Last week, my friend April texted me the link to a blog. Since I have a smartless phone, I sat down at the computer and pounded the address in with the pink-pink-pink of the keys. The face was Erin. I could see her in there. It has been since high school since we talked. We didn't part on bad terms by any stretch. We just went in different directions.
At this point, it should be said that we lived in a town somewhat divided. You had the rich kids on one side of town and the middlers-lower income on the other side. April and I were on the other side.
When the schools combined, they didn't combine at our school, they combined on the rich side of town.
Swell.
I was not a terribly popular kid by any stretch. I was the skinny kid who had funky hair, crooked teeth and had looked as if I was hit with the ugly stick. My sister who was blazing a trail 3 years ahead of me was quite the opposite. All of the boys thought she was hot stuff. That would be great, but hi! I'm over here!
When the schools combined, I brought with me my best friend but no one, and I mean no one, talked to me in any type of friendly way other than Erin.
She intrigued me. She was different. She carried herself differently. She spoke intelligently but non-confrontationally.
Erin is a PK. (Preacher's kid.) Her dad was kind enough to come across town to pick me up every Thursday morning so that we could be in choir together.
I started to read the blog. My heart sank. Here, one of the people who I graduated with and who has been in otherwise most excellent health was facing something big-- Stage IV Colon Cancer that has spread to her liver.
Actually, in her case, they found the cancer in her liver first. They knew that it had originated somewhere else.
If you could belt out some prayers for her, I know that she'd appreciate it. If you'd like to keep up with her journal, ranting and some R rated language involved, her blog is The View from the 21st Floor.
Pray for Erin.
Showing posts with label Prayers please. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prayers please. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Prayers for Mr. H
K's teacher ended up having chest pains today. They had to call an ambulance to have him transported out. The children were moved to the library, but they saw their teacher wheeled out. It greatly upset them all. At the moment, Mr. H is undergoing testing and is currently admitted to the hospital. I'll update as I know more.
ETA: He's out of the hospital with no heart attack, though he has lost one brother to a heart attack years ago. He's still not back in class yet, but anticipates returning by the end of the week. The kids miss him.
ETA: He's out of the hospital with no heart attack, though he has lost one brother to a heart attack years ago. He's still not back in class yet, but anticipates returning by the end of the week. The kids miss him.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
PW mixer giveaway with 10 cents donated to the tornado relief charity of winner's choice for each comment received.
Go!
Now!
The mixer is a lovely thing, but Ree (the Pioneer Woman) is donating 10 cents for every comment received. The money will go to the tornado relief organization of the winner's choice. (Read the details to make sure that I got it all right.) So far, there are well over 28,000 comments!
Sign up now!
Now!
The mixer is a lovely thing, but Ree (the Pioneer Woman) is donating 10 cents for every comment received. The money will go to the tornado relief organization of the winner's choice. (Read the details to make sure that I got it all right.) So far, there are well over 28,000 comments!
Sign up now!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
If you've lived in Northeast Ohio for any length of time...
You have heard about the ladies that were missing. Both Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus were kept in the media by their families. We heard about both of these ladies every year when vigils were done.
The other evening I was on the computer with the TV on in the background. I heard what sounded like a cheesy TV program having a news conference. I looked. It looked real. I walked up and read the caption that I thought I read from far away.
My mouth hit the floor.
Tears rolled down my face.
Oh what these ladies have gone through. We'll never know and we needn't know all the details. Really, we needn't know any. It isn't our business to know.
Hubs came in while my mouth was literally wide open and asked what was going on.
"They're alive! I can't believe it! They've been missing for an entire decade and they are alive!"
We're stunned, but thrilled. Truly.
The DeJesus family has requested that retaliation not be taken against the Castro family. They know that it was one of their family members. One of the Castro family members was on crying apologizing for what the ladies have been through. I think that it is important to remember that the Castro family has been victimized, too.
When things come up like this, I sit back and see what type of charitable collection is put up. There is one to benefit the ladies and the 6 year old, as well as their families.
Cleveland Courage Fund- The Cleveland Courage Fund of the Cleveland Foundation was established after the discovery of three women held captive in a Cleveland home for a decade. Donations will go to qualified nonprofit organizations to provide services for these victims.If you feel called to give, please do so. 100% of the profits will be donated. If you would, please consider praying for these ladies, the 6 year old and their families. They have got a rather long road to go.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus FOUND ALIVE!
These two ladies have been missing for over a decade. They were being held in Cleveland, which is where they have been missing from. They were just near downtown.
Oh PRAISE JESUS. How I have cried. I can't imagine the relief of the families. Please pray for these girls and their re-entry to society. One of these young ladies had lost her mother while she was missing. Every year, they have held vigils. The bodies were never found. The family never gave up.
How HAPPY I am for all of them.
Please pray for these girls and their families.
Oh PRAISE JESUS. How I have cried. I can't imagine the relief of the families. Please pray for these girls and their re-entry to society. One of these young ladies had lost her mother while she was missing. Every year, they have held vigils. The bodies were never found. The family never gave up.
How HAPPY I am for all of them.
Please pray for these girls and their families.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Praying.
Rachael recently asked me about someone on my prayer list. "I read that, you know." Updating the prayer list had slipped my mind. I have updated it today. There are some pretty chewy things on there that need our prayerful help.
We have Sandy Hook. That goes probably without saying, but I've heard that people have been taking Christmas decorations down. I don't know that people are boycotting Christmas, but their hearts are hurting so bad. We need to continue to lift this community and the affected families in prayer because Christmas isn't about gift giving. It is about hope. So much would I love to grab them all up and just hug them. Say nothing. Just listen and hug these poor people with every ounce of energy that I have.
We have families with health issues and no money.
A family that has dropped off the radar and though we haven't heard that anything is wrong, my heart tells me that there is something not right.
We have families who have lost and are looking to lose.
We have family members who will hopefully get past the issues that they are having and come together in love.
So many prayers. So many needs. If you have one that you would like to add to the list, please contact me to let me know.
Oh, and don't think that I mind getting the poke to update. I sort of fell off the wagon when the computer crashed. I promise. I'll be better.
We have Sandy Hook. That goes probably without saying, but I've heard that people have been taking Christmas decorations down. I don't know that people are boycotting Christmas, but their hearts are hurting so bad. We need to continue to lift this community and the affected families in prayer because Christmas isn't about gift giving. It is about hope. So much would I love to grab them all up and just hug them. Say nothing. Just listen and hug these poor people with every ounce of energy that I have.
We have families with health issues and no money.
A family that has dropped off the radar and though we haven't heard that anything is wrong, my heart tells me that there is something not right.
We have families who have lost and are looking to lose.
We have family members who will hopefully get past the issues that they are having and come together in love.
So many prayers. So many needs. If you have one that you would like to add to the list, please contact me to let me know.
Oh, and don't think that I mind getting the poke to update. I sort of fell off the wagon when the computer crashed. I promise. I'll be better.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Prayers for Lil Mak.
My niece, M (who just turned 4 on July 22), is in the hospital tonight with potential appendicitis. She started feeling ill a few days ago, and my brother and his fiance took her to the ER. They diagnosed her with a UTI or bladder infection and put her on antibiotics.
She hasn't eaten anything except a piece of toast in 3 days. That piece of toast was at the coaxing of my mother.
She is very dehydrated.
They said that her white count is off (dehydration can cause that, if memory serves) and something else looked wonky. They have her in this evening continuing to test and to observe.
She's a little bit of a thing, but whoooo boy is she a pistol. To have her down instead of running in circles and continually stubbing her teeny toes has got to be a bit concerning for my brother and Renee.
Please pray for them. I'll keep you up to date.
Edited to add:
There is no appendicitis. Mak has a virus that just needs to run its course. However, now that she is technically better, like her Aunt Amy, she doesn't want to eat. I'll tell you, I get where the kid is coming from and have made myself far sicker by not eating after the vomiting ended because I didn't want it to happen again. I've left a get well giftie at her door and maybe her parents can bribe her with it. :S
She hasn't eaten anything except a piece of toast in 3 days. That piece of toast was at the coaxing of my mother.
She is very dehydrated.
They said that her white count is off (dehydration can cause that, if memory serves) and something else looked wonky. They have her in this evening continuing to test and to observe.
She's a little bit of a thing, but whoooo boy is she a pistol. To have her down instead of running in circles and continually stubbing her teeny toes has got to be a bit concerning for my brother and Renee.
Please pray for them. I'll keep you up to date.
Edited to add:
There is no appendicitis. Mak has a virus that just needs to run its course. However, now that she is technically better, like her Aunt Amy, she doesn't want to eat. I'll tell you, I get where the kid is coming from and have made myself far sicker by not eating after the vomiting ended because I didn't want it to happen again. I've left a get well giftie at her door and maybe her parents can bribe her with it. :S
Thursday, July 19, 2012
A Fancy Nancy Day for Hannah.
Let's lift up this family and wear something sparkly just for Hannah.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Middle of the night snackers.
At work this week, there were a few people talking about middle of the night eating. Stories were about middle of the night trips to the fridge, full glasses of milk, bites of cupcakes and so forth. It all just struck me as odd. Color me surprised when I found out that it is of regular occurrence for people to be up snacking instead of what I do-- sleep.
My brother Billy can give stories of his late night hunger. Once, he decided that he was hungry for bacon. He started making the bacon and then fell back to sleep. I think that he awoke some crazy 5 hours later and found that he could have burned the house down since the bacon was still on and cooking.
My brother Dumpy ate nearly all of a sheet cake one evening. I can't recall if he is a sleep eater, though. Still, nearly an entire sheet cake. That's a lot of cake, people!
LeAnne reports that she started having middle of the night snacks when she was breast feeding and just never ditched the habit.
Is my house in the minority for sleeping and not stopping to eat sometime in the middle of the night? It strikes me as odd, but we may be the oddballs of the group.
Switching subjects-- And now for this episode of Snap, Crackle and POP! You'll see that J-, sister to K- who has lived out of state for a year, was visiting with her Ohio mom when the horse that she was riding got spooked, flipped her, she bounced on one hip, bounced on the other and now may have to have a sliver of her hip screwed back into place. Oh yes, you'll see that she's the same kid who rides horses competitively and will be turning 13 at the end of the month. Georgia mom is on her way up in case surgery is to take place on Monday.
Speaking of surgery, we have our beloved friend to all internets-- Rachael-- who will be having her snapped ankle surgically stabilized on Monday evening. Girlfriend had an incident on stairs, with a toy, a box of clothes and something in her post about a cat thinking that "hoomins are filled with jelly beans" and wanted to see if they broke open like pinatas. She didn't break open, but she did send me an awesome photo of her swollen ankle. This is the same ankle that she boofed when she was 16 and my understanding is that the doctor is going to clean up a bit of that damage while he is in there toolin' around. She has a VERY active 2 year old who can have the tendency of getting into things when Rach is mobile and quick-to-move. Needless to say, she is a bit concerned about Ellie and her adventurous ways while she is on the mend.
Keep these two ladies in your prayers, please?
Smiles in my day:
- K- was able to hang with her sibs yesterday at a local swimming hole. (Truly a hole since it is an old quarry filled with water.) J- wasn't able to swim, but it was fun and interesting to get to talk to her. She is a kid with her head squarely on her shoulders and who says what she means and stands by it. It was interesting to learn that she has the same dip-dobbly skin on her upper arms that K- has and also suffers from-- tada!-- reflux in exactly the same way. We got on to talking about changes in a young woman's life, er, you know-- and though K-'s sisters were both in the age of 9 when all that came about, J- assured me that she is barely phased by it and that gives me hope that K- will be on the lighter end of things with that. Breaking away from the gene pool isn't such a bad thing sometimes.
- K- has muffins in the oven and we have declared it pajama day for at least the first half of the day. We run so often that sometimes, it is good to just have time where we sit and just are. At first, she was distressed that the time slots weren't completely full, but when pajama day was declared, all that sadness went away. Girlfriend loves herself a good pajama day.
- Rain! We got rain yesterday. When K- and I were up north with the family, Hubs said that the southern part of our county was doused in an hour long rain shower. It even watered the tomato plants! (Hubs reported that it was sideways rain.) It was nice to skip watering. My water bill came in the other day. I am not lavish with watering, but I am doing what I need to do to keep the plants alive. I have not watered the lawn, but only once and that was 4th of July for hopes not to burn the place down with residual firework sky garbage. The bill was about $40.00 more than usual. No doubt. We're in a drought and the rain barrel couldn't carry me through. :( 102 F calls for a bit deeper watering than just a swig.
- When fence neighbor was putting up the fence, we were so thrilled that we weren't going to have to fill that hole with an expensive fence ourselves that Hubs loaned off some tools to help motivate fence guy to get the job done. The tools were returned and Hubs just went to recharge the drill. The charger said that the pack was defective and it couldn't charge it. Hubs was so upset and like a good man who has a tool that has gone wrong, he wanted to run out and buy a new tool set. Unfortunately, this set wasn't just a drill, but a light and saw came with it. It was Craftsman, so Hubs didn't go cheap, but he did loan fence guy the older set he had. Turns out that Hubs was frustrated and left the battery in the charger anyhow. Thank goodness, the pack charged overnight and now Hubs is no longer harboring ill feelings towards fence guy. I told Hubs that we could have purchased a new set, as I would much rather buy a drill than to have to go through the work and money of replacing fence. So happy that all worked out. My man is happy that his tool works again. It's the simple things.
Have a great weekend!
My brother Billy can give stories of his late night hunger. Once, he decided that he was hungry for bacon. He started making the bacon and then fell back to sleep. I think that he awoke some crazy 5 hours later and found that he could have burned the house down since the bacon was still on and cooking.
My brother Dumpy ate nearly all of a sheet cake one evening. I can't recall if he is a sleep eater, though. Still, nearly an entire sheet cake. That's a lot of cake, people!
LeAnne reports that she started having middle of the night snacks when she was breast feeding and just never ditched the habit.
Is my house in the minority for sleeping and not stopping to eat sometime in the middle of the night? It strikes me as odd, but we may be the oddballs of the group.
Switching subjects-- And now for this episode of Snap, Crackle and POP! You'll see that J-, sister to K- who has lived out of state for a year, was visiting with her Ohio mom when the horse that she was riding got spooked, flipped her, she bounced on one hip, bounced on the other and now may have to have a sliver of her hip screwed back into place. Oh yes, you'll see that she's the same kid who rides horses competitively and will be turning 13 at the end of the month. Georgia mom is on her way up in case surgery is to take place on Monday.
Speaking of surgery, we have our beloved friend to all internets-- Rachael-- who will be having her snapped ankle surgically stabilized on Monday evening. Girlfriend had an incident on stairs, with a toy, a box of clothes and something in her post about a cat thinking that "hoomins are filled with jelly beans" and wanted to see if they broke open like pinatas. She didn't break open, but she did send me an awesome photo of her swollen ankle. This is the same ankle that she boofed when she was 16 and my understanding is that the doctor is going to clean up a bit of that damage while he is in there toolin' around. She has a VERY active 2 year old who can have the tendency of getting into things when Rach is mobile and quick-to-move. Needless to say, she is a bit concerned about Ellie and her adventurous ways while she is on the mend.
Keep these two ladies in your prayers, please?
Smiles in my day:
- K- was able to hang with her sibs yesterday at a local swimming hole. (Truly a hole since it is an old quarry filled with water.) J- wasn't able to swim, but it was fun and interesting to get to talk to her. She is a kid with her head squarely on her shoulders and who says what she means and stands by it. It was interesting to learn that she has the same dip-dobbly skin on her upper arms that K- has and also suffers from-- tada!-- reflux in exactly the same way. We got on to talking about changes in a young woman's life, er, you know-- and though K-'s sisters were both in the age of 9 when all that came about, J- assured me that she is barely phased by it and that gives me hope that K- will be on the lighter end of things with that. Breaking away from the gene pool isn't such a bad thing sometimes.
- K- has muffins in the oven and we have declared it pajama day for at least the first half of the day. We run so often that sometimes, it is good to just have time where we sit and just are. At first, she was distressed that the time slots weren't completely full, but when pajama day was declared, all that sadness went away. Girlfriend loves herself a good pajama day.
- Rain! We got rain yesterday. When K- and I were up north with the family, Hubs said that the southern part of our county was doused in an hour long rain shower. It even watered the tomato plants! (Hubs reported that it was sideways rain.) It was nice to skip watering. My water bill came in the other day. I am not lavish with watering, but I am doing what I need to do to keep the plants alive. I have not watered the lawn, but only once and that was 4th of July for hopes not to burn the place down with residual firework sky garbage. The bill was about $40.00 more than usual. No doubt. We're in a drought and the rain barrel couldn't carry me through. :( 102 F calls for a bit deeper watering than just a swig.
- When fence neighbor was putting up the fence, we were so thrilled that we weren't going to have to fill that hole with an expensive fence ourselves that Hubs loaned off some tools to help motivate fence guy to get the job done. The tools were returned and Hubs just went to recharge the drill. The charger said that the pack was defective and it couldn't charge it. Hubs was so upset and like a good man who has a tool that has gone wrong, he wanted to run out and buy a new tool set. Unfortunately, this set wasn't just a drill, but a light and saw came with it. It was Craftsman, so Hubs didn't go cheap, but he did loan fence guy the older set he had. Turns out that Hubs was frustrated and left the battery in the charger anyhow. Thank goodness, the pack charged overnight and now Hubs is no longer harboring ill feelings towards fence guy. I told Hubs that we could have purchased a new set, as I would much rather buy a drill than to have to go through the work and money of replacing fence. So happy that all worked out. My man is happy that his tool works again. It's the simple things.
Have a great weekend!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Prayers for Heather and baby, please.- The update!
Heather texted me today stating that she felt kind of funky with a sore throat and I believe a runny nose. Later, she texted and said that she was going to the ER because her heart was racing.
To someone who suffered fetal loss as a result of preeclampsia/eclampsia, this is not something that rings well to me.
She went to some facility up north where they did blood work and an EKG. Apparently, her EKG didn't appear right. They have sent her off to the Cleveland Clinic (where her husband works) for a 24 hour observation period.
She is concerned. I've only gotten info by text, so I can only give you what I have right now. Please pray for Heather and (as of this moment he is named) baby Gabe. Gabe is due October 11.
The update is that after having gone to an ER, having a funky EKG, arriving at the other hospital by ambulance, having weird numbers that made them question blood clots, a scan for clots, several EKG's, a quick run to make sure that Gabe is swimming beautifully, Heather is now HOME as it was dehydration (gee, um, 99 F have anything to do with it?) and low potassium. She left me a message and said that she needed to sleep. So glad that it wasn't the ugly road we walked down.
Phew. Oh, and AMEN! :)
To someone who suffered fetal loss as a result of preeclampsia/eclampsia, this is not something that rings well to me.
She went to some facility up north where they did blood work and an EKG. Apparently, her EKG didn't appear right. They have sent her off to the Cleveland Clinic (where her husband works) for a 24 hour observation period.
She is concerned. I've only gotten info by text, so I can only give you what I have right now. Please pray for Heather and (as of this moment he is named) baby Gabe. Gabe is due October 11.
The update is that after having gone to an ER, having a funky EKG, arriving at the other hospital by ambulance, having weird numbers that made them question blood clots, a scan for clots, several EKG's, a quick run to make sure that Gabe is swimming beautifully, Heather is now HOME as it was dehydration (gee, um, 99 F have anything to do with it?) and low potassium. She left me a message and said that she needed to sleep. So glad that it wasn't the ugly road we walked down.
Phew. Oh, and AMEN! :)
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
The birthday that I couldn't celebrate.
My brother Billy has somewhat removed himself from family. I admit that I was still in favor with him until I found that I absolutely would not take his screaming treatment of my mother as okay any longer, so I sent a text telling him what I felt.
I was invited not to contact him.
I sent him a birthday card, but it wasn't the same.
I drove my niece home from my mom's house last night. I her that I was no longer coddling her father. I still wanted to make sure that she remembered his birthday yesterday and was able to phone him. "Aunt Amy, I'm not allowed to have my dad's phone number." She did send a card, though.
Grand.
My birthday wish for my brother? I'd love him to remember how important family and his children are.
My birthday wish for my mom? That my brother takes his head out of his butt (I'm being nice, considering) and starts giving her the respect that she deserves. I mean, I know that it isn't a big deal to him that she and my dad have been busy raising his son, pulling him through school and teaching him to read since October (my nephew is 9), but he might want to consider that perhaps not so many parents out there would do the same. They've fed, housed, helped to clothe and miscellaneous things all with no offer to offset those costs. It is a great thing what my parents have done and the lack of respect and true appreciation astounds me. Frankly, it breaks my mom's heart the way my brother has chosen to treat her and speak to her in tones and words that I would never consider using around people that I greatly dislike.
I hope that my brother can see what matters most and that whatever life he choses to lead allows him to sleep at night. If he finds that it doesn't, that he might consider adjusting likewise and to make life improvements. Until then, I pray for him to consider reconciling with his family- the very same people he has called on and has bailed him out on numerous occasions.
I was invited not to contact him.
I sent him a birthday card, but it wasn't the same.
I drove my niece home from my mom's house last night. I her that I was no longer coddling her father. I still wanted to make sure that she remembered his birthday yesterday and was able to phone him. "Aunt Amy, I'm not allowed to have my dad's phone number." She did send a card, though.
Grand.
My birthday wish for my brother? I'd love him to remember how important family and his children are.
My birthday wish for my mom? That my brother takes his head out of his butt (I'm being nice, considering) and starts giving her the respect that she deserves. I mean, I know that it isn't a big deal to him that she and my dad have been busy raising his son, pulling him through school and teaching him to read since October (my nephew is 9), but he might want to consider that perhaps not so many parents out there would do the same. They've fed, housed, helped to clothe and miscellaneous things all with no offer to offset those costs. It is a great thing what my parents have done and the lack of respect and true appreciation astounds me. Frankly, it breaks my mom's heart the way my brother has chosen to treat her and speak to her in tones and words that I would never consider using around people that I greatly dislike.
I hope that my brother can see what matters most and that whatever life he choses to lead allows him to sleep at night. If he finds that it doesn't, that he might consider adjusting likewise and to make life improvements. Until then, I pray for him to consider reconciling with his family- the very same people he has called on and has bailed him out on numerous occasions.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Comments, need for moderation and assumptions.
Rach,
It is my love for you that I ask you to stop reading here.
Love,
Amy
I got a text message from my friend Rachael last evening. She said that an 18 year old had gone missing in the exact place where her daughter did on July 19, 2007. I pulled up the news feed and knew things weren't good. Thankfully, Rachael's neighbor gave her a heads up before she turned on the evening news. While I'm familiar with Hannah's death, I pulled up the news bits on her. I noticed that there were several pages of comments.
There were 127 comments.
I have to tell you, in light of someone having lost their child, you would have thought that the community would have lifted the family in prayer. Sadly, most comments were horrible, judgmental and dreadful. There were people talking God, but last I checked, they aren't Him. There were people saying that Rach should be charged with neglect, yet they weren't there or they would have known that she was right there and didn't just farm her out on her own. There were a lot of statements said about my friend and her family- by people who had never even met them. Why would people feel the need to be so judgmental and debating? I texted Rachael and asked her to turn comment moderation on, as in attempt to show the people who were being so judgmental about Hannah's tragic drowning, someone who knew her actually published the name of her blog in the comments. I know that there was at least one person who came directly to her blog to flog her about Hannah's death. I just don't want that to happen.
For those searching for information regarding the drowning death of Hannah Davis at College Creek, please know that it was an accident. My friend was right there with her and her other daughter. This was an area that they had frequented over the years. Sadly, there is an 18 year old young man who is missing right now. Instead of being judgmental of the families about accidental drownings, why don't we wrap them in our loving arms, as God would have wanted us to? Our prayers go out to the family of Hannah Davis and Trevor Times. Please be gentle with these families. They need your support, not your judgment.
ETA: Sadly, Trevor's body was recovered yesterday morning.
It is my love for you that I ask you to stop reading here.
Love,
Amy
I got a text message from my friend Rachael last evening. She said that an 18 year old had gone missing in the exact place where her daughter did on July 19, 2007. I pulled up the news feed and knew things weren't good. Thankfully, Rachael's neighbor gave her a heads up before she turned on the evening news. While I'm familiar with Hannah's death, I pulled up the news bits on her. I noticed that there were several pages of comments.
There were 127 comments.
I have to tell you, in light of someone having lost their child, you would have thought that the community would have lifted the family in prayer. Sadly, most comments were horrible, judgmental and dreadful. There were people talking God, but last I checked, they aren't Him. There were people saying that Rach should be charged with neglect, yet they weren't there or they would have known that she was right there and didn't just farm her out on her own. There were a lot of statements said about my friend and her family- by people who had never even met them. Why would people feel the need to be so judgmental and debating? I texted Rachael and asked her to turn comment moderation on, as in attempt to show the people who were being so judgmental about Hannah's tragic drowning, someone who knew her actually published the name of her blog in the comments. I know that there was at least one person who came directly to her blog to flog her about Hannah's death. I just don't want that to happen.
For those searching for information regarding the drowning death of Hannah Davis at College Creek, please know that it was an accident. My friend was right there with her and her other daughter. This was an area that they had frequented over the years. Sadly, there is an 18 year old young man who is missing right now. Instead of being judgmental of the families about accidental drownings, why don't we wrap them in our loving arms, as God would have wanted us to? Our prayers go out to the family of Hannah Davis and Trevor Times. Please be gentle with these families. They need your support, not your judgment.
ETA: Sadly, Trevor's body was recovered yesterday morning.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Less than 24 hours later . . .
My father-in-law was released from the hospital today. I'm amazed, since he spent the overnight in the ICU. He was unable to move even a twinge until after midnight. At the time that my mother-in-law texted his message of freedom, it was 1:30 PM. The day before, he was in surgery until about 3:30 PM. They cruised a heart cath device around the interiors of his heart muscle to remove scar tissue and to cauterize the bits causing disruption of electrical impulses.
It was a 7 1/2 hour procedure.
If they were trying to do the 23 hour hold like I had when I had my ACL reconstructed, they managed that quite nicely.
Wow.
The report is that he is doing stunningly well and we continue prayers as such. Modern medicine truly continues to astound me.
Thanks for the prayers. Keep 'em coming! :)
It was a 7 1/2 hour procedure.
If they were trying to do the 23 hour hold like I had when I had my ACL reconstructed, they managed that quite nicely.
Wow.
The report is that he is doing stunningly well and we continue prayers as such. Modern medicine truly continues to astound me.
Thanks for the prayers. Keep 'em coming! :)
Monday, April 30, 2012
The waiting room.
I am sitting in a rather packed waiting room waiting for my father-in-law to return from his procedure. He is having scar tissue in his heart removed through heart cath and it is due to take some time. It is a bit of a risk, but I suspect that anytime that you have someone digging around in your heart, it is a bit of a risk.
I am not a fan of the waiting room. Call it having spent far too many hours in them as a child as I waited to hear how my grandfather, grandmother or aunt were doing. Mom taught us to tidy the waiting room and to make it look far better than it did when we got there. We would straighten magazines, put pillows and blankets away and toss away garbage.
Todays waiting room has a different feel. There is a gentleman cruising around on a mobility scooter, a lady behind me playing a game on her phone with the volume turned way too high, my mother-in-law is trying to close her eyes for a bit of sleep and Hubs is tweaking a bit with the hemline of his pants. It ia a busy place. People are in and out, and it seems to be a pick-up place for people to be shuttled off to surgery. The beep and ring of pagers fill the air along with low chattering, the ring of the desk phone. The TV is operating just a touch too low to hear. That's okay, there is some scantilly clad girl on there anyhow.
Plink.
Plink.
Plink, plink goes the phone game.
The clicking of a metal crafted cane hitting the industrial low pile carpet
People in rooms with doctors, getting the update on their loved one.
Eyes closed. Coughs belted out. People who forgot to put something other than pajama pants on when they left the house this morning.
People talking with their hands.
A man is playing a thumb piano. The sound is a pleasant one that doesn't annoy.
The wait. Oh my heavens, the wait.
ETA: My father-in-law got out of surgery and did well. He was in from sometime after 8am - 3:30ish pm. Currently, he is in ICU, but probably only because of the detail of surgery involved. He may come home on Wednesday, if my understanding is correct. I'd like him to remain where they feel he needs to be for the length of time they want him there. In the end, all looks well and we are certainly pleased with that. Pray on, my friends.
P.S. It is one big blob because I typed this on the Kindle. Sorry for the bad form!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Being prayerful with a rather long list.
I try to update my sidebar prayer list. Sometimes I find that I haven't done it in a while. I've had a number of prayer requests come to me, so I feel the need to be a bit more in depth.
1. Pastor Henry- (my previous pastor from the church I attended for 30 years) Was rollerskating with the 5th grade. He was trying to be fun sub for the day and he went down. He broke his femur in 3 places, requiring hip replacement (if memory serves) and a bit of attachment surgery. He's out substitute teaching for the remainder of the year. He is very diabetic and that is of great concern to me. He is home and on the mend.
2. The pregnant ladies. We have Janeen (a cousin) expecting her 3rd in August. Heather, a very good friend, is expecting her 4th in October. Megan, a friend of Rachael, is expecting in the fall. Megan had some issues with a previous pregnancy, so those concerns can't help but to sneak into her brain.
3. Jillian and her family- This is a family who is friends with my friend, Kay. Jillian, at the tender age of 8, has just been diagnosed with cancer in her leg. She is due to have surgery on April 5th to remove lymph nodes and do some general exploration. They'll be doing a skin graft from her backside and not only is cancer the concern here, but also the 4 hour ride home. Becky, the mom, has been diagnosed with breast cancer in the middle of all of this. She has put her care on the back burner right now. That is of great concern. There are two brothers whose names I cannot recall. The middle child has a "spot on his brain" that is giving him migraines. The spot hasn't grown, so there is no definition of cancer or not. Still, headaches remain and that is a bit disconcerting. The youngest who is now 4 found out from the new dentist (previous retired suddenly and passed his office on to a new dentist) that major dental surgery is needed for the deterioration of teeth in his mouth. A 3 hour surgery is expected.
4. Danielle and Logan. Danielle is on the PTA board and had emergency surgery yesterday. She's had a number of female reproductive issues this year and I suspect this is also in that same surgical family. Her son, Logan, rode a Razr scooter down the sidewalk of a very large hill. When he reached the bottom, he hit a piece of gravel and flew. He landed on the top right of his forehead. He was in the hospital for several days. This has obviously given him a big ole concussion and has left a kind of "squishy spot" on his brain. It will heal, but it will take time. When he did this stunt, he was still in a cast from having broken his thumb a few weeks previous. He is in middle school, perhaps 7th grade, so my guess is that he is 12 or so.
5. Rachael and family. A family member has been very ill and is nearing the end. She was able to spend some time with her family member, but still-- loss is hovering closer and closer.
6. LeAnne- (my sister) About a month ago, she had experienced some fairly heavy rectal bleeding. While it stopped in a few days, she is just going today for an appointment to schedule a colonoscopy. Right at the moment, she is on state insurance and care doesn't get approved quickly. The thought is that she has colitis, which runs in the family, but then so does colon cancer. Yes, I will be getting a colonoscopy in a few years. Ugh.
7. Cooper- (newborn of a cousin) Cooper had jaundice when he was born, then had to go back to the hospital for several days as a result. He has been home for a week and a half. Prayers that he is over all that and that his development continues on a positive course.
8. Mrs. B-'s mom- (K-'s teacher) Mrs. B-'s mom has had several falls. She is very overweight, extremely diabetic and has been found to have one leg significantly shorter than the other. Lifts were put in her shoes, which made a dramatic difference. Still, she fell last week, resulting in hospitalization. Services have been secured, physical therapy and such are coming to the house and hopefully, her recovery can be in a forward motion. Mrs. B- is retiring at the end of May so that she can get her mom up and moving more regularly.
Praises!
1. My nephew, L-, suffered from a horrible case of the lower digestive funk and as a result, he is now potty trained. LeAnne was saying about how burned his little bum was getting and we had talked about this being prime time for him to get out of the diaper and onto the throne. It worked! I'm sorry that it took the flu to get him there, but he has made it and is now happily pottying away.
2. K- has recovered from her digestive flu. She was gifted a lower level case (thank you God!) and I have to say that I think that might be in part to the probiotics that she takes every day. She missed 2 full days of school and came home early on Monday. She worked (without pressure from us) for 5 1/2 hours yesterday and another 1/2 hour this morning on the pile of papers that came home. She wanted to go back to school fully back on track and frankly, didn't want to stay in for recess to catch up. Can't blame her. I saw her several times in the hall today and there were no complaints of digestive yuck. Hooray!
3. Garden Fair seeds have been distributed. I now only have to get some soil to set out and we are in business. The teachers seemed to be very intrigued by the seed option of Garden Fair this year. I'm hoping that we have great participation in the fall. My thanks to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds for accepting us into their Seeds for Peace seed donation program!
That might cover it. If you have anything to add to the list, feel free to do so in the comments.
1. Pastor Henry- (my previous pastor from the church I attended for 30 years) Was rollerskating with the 5th grade. He was trying to be fun sub for the day and he went down. He broke his femur in 3 places, requiring hip replacement (if memory serves) and a bit of attachment surgery. He's out substitute teaching for the remainder of the year. He is very diabetic and that is of great concern to me. He is home and on the mend.
2. The pregnant ladies. We have Janeen (a cousin) expecting her 3rd in August. Heather, a very good friend, is expecting her 4th in October. Megan, a friend of Rachael, is expecting in the fall. Megan had some issues with a previous pregnancy, so those concerns can't help but to sneak into her brain.
3. Jillian and her family- This is a family who is friends with my friend, Kay. Jillian, at the tender age of 8, has just been diagnosed with cancer in her leg. She is due to have surgery on April 5th to remove lymph nodes and do some general exploration. They'll be doing a skin graft from her backside and not only is cancer the concern here, but also the 4 hour ride home. Becky, the mom, has been diagnosed with breast cancer in the middle of all of this. She has put her care on the back burner right now. That is of great concern. There are two brothers whose names I cannot recall. The middle child has a "spot on his brain" that is giving him migraines. The spot hasn't grown, so there is no definition of cancer or not. Still, headaches remain and that is a bit disconcerting. The youngest who is now 4 found out from the new dentist (previous retired suddenly and passed his office on to a new dentist) that major dental surgery is needed for the deterioration of teeth in his mouth. A 3 hour surgery is expected.
4. Danielle and Logan. Danielle is on the PTA board and had emergency surgery yesterday. She's had a number of female reproductive issues this year and I suspect this is also in that same surgical family. Her son, Logan, rode a Razr scooter down the sidewalk of a very large hill. When he reached the bottom, he hit a piece of gravel and flew. He landed on the top right of his forehead. He was in the hospital for several days. This has obviously given him a big ole concussion and has left a kind of "squishy spot" on his brain. It will heal, but it will take time. When he did this stunt, he was still in a cast from having broken his thumb a few weeks previous. He is in middle school, perhaps 7th grade, so my guess is that he is 12 or so.
5. Rachael and family. A family member has been very ill and is nearing the end. She was able to spend some time with her family member, but still-- loss is hovering closer and closer.
6. LeAnne- (my sister) About a month ago, she had experienced some fairly heavy rectal bleeding. While it stopped in a few days, she is just going today for an appointment to schedule a colonoscopy. Right at the moment, she is on state insurance and care doesn't get approved quickly. The thought is that she has colitis, which runs in the family, but then so does colon cancer. Yes, I will be getting a colonoscopy in a few years. Ugh.
7. Cooper- (newborn of a cousin) Cooper had jaundice when he was born, then had to go back to the hospital for several days as a result. He has been home for a week and a half. Prayers that he is over all that and that his development continues on a positive course.
8. Mrs. B-'s mom- (K-'s teacher) Mrs. B-'s mom has had several falls. She is very overweight, extremely diabetic and has been found to have one leg significantly shorter than the other. Lifts were put in her shoes, which made a dramatic difference. Still, she fell last week, resulting in hospitalization. Services have been secured, physical therapy and such are coming to the house and hopefully, her recovery can be in a forward motion. Mrs. B- is retiring at the end of May so that she can get her mom up and moving more regularly.
Praises!
1. My nephew, L-, suffered from a horrible case of the lower digestive funk and as a result, he is now potty trained. LeAnne was saying about how burned his little bum was getting and we had talked about this being prime time for him to get out of the diaper and onto the throne. It worked! I'm sorry that it took the flu to get him there, but he has made it and is now happily pottying away.
2. K- has recovered from her digestive flu. She was gifted a lower level case (thank you God!) and I have to say that I think that might be in part to the probiotics that she takes every day. She missed 2 full days of school and came home early on Monday. She worked (without pressure from us) for 5 1/2 hours yesterday and another 1/2 hour this morning on the pile of papers that came home. She wanted to go back to school fully back on track and frankly, didn't want to stay in for recess to catch up. Can't blame her. I saw her several times in the hall today and there were no complaints of digestive yuck. Hooray!
3. Garden Fair seeds have been distributed. I now only have to get some soil to set out and we are in business. The teachers seemed to be very intrigued by the seed option of Garden Fair this year. I'm hoping that we have great participation in the fall. My thanks to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds for accepting us into their Seeds for Peace seed donation program!
That might cover it. If you have anything to add to the list, feel free to do so in the comments.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Because there is a Polar Pop out there with my name on it.
First, Aunt Donna's procedure went well. They were able to remove her tumor by doing a colonoscopy and doing it that way. They couldn't do it at the initial colonoscopy because they needed to get some tools to perform the procedure that they didn't have. We're glad that it was basically as minimally invasive as possible. Aunt Donna had herself all thinking that parts of colon or intestine were being removed and that rehab would be necessary.
Thankfully, not so. Her procedure (wasn't full on surgery) was supposed to be at 7:30 AM so I arrived at 6:25 AM to find her no where around. She had been rolled down at 5:50 AM, so I had to hunt down the colonoscopy room and hang out there.
Bill was fine and I'm thankful for the word search app on the Kindle. It took the awkwardness of the situation away.
Tomorrow, she'll be having the lumpectomy on her breast done. I believe that to be true since it actually came out of a physicians mouth. Lord only knows what time I'll need to be up and out for that. I'm good with it. Don't think I'm not. I wouldn't consider not being there for her, but caffeine-- oh it shall be my friend.
With that, it is supposed to be a freakishly warm 60 degree day. Pardon me as I go crack a few windows open. I long for fresh air.
Keep the prayers coming. Thanks so much!
Thankfully, not so. Her procedure (wasn't full on surgery) was supposed to be at 7:30 AM so I arrived at 6:25 AM to find her no where around. She had been rolled down at 5:50 AM, so I had to hunt down the colonoscopy room and hang out there.
Bill was fine and I'm thankful for the word search app on the Kindle. It took the awkwardness of the situation away.
Tomorrow, she'll be having the lumpectomy on her breast done. I believe that to be true since it actually came out of a physicians mouth. Lord only knows what time I'll need to be up and out for that. I'm good with it. Don't think I'm not. I wouldn't consider not being there for her, but caffeine-- oh it shall be my friend.
With that, it is supposed to be a freakishly warm 60 degree day. Pardon me as I go crack a few windows open. I long for fresh air.
Keep the prayers coming. Thanks so much!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Aunt Donna's surgery tomorrow!
Bless the ole girl. They told her that she would have surgery tomorrow @7:30 AM and she didn't ask important questions like how long, where will I be after or anything. She's just excited to get this finally done. As for me, I'll be enjoying an akward wait time with her brother, my biological father who I disowned at 15, was adopted and had a legal name change. It's not about me and I'm hoping that we can continue being cordial as we've managed for the last many years.
Prayers, please!
Prayers, please!
Friday, January 27, 2012
A heaping helping of frustration.
This is my aunt's 8th day in the hospital. During that time, we've been given highs, lows and in-betweens.
She was told Monday that her tumor that was found was cancerous.
She was told Tuesday or Wednesday that it was precancerous.
She was told Tuesday that she had a spot on her lung and one in her right breast. Nothing to worry about. Probably calcium deposit in the breast and perhaps asbestos in the lung.
She was sent down for a mammogram on Wednesday and the tech told her that it looked suspicious and like it was cancer. Oh, the term was changed from spot to mass.
They decided that they had to have a biopsy of it. Aunt Donna said that they could do it when they do her surgery to remove the rectal tumor. They came Thursday afternoon and did it in her room.
Today she was told that she has three additional "lumps" that they have found, one place being her pancreas.
Today she was told that the "spot" on her lung needed to be biopsied and they will be doing that tomorrow.
Cancer, no cancer, cancer, no cancer, cancer . . .
She is looking towards surgery possibly Wednesday. She's wanting them to remove what they can remove and have radiation or chemotherapy. She's repeated that several times. By what she said that the doctor has said, it doesn't look like any of those three are truly the options that they are looking at.
Frankly, I do think that my aunt is full of cancer. They could carve and chop her up like a pumpkin, but at this point, I don't know that it would make a huge difference.
Each phone call gives a different answer. She says that once she hangs the phone up, the doctors come in and tell her something else.
What is worse is how I currently feel about what would be good news that she gave me. You see, my biological father (her brother), came to her the other day and said that he is now a Christian. While I think that it is grand that he is saved, I admit questioning his motives. As a Christian, I feel horrible about this. I talked to Mom about it, who was married to the man and could confirm or deny my feelings. My mom's bit, "Well, I hope that we're both wrong." Apparently, he had done this once with her. You see, my aunt is a very devote Christian. To tell her that you are a Christian as well gets her singing praises to the Lord the way that any good Baptist would. Sadly, we live in a fallen world. As such, some people aren't quite as pure and full of integrity with their announcements of such devotion to our Lord and Savior. My thoughts, and I hate that I go there with it, is that he has told her that so that he can "get in good with her" before she dies. I suspect that he believes that if he speaks to her in her love language, that he'll be the recipient of all her earthly goods when she passes.
Aunt Donna is an old woman with not a whole lotta much.
My sister frustrates me with her continual complaining to Aunt Donna about things that she and her children don't have. Of course, this prompts Aunt Donna to be the fixer (middle child) and do what she can for my sister, even if it would be her last cent. My aunt has been trying to contact my sister from the hospital. My sister has phones that she said need to be replaced. Now, she's known this for a while. My aunt has finally gotten so frustrated that she sent me out today to spend $60.00 on new phones for my sister. It gripes me to no end that the wanting doesn't seem to cease.
My mom phoned my aunt and prayed with her. Mom said that Aunt Donna pleaded to God for healing. Miracles do and can happen. Who am I to stand in the way of her pleading?
I'm frustrated because this isn't my first time at the rodeo. I walked my grandmother (Mom's mom) through colon cancer. My aunt (Mom's sister) was prayed for and with through brain cancer. My grandmother (Aunt Donna's mom) was prayed for and with regarding her small cell lymphoma. This rodeo looks like a duck. It's walking like a duck. I fear that it is a big, massed out duck.
This one I can't fix, even if I am a middle child.
She was told Monday that her tumor that was found was cancerous.
She was told Tuesday or Wednesday that it was precancerous.
She was told Tuesday that she had a spot on her lung and one in her right breast. Nothing to worry about. Probably calcium deposit in the breast and perhaps asbestos in the lung.
She was sent down for a mammogram on Wednesday and the tech told her that it looked suspicious and like it was cancer. Oh, the term was changed from spot to mass.
They decided that they had to have a biopsy of it. Aunt Donna said that they could do it when they do her surgery to remove the rectal tumor. They came Thursday afternoon and did it in her room.
Today she was told that she has three additional "lumps" that they have found, one place being her pancreas.
Today she was told that the "spot" on her lung needed to be biopsied and they will be doing that tomorrow.
Cancer, no cancer, cancer, no cancer, cancer . . .
She is looking towards surgery possibly Wednesday. She's wanting them to remove what they can remove and have radiation or chemotherapy. She's repeated that several times. By what she said that the doctor has said, it doesn't look like any of those three are truly the options that they are looking at.
Frankly, I do think that my aunt is full of cancer. They could carve and chop her up like a pumpkin, but at this point, I don't know that it would make a huge difference.
Each phone call gives a different answer. She says that once she hangs the phone up, the doctors come in and tell her something else.
What is worse is how I currently feel about what would be good news that she gave me. You see, my biological father (her brother), came to her the other day and said that he is now a Christian. While I think that it is grand that he is saved, I admit questioning his motives. As a Christian, I feel horrible about this. I talked to Mom about it, who was married to the man and could confirm or deny my feelings. My mom's bit, "Well, I hope that we're both wrong." Apparently, he had done this once with her. You see, my aunt is a very devote Christian. To tell her that you are a Christian as well gets her singing praises to the Lord the way that any good Baptist would. Sadly, we live in a fallen world. As such, some people aren't quite as pure and full of integrity with their announcements of such devotion to our Lord and Savior. My thoughts, and I hate that I go there with it, is that he has told her that so that he can "get in good with her" before she dies. I suspect that he believes that if he speaks to her in her love language, that he'll be the recipient of all her earthly goods when she passes.
Aunt Donna is an old woman with not a whole lotta much.
My sister frustrates me with her continual complaining to Aunt Donna about things that she and her children don't have. Of course, this prompts Aunt Donna to be the fixer (middle child) and do what she can for my sister, even if it would be her last cent. My aunt has been trying to contact my sister from the hospital. My sister has phones that she said need to be replaced. Now, she's known this for a while. My aunt has finally gotten so frustrated that she sent me out today to spend $60.00 on new phones for my sister. It gripes me to no end that the wanting doesn't seem to cease.
My mom phoned my aunt and prayed with her. Mom said that Aunt Donna pleaded to God for healing. Miracles do and can happen. Who am I to stand in the way of her pleading?
I'm frustrated because this isn't my first time at the rodeo. I walked my grandmother (Mom's mom) through colon cancer. My aunt (Mom's sister) was prayed for and with through brain cancer. My grandmother (Aunt Donna's mom) was prayed for and with regarding her small cell lymphoma. This rodeo looks like a duck. It's walking like a duck. I fear that it is a big, massed out duck.
This one I can't fix, even if I am a middle child.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The Tooth Fairy needs you! Foreign coin ID, please.
HELP!
1. Says something to the effect of Confederatio Helvetica.-- SWITZERLAND!
2. Looks potentially Russian.
3. and 5. Looks potentially Russian.
4. Says Deutschland on it. -- GERMANY!
She's gotten a Euro, money from Turkey and pence from Scotland. With the snaggle toothy front tooth that is twisting and just dangling there (I've encouraged her to pull it, but nope), she'll be enjoying some money from Panama. I also have money from the Bahamas.
Lend a hand to the tooth fairy, will you? Thanks!
Aunt Donna update: She had a mammogram which labeled the spot on her breast as a "mass" and it needs biopsied. Though she was originally denied surgery for the rectal tumor, she now is cleared by the cardiologist. (Calcium deposits on her heart.) She has a spot on her lung, but goodness knows what that is. Honestly, it sounds as if she has the small cell lymphoma that my grandma had and it has cropped up in several places. I know that they said that the colon bit is precancerous, but other things have cropped up and it doesn't seem like dots are connecting to me. Her request is that we pray God's will for her life. She is a Christian and said that she is good with whatever God's will has for her. Bless her calcium deposited heart.
ETA: The dangling tooth de-dangled while I was out visiting with my aunt. K- was so thrilled that she gave me a call to let me know.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Tales from the Trenches: So sad.
I read this article online. It is so very sad that a young man strayed off the trail and fell to his death. This is an absolutely beautiful park. We've vacationed at Hocking Hills several times. I can absolutely tell you that the area is well posted with this sign:
I remember what it was like to be in college and thinking that I was invincible. Our prayers to this family. What an incredible loss.
Please keep this family in your prayers.
Please keep this family in your prayers.
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