Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Today has a reason!
There is a reason why you are here to live through this one-of-a-kind day. Do you know what that reason could be?
Yes, in some way, somehow, somewhere you know. And the more you can connect with that reason, the more beautiful, fulfilling and meaningful this day will be.
Perhaps you have arrived at this point in order to learn something new and valuable. Perhaps you are here today to lend a hand or to give a lift to someone who would otherwise have no one else.
Perhaps you have something to create, something that has never existed before. Or perhaps you have something to say, something that others would truly benefit from hearing.
Today has a reason. Of that you can be sure. And today has a special reason just for you. Discover it, live it, and delight in being today who you are meant to be.
-- Ralph Marston
Yes, in some way, somehow, somewhere you know. And the more you can connect with that reason, the more beautiful, fulfilling and meaningful this day will be.
Perhaps you have arrived at this point in order to learn something new and valuable. Perhaps you are here today to lend a hand or to give a lift to someone who would otherwise have no one else.
Perhaps you have something to create, something that has never existed before. Or perhaps you have something to say, something that others would truly benefit from hearing.
Today has a reason. Of that you can be sure. And today has a special reason just for you. Discover it, live it, and delight in being today who you are meant to be.
-- Ralph Marston
Friday, November 14, 2008
Tussie Mussie!
Here is a new tussie mussie that I just made this week..it is made out of a sheet of scrapbook paper...hugs, cheryl
Pennies.....
You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about.
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house
The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband.
He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.
Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.
He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?
Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.
A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?
'Look at it.' He said. 'Read what it says.' She read the words ' United States of America '
'No, not that; read further.'
'One cent?' 'No, keep reading.'
'In God we Trust?' 'Yes!' 'And?'
'And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!
When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, 'In God We Trust,' and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.
It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient..
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house
The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband.
He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.
Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.
He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?
Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.
A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?
'Look at it.' He said. 'Read what it says.' She read the words ' United States of America '
'No, not that; read further.'
'One cent?' 'No, keep reading.'
'In God we Trust?' 'Yes!' 'And?'
'And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!
When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, 'In God We Trust,' and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.
It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient..
Wisdom of God...
The Wisdom of God for the Best
It has been through the everyday issues of life
that God showed me what can't be erased.
For the trials of the journey became priceless treasures
when they taught me to seek out His face.
When the way seemed uncertain and I truly needed
direction on how to proceed,
I found that the silence between heaven's answers
would hold all of the peace I would need.
It was in those times I felt utterly desperate
with no resource but the power of prayer,
That I came to realize that God made me desperate
just to prove He was already there.
It was there in the weakness of my own human nature
that exhaustion left my heart asking, "Why?"
But it was there Jesus taught me to rest in His presence
and to take from His endless supply.
It was times of disappointment and continual roadblocks
that showed me God's will is supreme.
For beyond the disappointments He revealed greater purpose
that was higher than my hopes & dreams.
The hard times and trials have added up to give me
the wisdom of God for the best.
For they changed me and showed me what I didn't know
and I walked away knowing I'm blessed.
©Sheila Gosney
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:2-8
It has been through the everyday issues of life
that God showed me what can't be erased.
For the trials of the journey became priceless treasures
when they taught me to seek out His face.
When the way seemed uncertain and I truly needed
direction on how to proceed,
I found that the silence between heaven's answers
would hold all of the peace I would need.
It was in those times I felt utterly desperate
with no resource but the power of prayer,
That I came to realize that God made me desperate
just to prove He was already there.
It was there in the weakness of my own human nature
that exhaustion left my heart asking, "Why?"
But it was there Jesus taught me to rest in His presence
and to take from His endless supply.
It was times of disappointment and continual roadblocks
that showed me God's will is supreme.
For beyond the disappointments He revealed greater purpose
that was higher than my hopes & dreams.
The hard times and trials have added up to give me
the wisdom of God for the best.
For they changed me and showed me what I didn't know
and I walked away knowing I'm blessed.
©Sheila Gosney
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:2-8
My Brother and I...rare diagnosis...that we both have it!
Eosinophilic esophagitis is an emerging disease worldwide, as documented by recent case series from Switzerland, Australia, Italy, Spain, Japan, England, and the United States.1,2 Eosinophilic esophagitis mimics gastroesophageal reflux disease and may result in narrowing and stricture of the esophagus. I was diagnosed back in the summer and my brother was diagnosed in October with this...I had to go back to the doctor yesterday for a follow up at Loyola and my doctor looked at me when I asked her how often has she had both brother and sister with this..she said she has never had this happen to her at Loyola...she just shook her head and told me, "Cheryl I don't know what is happening with you, but you still always keep going and smiling!" I fought back the tears and shook my head as I told her all the things that have happened to me since I saw her last and she just couldn't believe all I am facing...she told me she is thinking of writing a medical paper on us..I just shook my head! I told her if I hear one more doctor tell me that! We have had that told to us too many times now! I just want it to stop...She is a really neat doctor and very caring! Just can't believe once again how strange that my brother and I would both have this throat disease! hugs, cheryl
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Life! I really do keep trying...toilet paper~
Sometimes you just need to cry and cry...it seems like that is what I have been doing lately ...it really stinks but I can't help it.. I think I am just going to wake up and everything will be ok someday and another struggle happens..or another thing put on my plate to figure out how the Brown's are going to make it one more month! Today was my last day for a food pantry that we have been getting food at and now with winter hitting I sure do not have any idea where we are getting it next month from..I so remember the day our church told me to go so many years ago and I just about died that day but I knew I had three little girls at home that needed food and I had no way of providing that ..it seems so long ago..I thought it would only last a year or so and now it has probably been 9 years of going to food pantry's and being humbled ....we got our Thanksgiving meal but Kerry is so hungry for a turkey he wants to make it this weekend...so I guess we have turkey this weekend! He is so excited at putting some of the food away..I haven't told him yet that this is the last month..how do you tell a husband that hasn't worked in 10 years and is disabled that you do not know how we are going to make it..instead I just try to keep it inside but it seems like the stress of 10 years is just doing me in anymore...not sleeping, not wanting to really eat and just plain exhausted! Then so many things that I just wish I could fix and not one that I can...at the place that God has me and I remember so many years ago when I cried out on an October day wondering how we could do Christmas in so many days as the sign had read down at the end of the block...and that day we had also run out of money and toilet paper! Ironically I got two calls and one from Karen Hamilton asking if the school could help us with Christmas from the Needy family fund ...and the other from Hazel Eaton asking if their church could put our names on a tree ...I cried as I told them don't worry about Kerry or I just get the girls something ...well they wouldn't take that for an answer and we were blessed but the neatest thing happened that day and Hazel had no idea that we were out of toilet paper...she just listened to the nudge from God and she went downstairs of her home as I had asked for a crockpot and she had one for me to use until Christmas and brought it over and left it at my doorstep along with 12 rolls of toilet paper...my daughters that day came home and they were all shocked at finding 12 rolls as they knew we had none...I told them that Hazel had no idea about our situation and I had not told her..from that day on we were given toilet paper for four and a half years..always left at our door step not with a note or anything just left by strangers....I guess today I need to be reminded of all those years he took care of the simplest things and reminded me so many times how he cares about even the toilet paper! Tears and all hugs, cheryl
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Spoon Jewelry with an Angel!
Here is another spoon Jewelry piece we designed for the new season...it is a flattened spoon with an angel, piece of broken china, a pearl, lace and the worlds, "Believe!"
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Joann Fabric Coupons and Hobby Lobby Coupons 40 off
Here are two coupons this week..
http://www.hobbylobby.com/weekly/weekly.cfm?page=2
Good until November 8 for 40 off...
this is good until November 15...remember to print out extras and pass them out and make some new friends at the store..hugs, cheryl
http://www.joann-mail.com/J091102SU2/coupons_only.html?r=3151_2081336&i=J091102SU2004&bc1=520832028917441000403
http://www.hobbylobby.com/weekly/weekly.cfm?page=2
Good until November 8 for 40 off...
this is good until November 15...remember to print out extras and pass them out and make some new friends at the store..hugs, cheryl
http://www.joann-mail.com/J091102SU2/coupons_only.html?r=3151_2081336&i=J091102SU2004&bc1=520832028917441000403
Sunday, November 2, 2008
How to make a Christmas Tree out of Recycled Picture Frame and Old Jewelry!
I went to Good Will and found a picture frame and a bag of jewelry...this started the neatest Christmas tree that I donated to Christian Womens Club for the Second year in the row for their Fall Auction ...the proceeds go to Missions! We are in the process of making a youtube video on how to make one! hugs, cheryl
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Kerry and his interthecal pump! Needs to be changed!
Kerry my husband has one more obstacle to fight through...his pump started beeping..it is an interthecal pump that delivers pain medication into his spine where he had the infection 10 years ago to help with all the chronic pain from all the nerve endings being cut and debrided in that area...the pump was just put in 23 months ago and should have lasted several more years..than last night I was googling medtronics pumps and found this FDA recall and very upsetting to see this...I called and the only pump available to put back into Kerry is the same one as he has the latest style but you wonder what is wrong! They can wait fortunately till Dec 8 for Kerry to go through this as he is just getting over his fusion and they do not want to put him under right away...so one more obstacle for him to face! hugs, cheryl Keep Kerry in your prayers!
http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/3910
http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/3910
Monday, October 27, 2008
Pain! I have learned so much in the last two months...I can't even imagine what my husband lives with..
It has sure been a rough two months and to go through so many tests and doctors and driving back and forth to hospitals...they finally came up with a few things that I have ...one is fibromyalgia, frozen shoulders, Osteoarthritis, chronic insomnia from all the pain of not being able to sleep on my side, stomach or roll over without waking up crying... then last week I went through another EMG that I said I would never do and had one more but still waiting as they still are not sure what is causing my leg tremors from February those started..so now I have added more doctors to my list that I never would have imagined I would have at the age of 47 from Rheumatologists, Neurologists, to Neurosurgeons and then the one to help me the most has been my Acupuncture Doctor Jing Li! Amazing how natural seems to make the most sense after all of this..Dr. Li has been amazing and she has helped me for 2 years now deal with from plantar fasciitis to when I had the bad disk in my low back pain to headaches, stress, shoulder pain, neck pain and other problems along the way...I can only thank her for what she has done to help me keep fighting this and keep trying to go on...then Jim Stein who has given me so many massages and always been there for me with a listening ear! He was the one that told me about Dr. Li and I thought how could needles really help! It is amazing as each time I would go Dr. Li would then tell me to go to the beach and asleep I would go and she would have to wake me up to take the needles out...it is amazing the feeling you get after acupuncture..so many people are afraid of needles or trying acupuncture but after the last few years and all I have endured with the medical field it is truly the best way to go...then this past week with my neck so bad she referred me to a doctor up north and I went on Saturday with tears in my eyes by the time I arrived at Dr. Deng's...I laid down on his bed and tears were rolling down my face as the pain was honestly getting too much as I have not been able to hardly lift my arms for two months now...he told me to turn around and trust him as he turned and pulled on my neck and arms and adjusted my neck and disks in my cervical..it was immediate relief as so much pressure had been taken off and then he did the acupuncture to my cervical, shoulders, and neck...I left being able to turn my head, move my arms and was not in tears anymore! It was honestly amazing and I can say acupuncture is honestly amazing..I have to thank Dr. Deng and Dr. Jing Li who has helped me and given me the relief from the pain I have had for these past years...please give it a try and read all the benefits of acupuncture you will be amazed...hugs and prayers, cheryl
Here is Dr. Jing Li's phone number if you live near Naperville, IL
630-854-7084
check out this site with information...
http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/acupuncture?utm_medium=ask&utm_source=smart&utm_campaign=article&utm_term=Acupuncture&ask_return=Acupuncture
Here is Dr. Jing Li's phone number if you live near Naperville, IL
630-854-7084
check out this site with information...
http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/acupuncture?utm_medium=ask&utm_source=smart&utm_campaign=article&utm_term=Acupuncture&ask_return=Acupuncture
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Perjury...something that has always bothered me since we lost our trial..then yesterday when I heard this! It is not over yet!
I have always prayed that there still might be justice for my husband...so hard to watch what happened to our court case ...then to see what happened to these men in Chicago..my heart goes out to there families..cheryl
by Daniel Lambert
Burge indicted years after torture allegations on perjury charges
by Daniel Lambert
Oct 21, 2008
Related Links
The IndictmentA former high-ranking Chicago police officer, long accused of torturing suspects while they were in custody, has been indicted by federal authorities.
Former Commander Jon Burge, 60, was taken into custody without incident at his Florida home Tuesday morning on charges of obstruction of justice and perjury stemming from responses given in a 2003 written interrogation, U.S. Atty. Patrick J. Fitzgerald said Tuesday in announcing the indictment in Chicago.
“According to these charges Jon Burge shamed his uniform and shamed his badge,” Fitzgerald said.
The charges come less than a month before the statute of limitations on the alleged perjury runs out. Fitzgerald added that Burge may not be alone in being charged.
“We have a reason to believe that other people may have lied about that torture and abuse. We intend to pursue that part of the investigation moving forward,” Fitzgerald said.
The 2003 investigation in question is the result of a civil lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court in Chicago, Hobley v. Burge, et al.
The lawsuit alleged that in January 1987, Madison Hobley was coerced into a confession at Area Two headquarters. Burge’s written responses were given during discovery for that case.
The City Council voted in January to settle that suit, paying four men who alleged they were torture victims a combined $19.8 million.
The actual indictment issued Tuesday does not specify the specific incidents of torture that Burge was aware of or participated in – he has been accused of abusing more than 200 men, mostly African-American, between 1972 and 1991. However, Fitzgerald did say that those specifics would be dealt with when the case went to trial.
The specific statements prosecutors contend Burge falsely gave are that he denied both participating in torture techniques and possessing knowledge of torture.
Fitzgerald said the prosecution will dispute this statement by proving torture not only occurred, but Burge either participated in it or was aware of its continued practice.
“As of last Thursday when we brought the indictment, we felt comfortable we could prove torture and abuse and that his statement was a lie,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald was asked if a code of silence among officers aware of the alleged torture prevented indictments in the past. He responded that that code would not prevent indictments in the future.
“If their lifeline is to hang on to a perceived code of silence, they may be hanging on air,” Fitzgerald said. “Anyone who thinks they can lie in a grand jury or rely on a code of silence is taking a great risk.”
While the statute of limitations for prosecuting possible acts of torture has long since passed, prosecutors said Burge could still be held to account for his actions.
“People who commit multiple crimes, if you can’t prosecute them for one, there is nothing wrong with prosecuting them for another, Fitzgerald said. “Al Capone went down for taxes; that’s better than him going down for nothing.”
Burge served as a Chicago police officer from 1970 until his firing in 1993. It was in 1991 that a series of lawsuits alleging Burge and his subordinates participated in the torture of suspects began to surface.
Burge appeared before a federal judge in Tampa on Tuesday afternoon. He was released on $250,00 bond and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Chicago on Monday.
If convicted, Burge faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count of obstruction of justice and five years in prison for perjury, and a $250,000 fine on each count. Officials said a judge has latitude in sentencing, noting that federal sentencing guidelines are advisory.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Sayings to post!
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams." ~Henry David Thoreau
"Do your work with your whole heart, and you will succeed ~ there's so little competition." ~Elbert Hubbard
"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul ~ sings the tunes without the words ~ and never stops at all." ~Emily Dickinson"
. . . love is the only thing that we can carry with us when we go, and it makes the end so easy." ~Louisa May Alcott
"Love on through all ills, and love on till they die." ~Thomas Moore
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ~Plato
"If you judge people, you have no time to LOVE them." ~Mother Teresa
"There is no remedy for love but to love more." ~Thoreau
"Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other." ~Euripides
"There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love." ~Unknown
~ Adversity Refines Character ~
"Little said is soonest mended."
"Forgiveness is the needle that knows how to mend." ~Jewel
"Putting all our soul into our work makes it not only alive with passion and emotion, but also it exists as one of the truest and most honest expressions of self . . making life itself a beautiful art. Beauty is one of the most important (yet difficult) things to create and express." ~Jewel
"A woman's most beautiful make~up is her passion". ~Yves Saint Laurent
"Do your work with your whole heart, and you will succeed ~ there's so little competition." ~Elbert Hubbard
"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul ~ sings the tunes without the words ~ and never stops at all." ~Emily Dickinson"
. . . love is the only thing that we can carry with us when we go, and it makes the end so easy." ~Louisa May Alcott
"Love on through all ills, and love on till they die." ~Thomas Moore
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ~Plato
"If you judge people, you have no time to LOVE them." ~Mother Teresa
"There is no remedy for love but to love more." ~Thoreau
"Love is all we have, the only way that each can help the other." ~Euripides
"There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love." ~Unknown
~ Adversity Refines Character ~
"Little said is soonest mended."
"Forgiveness is the needle that knows how to mend." ~Jewel
"Putting all our soul into our work makes it not only alive with passion and emotion, but also it exists as one of the truest and most honest expressions of self . . making life itself a beautiful art. Beauty is one of the most important (yet difficult) things to create and express." ~Jewel
"A woman's most beautiful make~up is her passion". ~Yves Saint Laurent
Thursday, October 16, 2008
A Christian..... Worth passing on! Will make you think!
A Christian
Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston , Texas . Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.' Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet.'
When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, 'Here, you gave me too much change.'
The driver, with a smile, replied, 'Aren't you the new preacher in town?'
'Yes' he replied.
'Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday.'
When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, 'Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.'
Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians, and will put us to the test! Always be on guard -- and remember -- You carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself 'Christian.'
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
I'm glad a friend forwarded this to me as a reminder. So, I choose to forward it to you - my friend. God bless you; I hope you are having a wonderful day!
If you don't pass this on to anybody, nothing bad will happen; but, if you do, you will have ministered to someone.
The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not PROTECT you...
Stay FAITHFUL and Be GRATEFUL
Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston , Texas . Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.' Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet.'
When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, 'Here, you gave me too much change.'
The driver, with a smile, replied, 'Aren't you the new preacher in town?'
'Yes' he replied.
'Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday.'
When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, 'Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.'
Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians, and will put us to the test! Always be on guard -- and remember -- You carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself 'Christian.'
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
I'm glad a friend forwarded this to me as a reminder. So, I choose to forward it to you - my friend. God bless you; I hope you are having a wonderful day!
If you don't pass this on to anybody, nothing bad will happen; but, if you do, you will have ministered to someone.
The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not PROTECT you...
Stay FAITHFUL and Be GRATEFUL
Mallory Got her License for Hair Stylist Yesterday..She passed her Boards!
My middle daughter has been doing hair since she was a Junior as she was able to take a program through the school district WILCO and yesterday she took her boards for the second time and finally passed!!!! We are so excited as she is going on the floor soon at Mario's...she is in the coloring part of Mario's and love's it there...This was a huge accomplishment for all we have gone through...the ironic thing was this was the 10 year anniversary of the day her dad fell 10 years ago and she was just 9 years old and I remember Mallory riding her bike where he was working that day and they were going to Awana's as he was a Spark leader and everyone loved Kerry there...so many memories to that day but now we have new Memories and a new start for Mallory! Thanks to all who have prayed for her all these years and the teachers that shared in getting her through school and all the support my girls have had in Plainfield, IL to make it to where they are now in there adult lives..hugs and prayers, Cheryl
Friday, October 10, 2008
My husband had his surgery and I am having a brain MRI today...
Kerry came through surgery and is in a lot of pain but they were able to take out two disks in his neck and fuse his spine...so hard to watch him suffer anymore...it has been 10 years next week when he became disabled...
Then I had the neurologist and they ordered an MRI to rule out MS or any other balance or neurological disorder...now she wants me to go to a Rheumotologist to see if I have Fibromyalgia...never would I dream I would live in chronic pain...after watching my husband for all these years! Please keep us in your prayers...hugs and prayers, cheryl
My dad is doing so much better ...my mom and him came over at the age of 85 and 84 and mowed our lawn this week...unbelievable that he has come through his stroke, seizure and now is fighting prostate cancer but still always there for me...
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Challenge # 2 Ruebee "Count Your Blessings!"
I took a Wallpaper Book and used the outside cover to use as my base and covered it with wallpaper and then altered it with different papers, lace, buttons, trim, and a bow to make my Altered Art...
Winner of Blog Give Away...Lani Kent
Lani from http://artistlanikent.blogspot.com/ is the winner of the "Eye on the Sparrow!" drawing ....I didn't get the drawing done until today with everything happening in our lives but I am so glad she won as she has been such an inspiration in my creative part as she is such a neat artist and you need to check out her blog...Congratulations Lani...hugs and prayers, cheryl
They are holding off on surgery for me...
They are holding off on surgery until they do more tests on me...they think there might be something with the brain so I have to go through more tests and see neurology and also all of the doctors are finally going to get together to figure out what is going on as I am losing strength and my balance is really getting bad..I am just thankful I finally found a doctor yesterday that is willing to put this together....pray for me as our plates our so full but I am trying to not let it get me down and keeping a positive attitude....hugs, cheryl Kerry's surgery is next Tuesday in Chicago at Rush!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Oprah Show on this Wed. and pray for us as Kerry and I both need neck fusions a week apart!
I just checked the website and it is on this Wed...for the Oprah Show I went to at the beginning of the month...
Tune In
It's taken a year for her to come forward. Mercilessly judged…she call herself the most hated mom in America. Overwhelmed moms and dads, let this be your wake-up call. (PG)
Tune in on 10/01 to watch this show
Also today I have an orthopedic appointment at Chicago and am going to have to make my decision about my neck fusion..I still cannot hardly lift my arms at all..it is so frustrating but I have peace that after 8 years of suffering maybe this will finally be what I really need to take care of my neck from falling on ice and suffering all these years..only really hard thing is my husband is having the same surgery the week before and I do not honestly know how we will make it but I have to trust God through this one...it has been so hard to even tell anyone as they are just shocked and speachless to say the least...On Oct. 15 it will be 10 years to the date that our lives changed and my husband fell and severed his spine on a roof just from a 3 foot fall ...we have seen God use us and I know we are better people because of this and have changed so many lives but at times lately it has been the most difficult times we have faced in all these years..Pray for me as this is honestly beyond anything I can imagine going through..this will be my second surgery on my spine as I had a fusion in my low back exactly two tears ago in October...hugs and prayers, Cheryl and Kerry
PS Will draw the winner today for the blog giveaway...
Tune In
It's taken a year for her to come forward. Mercilessly judged…she call herself the most hated mom in America. Overwhelmed moms and dads, let this be your wake-up call. (PG)
Tune in on 10/01 to watch this show
Also today I have an orthopedic appointment at Chicago and am going to have to make my decision about my neck fusion..I still cannot hardly lift my arms at all..it is so frustrating but I have peace that after 8 years of suffering maybe this will finally be what I really need to take care of my neck from falling on ice and suffering all these years..only really hard thing is my husband is having the same surgery the week before and I do not honestly know how we will make it but I have to trust God through this one...it has been so hard to even tell anyone as they are just shocked and speachless to say the least...On Oct. 15 it will be 10 years to the date that our lives changed and my husband fell and severed his spine on a roof just from a 3 foot fall ...we have seen God use us and I know we are better people because of this and have changed so many lives but at times lately it has been the most difficult times we have faced in all these years..Pray for me as this is honestly beyond anything I can imagine going through..this will be my second surgery on my spine as I had a fusion in my low back exactly two tears ago in October...hugs and prayers, Cheryl and Kerry
PS Will draw the winner today for the blog giveaway...
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Beautiful Women
Beautiful Women:
A little boy asked his mother,
'Why are you crying?'
'Because I'm a woman,' she told him.'
I don't understand,' he said.
His Mom just hugged him and said, 'And you never will.'
Later the little boy asked his father,
Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?
'All women cry for no reason,' was all his dad could say.
The little boy grew up and became a man,still wondering why women cry.
Finally he put in a call to God.
When God answered, he asked,'God, why do women cry so easily?
'God said:'When I made the woman she had to be Special.
I made Her Shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world,
yet gentle enough to give comfort.
I gave Her an Inner Strength to endure childbirth
and the rejection that many times comes from her children.
I gave Her a Hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up,
and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.
I gave Her the sensitivity to Love her children under any and
All circumstances, even when her child has Hurt Her Very Badly !
I gave Her Strength to carry her husband through his faults
and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.
I gave her Wisdom to know that a good husband Never Hurts his wife,
but sometimes tests her strengths
and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.
And finally,
I gave her a tear to shed.
This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed.'
'You see my son,' said God,'the Beauty of a Woman is not in the clothes she wears,
the figure that she carries,
or the way she combs her hair.
The Beauty of a woman must be seen in Her Eyes,
because that is the doorway to Her Heart- the place where Love resides.'
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Joann Fabrics good until Oct 4, 2008
Copy and paste this for a store coupon good until Oct 4...please print out extra and pass out to others in the store and make new friends...Pay it forward! hugs, cheryl
http://www.joann-mail.com/J0913D7Q/coupons_only.html?
r=2709_309051&i=J0913D7Q025&bc1=520827824224539160405
http://www.joann-mail.com/J0913D7Q/coupons_only.html?
r=2709_309051&i=J0913D7Q025&bc1=520827824224539160405
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Blog Give Away...Celebrating 28 years of togetherness!
We just celebrated our 25th Anniversary and Kerry has been sick for the last few months and honestly the last 10 years has just been up and down since Oct 15th, 1998 when he was painting a neighbor's home and fell on the roof...he went into surgery in November of 1998 and he was a medical negligence case...we have lived the Better or Worse, In Sickness or in Health, For Richer or Poorer...I found this picture of Kerry the other day and had to post it as it brought back the happy days of when we were dating..This was an outfit I made him for Halloween and he asked me to marry him that night...we dated then for 3 years and on August 27th, 2008 we had our 25th Anniversary! Please keep Kerry in your prayers as he is facing surgery on Oct. 7 for a fusion of his neck..He has 2 herniated disks and they have to remove his spinal chord stimulator due to scar tissue...Please leave a comment and I will enter you into our Blog Give Away of my Altered Art piece I made for a Challenge on Ruebee...Hugs, Cheryl
P.S. We met on a blind date!
Good Luck! The drawing will be on Sept 27th....If it has to be shipped out of the country then I will have to have you pay shipping, but if it is in the United States I will pay shipping...Here is the Altered Hanger with His Eye is On the Sparrow that I made for the give away...
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Bless our home
This is an altered recycled Game Board from Good Will that I painted and took wallpaper, paint, trim, papers, modpodge and lace to turn it inot a Wall Hanging...
Apples...
If you have an apple and I have an apple
and we exchange these apples
then you and I will still each have one apple.
But if you have an idea and I have an idea
and we exchange these ideas,
then each of us will have two ideas.
-George Bernard Shaw, submitted by Laurie S., La Grange IL
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Angels are sent to us..hugs, cheryl Just when we need our wings lifted!
It has really been a difficult time and I keep trying to stay busy and trying to do things but at times it just seems that life gets to be too overwhelming...some day's you just really struggle to get out of bed and I didn't know how hard these days would be sometimes..but I know that it makes me a better person when I struggle as then I can relate with others better when I hit bottom...but I sure don't like it when I am at those low points...
Today I decided I had to get out of the house and I ended up at Good Will and was just looking things and started talking to this young person and shared about Flickr and other things...I went out to my car and gave her some Wallpaper books that I had just been given and shared some ideas to help her..she was so thankful and I already got an email back from her thanking me..then I went down another isle looking at books and for some reason I asked this lady what does she do with books? We ended up talking for probably an hour and she had to be an angel that I needed today as she really showed me how God is using me and to really look at all the trials he has brought me through and how my faith has shined through all of these trials..she kept telling me that she needed it like I needed her today.....this was not the first time I have been told this, but today I really needed this as I have just felt so overwhelmed with everything in life...she told me I need to really share my faith with my creativity...she was such an inspiration to me that only God could have connected us in an isle at Good Will at the right moment..She shared that it is the faith of a mustard seed that she sees in me...Thanks Rhonda for sharing with me today and inspiring me...right now I am watching Extreme Makeover with Ty and the tears have just been running down my face tonight as you see how they reach out to help others...I shared with Rhonda today how I started a support group online and it is called. "Lean on Him"...It has people from all around the world that have joined it and such an amazing thing the internet is as we can connect just by a click of a button..hugs and prayers, cheryl PS It was a good day! Even with the tears!
JESUS SAYS
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.
Mathew 17:20
Have faith in yourselves, life’s made up of ups and downs and the majority of people get their fare share of both, some times we will feel on top of the world other times we’ll feel life’s not worth living, but one thing you can be sure of and that is, no matter how bad things seem at times, things will get better, there is light and much hope at the end of every tunnel.
Truly, I say to you, He who believes in me will also do the works that I do
and Greater Works than these, will he do... John 14
Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the Meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who Hunger and Thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the Merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the Pure in Heart, for they shall see GOD.
Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called (the children) of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
Ask, and it will be given you;
Seek, and you will find;
Knock, and it will be opened to you.
Luke 11
"LOVE ONE ANOTHER!"
John 15:12
Today I decided I had to get out of the house and I ended up at Good Will and was just looking things and started talking to this young person and shared about Flickr and other things...I went out to my car and gave her some Wallpaper books that I had just been given and shared some ideas to help her..she was so thankful and I already got an email back from her thanking me..then I went down another isle looking at books and for some reason I asked this lady what does she do with books? We ended up talking for probably an hour and she had to be an angel that I needed today as she really showed me how God is using me and to really look at all the trials he has brought me through and how my faith has shined through all of these trials..she kept telling me that she needed it like I needed her today.....this was not the first time I have been told this, but today I really needed this as I have just felt so overwhelmed with everything in life...she told me I need to really share my faith with my creativity...she was such an inspiration to me that only God could have connected us in an isle at Good Will at the right moment..She shared that it is the faith of a mustard seed that she sees in me...Thanks Rhonda for sharing with me today and inspiring me...right now I am watching Extreme Makeover with Ty and the tears have just been running down my face tonight as you see how they reach out to help others...I shared with Rhonda today how I started a support group online and it is called. "Lean on Him"...It has people from all around the world that have joined it and such an amazing thing the internet is as we can connect just by a click of a button..hugs and prayers, cheryl PS It was a good day! Even with the tears!
JESUS SAYS
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.
Mathew 17:20
Have faith in yourselves, life’s made up of ups and downs and the majority of people get their fare share of both, some times we will feel on top of the world other times we’ll feel life’s not worth living, but one thing you can be sure of and that is, no matter how bad things seem at times, things will get better, there is light and much hope at the end of every tunnel.
Truly, I say to you, He who believes in me will also do the works that I do
and Greater Works than these, will he do... John 14
Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the Meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who Hunger and Thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the Merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the Pure in Heart, for they shall see GOD.
Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called (the children) of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
Ask, and it will be given you;
Seek, and you will find;
Knock, and it will be opened to you.
Luke 11
"LOVE ONE ANOTHER!"
John 15:12
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Dusting...
Remember...a layer of dust protects the Wood beneath it.
'A house becomes a home when you can write 'I love you' on the furniture '
I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect -
'in case someone came over'
Finally I realized one day that no-one came over; they were all out living life and having fun!
NOW, when people visit, I don't have to explain the 'condition' of my home .
They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing
while I was away living life and having fun.
If you haven't figured this out yet, please heed this advice.
Life is short. Enjoy it!
Dust if you must
but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter,
bake cookies or a cake and lick the spoon or plant a seed,
ponder the difference between want and need?!
Dust if you must, but there's not much time . . . .
with tea to drink , rivers to swim and mountains to climb ,
music to hear and books to read, friends to cherish and life to lead.
Dust if you must,
but the world's out there with the sun in your eyes,
the wind in your hair,
a flutter of snow, a shower of rain.
This day will not come around, again.
Dust if you must ,
but bear in mind, old age will come and remember. . .
when you go - and go you must -
you, yourself will make more dust!
'A house becomes a home when you can write 'I love you' on the furniture '
I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect -
'in case someone came over'
Finally I realized one day that no-one came over; they were all out living life and having fun!
NOW, when people visit, I don't have to explain the 'condition' of my home .
They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing
while I was away living life and having fun.
If you haven't figured this out yet, please heed this advice.
Life is short. Enjoy it!
Dust if you must
but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter,
bake cookies or a cake and lick the spoon or plant a seed,
ponder the difference between want and need?!
Dust if you must, but there's not much time . . . .
with tea to drink , rivers to swim and mountains to climb ,
music to hear and books to read, friends to cherish and life to lead.
Dust if you must,
but the world's out there with the sun in your eyes,
the wind in your hair,
a flutter of snow, a shower of rain.
This day will not come around, again.
Dust if you must ,
but bear in mind, old age will come and remember. . .
when you go - and go you must -
you, yourself will make more dust!
creativeFlutter: Blog-i-versary Giveaway!!
creativeFlutter: Blog-i-versary Giveaway!!
Please go and check out my friends blog ...it is her one year Birthday Giveaway! hugs, cheryl
Please go and check out my friends blog ...it is her one year Birthday Giveaway! hugs, cheryl
Wednesday...Kerry now needs neck surgery...please pray for all of us..very difficult to go through any more!
I have carried the phone with me for days waiting for he neurosurgeon to call back and ironically I was at the meat market when he called..the tears came as once again Kerry has to have surgery and this will be at least number 10 on his spine and then he still has to have another after this... The lady waiting on me was so kind and she looked at me and asked me , "Don't you live a few blocks right in town in the big green house? " I looked at her and thankful she did know who I was even though I didn't know her and she knew my family and said you have to cry and let it out....she knew Kerry also...we have to go in on Friday to see him to go over things and to set up the appointment..my heart knew it was coming but the phone call that says it is for sure just throws you still...I felt like my feet were going to give out..It is like we just come up for air and then we are zapped once again...I haven't even told him as he has been sick with the flu since Sunday and is sleeping right now...hugs, cheryl
PS..Lindsay did get the job last night and starts today after school..that is a huge God watch...Her birthday is Saturday and she turns 23...the first time we won't be together...:-( I couldn't believe how much we looked alike until this picture last week...
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Joann Fabrics good until Sept 20th..
http://www.joann-mail.com/J09093A2Z/coupons_only.html?r=2365_1060849&i=J09093A2Z018 copy and paste..Good until Sept 20th make extra's and pass them out to people in the store and make some new friends...hugs, cheryl
Saturday, September 6, 2008
I guess I should not ask for a day off of stress...lol hugs, cheryl
When my mom called this morning I told her I have the morning off and I am all alone as my husband had a driver take him to Chicago as I forgot about a program from the State to drive him as he cannot drive...Kerry told me he would do that so I could have some time to myself...I was so happy to have a morning alone at home...by noon it was all falling apart with Lindsay then she called and told me she didn't even want to live..she was crying so bad and and as a mom you just want to cry...so I did! Tried to see what I could do and nothing seemed to be working out be later today Lindsay found out she has to finish this semester as the loan money cannot be returned for this semester so she is going back to school on Sunday which is good..she needs it...she also got a call this afternoon for a job at a Blood bank as a receptionist and she goes in Monday but they told her over the phone that she was just what they were looking for and the hours will work out for both of them! What a God Watch for her today..like most you were praying a door would open...then I called up to see if they had read Kerry's MRI report and they already had it and I asked for it to be faxed...so at 5 p.m I got the news on his neck and he has a herniated disk of 5 mm pushing on a nerve in his spine..and two others are bulging so he will need to have surgery..I have to give all of this back to God and just rest in his arms...To think I started the week of at Oprah with the subject of Overwhemed Mothers..how fitting! And a neurologists telling me that I am probably too stressed out and sleep deprived...oh my! Thanks for all of your prayers and concerns for our family and all of you that keep us on your prayer lists...I truly appreciate all of you Ruebee's ..hugs and prayers, cheryl
Please keep my daughter and husband in your prayers...hugs, cheryl
Please pray as Lindsay just got letters from her loans and she is not going to be able to afford to go to Bible College unless a miracle happens...she had to file bankruptcy from medical expenses when she got off of public aid at 18 and we could not get her on SS for 18 months..she had over 50,000 in medical expenses and now when she went for student loans they have hit her with huge fees on all of her school loans...then today her laptop crashed...she has to have that to go to class..she came home to go to a wedding this weekend and just got the letters in the mail today...please pray for us that something would work out...if anyone has a laptop please let me know..hugs, cheryl
PS Kerry went to Chicago today for his MRI of his neck...they think he has a nerve pinched in the cervical spine...it seems to never end here...my heart just goes out to Lindsay ..she just wants to go to school so bad...
Thursday, September 4, 2008
A Prayer for Today
A Prayer for Today
This is the beginning of a new day.
God has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it---or use it for good,
but what I do today is important,
because I am exchanging a day of my life for it!
When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever,
leaving in its place, something that I have traded for it.
I want it to be gain, and not loss;
good, and not evil; success, and not failure,
in order that I shall not regret the price I have paid for it.
~Anonymous~
This is the beginning of a new day.
God has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it---or use it for good,
but what I do today is important,
because I am exchanging a day of my life for it!
When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever,
leaving in its place, something that I have traded for it.
I want it to be gain, and not loss;
good, and not evil; success, and not failure,
in order that I shall not regret the price I have paid for it.
~Anonymous~
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Loyola and Oprah all in One Day! Overwhelmed Mothers was the topic....
I first had the neurologist and was there until 10:30 and I told them I had to get to Oprah...they kept checking me out from 9 a.m until then...the doctor finally came to the conclusion she thinks that it is muscle problems due to poor sleep problems, stress being a huge factor, something with the muscles, and she does not feel it is MS, Lupus or Parkinson's at this time!!!!! Yeah...she wants me to follow up with physical therapy to work on my balance, weakness, strength, and the sleep specialist for my sleep issues and no Rem sleep...
Then we were off to Chicago and to find the Oprah show...we got there right on time and stayed in a huge line for over an hour to get in...then finally after another hour of waiting we got into the studio...we had a time to answer questions and tell something about us ...I did raise my hand and got to share about being overwhelmed with stress and what had just happened to me in the morning with Loyola and that they thought I had MS and it is more likely just stress! Then all the effects from 10 years of taking care of a disabled husband and all the stress that has done to my body...I did share we made it 25 years this past week and that when you take your vows remember for Better, for Worse, for Richer, For Poorer, In Sickness and in Health...as I have done all of them..the audience really clapped...it was awesome to go and see it live...then the hardest part was the show...it was about the teacher that left her child in the car a year ago in the heat all day while she went to school and she forgot she had her in the car...her husband usually took the girls in the morning but that day he had a dentist appointment so it was her turn to take them and she forgot to drop her off after getting donuts and her daughter was asleep and she left her in the car all day in over 100 degree heat...the husband was there also...it made you cry but made you realize how busy our lives get and crazy and how we can get so caught up and not enjoy life...Oprah said at the end we were all there for a reason today...I thought to myself I know I knew why I was there after getting told stress was just about doing my body in and that had just been a few hours earlier...the show will air sometime in the middle of Sept...it was a neat day! hugs, cheryl Take time for yourself even if it is only for 20 min. a day...please!
Monday, September 1, 2008
I am so excited..I am going to Oprah tomorrow!
I have tried to get tickets for several years and today I got a phone call saying, "Hi this is the Oprah Winfrey Show and are you still interested in coming to a show?" I was in shock to say the least as you just don't really expect a phone call like that on Labor Day...I can't wait to go..I have the neurologist as 9 am and then have to be at the Oprah show at 11 a.m. Will keep you posted on what a fun day...hugs, cheryl
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Lessons of Gold
Lessons of Gold
'Twas not the softer stages of life
that taught me the Lessons of Gold.
But rather, it was hard times & trials by faith
where God's Word was all I could hold.
For there in the hours of dark desperation
I saw God as I finally should;
As the one to move on my behalf
and do what only He could.
It was there in the silence when sorrow begged
the tears that ran down my face,
That God taught me true comfort and tendered my heart
as He loved me there in that place.
It was in those chapters where all of me was spent,
but my lack of strength set me free.
For there in my frailty, I looked up to find
that God's grace was sufficient for me.
It was through the baffling, hard problems of life
when others had no answers to find,
That I discovered the true source of wisdom
-was my God who is perfect and kind.
It was learning to submit and wait on God
that actually put me ahead.
For I've been blessed by things that I couldn't change
when God used them to change me instead.
© Sheila Gosney
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Romans 8:28-30 NKJV
'Twas not the softer stages of life
that taught me the Lessons of Gold.
But rather, it was hard times & trials by faith
where God's Word was all I could hold.
For there in the hours of dark desperation
I saw God as I finally should;
As the one to move on my behalf
and do what only He could.
It was there in the silence when sorrow begged
the tears that ran down my face,
That God taught me true comfort and tendered my heart
as He loved me there in that place.
It was in those chapters where all of me was spent,
but my lack of strength set me free.
For there in my frailty, I looked up to find
that God's grace was sufficient for me.
It was through the baffling, hard problems of life
when others had no answers to find,
That I discovered the true source of wisdom
-was my God who is perfect and kind.
It was learning to submit and wait on God
that actually put me ahead.
For I've been blessed by things that I couldn't change
when God used them to change me instead.
© Sheila Gosney
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Romans 8:28-30 NKJV
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Life...!
I have really been hit over and over but today was not what I ever thought would be happening to me as they have done MRI's and CT scans and they cannot figure out what is happening to my body..then today after being at so many specialist he sat and sat...then I got really nervous and I don't usually feel this way but I could tell something was not going right...he then ordered one more MRI and then wants a workup with a Neurologist...for MS? My heart just sank and I kept it together until I got to the parking lot...then the tears came...it has been a tough 10 years and now after all the fighting to hang on I get told this today..just trying to face more tests and doctors...so tired of it all...Please keep me in your prayers...hugs, cheryl
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Tony Snow's essay on Life...a must read! Will put life in perspecitve for you...I just cried!
This is an outstanding essay from Tony Snow, President Bush's Press Secretary, and his fight with cancer. Commentator and broadcaster Tony Snow announced that he had colon cancer in 2005. Following surgery and chemo-therapy, Snow joined the Bush Administration in April 2006 as press secretary. Unfortunately, on March 23, 2007, Snow, 51, a husband and father of three, announced the cancer had recurred, with tumors found in his abdomen,- leading to surgery in April, followed by more chemotherapy. Snow went back to work in the White House Briefing Room on May 30, but resigned, 'for economic reasons,' and to pursue ' other interests.' Tony lost his fight with cancer.
Tony's essay:
'Blessings arrive in unexpected packages, - in my case, cancer. Those of us with potentially fatal diseases - and there are millions in America today - find ourselves in the odd position of coping with our mortality while trying to fathom God's will. Although it would be the height of presumption to declare with confidence 'What It All Means,' Scripture provides powerful hints and consolations.
The first is that we shouldn't spend too much time trying to answer the why' questions: Why me? Why must people suffer? Why can't someone else get sick? We can't answer such things, and the questions themselves often are designed more to express our anguish than to solicit an answer.
I don't know why I have cancer, and I don't much care. It is what it is, a plain and indisputable fact. Yet even while staring into a mirror darkly, great and stunning truths begin to take shape. Our maladies define a central feature of our existence: We are fallen. We are imperfect. Our bodies give out.
But despite this, - or because of it, - God offers the possibility of salvation and grace. We don't know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator face-to-face.
Second, we need to get past the anxiety. The mere thought of dying can send adrenaline flooding through your system. A dizzy, unfocused panic seizes you. Your heart thumps; your head swims. You think of nothingness and swoon. You fear partings; you worry about the impact on family and friends. You fidget and get nowhere.
To regain footing, remember that we were born not into death, but into life,- and that the journey continues after we have finished our days on this earth. We accept this on faith, but that faith is nourished by a conviction that stirs even within many non believing hearts - an intuition that the gift of life, once given, cannot be taken away. Those who have been stricken enjoy the special privilege of being able to fight with their might, main, and faith to live fully, richly, exuberantly - no matter how their days may be numbered.
Third, we can open our eyes and hearts. God relishes surprise. We want lives of simple, predictable ease,- smooth, even trails as far as the eye can see, - but God likes to go off-road. He provokes us with twists and turns. He places us in predicaments that seem to defy our endurance; and comprehension - and yet don't. By His love and grace, we persevere. The challenges that make our hearts leap and stomachs churn invariably strengthen our faith and grant measures of wisdom and joy we would not experience otherwise.
'You Have Been Called'. Picture yourself in a hospital bed. The fog of anesthesia has begun to wear away. A doctor stands at your feet, a loved one holds your hand at the side. 'It's cancer,' the healer announces.
The natural reaction is to turn to God and ask him to serve as a cosmic Santa. 'Dear God, make it all go away. Make everything simpler.' But another voice whispers: 'You have been called.' Your quandary has drawn you closer to God, closer to those you love, closer to the issues that matter,- and has dragged into insignificance the banal concerns that occupy our 'normal time.'
There's another kind of response, although usually short-lived an inexplicable shudder of excitement, as if a clarifying moment of calamity has swept away everything trivial and tiny, and placed before us the challenge of important questions.
The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of fearful caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger, shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies. Think of Paul, traipsing through the known world and contemplating trips to what must have seemed the antipodes ( Spain ), shaking the dust from his sandals, worrying not about the morrow, but only about the moment.
There's nothing wilder than a life of humble virtue, - for it is through selflessness and service that God wrings from our bodies and spirits the most we ever could give, the most we ever could offer, and the most we ever could do.
Finally, we can let love change everything. When Jesus was faced with the prospect of crucifixion, he grieved not for himself, but for us. He cried for Jerusalem before entering the holy city. From the Cross, he took on the cumulative burden of human sin and weakness, and begged for forgiveness on our behalf.
We get repeated chances to learn that life is not about us, that we acquire purpose and satisfaction by sharing in God's love for others. Sickness gets us part way there. It reminds us of our limitations and dependence. But it also gives us a chance to serve the healthy. A minister friend of mine observes that people suffering grave afflictions often acquire the faith of two people, while loved ones accept the burden of two peoples' worries and fears.
'Learning How to Live'. Most of us have watched friends as they drifted toward God's arms, not with resignation, but with peace and hope. In so doing, they have taught us not how to die, but how to live. They have emulated Christ by transmitting the power and authority of love.
I sat by my best friend's bedside a few years ago as a wasting cancer took him away. He kept at his table a worn Bible and a 1928 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. A shattering grief disabled his family, many of his old friends, and at least one priest. Here was an humble and very good guy, someone who apologized when he winced with pain because he thought it made his guest uncomfortable. He retained his equanimity and good humor literally until his last conscious moment. 'I'm going to try to beat [this cancer],' he told me several months before he died. 'But if I don't, I'll see you on the other side.'
His gift was to remind everyone around him that even though God doesn't promise us tomorrow, he does promise us eternity, - filled with life and love we cannot comprehend, - and that one can in the throes of sickness point the rest of us toward timeless truths that will help us weather future storms.
Through such trials, God bids us to choose: Do we believe, or do we not? Will we be bold enough to love, daring enough to serve, humble enough to submit, and strong enough to acknowledge our limitations? Can we surrender our concern in things that don't matter so that we might devote our remaining days to things that do?
When our faith flags, he throws reminders in our way. Think of the prayer warriors in our midst. They change things, and those of us who have been on the receiving end of their petitions and intercessions know it. It is hard to describe, but there are times when suddenly the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you feel a surge of the Spirit. Somehow you just know: Others have chosen, when talking to the Author of all creation, to lift us up, - to speak of us!
This is love of a very special order. But so is the ability to sit back and appreciate the wonder of every created thing. The mere thought of death somehow makes every blessing vivid, every happiness more luminous and intense. We may not know how our contest with sickness will end, but we have felt the ineluctable touch of God.
What is man that Thou art mindful of him? We don't know much, but we know this: No matter where we are, no matter what we do, no matter how bleak or frightening our prospects, each and every one of us who believe, each and every day, lies in the same safe and impregnable place, in the hollow of God's hand.' T. Snow
Tony's essay:
'Blessings arrive in unexpected packages, - in my case, cancer. Those of us with potentially fatal diseases - and there are millions in America today - find ourselves in the odd position of coping with our mortality while trying to fathom God's will. Although it would be the height of presumption to declare with confidence 'What It All Means,' Scripture provides powerful hints and consolations.
The first is that we shouldn't spend too much time trying to answer the why' questions: Why me? Why must people suffer? Why can't someone else get sick? We can't answer such things, and the questions themselves often are designed more to express our anguish than to solicit an answer.
I don't know why I have cancer, and I don't much care. It is what it is, a plain and indisputable fact. Yet even while staring into a mirror darkly, great and stunning truths begin to take shape. Our maladies define a central feature of our existence: We are fallen. We are imperfect. Our bodies give out.
But despite this, - or because of it, - God offers the possibility of salvation and grace. We don't know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator face-to-face.
Second, we need to get past the anxiety. The mere thought of dying can send adrenaline flooding through your system. A dizzy, unfocused panic seizes you. Your heart thumps; your head swims. You think of nothingness and swoon. You fear partings; you worry about the impact on family and friends. You fidget and get nowhere.
To regain footing, remember that we were born not into death, but into life,- and that the journey continues after we have finished our days on this earth. We accept this on faith, but that faith is nourished by a conviction that stirs even within many non believing hearts - an intuition that the gift of life, once given, cannot be taken away. Those who have been stricken enjoy the special privilege of being able to fight with their might, main, and faith to live fully, richly, exuberantly - no matter how their days may be numbered.
Third, we can open our eyes and hearts. God relishes surprise. We want lives of simple, predictable ease,- smooth, even trails as far as the eye can see, - but God likes to go off-road. He provokes us with twists and turns. He places us in predicaments that seem to defy our endurance; and comprehension - and yet don't. By His love and grace, we persevere. The challenges that make our hearts leap and stomachs churn invariably strengthen our faith and grant measures of wisdom and joy we would not experience otherwise.
'You Have Been Called'. Picture yourself in a hospital bed. The fog of anesthesia has begun to wear away. A doctor stands at your feet, a loved one holds your hand at the side. 'It's cancer,' the healer announces.
The natural reaction is to turn to God and ask him to serve as a cosmic Santa. 'Dear God, make it all go away. Make everything simpler.' But another voice whispers: 'You have been called.' Your quandary has drawn you closer to God, closer to those you love, closer to the issues that matter,- and has dragged into insignificance the banal concerns that occupy our 'normal time.'
There's another kind of response, although usually short-lived an inexplicable shudder of excitement, as if a clarifying moment of calamity has swept away everything trivial and tiny, and placed before us the challenge of important questions.
The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of fearful caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger, shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies. Think of Paul, traipsing through the known world and contemplating trips to what must have seemed the antipodes ( Spain ), shaking the dust from his sandals, worrying not about the morrow, but only about the moment.
There's nothing wilder than a life of humble virtue, - for it is through selflessness and service that God wrings from our bodies and spirits the most we ever could give, the most we ever could offer, and the most we ever could do.
Finally, we can let love change everything. When Jesus was faced with the prospect of crucifixion, he grieved not for himself, but for us. He cried for Jerusalem before entering the holy city. From the Cross, he took on the cumulative burden of human sin and weakness, and begged for forgiveness on our behalf.
We get repeated chances to learn that life is not about us, that we acquire purpose and satisfaction by sharing in God's love for others. Sickness gets us part way there. It reminds us of our limitations and dependence. But it also gives us a chance to serve the healthy. A minister friend of mine observes that people suffering grave afflictions often acquire the faith of two people, while loved ones accept the burden of two peoples' worries and fears.
'Learning How to Live'. Most of us have watched friends as they drifted toward God's arms, not with resignation, but with peace and hope. In so doing, they have taught us not how to die, but how to live. They have emulated Christ by transmitting the power and authority of love.
I sat by my best friend's bedside a few years ago as a wasting cancer took him away. He kept at his table a worn Bible and a 1928 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. A shattering grief disabled his family, many of his old friends, and at least one priest. Here was an humble and very good guy, someone who apologized when he winced with pain because he thought it made his guest uncomfortable. He retained his equanimity and good humor literally until his last conscious moment. 'I'm going to try to beat [this cancer],' he told me several months before he died. 'But if I don't, I'll see you on the other side.'
His gift was to remind everyone around him that even though God doesn't promise us tomorrow, he does promise us eternity, - filled with life and love we cannot comprehend, - and that one can in the throes of sickness point the rest of us toward timeless truths that will help us weather future storms.
Through such trials, God bids us to choose: Do we believe, or do we not? Will we be bold enough to love, daring enough to serve, humble enough to submit, and strong enough to acknowledge our limitations? Can we surrender our concern in things that don't matter so that we might devote our remaining days to things that do?
When our faith flags, he throws reminders in our way. Think of the prayer warriors in our midst. They change things, and those of us who have been on the receiving end of their petitions and intercessions know it. It is hard to describe, but there are times when suddenly the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you feel a surge of the Spirit. Somehow you just know: Others have chosen, when talking to the Author of all creation, to lift us up, - to speak of us!
This is love of a very special order. But so is the ability to sit back and appreciate the wonder of every created thing. The mere thought of death somehow makes every blessing vivid, every happiness more luminous and intense. We may not know how our contest with sickness will end, but we have felt the ineluctable touch of God.
What is man that Thou art mindful of him? We don't know much, but we know this: No matter where we are, no matter what we do, no matter how bleak or frightening our prospects, each and every one of us who believe, each and every day, lies in the same safe and impregnable place, in the hollow of God's hand.' T. Snow
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
My yard...hard to believe it is August!
My husband built the Arbor for me for our 15th Anniversary just a month before he fell on a roof and became disabled...On Aug. 27th we will celebrate our 25th Anniversary...hugs, cheryl
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Coupon for Joann Fabrics until Aug 31, 2008
http://www.joann-mail.com/J0828W/coupons_only.html?r=0663122737&i=J0828W12
Good at Michaels also and bring extra and pass them out to other people to share with at the store!
Good at Michaels also and bring extra and pass them out to other people to share with at the store!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Broken China Soldered Jewelry
Here are some different jewelry pieces made from broken china or a piece of glass soldered together...then put together with beads for a necklace!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Bow day but they wouldn't pose very good!
I tried to get them to pose and they were just not in the mood...hugs, cheryl
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
People needing help with medication ..here is an awesome site to share!
So many people need help with medications and have no where to turn...my daughter has been able to get help here and even many doctors do not know about this site! Please share this information with your doctors office to help others or your pharmacy as they have so many people that cannot afford their medications ...Pay it Forward...http://www.needymeds.com/ check this out..almost every kind of medication is on here...hugs, cheryl
Lindsay has been able to get help here...it really does work!
Lindsay has been able to get help here...it really does work!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
I was just diagnosed with this disease Eosinophilic esophagitis
For years I have told my doctors I choke on food and somedays it is really bad as you cannot get the food up or down..if you are alone it can get really scarey as you can hardly imagine not being able to breath as bread or meat is stuck in your airway...my girls are use to mom going to the other room trying to cough, spit or get what ever is stuck out of the way...I was finally sent to a GI specialist in May that did the barium study and then was told I would need to have an endoscope to see what else might be wrong...that was last Monday and on Friday she called to tell me I had Eosinophilic esophagitis...I was like can you spell that for me...then on Monday of this week Aug 4 I had another appointment with her and she told me more about this and I would be put on an inhaler and sent to an allergist for food testing...that is on Aug 23 of this month..never dreamed all of this from choking on food...now the strange thing is my brother also has had this for years and they could not find out what was wrong with him so he now has an appointment with the same doctor and she is going to scope him to see if he is also diagnosed with Eosinophilic esophagitis. She told me they do not know a lot about it and if it is hereditary so this should be interesting if we both are effected by this and all these years no one could tell us what is wrong with us...then to find out they just put medical codes to this disease in July is amazing...will let you know how this goes...hugs, cheryl
PS Having an MRI of my neck on Thursday as it is not getting better with the injections I have had in the last two months...
APFED Announces Approval of ICD9 codes for Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders
(July 15, 2008) APFED announced today that ICD-9-CM codes have been approved for
Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders, EGID, by the National Counsel for Health Statistics, NCHS. APFED submitted its proposal to the NCHS in September 2007 for four diseases: eosinophilic esophagitis, gastritis, gastroenteritis and colitis, all types of EGIDs. Thousands of patients suffer from these debilitating disorders; however until now they could not be coded correctly, making it difficult for medical professionals or researchers to determine how large a percentage of the population had these disorders.
The ICD-9-CM coding system is an international classification system which groups related diseases and procedures for the purpose of reporting statistical information. ICD- 9-CM codes provide a uniform language, and thereby serve as an effective means for reliable nationwide communication among physicians, patients, and third parties (QCMetrix.com). ICD-9-CM codes are necessary for billing, insurance and medical records, disease management, treatment advances, research and national statistics.
Even though suggestions for ICD-9-CM codes are normally not initiated by patient advocacy organizations, APFED, in keeping with its progressive mission to create awareness of EGID, felt the need to be at the forefront of these requests. Over the last two years, APFED worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Center for National Health Statistics to create unique ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes for EGID.
"Approval of these ICD-9-CM codes will permit accurate classification of these disorders and bring recognition of EGID to a new level", stated Beth Mays, APFED President and Founder.
NCHS has classified the following codes to designate the specific catagories of EGID:
530.13 Eosinophilic Esophagitis
535.7 Eosinophilic Gastritis
558.41 Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis
558.42 Eosinophilic Colitis
Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders, EGID, are distinct diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract, which render the patient unable to tolerate food proteins. Recent demographic studies estimate that more than 1:2000 children live with eosinophilic esophagitis, in which only the esophagus, the tube connecting the mouth to stomach, is affected. Statistics on the adult population are currently unknown.
As the medical community becomes more aware of Eosinophilic Disorders, these numbers are expected to rise. Due to the lack of awareness among the medical community and the general public of these disorders, patients may wait 2 to 4 years to obtain an accurate diagnosis and receive proper treatment. More often than not, these disorders are misdiagnosed as other diseases.
Treatments for these disorders include total food elimination, requiring patients to live off an elemental formula which can be taken either orally or via a feeding tube; limited/restricted diets; and/or steroid treatments. There is currently no cure for EGID.
EGIDs are becoming increasingly common, with an incidence similar to household names such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. Due to lack of accurate reporting, the true prevalence is not known, a problem APFED feels the new ICD-9-CM codes will solve. Unique codes are needed in order to allow researchers to track or identify patients with these disorders, develop new treatments, permit accurate reporting of EGIDs, and improve awareness.
APFED, a non-profit 501(c)3 volunteer-run patient advocacy organization, supports patients and families living with eosinophilic disorders.
For more information, please contact Beth Mays at 713-498-8216.
American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to patients and their families coping with eosinophilic disorders. APFED strives to expand education, create awareness, and support research while promoting advocacy among its members.
PS Having an MRI of my neck on Thursday as it is not getting better with the injections I have had in the last two months...
APFED Announces Approval of ICD9 codes for Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders
(July 15, 2008) APFED announced today that ICD-9-CM codes have been approved for
Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders, EGID, by the National Counsel for Health Statistics, NCHS. APFED submitted its proposal to the NCHS in September 2007 for four diseases: eosinophilic esophagitis, gastritis, gastroenteritis and colitis, all types of EGIDs. Thousands of patients suffer from these debilitating disorders; however until now they could not be coded correctly, making it difficult for medical professionals or researchers to determine how large a percentage of the population had these disorders.
The ICD-9-CM coding system is an international classification system which groups related diseases and procedures for the purpose of reporting statistical information. ICD- 9-CM codes provide a uniform language, and thereby serve as an effective means for reliable nationwide communication among physicians, patients, and third parties (QCMetrix.com). ICD-9-CM codes are necessary for billing, insurance and medical records, disease management, treatment advances, research and national statistics.
Even though suggestions for ICD-9-CM codes are normally not initiated by patient advocacy organizations, APFED, in keeping with its progressive mission to create awareness of EGID, felt the need to be at the forefront of these requests. Over the last two years, APFED worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Center for National Health Statistics to create unique ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes for EGID.
"Approval of these ICD-9-CM codes will permit accurate classification of these disorders and bring recognition of EGID to a new level", stated Beth Mays, APFED President and Founder.
NCHS has classified the following codes to designate the specific catagories of EGID:
530.13 Eosinophilic Esophagitis
535.7 Eosinophilic Gastritis
558.41 Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis
558.42 Eosinophilic Colitis
Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders, EGID, are distinct diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract, which render the patient unable to tolerate food proteins. Recent demographic studies estimate that more than 1:2000 children live with eosinophilic esophagitis, in which only the esophagus, the tube connecting the mouth to stomach, is affected. Statistics on the adult population are currently unknown.
As the medical community becomes more aware of Eosinophilic Disorders, these numbers are expected to rise. Due to the lack of awareness among the medical community and the general public of these disorders, patients may wait 2 to 4 years to obtain an accurate diagnosis and receive proper treatment. More often than not, these disorders are misdiagnosed as other diseases.
Treatments for these disorders include total food elimination, requiring patients to live off an elemental formula which can be taken either orally or via a feeding tube; limited/restricted diets; and/or steroid treatments. There is currently no cure for EGID.
EGIDs are becoming increasingly common, with an incidence similar to household names such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. Due to lack of accurate reporting, the true prevalence is not known, a problem APFED feels the new ICD-9-CM codes will solve. Unique codes are needed in order to allow researchers to track or identify patients with these disorders, develop new treatments, permit accurate reporting of EGIDs, and improve awareness.
APFED, a non-profit 501(c)3 volunteer-run patient advocacy organization, supports patients and families living with eosinophilic disorders.
For more information, please contact Beth Mays at 713-498-8216.
American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to patients and their families coping with eosinophilic disorders. APFED strives to expand education, create awareness, and support research while promoting advocacy among its members.
Monday, August 4, 2008
A Good Will Find ...$60 turns into over $5000! Amazing
The Country Church" - 1985 - 20" x 24"
750 Edition/20 Artist Proofs
Available:
#142 (signed on back) $2000
"Farm & Feed Store" - 1985 - 20" x 24"
750 Edition/20 Artist Proofs
Available:
#14 $3,500 OBO
#168 $2,750 OBO
#384 $3000 OBO
#656 Signed $2600 OBO
I stopped at my favorite store yesterday and was just ready to leave when I heard a lady say those are Hargrove paintings...I stopped to look and another person was looking at them and she walked away as they were $29.95 each...I walked over and we started talking and she told me I should buy them as she has a bunch of them and she paid over $250 for small one's years ago..we looked at the dates and they were from 1985 and 86....I thought mmmm should I or not..I called my mom to see if she had a coupon and she didn't and told me don't as they were too expensive but I told her they would look really nice as they just got done redmodeling the kitchen and she needed something on the walls...I didn't listen and bought them..the lady told me to keep one and sell one on Ebay...I went over and we put them up and they are beautiful...one is perfect in the office where my dad sits and that is the church..he can look at it where he sits everyday! Then the Feed store match's here kitchen and looks perfect on that wall..we still had no idea how much they were worth..I got up today and looked online and found this site...I couldn't believe it! Now my dad tells me how much he loves looking at that Church today...we both laughed and I told him it goes in the Trust it comes back to me then....so my 60 dollar investment at Good Will is really a Good Deal as we have numbers 77 and 287 of the 750 painted..and they are the big paintings...Isn't this one of those amazing stories that I never thought it would be me saying I found this and it was worth something..hugs, cheryl A Good way to start a Monday! My dad says he isn't selling them..he likes them more now that they are worth this...lol He is too funny!
http://www.hargrovepaintings.com/index.html
Friday, August 1, 2008
Ecclesiastes 7:14
When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider:
God has made the one as well as the other.
Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.
Ecclesiastes 7:14
God allows both good times and bad times to come to everyone. He blends them in our lives in such a way that we cannot predict the future or count on human wisdom and power. We usually give ourselves the credit for the good times. then in bad times, we tend to blame God without thanking him for the good that comes out of it. When life appears certain and controllable, don't let self satisfaction or complacency make you too comfortable or God may allow bad times to drive you back to him. When life seems uncertain and uncontrollable, don't despair - GOD is in control and will bring good results out of tough times.
but when times are bad, consider:
God has made the one as well as the other.
Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.
Ecclesiastes 7:14
God allows both good times and bad times to come to everyone. He blends them in our lives in such a way that we cannot predict the future or count on human wisdom and power. We usually give ourselves the credit for the good times. then in bad times, we tend to blame God without thanking him for the good that comes out of it. When life appears certain and controllable, don't let self satisfaction or complacency make you too comfortable or God may allow bad times to drive you back to him. When life seems uncertain and uncontrollable, don't despair - GOD is in control and will bring good results out of tough times.
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