It has been a tough few days...each day gets a little better...

I have physical therapy coming in about an hour today...got my first shower in almost 6 days..never appreciated a shower so much as today...still really hard to move or get around, my balance is off, my hands are still going numb, I am so out of it with all the meds...I have no idea how my husband can take 34 pills a day and stay alive..this is horrible! My nights and days are so messed up ....just glad that I know each day will get better I pray! Thanks for all of your prayers for our family...hugs and prayers, cheryl

Grandma's Hands...my Grandma has been gone now for 2 years..she lived to be 101

(Grandma at 100 on her Birthday)
Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench.

She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.

When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the Longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her At the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and Looked at me and smiled. 'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she Said in a clear voice strong.

'I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here Staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I Explained to her.

'Have you ever looked at your hands,' she asked. 'I mean really Looked at your hands?'

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them Over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at My hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.

Grandma smiled and related this story:

'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have Served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled Shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to Reach out and grab and embrace life.

'They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the Floor.

They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my Mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled On my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off To war.

'They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen, and bent. They were Uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated With my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone Special

They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I Buried my parents and spouse.

'They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and Shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.

They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the Rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried And raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works Real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to Fold in prayer.

'These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life.

But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out And take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.'

I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God Reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home.

When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my Children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and Caressed and held by the hands of God.
(Found this poems on a friends blog) It made me really think of Grandma Ed...hugs, cheryl

Please pray for me...surgery today...

Please pray for me as I am going into surgery today for a neck fusion...I fell on ice over 8 years ago and now I cannot take the pain any more and finally am going to have my neck fixed...it is not going to be easy as my husband is still not doing well and has not recovered from his two surgery's. But my oldest daughter is home from College so I have her help for two weeks and this was the best time to do this as my parents are 84 and 85 and cannot drive much anymore...We had a really nice Christmas and it went very well...Kerry made it to both sides and had to go to bed at my parents most of the time but at least he came and he made it to his brothers for dinner and then we brought him home ...but I was so thankful that he at least got out of the house and went..that was a huge thing for him...hugs and prayers, cheryl

T'was the month before Christmas

T'was the month before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
Why the Politically Correct police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a " Holiday ".
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-is-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our Faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace.
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason or the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate "Winter Break" Under your "Dream Tree"
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout "MERRY CHRISTMAS," Not "Happy Holiday!"
@Sent by Tommy Wilkerson

GUFFAW FODDER

Little Carol came into the kitchen where her mother was making dinner. Christmas was coming up and she thought this was a good time to tell her mother what she wanted. 'Mom, I want a bike for my Christmas.'
Now, Little Carol was a bit of a troublemaker. She had gotten into trouble at school and at home. Carol's mother asked her if she thought she deserved to get a bike for Christmas. Little Carol, of course, thought she did.
Carol's mother, being a Christian woman, wanted her to reflect on her behavior over the last year, and write a letter to God and tell him why she deserved a bike for Christmas. Little Carol stomped up the steps to her room and sat down to write God a letter.

LETTER 1
Dear God:
I have been a very good girl this year and I would like a bike for Christmas I want a red one. Your friend, Carol
Carol knew this wasn't true. She had not been a very good girl this year, so she tore up the letter and started over

LETTER 2
Dear God:
This is your friend Carol. I have been a pretty good girl this year, and I would like a red bike for Christmas. Thank you, Carol
Carol knew this wasn't true either. She tore up the letter and started again.

LETTER 3
Dear God:
I know I haven't been a good girl this year. I am very sorry. I will be a good girl if you just send me a red bike for Christmas. Thank you, Carol

Carol knew, even if it was true, this letter was not going to get her a bike. By now, she was very upset. She went downstairs and told her mother she wanted to go to church. Carol's mother thought her plan had worked because Carol looked very sad.
"Just be home in time for dinner," her mother said.
Carol walked down the street to the church and up to the altar. She looked around to see if anyone was there. She picked up a statue of the Virgin Mary, slipped it under her jacket, and ran out of the church down the street, into her house, and up to her room. She shut the door and sat down and wrote her letter to God.

LETTER 4
I got your mama. If you want to see her again send the bike!. Signed, You know who
@Sent by my "little sis", Carol Richardson
~~~~~~
All my relatives know that I refold the wrapping paper from my Christmas presents for use later.
"Aunt Jane," asked one of my young nieces, "why do you save all that paper?"
"I'm doing what's best for the environment," I replied. "So I'm recycling this paper."
But then my daughter pipes up, "Good thing you didn't ask that question five years ago ... then she was just plain cheap."

An old Ice Skate renewed!

I took an old white skate and painted it pink..then added glitter, put greenery and other things inside of it, added ribbon to it then put it on a piece of wood and decorated the wood with Lace and pearls...hugs, cheryl

Check out this site for more images to use for free...hugs, cheryl

http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/vic.html

"Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.

In the eyes of children, they are all thirty feet tall." Larry Wilde

My Husband and Daughter...two good stories...he made it one more time through more surgery's..hugs, cheryl

Kerry just got out of surgery at 6 PM tonight and they put a new interthecal pump in..and also got the wires out of his back..It has been a long weekend as the MRI last week had showed he might have had an infection again in his spine but the blood work came back ok today so they went ahead with the surgery..so please pray for no infection...so thankful this one is behind him..hugs and prayers, cheryl

PS they are sending in his pump to Medtronics to see why his pump only lasted 23 months and it should have lasted 5 years..it will take 4-6 weeks to find out what is wrong with his pump!

This is a neat story about Mallory ..she took Kerry to get his MRI at River North and while there was flipping through Chicago Magazine when she saw these girls that she recognized and she turned back and started yelling for her Dad who had just got into the MRI machine..he made them turn it off and he got out to see what was wrong and she was like look ...these are the models I did a few months ago and there was a two page write up on the models in this months Chicago Magazine and Mallory did 4 out of 5 of their hair coloring...She tests out tomorrow and Wednesday and then she will get her own chair at Mario's in Oakbrook..I am so happy for her as it has been a long road for her to finally get to this place in her career...

Joann Fabric Coupon 50 off until December 24

http://www.joann-mail.com/J09216YZQ/coupons_only.html?r=3608_1134372&i=J09216YZQ028&bc1=520835933496454360506

The Table Cloth...

The Table cloth

Beautiful story.... makes you understand that things happen for a reason The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn , arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve.They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished.On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days.On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high.The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home.On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus.. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later.She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet.. "Pastor,"she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?"The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave.Her husband was going to follow her the next week. He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again.The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church.The pastor insisted on driving her home, that was the least he could do.. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return.One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving.The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike.He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison.. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between.The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier.He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid Who says God does not work in mysterious ways..I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you today, to guide you and protect you as you go along your way. His love is always with you, His promises are true, and when we give Him all our cares you know He will see us through. So when the road you're traveling on seems difficult at best.. Just remember I'm here praying and God will do the rest. Pass this on to those you want God to bless and don't forget to send it back to the one who asked God to bless you first.When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need. Take 60seconds and give this a shot! All you do is simply say the following small prayer for the person who sent you this.Father, God, bless all my friends and family in what ever it is that You know they may be needing this day! May their life be full of your peace, prosperity and power as he/she seeks to have a closer relationship with you. Amen.Sit back and watch the power of God work in your life.

Diskitis..my mom called and told me this is on the MRI..waiting to hear back from the doctors..I knew it was not good!

Diskitis is an inflammation of the vertebral disk space often related to infection. Infection of the disk space must be considered with vertebral osteomyelitis, as these conditions are almost always present together and share much of the same pathophysiology, symptoms, and treatment. Although diskitis and associated vertebral osteomyelitis are uncommon conditions, they are often the causes of debilitating neurologic injury. Unfortunately, morbidity can be exacerbated by a delay in diagnosis and treatment of this condition. The lumbar region is most commonly affected, followed by the cervical spine and, lastly, the thoracic spine.

this is just so strange as I felt something is wrong once again and when I called for the MRI report she told me she had to wait for the doctor to sign off before she could send it but it would be going to the doctors shortly and then they would fax me..I had a weird feeling today..then today someone told me how a hospital should be built in Plainfield..well, tears just came to my eyes as I told them how strange that all of these past two weeks has been the 10 year anniversary and look where we are at..Hospitals, MRI's and Neurosurgeon offices as usual but right at the day's of the anniversary's..she felt bad I could tell and I said if only the truth had come out I could handle it but I have to live with the mistakes and no one can fix them..no one..then my mom and I went home after shopping for a Christmas tree as we needed one that is easier to put up as now Kerry cannot help and my arms are so bad ...I crawled into bed and crashed and mom called a few hours later to tell me what the fax read....my heart sank as I knew that word was not good news...I told her to wait till I turned on the computer and sure enough when I googled it I was right...all the terms and medical things we lived through are facing us for the fourth time with Kerry! I had tears coming down my face and my mom told me to remember to be greatful in all things..just like my mom would say to me at this time..I told her I have learned to say thanks a lot lately to God and what do you think when you have this facing you again? I told her I need to leave a message for the doctor and she told me I could probably still get him..he was still in surgery but the girls are so kind up there and told me they would leave the message on his desk along with Kerry's MRI report...just waiting tonight ...........Kerry is scheduled for his new interthecal pump on Monday but now all of this might change once again! hugs and prayers, cheryl

Faith...it gets hard somedays...

Jesus said,

"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Matthew 17:20

Kerry had his MRI yesterday and I put it in the computer..it looks so horrible to look back at 10 years of surgeries and all the mess in his back...he can hardly walk the last two weeks and scheduled Monday for a new interthecal pump and we find out today if another fusion is going to happen...then tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of the Day Dr. Caron called to tell us of the infection that invaded my husband's spine after surgery..it is just like yesterday as I can remember that phone call..the surgeon on call made the first phone call but I begged for Dr. Caron to call and I sat on the steps of our basement in tears as he told me what had to be done for Kerry and he had to go back into the hospital..My husband had a pillow over his head crying and crying...my parents were over that day and helping with things around the home and Kerry just wanted to end his life that day then to go back into the hospital..I begged him to go back to the hospital as the infection could get worse...I had no idea how our lives were to change forever from Dec. 5, 1998...a day hard to forget~ I sometimes wonder if the doctors that took care of Kerry ever go back to those days and think if only I had done this..or if only we had not done this he would have been ok? Or the nurses??? Everyone always asks me how do they live with themselves after all they put you through? I sometimes wonder for my childrens sake and my parents as it has not been a day off of this medical nightmare no matter how hard I try to forget it as Kerry is in pain 24/7 and lately just really going downhill no matter what we do medically it just is not helping anymore! hugs and prayers as we wait one more time for the phone call to change our lives with what happens next for Kerry!

A question for everyone in Blog land?

“What’s stopping you from making a self-portrait?”

This is on Chrysti's blog today and she asked to put it out there..thought it was interesting as I am not a person that can draw but I am going to try it in another form of collage! So leave a post and answer this question...hugs, cheryl


http://chrysti.wordpress.com/

I need someone to email me..Dave...

Dave I know you read my blog..can you email me..I have a question for you..thanks, cheryl

Check out this blog...Christmas giveaway!

http://chrysti.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/29-days-of-giveaways-for-you/#comment-21604

See what she is doing for Christmas each day! hugs, cheryl

"Happiness is in the heart, not in the circumstances"

Anonymous

How High do you reach? Made me really think today!

Good Morning - How high do you reach?

Brook Noel
"Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be."--Karen Ravn

Karen truly captured a truth of life with this quote. Our limits are set by our thoughts. When we expand our thinking about how we see the world, we expand our opportunities within the world.

Your Turn:
How far do you reach? How far do you seek? How deep do you look? How high do you dream? Answer each question carefully and honestly. Is there room to grow--to seek further, look deeper, reach further and dream higher? Commit to at least one of these four concepts and incorporate the practice into your daily life.

Today's Affirmation:
I reach for the stars, I seek the truth, I look beyond the surface, I dream beyond the stars.

Making Ends Meet! Dec. 1st is here...where did this year go?

Making Ends Meet

"Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" . . . For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."
- (Matthew 6:31-32 NKJV)

Sometimes, the simplest promises are the most difficult ones to accept. For instance, God has promised to provide for the basic needs of His people. Food, shelter, clothing . . . God guarantees to give all of these things to those who seek Him. He's a Father, and as such it's in His nature (and well within His means) to see to it that His children have what they need.?



And yet, if there's one aspect of life that keeps Christians awake at night, it's this one. ?How are the bills going to get paid? How am I supposed to keep pace with the rising cost of living? Why can't I ever get ahead? This is the sort of anxiety that Jesus is commanding us to not have.



He tells us the Gentiles (who were the equivalent of unbelievers) live in constant worries about these things. We have something that the Gentiles don't have: a relationship with a Heavenly Father who has promised to make our ends meet. So it's time we started acting like it.



The same God who commands us not to lie, steal, covet, and murder commands us to not worry about where our provision will come from. It is sin to do so because He has promised to meet our needs and cover our lack. By worrying, we're essentially accusing God of lying to us. But to trust Him on this promise is to declare that He is faithful and true.


I just woke up to call and see if Lindsay got in ok and they just got back at 2 a.m. safe~ I guess you never stop worrying as a mom...I can't even imagine being my parents always wondering how we are going to make it each month...they know that God provides but so hard the last 10 years then this past month now the Food Pantry we had been getting food at stopped letting us get food right at the worst time of the year! It seems like it just always is something but it keeps you humble..then the surgery's and wondering how can Kerry make it through any more and the years of legal we went through and why did they get away with the lies??? But we are not to worry and He promises to to take care of us but so hard to keep putting all your worrying at his feet over and over! I know it is the only thing I can do but I am still human and sometimes you just want to figure out something on your own and nothing I can do on my own will fix any of my problems so it is better being placed at his feet once again and Let God take my list of problems and pray about the never ending list! And the medical, legal, financial, and food will somehow be provided for us this month ....hugs and prayers, cheryl