I will try again.

Good Saturday to you all.  Hope you are having a great day wherever you might be today!

I came across this quote in my daily devotional a few days ago.  I was struck with how much it spoke to me and my life. 

“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet
voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.”
― Mary Anne Radmacher

 

How many times have I felt that way?  Have you?  We keep on trying because we believe there is hope.  We believe there is more.  We believe we can!  We believe.

 

I hope and pray you will find courage today my friends.  Courage to try again.  Courage to keep trying even though it seems there is everything against you this day, this week, this time.

 

I will try again.  What beautiful words. 

 

The devotional ended with the words "Even for those who trust God, sometimes just showing up is a victory."

 

I can relate to that so much!

 

Praying we will all "show up",

 

Elaine

 

 

A day to share

I so wish you could see what I'm looking at right now.  Our sliding glass door is open and since the dogs ruined the screen last year, there isn't one on it.  Our little dog is sitting just inside the doorway and he's watching the birds come and go on the feeders.  They are only about 8-10 feet outside the door themselves.  The birds aren't afraid of him at all and he's sitting so very still.  He has no plans to chase them like our big dog does.  I'd take a pix, but hubby's camera is so heavy I cant do it:(  The grass is growing so fast you can almost hear it.  The tiny daisys are up and blooming in the grass.  I love them.  They have been here all my life. 

Farm equipment and cars and trucks are driving by, but not yet rush hour, so not too much traffic yet.  The electric company that is moving poles (for the new bridge and roadway) have gone home for the day, so that particular noise is gone.  They were stopping traffic in front of our home most of the day today.  Interesting noises:)

I'd like to share a quote with you that came from an author I read.  It spoke so clearly to me that it nearly made me jump when I read it the first time. 

Nancy Rue

Bishop Hee-Soo Jung (Methodist, Chicago) says we need to 'Curl up under the powerful grace of God' rather than strive for what we can do. It sounds like a kind of wonderful Divine nap we all need to take, you think? .

Nancy posted it on FB and I asked to be sure I could share it.  I know public domain and all, but didn't want to quote the Bishop without asking. 

So many days I find myself fighting against what is.  This life I have is real and it is what it is.  Yes, I can do many things to stay as healthy as possible.  I do my best.  But oh the days of wanting more.  Wanting what I've lost and having what I don't.  Looking to those who "can" and being jealous and angry at times.  I also heard Joyce Meyers last night and she spoke to doing what we can.  Not what others can.  That rang very true to me too.  Doing what we can is worship and a blessing.  Trying to do what others are called to do is not.  I can't memorize scripture.  I love to sing, but stand back:)  I do make a joyful noise to the Lord!  I can't jump on a plane and fly to be with my brother.  My siblings can.  I can't exercise like the surgeon wants me to.  I CAN however, love with my whole heart.  Pray, encourage, and just be.  (Most of the time).  Some days, I can just be while in bed---resting, waiting, and knowing that God is in control.  I so often don't have the energy to do any more than that.  So, in Jesus, that is enough.  I am enough with HIM. 

I still struggle with what I'm "called to do or be", but am getting better at being present where I am right now and doing all I can at the moment.  Sometimes it is thinking of each of the people who are in my life.  Or praying for those I hear about who need prayers.  Sometimes its' laying very still and taking one breath after another. 

Curled up under the Grace of God.  That is indeed a very good place to be!

Hope and pray you all have time today to do just that!

Love and Blessings,
Elaine

Clarification:)

I'd forgottent to post about the growth.... I had a growth in my bladder which was causing some other problems... doc trimmed it out (amazing to watch)!  Sent it off and it was benign!!!!  Sorry for the confusion... seems to be helping the other problems too now that its gone:)

Blessings,
Elaine

Good news----Life

Good morning to you.  Hope and pray you are having a wonderful day today.

I got my biopsy back and its benign!!!!  Praising God for that!  Doc says that if I have no more symptoms I don't need to see him for a year:):):)  Glad to have that out of the way and not worry about it any more!!

My knee is still giving me trouble but am continuing to work with PT and do my best to follow the instructions.  I get soooooo tired tho.... It's about all I can do to move about some days let alone ride the recumbent bike.....

The state has begun the work on the new bridge.  I will try to post some pix here to show you what it looked like before and after the work so far.  The phone company has moved some of the lines and the noise from the tree removal service nearly drove me crazy.  They were literally less than 20 feet from the front of our house.  The road will be about 8 feet closer to us than it is now.  Within the legal limits, but certainly not within the "moral" limits.  The State actually had to get a waver from the County to do this work so close to our house.  No one asked me what I thought about it:( 

 

We may have to leave once the real work starts.  They will be working long days and there will be much noise and dirt, etc..... We still have our travel trailer (we've been unable to sell it with the economy down) so we might just have to "take a trip". We can park at our kids' and we may just do that:)  We are planning to move as the house will be so close to the road and the tree barrier is gone.  I feel like an animal in a cage.....

You can see the before pix with the mobile home and the after.  They actually took a few more trees and shrubs than in that pix.  And yes, the mobile home needs a paint job:) 

The big house is the house I grew up in.  My parents had a dairy farm and this is the farm house.  The trees offered shade and protection from the roadway and noise.... All gone now.  The pix are reversed as that is the order they were taken in and I can't figure out how to undo it.

The plan is to raise the roadway about 4-5 feet in front of the mobile (my house) and so the road will be level with us:(  Already the noise and dirt is much worse than before and its still raining.  I can't imagine what summer will bring.

Prayers would be appreciated as we have no idea what we will do.  The family trust owns the land and it is to be sold, so we will have to move.  As I said before, I have no desire to live on the roadway.  It was bad enough before.

So, I'm trying to stay positive.  I'm trying to trust God.  I'm trying to sort and pack.... I'm trying! 

God Bless You All!

I so appreciate having found you!

Elaine

Moving along

Hello everyone.  Hope this day finds you happy and as well as you can be.

I'm finally coming out of a bad flare up and a huge set back with my new knee.  I was doing wonderfully until early Feb. and then my knee went nuts.  Severe pain, swelling,no relief to be had.... all the tests look ok..... the Dr. has been wonderful and has seen me thru all this as well as my PT gal.  She has helped me greatly.  I had to stop PT for several weeks to let the pain and swelling ease up and it finally is!  Praise God!  We have a recumbent bike we are borrowing from my brother and it is helping a lot.  Very little pain with it. And with little resistance, not hard on the rest of my either:)

I've spent the past many weeks doing a lot of TV watching and reading as I can.  We watch lots of old reruns and some of the new shows too.  I like the original NCIS, Unforgettable, The Mentalist, and Harry's Law.  We just rented the newest (to us at least) Jessie Stone movie, "Lost Innocence" and enjoyed it too. We really like those movies.  We watch Blue Bloods too.... We don't have satellite TV so just watch what is on the regular channels.

I've recently found a new to me author also.  Nancy Rue.  She has a series out called, "the Reluctant Prophet".  I love how the books make me think and realize how we can live out our callings.....

And I always love the Jane Kirkpatrick books.  Very good stories filled with history, reality, and God's love.

I'm undergoing some additional medical testing (nothing to do with my knee) and hope to have some answers by the end of this month.  Prayers would be appreciated.

I have tried to keep up with as many of you as I could, but know that I've missed some wonderful posts....

Bless you all for being such a great source of support.

Still finding hope in the midst of it all,
Elaine

Post OP

Hi everyone.
I'm home from the hospital and doing quite well.  I am up and walking with my walker and have exercises to do often.  I have the coolest machine that when I'm hooked up to it, moves my knee up and down by set degrees.  It helps the knee to not be as stiff and sore.  I also have an ice machine and that does wonders with the cooling effects.

I so appreciate all your kind words and thoughts and prayers. 

Rob is doing well also.  He has a really bad knee also, so am hoping it will hold on until I'm all fixed up:)

Blessings to you all.

Surgery

I just wanted to let you know that I'm having my right knee replaced on Monday, Dec. 5th.  It has needed to be done for several years now and this is not the perfect time, but I am going to do it anyway.  The pain has gotten to the point I'm not moving around unless I must.  It hurts so bad all the time.  Coupled with my fibro and CFS I'm miserable. 

I would appreciate good thought and prayers.  It will be a challenging month ahead for us.  Rob is already concerned about his ability to care for me... I will need assistance for about 2 weeks to move from bed to wherever.... PT will start the day after surgery and last about 2 months or so, depending on how I do. 

I will come home Thurs or Fri if all goes well.  If not, I will go to a nursing facility for a bit before coming home.

It's a crazy, busy time to be down, but at least I will be getting it behind me.

Please pray for my brother who is most likely having surgery on Dec 8th to put an L-VAD in his heart.  Without it, he is in end stage heart failure.  Hoping and praying it will go well and that he will make it through fine.  I so want to be there with him.  He's in Salt Lake City at the transplant hospital.

Thanks so much for being so supportive and loving to me.  I have found such a comfort in your blogs.

God Bless and Merry Christmas to you all!