Found on Flickr!

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

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

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

Burge indicted years after torture allegations on perjury charges

by Daniel Lambert
Oct 21, 2008

Related Links

The Indictment

A 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.

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

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

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

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...

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!

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...

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.'

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

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...

Altered Art getting things finished and trying new ideas!

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

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

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!