What will this Day Hold?

We never really know.

We think we plan...doing our
best...but ultimately our days
are in the Lord's hands.

This is a very good thing.

Sometimes life is overwhelming.
We are scared.
Sometimes saddened.

Maybe it is an illness.
Perhaps a wayward child.
Sometimes employment is the issue.

Whatever the case it is so good to
remember that our days, if we are believers,
are totally and completely allowed by a
Heavenly Father who loved us so much that He
sent His own Son, Jesus, to die for our sins.

This is the One who permits the "good" and the "bad"
into our lives.

All things that we must face are for our good...
and more importantly His glory.

Does it make it easy...NO!

Can we make it through? YES!

Because of the knowledge that He will never
leave us...not ever!

I sometimes picture myself sitting in the palm
of one of God's hands.
The other hand comes, ever so gently
down, to cover and protect me.
I feel so safe.
This is the mental image that I carry on
days when the pain is intense
or things feel out of my control.

I am tranferring this image to include
my children as they grow and are more
often away from me and at work or play.

One son wants to begin riding dirt bike.
The first response from me is fear.
Didn't he learn by nearly crushing his head
just last week? Don't we know lots of people who
have experienced horrible accidents on these machines?

A sport that requires so much safety equipment
seems to me to be a pointless risk.
To he and his Dad...it is good preparation
for the day he buys his own motorcycle.
Yikes!

Mikey is a child of God.
He is in the palm of God's hand.
I must trust in that.
This is a hard one, for me.
Others face much harder letting go issues.
Much!

I was going to write about going bowling today,
and getting more chairs off the truck at the church.
Could be today...
Hmmm...I wonder what the Lord has in store?

So many friends are facing serious illnesses,
hurts and concerns.
I just want you to know that you are
in my prayers and I love knowing that you pray
for me...

Your Friend...

Answered Prayer

This has been a week filled with the
direct knowledge that God has been
in the doctor's offices with me.

To catch any new readers up...
I have a couple of cysts in my
abdomen that are causing significant
pain. The theory is that there is
scar tissue from a previous post
surgical infection that is holding
an ovarian cyst, ovary and bowel all
together.

I will be having surgery to resolve
it. This brings me to yesterday's
answered prayer.

I was struggling with allowing the same surgeon
that did the initial two surgeries to operate on
me again. I do not hate him. I don't know
that he did anything wrong.
I was just uncomfortable.

So, I asked for a second opinion.
This is very hard for a "pleaser" like
me to do. But, when you feel strongly...

Anyway, a friend has just started working for
a gyno surgeon. He has a great reputation!
She got me in to see him. She had the whole
office primed for my visit...even the doctor.

They were so wonderful. Even the nurse that
seated me in the room had just had surgery performed by
this doctor and could not say enough good things
about him.

My friend, Marie, was so funny. She said every time
she passed by my door while I was with the doctor she
would touch the door and pray that the doctor would
have more wisdom than he even knew he needed!

One thing that I felt prompted to do yesterday
before I went in was to type up a narrative of
my health history. It is getting complicated.
It really helped.
Sometimes a test result does not reflect the whole
story and this was the case here.
The doctor told me that when he saw the result
of the ultrasound he could not understand why
anyone would recommend surgery...then he saw
my history and his opinion changed. After the
physical exam he is very convinced that I am out
of other options.
I am so glad that I typed that narrative.
I recommend that if you haven't already done this,
you would be wise to have one on hand for
yourself that you could print out and take
along every time you see a doctor.

Having dates and test results handy is a very
good idea for those times when you are not
thinking clearly or are in pain.

I am very comfortable now to go ahead with the surgery.
Nervous about various aspects...but ready to get it done.

It will have to wait until the beginning of May because of
other tests that have to be completed, but I have been dealing
with this pain since January. Hopefully with the pain pills
I'll be able to get through until then. He is willing to
do it sooner if I just can't tolerate the pain.

Your prayers were felt, my dear friends.

I'll be asking for more.

The pain has doubled since his exam...I am hoping that it
will settle back down very soon. I am just about useless
at this point.

This is beginning to seem like a medical journal.
I really don't want to do that but you really seemed to care.