Apples-Zeros

Cancer is a scary word and a scary diagnosis. It feels like your body has betrayed you…you have taken it for granted for many years, misused it, ,fed it the wrong foods, denied it exercise and rest, and yet it has hummed along  by performing day by day (most of what you asked of it.) It will always be that way….until one day everything changes….and in one instant you realize the rest of your life will  now be different. You will not assume anything more about your body, you will feel the smallest pain and wonder , and you will begin to really appreciate all you have been given, and taken for granted on a monumental scale. Finally you will come to see that cancer is so limited….and there is much that cancer cannot do.

It can’t damage LOVE..you will still love and be loved with the same amazing gift of God’s transforming hand each and every day. You will treasure the small moments with friends and strangers. You will delight in making people laugh or smile, kiss a baby’s teeny hand, caress a pet’s tummy and hear the birds sing their morning wake up call. You will still see the warmth in loved ones eyes and know you are precious in their sight…the hugs will be richer and the smiles deeper and every touch will let you know that God is there and watching over you in every way.

It can’t shatter HOPE although there will be days of roller coaster emotions to deal with…but hope is eternal and knowing that He is there makes each day one of grateful devotion. Do you believe God? Then hope is inevitable, and taking each day as a precious gift to be given to those around you is a given. What can I do for you today? Who can I bless? Help me to make someone’s day a little better is my prayer.

 It cannot corrode FAITH.  Faith is and always will be..without end or change..regardless of your circumstances. We were never promised a free ride and in fact, we are promised much sorrow and trouble in our Christian walk…it’s how you walk that talk that matters. This is your chance to show the world that your theology matches your reality (to mooch from Beth Moore’s BELIEVING GOD).

It cannot destroy PEACE  although your enemy will push every button you have to achieve that end…peace comes from our Father and residing in Him gives us everlasting peace and harmony to withstand the harshest upheavals…tears are a safety valve to let the pain flow, but peace is never far away.

It cannot kill real FRIENDSHIP.  It in fact enriches the depth of our family of friends. We see their hearts as we open up ours for healing…we see those gems that were hidden in clay and begin to see the people in our world as God sees them. I have prayed that I not come to the end of my life and find out that I have thrown away a fortune in friendships. I have been so incredibly blessed with the most wonderful friends…more riches here than Solomon.

It cannot suppress MEMORIES. Aren’t those special? From the ridiculous to the sublime…the smiles on our faces as we remember a childhood escapade, a youthful blush, even moments of grief over the span of our lives…these are all precious and special to each and should be treasured as the recordings of all that has happened and be thankful for the gift of remembrance.

It cannot silence COURAGE..it in fact ups the ante and gives us more than we thought possible when needed…we can take brief vacations from it ,but when the chips are down…isn’t it amazing how we can face our own demise and be calm within the storm? God is in every detail and gives us ample opportunity to see this on a daily and hourly basis if we only believe HIM.

It cannot invade the SOUL, the SPIRIT, or steal ETERNAL LIFE…now what is it that we fear? It is just the loss of this plane and it’s temporary pleasures and relationships….all the rest is meaningless and dross. We will have eternity with our brothers and sisters to rejoice and give praise to God…to sing and give glory to our creator, our Father, our redeemer, our rock,comforter and the great I AM…isn’t that a glorious journey to EMBRACE?

INSPIRED BY BOOKMARK FROM CANCER CARE SERVICES

This is definitely the time of year for reflection, the giving of thanks, and acknowledgement of all the blessings in one’s life. Having spent way too many years full of recounting what I didn’t have, I now try to start each day thanking God for another day to be a blessing to someone else….sometimes only my cats are recipients of this,but they don’t seem to mind the extra hugs and attention.

I have such an abundance of good and Godly people in my life who are thoughtful and caring . Even though I don’t feel I deserve their love, I am certainly grateful to be so blessed.

A public thank you goes to Rick, Nancy,Charla, Mary, Penny,Linda W. and Linda R., Carolyn, Shirley, Darlene,Bobbi, Terrie, Charlene and John, Howard,Don, Diane, Terry, James and Betty, James T., Lynn,Christi and kids, Ellie,Joyce Ann, Dorothy F., Donna, Dr. K, Pat, and all the people that I am forgetting in print,but not in my heart. You have made my life better and offered me opportunities to be a better person.

I am going to  our church food bank today and then to Doctor’s  where I do temp work in the office. The clients/patients I deal with come from the opposite ends of the economic scale, but all have problems that are difficult for them to deal with. It has offered many learning opportunities for growth and patience.

I am enjoying the cooler weather but  I know it will soon warm up again here in Texas. We have a lot of roller coaster days this time of year…but as a native I am used to it…or so I tell myself.

The jewelry show is this Saturday morning and I am looking forward to selling lots of items. I have it all packed and ready to go..minus items I keep removing to wear!

A good friend is coming over today to paint the hallway for me…yes I do murals,but dislike the boring wall stuff.=) We are also grilling steaks later and I look forward to some good conversational catch-up,  and a possible sporting event via TV,etc.

I’m not much into sports,but it is fun to watch others get so excited about them . I have watched my share of Mavericks games the last couple of years, and am beginning to understand some of the basics and know some of the players.

I am impressed with the dedication, talent,  and sportsmanship when I see it,but still think that athletic salaries are beyond ridiculous.

God says our treasures are where our hearts are and nothing shows this more than the celebrity worship of this country…but this is an old argument and will always be debated.

Today has been one that started off slowly as fibromyalgia was in full bloom… I tried to get some house chores done while being doorman to the cats. I did manage a quick trip to pick up paper products and some other items I forgot yesterday on big trip to Wal-mart.  The weather is perfect today…warm with a bit of fall in the air to make one feel so glad to be alive.

Per a friend’s suggestion, I am keeping a paper notebook with all the info on blogging as I go along…today I had to redo password as some snafu happened and it wouldn’t recognize the one I had previously chosen.

Found a new book by Billie Letts(SHOOT THE MOON) who has written WHERE THE HEART IS and THE HONK AND HOLLER OPENING SOON….if you haven’t read these and love a warm and funny story of real people, Billie is your kind of author. She is from Oklahoma so many of her “characters” are quite true here in Texas as well. I am looking forward to relaxing later with this novel.

Tomorrow is Sunday, my favorite day of the week because I get to worship the Lord and fellowship with my friends. 

I am so excited to finally be up and running. A teen-age friend had to walk me through the set up and will no doubt have to rescue me from time to time. This has been a full day full of phone calls, friends dropping by and too much shopping!

My goal is to write some articles for pay to make a little extra money and to expand my limited expertise on the internet. I also hope to make some new friends along the way with shared interests and insights for me on this adventure.