July 16, 2018

Greetings my Friend,

As I write I have been waking up for several hours already. With Parkinson's I don't roll out of bed anymore and begin the day right away. I need time to take my medications, to wake up, for me that is in the Word of God, check out Facebook. This morning I took time to send out several GIFS to people who I am close to, kind of a wakeup, I am thinking of you expression of love. I made two phone calls about things we needed to be taken care of and I read the Word. The time in the Word for me begins with a bit of journaling first my thoughts then a prayer. It was during the journal time I took care of business and sent out my "I love you" texts. By the time I entered the Word I was focused on the lesson God was giving me. When I finished I went through Facebook again, when I updated my status I found myself grateful for looking at the beauty of flowers that came across my newsfeed, giggled at a few of the jokes, enjoyed some of the ways others reached out to help someone in need. I seek to find the beauty of life in anyway possible, it helps me start the day and keep the attitude of gratitude. Once I finish this I truly start to enter into my day, I pull meat of the freezer for dinner, snuggle on a few of our fur babies and enjoy the man God placed me with my husband Junior. My biggest desire is to be of use, to be productive so I enter into housework with joy. I seek to be active in order to keep my PD symptoms at bay, recently I learned if I am not on my feet enough during the day I will have spasms at night, I researched and found I could do standing leg lifts, I have done them twice now on days I was not able to be on my feet a lot and I did not have spasms at night, I slept comfortably as well. I often pray asking God to show me how to manage my PD then He places a thought in my mind that will help me or show me where to find the answer like on the internet. As I have learned to follow God's promptings I find myself being able to face my disease with strength and peace. God showed me to make a list of what I do each day which shows me I am productive. God is truly my hope and my peace. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet

July 13, 2018

Greetings My Friend,

I am finding I need to make a choice between being active or writing. My energy level has decreased from a year ago. I am not able to keep up with what I did a year ago so I must make a choice between sitting and writing or keeping my body active. I have learned with Parkinson's that the more active I am the more I am able to ward off pain, muscle cramps, muscle tightness and such. I strive to be on my feet walking, moving for several hours a day. I do hand, arm and shoulder exercises in my comfy chair, I also do neck exercises that helps me with my balance problems. I strive to be on my feet moving about for several hours a day which helps ward off a lot of stiffness. I am averaging an hour to an hour and 20 minutes of walking each week which helps my legs not to be restless at night. Sometimes I cannot walk or be on my feet enough so at night I struggle with restless legs. I have started looking up some leg exercises to do when the weather does not permit me to walk out side. I will begin to add leg  to my list of exercises soon. When I am not on my feet using my legs, I find I have spasms in the night so if I add the leg exercises I pray I won't get the restless legs. By being active and doing exercises, I have very little pain, restless legs. I find quiet time with the Lord helps me to learn how to manage my chronic illness. This year my energy level is less than it was last year so I find myself making choices, should I write or should I be more active? I choose to be more active. Being more active means I may not be able to put my posts out as often as I have in the past, I will write when I am able to, share my faith journey, my journey with Parkinson's. This year instead of dehydrating most of the fruits and vegetables I am freezing and dehydrating, this way I am able to put food up for the winter and not work as hard. We will still eat more food from God's creation and less processed. I love eating more wholesome foods, I believe that also helps me be stronger and healthier. I am taking longer afternoon naps so again I am attempting to balance my day to day life. By taking care of my life I believe my quality of life will allow me to enjoy my life more fully. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet

July 9, 2018

Greetings My Friend,

For the past month I have had good days, bad days and days trying to get back to my new normal. I keep learning the simple things that I once could do and recover from quickly is not so with Parkinson's. I have dealt with two types of dizziness one was do to the medication that controls my tremors, the other was an ear infection. I knew that a week of going to VBS was going to wear on me, following the two weeks of dizziness did not help, then a week of running to doctor's appointments and such was the final straw. I struggled to get my sleep routine back on track,  Saturday night the dogs got into a huge fight it was between a German Malamute, a Redbone and a boxer plus the smaller dogs and I was the one in the mix of it hitting them with my walking stick trying to break it up. The dog fight had my adrenalin pumping so bad I could not get to sleep that night. I was still awake the next morning to go to Sunday School so off we went, I got sick after class and we went home. By evening I was beginning to feel better, I had a good nights sleep, I woke up at my usual time and I once again feel ready to do my normal routines. I kept asking God if I should write during  those hard weeks, the answer was no. Today He said it is time and as I look back I know why I did not need to write, I simply did not have the energy. Our town has a 3 week revival again this year, I know without a doubt that I can not attend it. My energy is not what it was a year ago, which makes me sad although God continues to teach me how to manage my time. I would rather be able to help clean the house, make meals and put up food. Junior lovingly filled in for me on the days I was out of commission,  he did this on top of continuing to renovate the house, the kitchen at present. He is a marvel, someone I look up to and strive to deal with my disability as aptly as he has his. He has had 40 some more years on me with his disability so I am learning. Junior's foot was blown off in Vietnam which has played havoc with his back. He should be out of commission but with Chiropractic care and supplements, he can still work, slowly but he is on his feet working non the less. From him I have learned to manage my time, learned how important it is to stop for a few hours at a time to rest, then go back to it. I see Junior's reliance on Jesus, how much he able to do so I learn to take my struggle to Jesus as well. By focusing on "me" getting better, I am now able to return to writing. May God bless you and keep you, make His face shine on you. Love Janet

June 2, 2018

Greetings My Friend,

This morning I woke up with brain fog so getting my thoughts together then start functioning is a huge challenge. I feel like I have a hangover although I don't drink alcohol. Yesterday we got up, got ready then went to my sister's house to visit with her and my niece. We were there a couple of hours, then we headed to Lowe's to get a light fixture for the ceiling fan, the other one quit working. I was extremely tired by the time we got home. With Parkinson's Disease it does not take long for me to wear out anymore. When we got home about 3:00 in the afternoon, I took my nap which I need in order to function anymore. I was so wore out I slept for 3 hours waking up at 6:00. I caught up the days dishes washing them by hand, took a shower, found myself tired so I laid low the rest of the night. The problem is I woke up around 3 am for a couple of hours. I used to get panicky being awake during the night, today I watch a little TV, if that does not work then I do my quiet time with God. God generally relaxes me as I read His Word then I am able to go to sleep again. God's Word quiets all the racing thoughts that come with being awake in the middle of the night, for me the thoughts are dark, sad thoughts. I was not able to make my body be active after my late nap yesterday, I have learned I need a nap, I have also learned when I nap I need to push my body so I am able to sleep at night. Chronic Fatigue is a problem most people with chronic illnesses deal with. I have to have that afternoon nap, I also need to be active for a couple of hours once I wake up so I am able to get to sleep and stay asleep. I move slow in the mornings, I am not able to get up and rush about as I did when I was a working mother. After I drink a couple of cups of tea, eat breakfast, study the Word my mind will engage, my body will function then I am able to enter into the day fully. Another problem I have with brain fog is when I get off schedule taking my PD medication, I find I struggle for the rest of the day feeling "off". PD patients need to have routines then stick with them. I have always functioned best with routines, I need them now even more so. God has placed information at my fingertips through the internet, talking with a couple of friends who have PD so I have learned ways to deal with my disease along with ways to be proactive like exercising. I have learned these brain fog moments will pass, to stick with my routine then I work my way back into functioning rather well. I am grateful for the information I have gotten, I am grateful I have been able to apply what I have learned and to be able to function fairly well. I tire easily, I have learned to work around my tiredness and I am able to take care of our home, our lives. My husband is supportive, my friends understand when I am tired and God is always near to guide me when I am not sure what to do, how to cope. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet

May 31, 2018

Greetings My Friend,

Thirteen years ago I had breast cancer, that was the start of a downward spiral of my health. Radiation beat me up something awful, after the treatments were done I struggled to do most of what I had done easily before radiation then I spiraled down until sitting on the couch, moving to a chair next to the couch wore me out. The last year I worked I struggled to do my job, one I had been in for 11 years. Junior and,  I moved to Virginia, he did all the work because I was too tired to help. God blessed me because He sent me to a wonderful doctor, she helped me one problem at a time. One and a half years ago I needed to use a wheelchair whenever I went anywhere. Today I can walk pushing my walker or a shopping cart for an hour or more. My doctor sent me to a couple of specialists who did little to nothing to help me so she undertook to figure out my problem, I have Parkinson's Disease, started me on PD medication, now I am able to walk, to keep up our home, make dinners and even write. Along the way God has shown me ways to get back some of my cognitive abilities through games, learning how to preserve food, helping Junior plan out what we want in our home we are renovating. God has helped me deal with my allergies more effectively, taught me to do different types of exercises, which in turn helps keep the rigidity of PD at bay. I discovered I slept better in a recliner than I did in bed so now I wake up with very little to no stiffness. There have been days I wondered if all this work was worth the effort, when I saw my PCP yesterday, I knew it was worth the effort as she came over to give me a giant hug. My little miniature poodle died recently, she was an older dog, she had a bum leg, was blind and I took her with me wherever I went around the house and around town. She helped me walk straight when I could not use a shopping cart. I knew I needed another helper so we headed to the pound where we adopted a min pin. She is full of energy with a very sweet personality. I now need to walk her several times a day which is helping me to move about more. I have worked up to where I am able to walk halfway down my country road which excites me. We live on a beautiful mountain full of woods road, the walk is peaceful, beautiful. I am working towards being able to walk the road to its end within the next month. The only real problem I had was I struggled to wake up from my afternoon nap, my PCP suggested I use my CPAP when I take a nap as well as at bedtime. I used it yesterday, I woke up easily, was able to get up easier. It has taken a lot of energy, a lot of persistence to be where I am today, I am grateful. I am grateful God has patiently, lovingly guided my steps, now I plan on using these better days to tell of how God has been helped me, given me quite a bit of my life back. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet

May 29, 2018

Greetings My Friend,

I have had a problem with Pope Francis' theology, he has stated that Muslims and Christians worship the same god. We do not worship the same god as the Muslims do, our God states emphatically that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Ishmael was the son of Abraham but not the son of Abraham and Sara, he was born of Sara's slave woman. The Pope says other things that do not match up with the Bible. I am sad that people believe all that they hear, many false teachings of God's Word abound today. The best way to know if you are being fed garbage or the real thing is to read the Word of God and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts. The Bible also teaches in the end times people will want teaching that "tickles their ears," people want to hear what they want to believe, then they seek out those that will tell them what they want to hear. It is sad. Part of the deception I also see today is how our children are taught completely different things than we were taught when I was growing up. We were taught socialism never lasted, the only people it benefitted was those who ran the government. Today children are taught it is wonderful, even though the nightly news tells of how awful the countries that have it now are. The nightly news tells how cruel Muslim's are around the world, chopping off people's heads, raping young children, women because they do not believe in their god. All that is repeated is "not all Muslim's are that crazy". I see where countries are kicking the Muslim's out, they have overtaken the country then changed the social norms of that country. We want everyone to be nice and get along, the sad fact is people are not kind. God wants each of us to choose Him, He won't make you believe in Him although if you choose not to believe in Him, you choose an eternity in hell, a not so nice place. Many churches are teaching their congregations that everyone will go to heaven, that is not true. Jesus talked about hell more than He talked about heaven, Jesus taught us how to live a holy life. Jesus loved the unlovable, that means a whole lot to me. Jesus taught that the only way to heaven is we must believe He is the son of God, then we can go to heaven. It is rather simple to get into heaven, believe God is God, that "God, sent His only begotten Son into the world that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." This means even if the worst of sinners repent, stop sinning and follow the teachings of the Holy Bible. That means a homosexual can repent, stop their sinful behavior and go to heaven. Even a Muslim can go to heaven if he will believe God is God, Jesus is His Son then begin to live the teachings of the Bible. This gift is open to everyone, it is each person's choice to believe and live in eternity or not believe and live in hell for eternity. My prayer is people will stop choosing to believe any teaching that makes them feel good and start believing God. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet

May 24, 2018

Greetings My Friend,

Today was a definite Parkinson's day for me, then add to that I found myself grappling with some major emotional upheavals. For what ever reason today was a sleepy kind of day for me, as I wake up it is 6:00 in the evening. Junior took Ziva our min pin to get a hysterectomy this morning before I woke up, I was woke up with a call from the Vet's office asking if I still wanted to have the procedure done because she was in heat. I was told she would still appeal to male dogs for awhile longer and if they mounted her Ziva's insides would be injured. After thinking on this a bit I chose to go ahead with the procedure. The Vet's office said it is done frequently, the smaller dogs like she is usually go through this with no problems other than we need to make male dog's stay away from her, since we have 3 males that are still intact although a lot larger I feel they would not be able to harm Ziva. After that I went to my quiet time with the LORD. This time allowed me to focus on God, to settle my thoughts and to begin to prepare for today's agenda. When I finished my quiet time I did some dusting, picked up the kitchen when I realized I needed to lay down so I would be energetic enough to run to the Vet with Junior. Brenda called me telling me about the terrible struggle she is having using the bathroom since radiation but now it has been days since she could go to the bathroom. Throughout the process of her cancer treatments, I kept telling Brenda she needed to talk to her family doctor and quit asking the cancer doctor's for guidance with her health issues. She has been out of treatments for several months and today Brenda decided to call her family doctor. The doctor wanted Brenda to go to the ER immediately, first thing Brenda did was call me to tell me what the doctor told her to do. While telling me what the doctor told her what to do, Brenda was trying to make 4 or 5 other decisions about her impending move, if she should do this or that. I started fussing at Brenda telling her to focus on one problem at a time, she needed to hang up, get to the hospital right now. After each of these major decisions I will get a text stating I am her only friend, she relies on me, then I point her back to Jesus. I have not heard from Brenda as of yet, my guess is she may be admitted. In the mix of these things my niece Alicia's dog died, Molly has been in her life for 9 years or so now. Since Daisy died a few weeks ago I know the difficulty of loosing a beloved pet, it is much like loosing a family member. My heart is breaking for my niece and her family. For whatever reason today I have struggled with extreme exhaustion. I wound up sleeping all afternoon, now I need to see if I can sum up enough energy to be physically active for a couple of hours so I can get to sleep tonight. God will help me to decide what activities I can do so I can sleep. At the end of the day my heart is grateful to be a follower of Jesus, in my brokenness God quiets the hurt in my soul for Brenda, my niece even little Ziva. I am grateful Junior understands my need to slow down some days, he is patient until I am able to get back to functioning again. Parkinson's has taught me only too well, work when I can and sit when I can't. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet