green again.  Our resident ducks are back, the squirrels are already taking corn kernels from the neighbors yard and burying them everywhere.  Before you know it, corn will be coming up in little shoots around the neighborhood.  We find it amusing.........some not so much.  This morning we had a nice rain and light thunderstorm so when I cam down I found my hubby on the porch with his morning coffee.  He loves porch sitting, he loves the rain, and his loves his morning coffee!  What's not to love?!

Speaking of love, we are both thrilled that the eye is looking better and the pain levels have gone down some.  Three days this week were much better. Yes!  Nights are still a roller coaster ride (things often get worse when I lay down) but we are hopeful this drama will soon be behind us.  Joel's eye drama this week resolved itself and he has been biking the last 3 days.....10, 12, and then 10 miles each time.  He is one happy biker, not only being out in nature but also visiting with neighbors and walkers after the winter slump.  My energy is back more and I walk more inside and got out to the store and Dollar Tree this week.  I go back to Mayo the third week of May and to get fitted for a prothesis in mid June.

Speaking of prothesis, I find it interesting that I still speak of my "eyes" and forget I cannot see out of what is left of left one..  Other times it is very obvious with my limited vision, off depth perception, and reflection in the mirror.  We grieve, then try to move on.  Isn't that the way of life whether we loose an eye, a job, a loved one, or more.  We grieve........then move forward and then find grief surprises us yet again.  And yet it is in our natures to just keep moving with determination to live our best lives while here on earth. 

I have been into Sarah Graves audiobook mysteries the past two weeks....sometimes switching to a book by Susie Larson called "Strong in Battle".  I am also finding Michelle Obama's book, "Becoming" very intriguing.  Audiobooks are a real blessing for me now.  And I love that you can just borrow them from the library through an app.  

Speaking of blessings, when Joel ended up at the Eye Clinic last Tuesday, he had the doctor on call and when we left there Joel said to me, "I am switching to this doctor.  I learned more from him about all my eye concerns in just 1/2 hour than I have learned from our present doctor in the past 4 years!  He actually talked to another eye doctor we know, expressing that he felt bad to leave Dr._____but that Dr. said, "Oh no.  You need the best one for your needs.  You need to take care of your body"  THAT sounds a bit familiar.  It is what the IV nurse said to me at Rochester the day of my surgery.  "It's your body, good for you standing up for what you need".....SO, if someone reading this finds it resonates with you??  Amen.  So, Joel's eye drama had something positive come from it.  Thank you God who works all things out for good.....

And today we are thanking God for warmer days, biking and walking, all the shades of green outside, laughter, help for Joel's eyes too.  Grateful for neighbors, friends, family.  Grateful for texts, phone calls, emails, photos that come in an instant!  Grateful for less pain and a healing eye.  Grateful for ducks, birds, and squirrels that keep us entertained.  Grateful for audio books that entertain and distract.....grateful for the continual support and prayers of so many of you...and so much more.

Enjoy your weekend!