Good Advice

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
1 Chronicles 16:34 NIV

Grief Is Hard

Recently I lost a member of my family to cancer. She was a dearly loved person who was beautiful both inside and out. This is the first time that I’ve dealt with grief over the death of someone close to my own age. Grief is difficult and hard, but also a necessary part of life. I am blessed though to know that I will see her again in heaven. As a Christian we have that hope because of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ and the power of his resurrection from the dead. As he said to his disciples, he is in heaven preparing a place for us. I know that Ashley is there and that one day I too will be there when my time has come.

Psalm 34:4

I sought the  Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.

A good verse to remember!

Sometimes God Speaks to Me In Songs

Today I had an appointment for a CT scan of my kidneys and and abdomen x-ray, as part of a follow-up from my kidney stone surgery at Christmas.   Being totally disabled and unable to walk or transfer easily from my chair to an x-ray table, I have been somewhat worried about today’s appointment.   I have to be lifted from my wheelchair onto those hard metal tables.   I don’t like just anyone to lift me because I’m rather fragile and it’s painful if someone doesn’t do it right.   My husband lifts me at home from our bed to my wheelchair or shower chair, but he only does it in the morning and in the evening.   His back has problems and so I prefer him not to have to lift me more than necessary.   And, with today’s appointment, I knew I would probably have to transfer from my chair to x-ray table and back to my chair and then to the CT scan table and back to my chair again.   I didn’t want Norm to have to deal with all of that, because being in those settings is not as easy as the way we have things set up at home.

Last week when I made the appointment I began to lay awake at night wondering how we would manage it.   And then I decided not to think about it for the rest of the week.   This morning I woke up and prayed that God would help us.   As we drove to the appointment this morning, a wave of fear crept up and I quickly pray for God to give me peace and to provide someone to help if Norm was not able to do it.   And then all of a sudden I felt God speaking to me through a song I have not heard in years.   It’s called “God Will Make Away.”   Each line came into my mind – “God will make away when there seems to be no way…” Yes, that’s exactly what I needed to remember.   Peace came over me and I knew things would work out.

I had to wait an hour and a half before they called me in, but as it turns out, I was able to do the x-ray from my wheelchair and so I only needed to transfer to the CT scan table.   Norm was able to do it and it worked out fine with the medical technicians assisting him getting me back into the wheelchair.   Nothing got hurt and the scan only lasted a few minutes.

I’m glad I didn’t feel worried about it all that time.

It’s Not Always Easy

Someone very close to me has been dealing with pain in their body for several weeks.   The exact cause of the pain is unknown and going through the medical system has been unhelpful.   This person has been prescribed various opiate painkillers.  

My Not so Secret

As I’ve said before we had some wicked weather this week.   Most of the time it was very gray, overcast and rather gloomy outside.   Kind of like living in Seattle.   Sunny days are my preferred type of weather and when it gets gloomy for days on end I begin to feel like I need some anxiety depression treatment.   Days when I feel sorry for myself or very down in the dumps are few and far between for me.   I learned many years ago that those days may come occasionally, but the secret is to find joy.   God has given me a joyful spirit.   On days when I feel low I put on music and I sing.   It’s not long before God lifts my spirits and those feelings of depression or even anxiety are gone.   I know some people struggle with anxiety and depression on a regular basis that had some sort of a biochemical connection.   I think even they can benefit from peaceful music and surroundings.   It’s good to be around what makes you happiest.   I guess that’s my not so secret.