Shepherd Boy

I was recently told I need to update my blog.  I told them I would when I had something to write about!  I got it!!!  I am reading Praying Circles around Your Children by Mark Batterson.  (This is what I read today:   David's own dad didn't see who he could or would become.  When Jesse looked at David, he saw a shepherd boy; when Samuel looked at David, he saw a king!  One of the greatest dangers of family relationships is that we become blind to beauty and mystery simply because we live in such close proximity.  You need a vision for your children.)  So this morning I prayed that I would not just see Ian as a shepherd boy but I would see a King.  God, give him confidence and boldness to be the person you have designed him to be. 
I remembered that I had taken this picture yesterday of Ian "walking" his goat!!  I have to say only a King would think of something like this!  If only he could find someone to appoint to do it all for him!!  This picture will always remind me to pray this prayer for him!  Just love my Ian!!

A view from the top!!!!!!!

All went great with surgery. It took about 2 hours for the doctor to do his part and about 1 1/2 hours in recovery. They put a stent in (pipeline) which eventually closes off aneurysm. I got a little nauseated from the anesthesia. They gave me meds and I slept until about 2:00pm. I had to lay completely flat until about 5:00pm. I think that was the hardest part!!! I was starving when I woke up so I had a little Mc Donald's!!! And after a few more hours, I checked my Facebook!!! Wow! I can't believe it has been so easy! Isn't that what we have prayed for?! God is so Good! So far this Mountain climb has been pretty easy...or maybe I should say it has not been too bad! And guess what, they are going to move me to the 22nd floor! Now that should be a nice view! Not quiet the view from a mountain top I would have wanted to see, but when I look out that window I will be reminded of this mountain view. In fact, I think I will stop writing for now so I can share with you the view from the top!... Well here it is. All the way from the top!

Here we go!

Been waiting for this day for a while!  Have you ever just not wanted to do something that you know you have to do?  I really don't want to have this surgery. You know, if I felt bad and I knew it would fix something that hurt then maybe I would not mind going through it.  Maybe I will ask the doctor to fix something that really hurts on this old body!! Talk about walking by faith!  That's how I feel right now!  I am so ready to get this over so I can get back to taking care of my family. I finally got all my ducks in a row and left everyone a list of reminders for the week!  So far everything  has gone smooth. I guess what I don't know won't hurt me!  I have put all my kiddos in trusted hands and know they will be taken care of. Isn't that what mothers do?  Now if I could just relax and let the doctors and God take care of me. That is so hard.  Especially when I have never had any type of major surgery!!!  Honestly I am Nervous but at the same time there is a peace that is over me!  I know it is the peace that everyone one is praying for me to have!  Unexplainable!  Just so neat!  Thank you all!

And the Rooster crows!...or the Sun shines!

 

I just love it when I have mornings that God talks to me.  Or maybe I should say, I stop to listen to Him!  Well this morning I was having my quiet time and some how I wondered over to facebook to check what is going on.  But I could not seem to see my screen.  I turned to see what was causing the problem and low and behold, God had cause the sun to rise and it was shining right on me!!!  You know how it is, when that big beautiful sun shines so bright that you can't see anything.  I moved to the right, then to the left and finally said  "OK God I see you!"  I think He was saying, "yoo-hoo, remember me?  We were having our time together then you left!"  Yes Lord, I hear you loud and clear!  I closed my facebook and headed back to my reading.  Now get this!  What I was reading was about Peter hearing the rooster crow and being reminded of denying Christ!  Wow!  God got Peter's attention too!  Just like he got mine!  Can you imagine how Peter felt every time he heard a rooster crow?  I know it was not pleasant.  He was reminded every time of his sin.  I love the sound of my roosters.  This big guy above wakes me up every morning!  I have never thought of having a negative feeling when I hear his crowing.  But I think now it will remind me to confess my sins and ask Him for forgiveness.  Just like every time God shines the sun on me I am reminded how Awesome He is!    I say to myself  wow God you did it again!  Encore!  I love how He gets my attention.  Maybe if I start listening to Him all the time, He won't have to hit me so hard on the head!  How has God gotten your attention?  Has he used something that will always remind you of your time with Him?  I would love to hear about your special moments with our God!

Make an Altar

Thanks to my sister Robin, I have been reading Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson.  What a great book!!!  Each of you must read it!  I just want to share a little about what he made me think about today.

We don't build altars anymore like they did in Bible times.  Why not?  When God spoke to people, they would build an altar to remember their meeting with God.  Do you remember your meetings with God?  You know I often forget mine.  They mean so much to me at the moment, but then as time goes by and I get back in my routine, I forget the feeling.  Sometimes I forget what God told me!!!  So why do we not build more altars?  I'm not saying to go gather a bunch of stones and stack them up.  Let's use what we have with us 24/7.  Our phones!  Our cameras!  Take a picture.  Make a note.  Then......Share it!!!!  I am going to do it more.  Of course most of you know that I share my meetings with God here on Miracles Never Cease.  I never realized it but I have an altar that I have shared with you before.  I will share it again and if you want to know what it means, well....your gonna have to read ALL my past post!!!!   Don't you just love God?!!!  I
do!

Angels all around

Angiogram went ok.  Doctor said if you are going to have and aneurysm mine is in the best spot.  I feel very confident in Dr. MaWad.  Everyone kept telling me he was the best!   That is good to know!  I was released Tuesday afternoon and spent the night at Kristie and Jimmy's apartment.  We felt the ride home would be too much.  James and I left Houston about 9:30 Wednesday morning.  I was feeling good, just a little sore.  We stopped in Kingwood to eat early lunch and to walk around.  I set down to eat and stretched my leg out and felt something pop!!  Oh my!  I started getting light headed and told James.  I stood up to see if I could walk.  It felt like a cramp in my groin where they went in for angiogram.  I leaned over the table but did not pass out.  Out of nowhere I heard a lady ask if she could help.  James told her what was going on and asked her to call 911.  She went and got the manager to call and immediately came back to help.  I kept thinking to myself, I just need to lay down!  Before I knew it, this sweet voice said, "Do you want to lay down on the cold floor?"  Oh yes!  and there  I was on the brick floor of Cracker Barrel!!  She began wiping my forehead with a cold napkin.  She kept saying, "I do this all the time.  You are going to be ok".  I got a little anxious and she said "it's ok. You can cry."  I finally opened my eyes and saw this beautiful young women with long red hair!  Her name was Patricia.  She is a stewardess for Continental Airlines.  All I could say to her is "You are an Angel!"  Thank you!  The EMTs came and took me to ER.  Long story short, all is fine.  They did an ultrasound to make sure my site was not bleeding and that that there were no clots.  We believe it was just a muscle spasm.  After searching, other people have had the same thing happen.  The doctors assured me I did the right thing having it checked out.  I would have hate to have been three and a half hours away from Houston and this happen!!!  I told Kristie that after all of this, we are gonna all have to go have our new gray hairs colored!  I think even James is gonna have to have his done!!!


This ordeal was not fun and it scared several people including me!!  But I have to stop and think of the moments that God was all around.  I can not get this red-headed lady out of my mind!  I told Kristie, she is one lady I hope will be in Heaven!  Of course I want everyone to be there.  I always think of my family and friends first, but then God puts people in my path that I think, Lord I hope they choose You!  I don't know if Patricia is a christian.  But what I do know is I had a moment where God allowed me to tell her it was a miracle that God led the doctors to find this aneurysm. I was able to tell her she was an angel and blessing to me!  Maybe one day while flying on continental airlines, I will look up and see a red-headed stewardess named Patricia!  Wouldn't that be awesome?!!!

God, Thank you for my family.  I know they have been so worried lately.  Please give us all peace and the the calm assurance that you have this all in your hands.

For I know the plans I have for you declare the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jer. 29:11

Live today as if it were your last.

Those words have a very different meaning to me today!  I woke this morning saying them in my mind over and over.   God, what do you want me to do with them.  I thought about what I want to leave to my family and nothing came to mind. I have no list of items that I want my kids to have.   Honestly the only thing I want my family to know is how much I love them. I want them to know how much I love Jesus!  I want them to one day experience an extraordinary relationship with him!  It will change their life!  About three years ago I told God that I did not want to live an average ho-hum ordinary life.  I wanted to live an extraordinary life!  I wanted to make a difference. I immediately signed up to go to Africa on a mission trip.  I just knew that would be out of my box!  Non-ordinary!  Well, God had a different plan and He led me to a journey of miracles!  Finding out I was pregnant with Ava Grace was an extraordinary experience!  It was not just having a baby I had long to have , it was my experience with Jesus that was extraordinary. It was during this time that Jesus showed me He had been working in my life long before I had surrendered to be different.  I realized what a miracle Ian was.   God had a plan for my life and He had been working miracles in my life for a long time but I never stopped to notice them!  Needless to say, I never stopped to give Him praise for them!  But things are different now!  I promise to always give Him honor for everything He does!  I look for moments to praise Him. I live an extraordinary life and I want everyone to know about it!  You can live this kind of life too!  It's not about money. It's not about things.  Or positions.  It is about JESUS!  That's it!  He is Extraordinary!  He takes care of your worries. He takes care of your past. He takes care of your future!  I beg you to surrender your life to Him!  Step out and live for Him everyday, all day!  You will be amazed at what an extraordinary life you can have!

Looking back at my post title, I ask God, did I do what you wanted me to do?  Yes, I have told all who reads this post how wonderful He is.  Now I must put actions to my words and go about my day!!  Looking for Him all around me.  Today, there is a little girl I must play with and a young man I need to listen to.  There is also a wonderful Godly man, who spend his days and nights ministering to youth, who needs me to be his "stage manager"!  (Ha-Ha I can't believe I thought of that!  That is a whole other post I will fill you in on later!!  Another way God just showed me He has been working!)  He counts on me to take care of stuff he forgets about and most of all, he needs me to love him and respect him.  Just another Extraordinary day!!

Doctor's Visit

This is pretty much a full report of what the Radiologist told us at our visit.
There is an aneurysm behind my left eye. Will need to do angiogram to see how big and exact location before will proceed with treatment.  It will also tell if there are any additional aneurysms. Treatment will most likely be an invasive stint going through groin. He is concerned with platelet issue I had while I was pregnant  So he is checking that today. IF those are ok, may do angiogram on Tuesday (he goes out of town the following wk ...not a rush. Just if I want to do it before he leaves) Angiogram is out patient but the stint procedure will require a hospital stay Yea!!  I will need to follow up with hematologist  before the procedure. 4% risk of having complications with procedure. Absolutely not related to seizure. Just happen to find this.I will not be able to have procedure until probably in of January. He is very confident that he can fix this.

Thank you all for your prayers!  We have felt every one  of them!!  God works in mysterious ways and for mysterious reasons!!!!  Just one reason I love Him so much!!

Mountains are made for climbing

Well when I thought of this post title, I stopped and thought "are they really made for climbing or just to look at?"  If I just look at a mountain, I really do not get to experience it or get the full experience of its creator.
 
Back in November, I heard a song on the radio that I had heard many times before. "Only a Mountain" by Jason Castro.  As I listen to the words,  I thought, why do we have mountains?  Why can't they just be hills? Rolling hills are what came to my mind.  Hills that we get over but then we have to get over them again and again and....again.  MOUNTAINS.  There must be something about climbing mountains.  I know the mountains in my life I have climbed seem to get easier the higher I climb.  I know I always seem to have a clear view of my Savior.  Faith can change those mountains.  It's only a mountain!
At that time in November I did not know what lied  ahead.  A mountain that I would have to climb.  The last mountain I climbed was getting Ava Grace here safely!  It was hard at first but the more we climbed the easier it was to have faith that God had her in His arms and he would soon place her in ours.  It was fun!  But now a new mountain stands strong and tall ahead of me.  The weekend before Thanksgiving I had two seizures.  I had had one about a month before and did not think much about it.  But now two more!  What was going on?  I had not had a seizure in years!  We decided to change doctors to make sure I was getting the best treatment out there.  My driving has ceased!!!  One of the hardest things to do!  I found a doctor in Houston. First off he changed my medication.  It seems the Dilantin was not controlling the seizures like before.  Then he ordered a new MRI and EEG.  It had been several years since I had had one.  The MRI came back with no tumors but there was a lack of blood flow in one area so I had a MRA done.  The Friday before Christmas,  the doctor called to tell me I had an aneurysm!  It was small and in a pocket of my brain not the muscle.  I had to wait till after Christmas to set up an appointment with an Interventional Radiologist.  We go tomorrow, Friday Jan. 4th to visit with this doctor to see what he suggest.

Of course my mind has been all over.  I have looked up everything so I will kinda know what he is talking about.  I have had a few melt downs.  But through all of that I am at Total Peace!  God has this!  It's Only a Mountain!!!!!  Thanks for your prayers and I will keep you posted!