warmer temps and maria news

after beautiful crisp cold days ... we got some rain!!! and my wish for mud ... *smile* ... though i wasn't counting on the roads turning into skating rinks, school closures and many fender benders ... sigh ... careful what you wish for!

i did make the best of it by venturing out in very good boots and a lighter jacket ... i could almost fool myself into thinking that spring was just around the corner ... almost ... but i'm too old to get fooled that quickly! i did feel optimistic though ...

also an FYI on maria ... she was released today from the hospital and we are all hoping that her new routine of dialysis 3 times a week, won't be too tiring on both her and her hubby ... she will get homecare while her husband is working, so she won't be alone ... which we are all thankful for ... and again - may God richly bless you guys for praying ...

UPDATE: maria is back in the hospital ... just a few hours ago ... her blood pressure went really low and the homecare worker couldn't wake her up ... so she was only home overnight ... i don't what they are going to do with her up and down health ... but one thing i can be so glad about - maria does know the ONE who cares for her more than any earthly friend or family - and that is a comfort.

the light still shines ...

picture nasa www

"How close God is to us through His promises, and how brightly those promises shine! Yet during times of prosperity, we lose sight of their brilliance. In the way the sun at noon hides the stars from sight, His promises become indiscernible. But when night falls - the deep, dark night of sorrow -- a host of stars begin to shine, bringing forth God's blessed constellations of hope, and promises of comfort from His Word."

~J.R. Macduff

* * * * * * *

just wanted to share a maria update ... and a prayer request that she asked me to pass along ...

she is getting dialysis 3 days a week now ... though she still has problems walking on her own ... they might release her next week? but we're hoping that they don't yet ... she still has so many many medical issues to deal with ...

during dialysis, she has been getting really bad panic attacks ... and that is what she has asked for prayer about ... that her dialysis goes smoothly, without those anxious fears that plague her during the procedure ... may she grow in grace ... and blessings on you all for praying for her at this time ...

white white white

this past weekend was quite interesting ... weatherwise ... we had 100 km winds on saturday ... then sunday, though nice at first - ended up the same swirling snow way ... a huge drift of snow had grown in front of our garage door - i thought i would have to go shovel (since it was mostly JUST in front of our door!) ... but first thing sunday morning, our sweet & helpful 83 year old neighbour was out there snowblowing ... all before i could even finish my first cup of coffee ... he is a real blessing!

i was able to go for a walk the other day ... and as you can see the scenery is bland in colour ... one has to set their mind to SEE beauty - 'cause believe me, after 2 months, all i would really like is a good melt and mud!

but there is always hope ... the days are now longer ... YAY!!!

just sharing my neighbourhood with you guys ... blessings on your day!

This is my doing ... 1 Kings 12:24

from www.allposters.com

Streams in the Desert ... February 1st reading ... may it bless your heart, as it has blessed mine ...

This is my doing (1 Kings 12:24)

The disappointments of life are simply the hidden appointments of love. C.A. Fox

My child, I have a message for you today. Let me whisper it in your ear so any storm clouds that may arise will shine with glory, and the rough places you may have to walk will be made smooth. It is only four words, but let them sink into your inner being, and use them as a pillow to rest your weary head. "This is my doing."

Have you ever realized that whatever concerns you concerns Me too? "For whoever touches you touches the apply of [my] eye" (Zech. 2?8). "You are precious and honored in my sight" (Isa. 43:4). Therefore it is My special delight to teach you.

I want you to learn when temptations attack you, and the enemy comes in "like a pent-up flood" (Isa. 59:19), that "this is my doing" and that your weakness needs My strength, and your safety lies in letting Me fight for you.

Are you in difficult circumstances, surrounded by people who do not understand you, never ask your opinion, and always push you aside? "This is my doing." I am the God of circumstances. You did not come to this place by accident - you are exactly where I meant for you to be.

Have you not asked Me to make you humble? Then see that I have placed you in the perfect school where this lesson is taught. Your circumstances and the people around you are only being used to accomplish My will.

Are you having problems with money, find it it hard to make needs meet? "This is my doing," for I am the One who keeps your finances, and I want you to learn to depend upon Me. My supply is limitless and I "will meet all your needs" (Phil. 4:19). I want you to prove My promises so no one may say, "You did not trust in the Lord your God" (Deut. 1:32).

Are you experiencing a time of sorrow? "This is my doing." I am "a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering" (Isa. 53:3). I have allowed your earthly comforters to fail you, so that by turning to Me you may receive "eternal encouragement and good hope" (2 Thess. 2:16). Have you longed to do some great work for Me but instead have been set aside on a bed of sickness and pain? "This is my doing." You were so busy i could not get your attention, and I wanted to teach you some of My deepest truths. "They also serve who only stand and wait." In fact, some of My greatest workers are those physically unable to serve, but who have learned to wield the powerful weapon of prayer.

Today I place a cup of holy oil in your hands. Use it freely, My child. Anoint with it every new circumstance, every word that hurts you, every interruption that makes you impatient, and every weakness you have. The pain will leave as you learn to see Me in all things.
~Laura A. Barter Snow

an update on maria ...

the way i will always picture maria

pic taken while babysitting her, years and years ago ...

a little maria update for my praying buds ...

we had another scare on tuesday ... the emergency dialysis tube they had put in her neck failed ... so she HAD to have surgery to put one in her heart ... the procedure was a success and her dialysis has continued ...

my mom was visiting with her yesterday and was so thrilled to see maria's chin again!!!! the bloating from failed organs is not a pretty sight, and maria's neck had been so thick with built up fluids, plus side effects from the meds she is on - that her chin just disappeared in there somewhere! ...

my sister who lives in the city noted that the puffiness around maria's eyes has gone down ... in fact, her eyes are more than mere slits now ...

of course all of this is making her so very tired ... but her will to live is strong ... and so far, God is allowing her to stay here for a while longer ...

thank you again for praying for maria's comfort and God's will that surrounds her life ... and all of our lives ... blessings on you ...

thinking about eternity ...

i scanned this beautiful picture from the latest Decision magazine ... then this morning i read these verses:

Another reason for right living is this: you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of the Lord is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is far gone, the day of his return will soon be here. Romans 13:11-13a

it made me think about Noah's day ... when he was building that ark ... his neighbours came to gawk ... to laugh ... and to taunt him about this flood that he was always talking about ... and the crazy boat he was building on dry land ... but he kept on being faithful ... imploring them to think about what he was saying ... to board that boat with him, that boat which would save them, before it was too late ... but they were too busy in their day to day lives ... too busy, except for the moments when they would indulge in some "how dumb is he? how smart are we?" type of talking ...

Jesus said that it would be like the days of Noah ... in those last days before He returned ... life would be going along in a normal way ... people would be concerned about getting ahead in life ... getting married ... socializing ... and not that these things are wrong - they are "normal" ... but they would forget about their spiritual side ... they would laugh at the "religious folks" who thought that Jesus would return again ... "i mean, come on! where was Jesus? it's been a long long time and He hasn't returned yet! such silly folklore ... some people would believe anything ... second coming indeed "...

i believe that Jesus is coming again ... He is my Saviour ... my sweet Lord ... i don't know the hour or day of His return ... but the signs of the end are posted everywhere ... in nature ... in government ... in the persecution of the saints all over the world ... i don't want to ignore that ... and i don't want to deny what i believe ... because if truth be told, i am longing for His return ... this world doesn't hold a candle to it's Creator God ... this world is not all that there is to LIFE ... LIFE is in Jesus ... and one day it will be Eternal - to those that have believed in Him, who trust Him for the forgiveness of their sins ... it will indeed be Heaven ...

this day my heart is thinking about eternal things ... this day my tears are shed in joy because i see that Heavenly City in my mind ... this day i pray - even so, Lord Jesus, Come!

aroma therapy ...

have you ever read a familiar passage in the bible and had it POP in your brain ... seemingly new ... a life application ...

that happened to me today ... it was the scripture passage that RBC used:

"But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume." 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (italics mine)

i pictured this Christ-like fragrance ... coming through, being noticed - wherever we go ... even if we say nothing, just our very actions and demeanor should be a life-giving perfume ... or to those without Christ, a desire to have what we have ...

when you enter a coffee shop ... you know it's a coffee shop by the smell of coffee brewing ... with donuts thrown into the mix ... you want to sit and enjoy a cup ...

when you walk into a florist ... you know it's a flower shop by the exquisite fragrance of the many different blends of flowers ... intoxicating ... there is no mistaking where you are ...

when you walk by a garbage dump ... well you get the aroma picture ... you know what that is too!

the passage in Corinthians reminded me that as believers, there should be no doubt Who's children we are ... there may not always be opportunities to share our faith with words ... therefore, our daily actions and attitudes should be the Christ-like fragrance that pleases God and blesses man ...

an update ...

the Lord wants to carry ALL our burdens, doesn't He? i am so thankful for the promises that are mine, in God's word ... it just encourages my heart daily ... and keeps me from fretting ...

thank you again for praying for my sister maria ... her health continues to be a matter of much daily prayer ... she had to have emergency dialysis yesterday ... she was so uncomfortable and i think her kidneys were on the verge of totally shutting down ... diabetes is such a mean disease ... i keep praying that she is comfortable ... and during this time, i hope she will experience the nearness of Jesus - who loves her so much ...

picture copied from 'net

may God Bless all of my american blog buds - as you experience another peaceful change of presidents ... may you truly be ONE Nation Under God ...

He goes before ...

nothing can touch us - before it goes through God first ...

we are hedged around by His protection ...

the things that are allowed in our lives are for a purpose ... for our spiritual maturity and growth ...

i write these words from a point of grace ... most of my readings this week have all touched on the sovereignty of God ... and it truly does comfort my heart ...

though here on earth, there is always something to pray earnestly about ... case in point, my sister maria was hospitalized again on tuesday ... we knew she had been discharged too soon ... but at least she is once again getting the type of care she needs ... for that we are grateful ...

we don't have to worry and fret - because we are not like those without hope ... in Christ we are ever hopeful and confident that He hears our prayer ... that all things will work out in the manner our Heavenly Father thinks is best ...

Matthew 10:28-31 (New Living Translation)

28 “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

29 What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.

30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.

31 So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

watch for that jam ...

in this day of safe guarding ones privacy, it seems everyone has a shredder ... they are so handy ... until they get jammed!

and sometimes that jam isn't always easy to fix ...

our cheap walmart shredder had been doing it's job just fine ... until something got into one of those little chambers and just didn't want to come out ... it got a first class jam happening ...

after unplugging (duh! of course you say ... *smile* ) ... i took a knitting needle and tried to clear all the spots ...

the knitting needle was fine for the easy to get pieces, but for one little stubborn chamber it was just too large ...

so next came the straightened out paper clip ...

i went in there from every angle, considered getting a tweezer to pull out the concrete like jam ... but eventually (after forward/reverse ... more poking ... more forward/reverse) ... it gave way!

i couldn't believe how just one itty bitty chamber could cause the rest of the chambers to fail ... you'd think that the majority, would release the gunk in that lone minority ...

it got me thinking about the so called itty bitty sins in my life ... how something that i think is "nothing much" ... or "just human"... can still make the rest of my spiritual life stall and sputter and jam up ...

there is no such thing as a small sin ... sin is sin ... and we need to confess it ... and walk away from it ... to clean out the hidden crevices, so that our hearts and minds filter everything that comes through correctly ...

yup, a little inner paper jam - can create havoc ... until we clear it out with the paperclip of confession ...

may your day be jam free!

If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we've never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.
1 John 1:8-10 the Message

open paths ...

my daily readings from Streams in the Desert (by L.B. Cowman) have been so timely ...

here is a portion of yesterdays devotional:

When you pass through the waters . . . they will not sweep over you.
(Isaiah 43:2)

God does not open paths for us before we come to them, or provide help before help is needed. He does not remove obstacles out of our way before we reach them. Yet when we are at our point of need, God's hand is outstretched.

Many people forget this truth and continually worry about difficulties they envision in the future. They expect God to open and clear many miles of road before them, but He promises to do it step by step, only as their need arises. J.R.M.

leo had an appointment today ... with a new doctor ... we had believed and prayed that it would be all right ... yet beforehand, there were still those bits of apprehension ... "Lord, not again! this is stressful!" ...

but it went well ... he was compassionate ... open and friendly ... and willing to take leo on as a patient ...

God prepared the way ... and we are ever so grateful!

and even better news ...

i just got home from work, checked my e-mail and read a really encouraging note from my mom ... in fact, i could hardly believe it!

they had taken maria's breathing tube out ... she is once again breathing on her own! and she was was ABLE to STAND ...

unbelievable good news ...

she is still a sick girl - but so far - it is amazingly great news! :o)

we call her our energizer bunny!

thank you , SO MUCH, for praying! i am ashamed to admit that i didn't want to bother you all - but it seems i should have done this last week already ... shame on me ... and blessings on you!

maria update

maria had a good day today ...

she still has the breathing tube in, but they are giving her some meds that they hope will make the lungs function better ... even tho' maria couldn't talk, she wrote little notes to her husband ...

that was all good news ... :o)

it sounds like she's not in distress ... she even had the restraints on her hands removed - but when she got tired and was ready for a snooze, she had motioned for the nurse to put them back on (she tends to pick on the tubes/iv's/etc. in her sleep) ...

thank you so much for praying ... maria still has many hurdles to overcome ... but this has been the best day since she went in ... and for that we are thankful!

a concern

i'm sorry that my first post of 2009 is a sad one ... i have such a concern for my sister maria ... i just had to share, my heart is really heavy regarding her health, which has been very poor the last year (or two ... or three!) ...

she is still so young ... 11 years my junior ... the first child from my mother's second marriage ... i was the "little mother" to her during those early years ...

if you want to read more about maria: click here

the concern is that she is in the hospital again ... this is her second stay in 3 weeks ... we thought that the early december, emergency stay, was just the "tune up" she needed ... we all hoped that she'd be "fine" for a while ... not so this time ... she was rushed back in, during the early hours of december 26th ... she has water in her lungs and has had that uncomfortable tube in her throat for quite a few days now ... she is in and out of reality ... she is only 43 ...

there are many other complications that her 40 years of diabetes has inflicted on her ... she truly has a brave heart within that ravaged body ...

we keep praying that she will be comfortable ... i personally pray that she won't be in any emotional distress ...

can she bounce back again? she's done it so many other times ... we'd think she was at death's door ... and the next thing you know, she's at home - bumping into furniture because her eyesight is so poor!

if you could pray for maria ... as the Lord brings her to your mind ... i would be very grateful ... thank you ...

just a thought for the new year ...

"... God's grace is not only sufficient - it is inexhaustible. Remember the story Roy Gustafson told of the little fish who said, "I am so thirsty but I must not drink too much . The ocean might run dry." Or the little mouse in the granaries of Egypt who said, "I am so hungry. But I must not eat too much. The grain might not last." Or the little swallow, soaring and dipping through the sky, thinking, "I must not breathe too deeply; I might use up all the air."

Whatever the need, whatever the situation, "he giveth more grace"
(James 4:6). ..."

taken from Legacy of a Pack Rat by Ruth Bell Graham ...


to you my dear blog buds ... i wish a new year that is so full of God's grace - for every and all situations - that your cup will continually run over ... so you may glorify HIM, who redeemed us ... that the world will know we are different and children of the Most High ...

O Lord, you are my lamp.

The Lord lights up my darkness.

2 Samuel 22:29

snowy walk

i took these pics a few days ago ... but the walk i had today was very similar ... a light snow ... and milder temperatures ... very tranquil ... *smile*

it was a picture postcard type scene everywhere ...

kids were out with their new sleds ... and the older kids were out on snowmobiles!

it was a great walk ... until i wiped out! ... owie!!!! just checking out my almost 55 year old bones! ... my feet just flew out from under me and i landed on my hip ... i know i'll be sporting a bruise ... i shoulda worn my walking boots ...

we had a quiet Christmas eve ... Christmas day ... and boxing day ... leo and i watched some Christmas movies ... visited via phone with family ... and just enjoyed the lights of home ...

I wish we could put up

some of the Christmas spirit in jars

and open a jar of it every month.

~Harlan Miller