Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our corner of the world where "April" seems to have arrived early with temperatures moving towards 60!  If this keeps up, it won't be long until all the snow is gone.  As Daylight Savings Time arrives tomorrow we will welcome another hour of light before the sunsets at 7 pm.  I'm looking forward to leaving the darkness of winter behind and am ready to welcome Spring weather.

Speaking of Spring, Joel just walked through the house carrying our Christmas Wreaths that were out on the front porch and that we forgot about until this week!!!  Seriously, Christmas wreaths were still adorning our porch in the first week of March.  Oh boy.......

Thinking of the weather, the tornadoes in Tennessee were so awful and brought so much tragedy with them.  Our prayers are with those who lost family and friends.  The memories of tornado warnings in my childhood have me adamant about having a basement in any house we live in.  There just needs to be a place to go to........in case. When I think about those people who innocently went to bed....and awoke to a violent storm that caused great destruction and/or death?  They had no clue.  It is a testimony to us living our best lives because stuff happens!  Sobering.

So, let's discuss that Coronovirus.  It is on the news 24/7 and we certainly are getting mixed messages from our government, from media, from people in the general population.  We want answers that we can depend on, but things are changing continually because this is something so new. I have chosen one person to basically trust, someone who works for the CDC, someone who has a history and years of experience in the field of infectious outbreaks, someone who is pretty honest about it all. It is good to know most people will be just fine. Those with a compromised immune system or underlying condition need to be more careful.  I fall in that last category so we are doing a lot of hand washing here....we have a supply of cold and flu supplies~ 95% natural, and our freezer is full and we have plenty of toilet paper!  Ha!!  We shop during the times of day when few are out and about.  With no cases reported in Iowa yet, we are still going to church, etc. but don't ask me to shake your hand.  We pray, we do what we can, and we are careful without being fearful.

Speaking of immune systems, here's a short update.  I continue to recover with ups and downs in energy, and with fewer radiation side effects than chemo side effects.  It will take time.   I also am on the hormone inhibitor a month now.  Stomach issues and joint pain and stiffness still make some days a challenge but mostly it is going well.  I will say, if there are any of you out there who are like me regarding "I should be by now".....stronger, thinner, healthier, etc.?  Be kind to yourselves.  Be patient in your recoveries.  Celebrate every day you open your eyes.........celebrate small victories.  Be grateful.  Yeah.  Grateful!

Selfies with long time friends

Speaking of grateful, this past week long time friends, Victor and Arlene came by for a short visit.  We met them in 1966 when we were all attending The Lutheran Bible Institute in a suburb of Minneapolis. MN.  It was so fun to see them again; to laugh, to cry, to catch up with each others lives.  They are two of the prayer warriors I spoke about in an earlier post.  So grateful.  Our two years at LBI/GVLC brought us some wonderful life long friends and we are so grateful for each one.

Our oldest daughter, Bethany, turned 50 this week.  Whoa!!  When did that happen?!  So thankful for her in our lives.....she is funny, smart, talented, a fiercely protective mama, amazing wife, a friend to all, and more.  Do you think I might be a bit prejudice about our kids?  Ha!  Happy Birthday Beth!  What great adventures you will have in the next half of your life! I am also giving a shout out to my sister Jan and her hubby Lanny as they celebrate the 9th Anniversary.  Blessings!!!

Yesterday Joel went for a bike ride.  In early March, in the upper Midwest, with snow still visible in small piles, the temperatures have been warm enough that the paths were mostly clear so off he went.  It was only 38 degrees but he managed 10 miles  and came home a happy guy!!

So grateful for Spring weather, my hubby getting out on his bike, old friends stopping by, a daughter turning 50, books at my fingertips, laughter, knowing God is our shield, a long and wonderful phone call with friend Katherine, the prayers and friendships of others, a trip to the library, and so much more.

Speaking of visiting our library,  I am now reading another light mystery by Donna Andrews.  First time I have opened one of her books so we will see if I like it enough to read more. What are you reading?   Hope your weekend is giving you a taste of Spring!  It is coming!!!!

Our First Line of Defense

As we listened to a sermon on Sunday morning, one question the pastor asked jumped out at me.  Bells went off, lights shimmered, and the pastor's voice resonated loudly.  Well, not really, but definitely God highlighted one thing he said more than any other.  The pastor was speaking about healing in regards to prayer and asked those listening, "Is prayer a last resort for you or is it your first line of defense?"  I really like how it was presented ~ prayer being our first line of defense!

This past week God has been bringing to mind Matthew 7: 7,8.   It is the ask, seek, and knock words of Jesus that we are familiar with. At least 4 times so far this scripture has come up in devotions, scripture readings, and even Facebook.  When God sends Bible verses to me three or more times in a short period of time, I pay attention. It is one way He speaks to me.  These words in the Greek  really make the translation more like "Ask and ask again........seek and seek again...........knock and knock again".  We are to be persistent in prayer, because prayer is not for a moment, it is a lifestyle!

We reach out for prayer quite often in our family and my extended family.  My sister Jan and I  exchange prayer texts several times a week and my sister Jo, who helped raise me, and her children, whom I love as siblings, stay in touch via texts with prayer requests often in the mix.  And there are neices and a nephew who pray also, besides friends. We have good friends in Arizona and a prayer warrior friend in New Hampshire who are eager to pray!  We also have neighbors who have been praying for me, for us and I cannot leave out our Facebook and church riends who pray for us.  Just love being a prayer warrior and certainly are blessed to have them.  It is such a comfort to know others are praying, isn't it.

When we lived in The Philippine Islands one morning our oldest daugter Bethany and I were driving through our local barrio on our way to the base when our car stalled.  I tried to start it more than once but it would not turn over.  I began to get anxious because it was not so safe for us to be alone in the area and our car would not be safe if we left it where we were to walk for help.  No cell phones back then!  Finally I tried one more time and it started!  Bethany, age 5 was sitting beside me and said, "I knew it would start, Mommy."  I asked her why and she said, "Because I prayed it would!"  The power of prayer in a child's believing heart!  It was her first line of defense.

Right now we are being inundated with news of the coronovirus. We need to stay informed and live with caution, but it is so easy to let fear seep into our daily living.  What do we do?  Well, our first line of defense is to pray!  Certainly we do what we can to protect ourselves, but we never forget who is with us and who fights for us.

I am not sure how I could walk through life without prayer.  We are being obedient to Jesus' own words when we pray without ceasing........ask and ask again, seek and seek again, knock and knock again.  It is necessary for peace of mind and for just living life well to keep prayer in the forefront.  It is our first line of defense!

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to all of you from sunny Iowa where our temperatures will be in the 40's  for the weekend, although just south of us they will hit the low 60's.  It is unusually warm, which should once again melt some of the snow.  Spring is coming, people!  Spring is coming!

Joel went to the local "Home Show" yesterday at our fairgrounds to look over the latest garden and home ideas.  We don't have room for a garden here because our yard is so shaded in the areas where we could plant, but we do have some ideas for sprucing up the house and the first one is to put a mantel over our fireplace.  We have been searching for what we want and we are hiring a friend who is an excellent wood craftsman to put it together for us.  There are a few projects on our agenda that we hope to accomplish now that we can take our focus and energy off the last 16 months of neverending medical stuff.

Speaking of medical, after next Tuesday's dental and eye injection appointments we should have three weeks off from seeing any doctors.  Yahoo!  Three whole weeks....yes!  This past week Joel had a couple of big tests to rule out a health issue.  I found myself on the other end of it.....watching him go through something and waiting for him, and for the results.  It gave me a taste of what Joel has experienced and I did not like it one bit.  The doctor gave him all good news, so we are giving thanks here!

Last Sunday afternoon my brother Todd and our sister-in-law Jeannie who live in Minnesota came by for a suprise visit.  It was so nice to spend time with them!  It certainly brightened our day.  We are hoping to go on a few mini excursions to visit family and friends now that we can.  It is always nice to connect with others, isn't it.  We were made for relationships ~ with each other and with God.  It is so important to keep the lines of communication open with those we love.  In the past we spent many years far from family.  We lived in New Mexico, Utah, Montana, and The Philippine Islands besides Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa.  When we lived in the P.I. we did not get to hug on our extended families for two years.  When we lived out west we saw family once a year during our vacation times.  Once in awhile someone would come to visit.  As we have aged we have realized more than ever how precious family and friends are.  Hold them close, see them the way God sees them, and be thankful, so thankful to have them in your lives.

This week I have been listening to teachings from a Prophetic Conference out at Bethel Church in CA.  There is so much to learn and so little time..........and I love learning.   It feels good to have the energy to not only learn but "do".  I spent Thursday morning cleaning the bathroom, dusting the living and dining room, and one of the bedrooms, ironing a few things ( Yes, I STILL iron) and cleaning up the kitchen.  As I did each task I listened to teachings on my phone.  Multi-tasking at it's best!  There are many times I think how much my mom would have loved having a phone where she could text, receive pictures, and listen to sermons/teachings. How thankful I am that I have all that  and more right at my fingertips! 

So, I am guessing everyone has been thinking about the coronovirus and what it means for us.  We certainly are hearing about it constantly.  How do we prepare?  Have your seen any of the Keep Calm quotes/images on Facebook in the past?  Well the latest one makes me chuckle....even with the turth it holds.  The first thing we need to do is pray, and then our best line of defense is to wash your hands......again and again....over and over. And stay isolated until you are well!   I really wish that those who have the flu or even bad colds would follow the same "rules" and stay home and get well before exposing the public.

I hope your weekend is filled with sunshine, good health, and family and friends to hug on!  And remember to stay calm as our world shakes with fear.  Keep calm....was your hands.....and be sure to lift them up in prayer to the One who shields, protects and loves us.

A Story To Be Pondered

Yesterday we had pancakes for supper.  Shrove Tuesday, "Fat Tuesday", the day before Ash Wednesday is a time to "feast" as 40 days of lent means for many a time of sacrifice.  We do not practice that ritual of giving up something for Lent, but we do celebrate Shrove Tuesday with pancakes covered in almond butter, fresh strawberries and blueberries, pure maple syrup and coconut based whipping cream.  Any excuse for pancakes in this house!

Today is Ash Wednesday, a time when many protestant denominations fill the pews of their churches for a service of worship.  Where they receive communion and ashes on their foreheads as a reminder of our mortality.  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.  Lent is a time to reflect.

I read a story over on Ann Voskamp's Blog about a woman named Ndubaayo, whom she met in Kenya.  This woman had walked 26 miles taking 8 hrs, barefoot across hills so that she could hear the Word of God.  She learned to read in her language and was able to hear and read the book of John at a church so many miles away..  She did this 5 days a week for 2 years.  Take a moment to think about that.

When this Kenyan woman became very ill and eventually bedridden her neighbors wished her to be dead and gone.  But she talked to God about those who said she was ill because she gave so much time to Him, and she asked for His courage.  As she talked to Him, she heard a voice say, "I hear you and I see you, and I know the goodness that your are doing."  And then she heard words she had never known in her life:  "Galations, verse 9".  She had no understanding of what it meant so when the "church mamas, 40 of them, came to see her she shared it with them.  They did not know either since they only had the book of John that had been translated into their language.  Someone there actually had an english Bible and they eventually realized Galations was a book in the Bible.  They went through all the chapters until they came to 6:9.  One woman could read enough English so she translated what it said.  "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow wearly."  It confirmed what God had told her.  She became well and recently Ann Voskamp was able to sit in a church in Kenya and listen to her tell 1,000 people about her story.   Only God.

When I read this story to Joel over lunch I could not stop crying.  It still brings me to tears.  Oh, people, we are so spoiled here in America.  We have so many Bibles within our reach and not one of us has to walk 26 miles barefoot to hear the word of God.  This woman, Ndubaayo was hungry for the Word of God.  She was willing to sacrifice much of her day, her energy, her life to be able to hear it.  She understood the importance of God's Word and His presence.  Ann Voskamp said when she met Ndubaayo her face was radiate with God's love.  Recently the whole Bible became available to Ndubaayo and so many others to read in their own language.  When she first received her own Bible?  She slept with it on her pillow right next to her.

So here it is, Ash Wednesday.  A time when we focus on those days before Good Friday.  A time when we focus on God's love for His people and Jesus sacrifice for us.  A time when many give up something for Lent....whether it is a food you love or a TV show you just can't miss.   Ann Voskamp's story about Ndubaayo, in a small village in Kenya, is there for me, for us to reflect on during this Holy season.  I am undone by it.  Humbled, repentant, and hungry for more time with God. Shaken by this woman's faith and willingness to sacrifice so much to hear and read God's Word.

As I walk up to the front of the church tonight to receive communion and the pastor puts the sign of the cross on my forehead with ashes, I will hear the words, "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return"  Without Jesus those words would be frightening,wouldn't they, but with Jesus we know that our bodies may be mortal but eternal life awaits us.  God's Word came alive in Jesus.  I don't think I will ever look at Lent quite the same way again as I think about  Ndubaayo's sacrifices for God and His response to her.  Would I be so willing?  Would you?

Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday to you from our home in Iowa where the temperature will try to reach 40 degrees after yet a couple more days of below zero wind chills.  The sun is shining and a bit of the snow is melting.  We'll take it while it lasts ~ there is a lot of snow on the ground!  This time of year you just gotta remember that Spring WILL come!  Spring always comes.

I enjoy living where there are four distinct seasons, but as years go by, I could do with a shorter winter.  Like 1 month instead of 4-5 months of cold weather and snow.  My favorite season is fall and sometimes I think God could have made fall a bit longer and winter a bit shorter!  Of course He did not ask for my opinion on the matter!

When we lived in the Philippines we had one season.  Hot.  Every morning we would wake at 6 am to 85 degrees and super high humidity.  We did not have central air, just air in the master bedroom ( Joel worked shift work and had to sleep sometimes during the day) so a few fans tried to keep us cool.  Once we moved on to the base we had central air.  So nice!  I don't mind the heat, but I do mind the humidity.  It is easier to tolerate dry heat for sure.  When we lived in Montana I decided to paint our bedroom and while painting the one day I thought, boy it is hot.......but I kept on painting away.  Later I discovered it was 103 degrees outside!  We had no air conditioning, but when the air was so dry it never felt really hot.  If it had been 103 degrees with high humidity it would be a different story!  For many reasons, dry air included, I miss the West!  I would love to go west again and especially travel through Montana where we lived for 4 years..What wonderful adventures we experienced.  Some affirmed the "wild west" label for sure!

Speaking of "wild" this past week has been another soap opera drama politically that has played out in our living rooms.  Avoidance in near impossible unless you keep the TV screen blank.  There is a fine balance between staying informed and being pulled in to the middle of it all.

We talked with a long time friend last night, who has just moved to a senior center.  Her husband had died last fall and Joel was able to attend the funeral.  We met this family in 1970 while living in Salt Lake City Utah.  We met at church and have stayed friends the past near 50 years.  They eventually moved to MN and so did we, making it easier to see each other.  They were and are such good, kind, faith filled people.  M. was telling us that she felt God had completely guided and directed her to her new home now that she is alone.  Her four children live in the cities area so she is blessed to have their support and help when needed.  I love when God takes over and leads us right where we need to be.

The story she shared has me recalling when we went to Joel's Internship in Malta Montana.  We owned a house in St. Paul with a rental apt. upstairs.  When it was time for Joel to have a year long Internship there were only 3 places available outside of the Twin Cities for a big family like ours.  We had four kids at the time.......  Joel did not want to leave the Twin Cities because of the house we owned, but we knew there was a place in northern MN, a church in my hometown, and an Internship available in Montana that might be possibilities for us.   It took some deep discussion  on us selling the house and stepping out in faith, but eventually God guided and directed us both to take the Internship in Malta.  It was one of the best and most important years of our lives.  We have been forever grateful that we followed God's lead to Montana!

Speaking of Montana, recently someone asked Joel how long he has worn a western hat.  It took some time to go back in time but eventually he replied, "Since 1982."  He has always worn boots but the hat came after we moved to Montana.  He has had a western hat on his head for 38 years. That is my cowboy preacher.

Enough reminscing............

I am reading yet another mystery by Dave Rosenfelt and continue to read the non fiction book, The Warrior's Dance by Ana Werner.  What are you reading?  Hope you have a good weekend!

Gifts That Keep On Giving

There are times I find myself saying, "Chemo is the gift that keeps on giving."  I haven't meant this in a positive way, of course.  The after affects of chemo, some visible and some not visible, are a reminder of what it does to the body while killing cancer cells. There is a list of symptoms that whisper, talk, and sometimes yell at me.   Yeah, chemo is the gift that keeps on giving.

Radiation is also a gift that keeps on giving, but in less obvious ways.  It is there in print, in black and white, the side effects of it. Yesterday I had a conversation with my radiology oncologist, Dr. S.  He is the nicest man, filled with wisdom and compassion.  His words confirmed my thinking on the gripping/grabbing pains I periodically get in the radiated area.  Radiation is also a gift that keeps on giving.

So how can these two treatments be  described as gifts?  Joel said to me recently that he thought I was doing amazingly well considering that the treatments for this cancer were to cut and remove, use poison, and burn it away.  That is the way we fight cancer right now.  I believe in the future these treatments will be replaced with more powerful and less harmful ways to kill cancer, but these are the "gifts" we have right now.  This is how we fight for a cure, to live our best life.

BUT we cannot forget the One who fights for us.  When I had radiation treatments I would ask Jesus to not only be in the room, which He promised me He would be, but that He would also be in the beam...the proton beam that penetrated my body.  Now, I am in the process of "adjusting" to a tiny little pill that carries a powerful punch.  A hormone inhibitor that is causing me increased pain and at this moment major stomach issues.  I have started thanking God for this pill....a gift that will in the oncologist's words "be most affective in keeping the cancer from returning."  I have not only started thanking Him for this pill but asking Him to work through the pill while at the same time praying for healing.  The healing of a miracle that comes from only Jesus.

I am not one who has found the medical world very comforting.  I would avoid doctors and medications to the point of being unhealthy.  In this journey, especially the past few months, I have learned to appreciate the medical world and even the drugs and treatments used to help me.  They are gifts from God, but we cannot forget that the ultimate gift for our salvation and healing is Jesus.  Jehovah Rafa....the God who heals.   Let us worship Him!  Our Way Maker, Miracle Worker!

And isn't Jesus the gift who keeps on giving?!  He has given us the gift of eternal life but He loves us so much that that is not the only gift He offers.  He offers His love....deep and wide......endless.....He offers us forgiveness......He offers us healing of body, soul, and spirit.  He is the ultimate and most important gift that just keeps on giving!

So, while I use what is available in the world to bring healing and fight the enemy, I keep my eyes on Jesus, who is bigger than any of my ~~ any of our problems.  Never forget.........."The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be calm."  Rest in the truth of it.