Feeling Better

Thanks to so many of you for your many prayers while I was sick the last week. My fevers are finally gone and my sore throat has become only scratchy...a huge improvement! I'm not 100% yet and still feeling a bit tired but I am planning on going back to work tomorrow. We'll see if I have the stamina to keep up with the madhouse all day long!!

It seems as though a lot of people have gotten sick at work while I was out. Sounds like the colds and flus are starting earlier than normal this year! I hope this doesn't mean we are all in for a long winter!

Here's a good reminder for us all to do the one thing that works the best to keep us healthy....good handwashing! So good night and happy handwashing!

On the mend....or not!

Saturday afternoon and Sunday were much better days for me. I sat on the front porch and enjoyed some of the sunshine (I think the sun is always so soothing and healing!) each day. The weather was just gorgeous all weekend! I even put my family room back together yesterday, and tucked away the hide-a-bed because I thought I was feeling better. My throat has continued to feel incredibly crummy still, in spite of the multiple doses of penicillin and since I woke up with a low grade fever again this morning, I'm headed back to the doctor this afternoon for some tests to see what is causing all this ickiness!

I'm such a baby when it comes to sore throats...and, this sore throat is one step away from strep...you know the feeling...the kind where you think you can't breathe around the swollenness of your throat and when I lay down I start to gag. So, last night I spent sleeping upright in my recliner (Thank the Lord for recliners!) just so I wouldn't gag myself!

Needless to say, I'm home from work again today. I've been gone a week which in some ways is so hard because I know how much there is that needs to be done. But, in other ways, I know that I can trust the Lord in His goodness and He knew long before I did that I would be gone these days at work. It's a good thing for me to be away from work...why, you ask?

Well, work hasn't been extremely kind to me recently.(That's me being kind!) Don't get me wrong...I really like the job itself. I love the patients and their sweet little faces. I love working with the families (most of the time!) and establishing a rapport with them, hopefully helping to make a difficult time in their lives a little easier! But, work has been really stressful for the last year or so. I've really been working two jobs and until the last several weeks, I'd been working close to 50 hours a week. It probably wouldn't seem half as bad if I had support at work, others I could turn to for help when there is too much on my plate. But, this has not been the case and has certainly led to an overwhelming amount of stress that has most certainly been a contributor to the illness I am now fighting!

So, I guess, what I'm trying to say...is even though I'm bored at home (thankful that I am now at least enjoying some leisurely reading!) it's been good for me to be forced to slow down, allow myself to think a little, to gain some perspective on various events going on in my life and just spend time reflecting with the Lord!

Sick and Bored!

Today is the 5th day that I've been running a fever. There's nothing quite like a temp of 103 to remind you how crummy you can feel. The last 4 days have involved my back hurting, my hands hurting, my legs hurting, my head hurting, even my eyes hurting. I have just felt miserable!

But after 5 days I'm also very bored! A person can only lay on the couch for so long and I feel so bad I can't even sleep! I don't even want to watch TV or read. In fact, I've spent so much time on the couch, that I finally just pulled out my sofa bed and really made myself comfortable! (I highly recommend this if you're ever sick for any length of time.) So, my routine has been to move from the bed in my bedroom to the bed in my family room each morning and then I do the reverse each evening. It's really pathetic!

Even eating doesn't break up my day (or night)! All I consume is juice, water, a few crackers here and there...I really got wild last night and ate some Pepperidge Farm Gold Fish...just to mix it up a little! And, then of course, there's always the CNS (Chicken Noodle Soup)! Always a good staple when one is sick but even that gets old pretty quickly!

And, I missed our chapel's VBS this weekend. I've really been looking forward to VBS...it's always a fun way to get to know the kids and spend some time with them. I was sorely disappointed I wasn't able to go but I certainly didn't want to share all the "blessings" that come with the crud I've been "enjoying" this last week!

All in all, though, there's still much to be thankful for... I'm slowly getting better. My temp is now low grade and makes me feel less miserable than yesterday! And, I'm actually beginning to think about foods other than CNS and crackers! Yippee!! And, I've had some time to lay on my sofa bed and pray for VBS and also pray for many of you and your families! I'm also thankful that I'm not always sick...thankful that, in general, the Lord has blessed me with great health and every once in a while I need to get sick to be reminded of how good I really have it!

God's Sovereignty

As I've been thinking about what it means to trust the Lord, I've also been thinking on the sovereignty of God. I recently came across the following definition of God's sovereignty:

It means God is always in control; it does not mean that He dictates; it means that in spite of everything that happens He is STILL in control and His will still prevails.

One of my favorite books, Fine China is For Single Women Too by Lydia Brownback, carries the theme of God's sovereignty throughout it's pages. This book reinforces the idea that trusting the Lord in all His sovereignty provides safety. It reminds me that we are to look beyond today and view our lives in light of eternity. It reminds me that in spite of my own shortcomings that the Lord's will prevails.

Brownback discusses finding contentment and joy living exactly where God places us at any given time. She discusses Joshua dispersing the land to the various tribes and how there wasn't equal division of the land; the Levites didn't even get any land to call their own. She quotes Dean Ulrich in regards to this passage:

God will sovereignly direct your steps and put you in the place of service that He wants--however great or small. He'll take care of the opportunities for advancement, and He'll see to it that the things about which we worry so much will turn out well. For now, though, He's more interested in the fact that you faithfully follow Him in the place where He has you. In the future, He'll continue to draw and redraw the boundary lines the way that He wants, but He wants you to be faithful in the boundary lines that He has drawn now.
We tend to eye up our neighbor's "property"--whether it be tangible possessions or skills, talents, achievements, friends, or looks. The next time you are tempted to eye up your neighbor's property, think of these land surveys. They were "distributed by lot in Shiloh before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting" (Josh. 19:51). Remember that God has drawn your boundary lines. Given your eternal hope--the fact that your hope in Christ transcends this life--you can say that your boundaries are pleasant.

So, whether you are living within the boundaries of motherhood, marriage, singleness--whatever the boundaries, God has drawn around each one of us the lines in which we are to live. And it is while living within these boundaries, while trusting God's sovereignty, that we are to faithfully follow Him. In this is true contentment.

Simply Trusting

Forgive me for such a lengthy post but the topic of trusting has been weighing heavily on my heart. In our daily conversations we often speak of trusting the Lord. Whether it is reminding someone to trust the Lord during a difficult time or reminding ourselves to trust the Lord with the day to day details, it seems that this is a common phrase we use. But, what does it really mean to trust the Lord? I've been doing some reading on trusting and here are some common themes that are thread through scripture when it speaks of trust.

• First of all, in whom do we put our trust? Our trust is to be placed into those whose character has been established to be worthy of trust. We know that the Lord and His character have been tried and proven over time. We know that those who have gone before us have experienced the faithfulness of our God. He sent His one and only Son to die on the cross for our sins. His love is beyond measure and has been exemplified throughout time. Our God and Savior is worthy of our trust.

"And those who know Your name
will put their trust in You;
For you, Lord have not
forsaken those who seek You."
Psalm 9:10

"Our fathers trusted in You;
They trusted in You and You delievered them.
They cried to You, and were delivered;
They trusted in You, and were not ashamed."
Psalm 22:4-5

• Those who put their trust in the Lord are not ashamed. To be ashamed is to be disappointed in; to be ashamed is to be confused; to be ashamed is to have a feeling of fear that prevents us from doing something, from accomplishing that which the Lord has clearly set before us. When we do not trust the Lord, we are allowing our fears to choose our paths instead of trusting the Lord who "makes my way perfect" (Psalm 18:32).

"To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, I trust in You;
Let me not be ashamed."
Psalm 25:2

"Do not fret...trust in the Lord
and do good...delight yourself also
in the Lord...commit your way
to the Lord, trust also in Him."
Psalm 37:1,3,4,5

"In God I have put my trust;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?"
Psalm 56: 11

• There is vulnerability associated with trusting someone, and that is no different with the Lord. To be vulnerable is to be "unprotected against attack; susceptible to criticism; capable of being wounded or hurt." None of those things sound particularly inviting to me and yet to truly trust someone and reap the blessings associated with that trust, we must be open to allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. To be vulnerable, we must set aside our pride and humble ourselves so that the ones we trust see us for who we really are, faults and all. It is when we are vulnerable that we open ourselves up to wise instruction by those we trust. With the Lord, I think our vulnerability allows Him to search our hearts and weed out the unlovely things in our lives, that we might be made more holy.

"I have also trusted in the Lord;
I shall not slip.
Examine me, O Lord, and prove me;
Try my mind and my heart."
Psalm 26: 1-2

"Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him."
Psalm 62:8

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting."
Psalm 139:23-24

• There is great blessing associated with trusting the Lord. We find shelter and refuge, safety and protection. We find guidance for our steps and preparation for our paths. We find great rejoicing, fulfillment and satisfaction, and mercies from the Lord that will endure forever. These are just a few of the blessings we partake in as children of God when we choose to trust our Lord. And, that is exactly what trust requires...it is something we choose. It is a daily, hourly, moment by moment decision we must make and as we trust in the Lord, we fall under His protection and receive many blessings in the process.

"Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
There is no want to those who fear Him."
Psalm 34:8-9

"For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings
I will make my refuge..."
Psalm 57:1

"For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name."
Psalm 33:21

"As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him."
Psalm 18:30

"Therefore the children of men put their trust
under the shadow of Your wings.
They are abundantly satisfied
with the fullness of Your house."
Psalm 36:7-8

Why trust? We trust because it declares the works and glory of the Lord. We trust in the Lord because this is true happiness.

"But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord God,
That I may declare all Your works."
Psalm 73:28

"...And whoever trusts in the Lord,
happy is he."
Proverbs 16:20b

To trust is to relinquish control to another. To trust is to not be ashamed. To trust is to be humble. To trust is to fear the Lord. To trust is to realize that the Lord always knows best. To trust is to find blessing and joy.

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
from those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You."
Psalm 84:11-12

Tampa Vacation: Busch Gardens

Ok, ok, so you may be thinking...how many more pictures can one person post??! But, I have to admit...I'm sort of having fun with this digital camera thing! I'm trying to make up for lost time...for the last year of NO pictures....so, forgive me for squeezing an entire year's worth of pictures into a few posts!!



Our next stop...Busch Gardens!


We saw animals....



Note the very large hippo behind Kathy...he was really a friendly Hippo!!

We saw the elephants...




We briefly traded in our convertible for a more practical, adventure-some mode of transportation!




..and visited the gorillas! It doesn't seem as though our life in vacation mode is much different than the life of your typical gorilla! Hmmmm....

We also rode some rollercoasters...the scariest was THE SHEIKRA!!

The Sheikra was advertised all over Tampa....it's a 200 foot drop, 90 degrees down! And, the worst part? It stops at the top for 5 seconds so you can take your time looking stright down and pondering the terror of the inevitable drop!

We survived the Sheikra!!

Tampa Vacation: The MOSI

The MOSI--The Museum of Science and Industry

Disasterville

We survived a hurricane while we were in Florida! Thankfully, it wasn't a real hurricane...

...it was just the weather report while "working" for Bay News 9! This just happened to be the News channel that we watched frequently during our stay.

But, our work wasn't done! Then we were off to do the real work...fighting fires! (That isn't much different than what I do daily in my "real job"!)

Then, we were off to learn about tornadoes! It's always
good to know the exact, precise location of "Tornado Alley"!!

Kathy nearly got swept away by the tornado but...

...thankfully it wasn't the right time!

Then, we learned some helpful hints about floods...pay close attention!

Always good to remember...

Also, a helpful hint...

And, just in case you really thought you could stop a flood...remember...YOU CAN'T!

Tampa Vacation: Mile Marker ZERO!

Kathy and I spent a lot of time driving along Gulf Blvd. We finally reached St. Pete's Beach at Mile Marker Zero! It was beautiful so we spent some time taking pictures.

The birds were always squawking and waking us up in the morning or waking us up on the beach! So, this picture is in memory of the birds!

Kathy and I enjoyed using the timer on our cameras! Needless to say, the couple on the bench was laughing at us as we ran back and forth and then tried to look "natural"!

This beautiful house sits at Mile Marker Zero, facing St. Pete's beach. It's so picturesque and looks like a lovely place to retire one day. Ok, maybe that's just wishful thinking talking but one can hope, right?!

I even had some fun making footprints in the sand. Now I finally know why they make fun designs on the soles of
shoes. Its for those occassional times we leave our footprints in the sand!


Makes me wonder what other kinds of
"impressions" I'm leaving wherever I
walk without even realizing it!

"Uphold my steps in Your paths,
That my footsteps may not slip."

Psalm 17:5

Tampa Vacation: The Beach

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the beach:

The gulf didn't have many waves so Kathy and I bought some floaties so we could relax in the water. It was really hot so we enjoyed being able to float in the water where it was a little cooler than laying on the beach. We were laying there talking when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I thought, "That was nothing." Then, Kathy saw something. We looked down and were floating over a whole school of fish! They were trying to jump onto our rafts!! We quickly high-tailed it out of there and then laughed when we realized we were scared of a bunch of minnows! I think we were a little jumpy since we had been watching the pelicans swooping down and devouring their lunch!

This wasn't our spot but I thought it looked so inviting!
It's the perfect perch to read a book and enjoy listening
to the waves crashing against the shore!

So many evenings the sky and clouds were breathtaking.
This particular evening was no different!

Tampa Vacation: My new love...

..our convertible! Kathy and I spent

a lot of time just enjoying the wind

in our hair, driving our PT Cruiser

convertible! It was fabulous! I'm

not a particular fan of a PT

Cruiser...but, I am a fan of any car

that is a convertible!! Here are some

pictures of our fun with our PT cruiser!

Please meet Mr. Gnome. This little character Kathy brings on every trip with her. He has been to the Bahamas, Aspen, Italy, Finland, and so many more places! Sadly, we didn't find Mr. Gnome until the day we left so we have only a few precious pictures of him!

STOPLIGHT!!

No time for a Chinese Fire Drill,

but QUICK! Snap a picture!

Tampa Vacation: Our Arrival

Here is stage one of my vacation pictures...don't worry, many more stages to come!! I haven't quite figured out how to best get my cropped/edited pictures into blogger so bear with me!

When we arrived to get our car, all the convertibles were MIA.

Never fear, we got our convertible PT Cruiser!
I highly recommend convertibles! It was so fun
to drive around Tampa with the top down! It
always made for interesting hair-dos but fun
none the less!!

Our condo was located on the second floor, the balconies
closest to the beach. We couldn't have had a better view!

This was the view off our condo balcony!

Here are Kathy and I, enjoying the fact that we are
finally on our vacation and don't have to think about
work for an entire week!!

Vacation & Cameras

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Kathy and I went to Indian Rocks Beach, Florida for a week vacation! (That's located in the Tampa area, on the gulf between St. Petersburg and Clearwater.) We had a condo that overlooked the gulf. It was beautiful and relaxing. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to take a vacation like this...to have the means to be able to go to the beach for a week of relaxation is such a blessing from the Lord!

Over the next several posts, I'll be sharing pictures and stories of our adventures in Florida. Until then, I will be working to understand this new digital camera I own. Yes, yes, I have finally joined the ranks of those with digital cameras (I understand I'm a bit behind the times!) and will finally be able to share with you pictures from what's going on in my life. This will certainly aid in sprucing up my blog in the weeks to come! But, for now, I'm just trying to learn how to edit and crop my pictures on my computer so if anyone has any great ideas on how to accomplish this somewhat easily, feel free to enlighten this ignorant digital camera user!!