Greetings My Friend,
Having a faith journey with Jesus is much like being married to Junior, while Junior was in Michigan we talked, stayed faithful to each other and believed beyond a shadow of a doubt we would come back together united. Just like in marriage I wake up each day, make the decision that I will stay committed to my belief that Jesus is my Savior. The time apart taught us lessons, Junior stayed with our niece and nephew, visited his cousin and some friends from the neighborhood he lived in for sometime as a youngster. The get together of the friends allowed Junior to remember a few good memories from a very troubled childhood and I believe he made peace with it. While Junior was gone I got to hang out with some good girl friends, I learned I can rely on these friends as we got together for some fun. Debbie and Terrie both did not mind picking me up, taking me to church and shopping, for me this is one of the rare times I have gone out without Junior since moving down here. I learned that I can handle my day to day life on my own as well, I made my meals, kept up with laundry, dishes, making the bed etc. When I 1st began my faith journey I learned that God held my hand, guiding me, allowing me to cry, gave me hugs and what not. One day I felt God taking His hand off of me, patted me on the back and gently pushed me back into life. At first I was afraid but I took that step and was surprised I could actually do it and soon I found myself confident. I was in a conversation recently with a woman who is in a bad relationship, she has lost her confidence due to being told constantly how worthless she is. I told her I knew the feeling and she asked me if I was confident, I told her I was but it was not my confidence, my confidence comes from Jesus. Thirty years ago I would not make a decision about anything, I did not think I could survive on my own etc. Today I talk to anyone without fear, I ask questions all the time in Sunday school or Bible study, at one time I never did. God put me with Junior who taught me that I am a smart woman with many valuable traits. I am a detail person, Junior is a big picture person together we are a great team. When I make a mistake Junior does not berate me which helped me to try new things. God has done the same thing with me, He keeps showing me He created me with special talents, gifts and encourages me to do what I am gifted at. He has shown me where pride was detracting from the gift I had and showed me how to let go of pride, to aim for the heart of my gift. I used to want to be a famous writer, speaker, today all I want is to touch a heart, show them they are capable of walking away from bad relationships, can work even with a handicap and so on. Junior's trip to Michigan gave me the opportunity to see that I still can do many things on my own and in the areas where I can't, God has given me friends to be an assist. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
August 29, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
The weekend of hanging out with friends, Debbien Boogie and Terrie is over and I realize I took on too much, although I would do it again. My weekend of fun reminds me of my inability to hang tough anymore and those 2 days brought on a couple of days to regroup. Saturday I spent going out to eat with Debbie and Boogie, then we shopped till we dropped which was only 2 stores. I found several good buys at the thrift store for my new wardrobe of wearing dresses only. As I bring home the dresses, I get rid of more clothes that is in my closet right now. Junior built the closet when we moved into our 1920's farm house since most people back then did not have a closet. The bedroom we are in is going to be the spare bedroom and in the future the other bedroom will become our master bedroom so he built the closets rather small, smaller than the 1950's closets. The longer I live with this tiny closet I find I don't really want to own a ton of clothes anymore. My habit has become, when I buy new clothes, I go through my closet and donate the same amount of clothes I will be putting into the closet, this way my closet does not get over crowded. When Junior gets around to renovating the other bedroom my thought is I don't want a closet any bigger than the one I have now, I have even felt it would be nice to get an antique wardrobe instead of building a closet. I was over tired when I got in so I put some lavender oil in the difuser, made a cup of chamomile tea which began to relax me. I was over excited from all the fun we had and this helped me settle down so I could get to sleep. Terrie showed up Sunday morning to take me to church, I hung out with Terrie after church at her house until evening Bible study. I loved that time as well. We talked, her eyes did not glaze over like Junior's do from all the chatter I had, in fact Terrie had as much chatter as I did. What was nice about being at Terrie's is we hung out in the recliner's Terrie even found a blanket and a pillow for me to snuggle in. I find snuggling in with a blanket when relaxing to be almost like comfort food to me, kind of like mashed potatoes when I am stressed. After evening Bible study was over and I was home again I felt the "crash" starting to hit me. I cat napped all evening, I could not stay awake if I wanted to, eventually I woke up for a couple of hours before I went to bed. This is the point I realized that I am not able to travel like I used to. I had the tiredness of the end of a vacation after 2 days of crazy running and I knew that I had made the right decision to not go with Junior to Michigan. Monday found me sleeping late, I had a little more energy to get a few jobs done then I slept for several hours, waking up from my nap took awhile to get awake although I still had a need to sit on the recliner. Many people deal with chronic fatigue that have chronic illness like I have with my Parkinson's disease. People that don't understand the exhaustion we feel and think we are lazy, trying to get out of work, or want attention. The fact is we fight hard to be energetic, we miss being involved in life like we once were. Many of us learn to manage our energy, like not going shopping all day or hanging out with a friend or traveling. I can stay home, manage my activity level and still have days where I can barely get off the couch. I knew I was going to crash when I set up my girlfriend dates but it was worth the exhaustion. Debbie, Boogie and Terrie all struggle with chronic fatigue too, we all have chronic illnesses so we understand when we have to cancel plans at the last minute. Debbie has asthma extreme asthma, Boogie is older is slowing down and has health issues while Terrie has diabetes, each of these illnesses all have chronic fatigue problems as well. I will take it easy for awhile I know that I will get that desire to travel, go out for a fun few days, I am still young enough to want to have time outs from day to day routines and I also know when I go hard I will crash and I am okay with it, the memories are worth it to me. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
The weekend of hanging out with friends, Debbien Boogie and Terrie is over and I realize I took on too much, although I would do it again. My weekend of fun reminds me of my inability to hang tough anymore and those 2 days brought on a couple of days to regroup. Saturday I spent going out to eat with Debbie and Boogie, then we shopped till we dropped which was only 2 stores. I found several good buys at the thrift store for my new wardrobe of wearing dresses only. As I bring home the dresses, I get rid of more clothes that is in my closet right now. Junior built the closet when we moved into our 1920's farm house since most people back then did not have a closet. The bedroom we are in is going to be the spare bedroom and in the future the other bedroom will become our master bedroom so he built the closets rather small, smaller than the 1950's closets. The longer I live with this tiny closet I find I don't really want to own a ton of clothes anymore. My habit has become, when I buy new clothes, I go through my closet and donate the same amount of clothes I will be putting into the closet, this way my closet does not get over crowded. When Junior gets around to renovating the other bedroom my thought is I don't want a closet any bigger than the one I have now, I have even felt it would be nice to get an antique wardrobe instead of building a closet. I was over tired when I got in so I put some lavender oil in the difuser, made a cup of chamomile tea which began to relax me. I was over excited from all the fun we had and this helped me settle down so I could get to sleep. Terrie showed up Sunday morning to take me to church, I hung out with Terrie after church at her house until evening Bible study. I loved that time as well. We talked, her eyes did not glaze over like Junior's do from all the chatter I had, in fact Terrie had as much chatter as I did. What was nice about being at Terrie's is we hung out in the recliner's Terrie even found a blanket and a pillow for me to snuggle in. I find snuggling in with a blanket when relaxing to be almost like comfort food to me, kind of like mashed potatoes when I am stressed. After evening Bible study was over and I was home again I felt the "crash" starting to hit me. I cat napped all evening, I could not stay awake if I wanted to, eventually I woke up for a couple of hours before I went to bed. This is the point I realized that I am not able to travel like I used to. I had the tiredness of the end of a vacation after 2 days of crazy running and I knew that I had made the right decision to not go with Junior to Michigan. Monday found me sleeping late, I had a little more energy to get a few jobs done then I slept for several hours, waking up from my nap took awhile to get awake although I still had a need to sit on the recliner. Many people deal with chronic fatigue that have chronic illness like I have with my Parkinson's disease. People that don't understand the exhaustion we feel and think we are lazy, trying to get out of work, or want attention. The fact is we fight hard to be energetic, we miss being involved in life like we once were. Many of us learn to manage our energy, like not going shopping all day or hanging out with a friend or traveling. I can stay home, manage my activity level and still have days where I can barely get off the couch. I knew I was going to crash when I set up my girlfriend dates but it was worth the exhaustion. Debbie, Boogie and Terrie all struggle with chronic fatigue too, we all have chronic illnesses so we understand when we have to cancel plans at the last minute. Debbie has asthma extreme asthma, Boogie is older is slowing down and has health issues while Terrie has diabetes, each of these illnesses all have chronic fatigue problems as well. I will take it easy for awhile I know that I will get that desire to travel, go out for a fun few days, I am still young enough to want to have time outs from day to day routines and I also know when I go hard I will crash and I am okay with it, the memories are worth it to me. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Saturday, August 26, 2017
August 26, 2017Ap
Greetings My Friend,
It is Sunday as I write and in 2 hours I will get ready to go to church. This week my friend Terrie is taking me to church and then back to Bible study tonight because Junior is up in Michigan for a few days. Going to church is important to me although I have to admit when I am without Junior it is difficult to go alone. I am able to more so these days than in my previous marriage although this will be the first time that I go without Junior in 19 years. Terrie is picking me up then keeping me for lunch and will bring me back to Bible study tonight so going with a friend is easier. I have had a conversation going on inside my brain about the silliness of not going to church, the family of believers I have grown with over the last 8 years or so. These people celebrated when I was baptized, visited me when I had my appendix out at the hospital and I have shared many potluck dinners and holidays with this church family so why is it hard to go without Junior? God loves me, knows me deeply and so goes the conversation in my head. I am lost when I can't attend services, I have gone since a young child and Sunday's are not complete or my week right until I take time to corporately worship the Lord. My Sunday worship time is as important to me as my morning shower only I feel cleansed each week, prepared to face the new week in the Lord with Sunday morning time in corporate worship. I have had time to do Bible study already so I am even more filled with the love of Jesus and the direction God is leading me in. My prayers last night and this morning found me thanking God for Debbie and Boogie, for Terrie coming beside me while Junior is away. Yesterday I went shopping with Debbie and Boogie, had lunch at Apple Bee's and shopped until we dropped. Today after church Terrie is making us stuffed sweet peppers for lunch, something I have not eaten in forever and then she is taking me to Bible study tonight. Terrie even volunteered to let me bring Daisy by her house while we are at church and her friend will watch her so that I will have my little side kick along side of me all afternoon. I feel so blessed and loved and I know that God has aligned all of this for my good. If I drove, I do believe that I would be able to go to church alone if I had to and I am grateful that God has shown me that I am precious whether I am alone or with someone. Tonight when all is done, I will come home to the houseful of fur babies to take care of, feed, put drops in Cinnamon's ear, and clean out the litter box. Here too I am reminded that I am important to my babies as well. God wants me near Him, at home, out in the world and in church. He reminds me again that He loved me so much that He sent His only Son into the world.....May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
It is Sunday as I write and in 2 hours I will get ready to go to church. This week my friend Terrie is taking me to church and then back to Bible study tonight because Junior is up in Michigan for a few days. Going to church is important to me although I have to admit when I am without Junior it is difficult to go alone. I am able to more so these days than in my previous marriage although this will be the first time that I go without Junior in 19 years. Terrie is picking me up then keeping me for lunch and will bring me back to Bible study tonight so going with a friend is easier. I have had a conversation going on inside my brain about the silliness of not going to church, the family of believers I have grown with over the last 8 years or so. These people celebrated when I was baptized, visited me when I had my appendix out at the hospital and I have shared many potluck dinners and holidays with this church family so why is it hard to go without Junior? God loves me, knows me deeply and so goes the conversation in my head. I am lost when I can't attend services, I have gone since a young child and Sunday's are not complete or my week right until I take time to corporately worship the Lord. My Sunday worship time is as important to me as my morning shower only I feel cleansed each week, prepared to face the new week in the Lord with Sunday morning time in corporate worship. I have had time to do Bible study already so I am even more filled with the love of Jesus and the direction God is leading me in. My prayers last night and this morning found me thanking God for Debbie and Boogie, for Terrie coming beside me while Junior is away. Yesterday I went shopping with Debbie and Boogie, had lunch at Apple Bee's and shopped until we dropped. Today after church Terrie is making us stuffed sweet peppers for lunch, something I have not eaten in forever and then she is taking me to Bible study tonight. Terrie even volunteered to let me bring Daisy by her house while we are at church and her friend will watch her so that I will have my little side kick along side of me all afternoon. I feel so blessed and loved and I know that God has aligned all of this for my good. If I drove, I do believe that I would be able to go to church alone if I had to and I am grateful that God has shown me that I am precious whether I am alone or with someone. Tonight when all is done, I will come home to the houseful of fur babies to take care of, feed, put drops in Cinnamon's ear, and clean out the litter box. Here too I am reminded that I am important to my babies as well. God wants me near Him, at home, out in the world and in church. He reminds me again that He loved me so much that He sent His only Son into the world.....May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Thursday, August 24, 2017
August 24, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
It was Wednesday and I wanted to go grocery shopping before Junior left for Michigan for a few days, on the way to the grocery store we realized that it was Wednesday and we wanted to start going to prayer meetings at church on Wednesday. This was the 2nd week of attempting to make Wednesday night part of our weekly schedule and we forgot until we got into town. Luckily we were early so we did our shopping and then went over to the church and was able to pray along with the other people who come to the prayer meeting. One of the things I get discouraged with my chronic illness is that I am not dependable anymore. It takes me longer to get up and get moving these days, some days I am extremely tired so I need to sleep more and making a commitment is difficult. I do feel I am able to handle Wednesday night prayer meetings now and I am attempting to go with Junior, I value the opportunity to be with other believers and to stay close to God in my faith walk. I socialize on line quite a bit and prayerfully my faith walk comes through in my interactions online. The next place I am these days is shopping mainly grocery shopping so I pray that my words, the interaction with Junior are a light that shines for God's glory. I can't travel well anymore so I can't be a witness to God's love to others and volunteering or working are not possible either so I use what avenues I have available to me to be a witness for Jesus. I can feel God's hand on me as I struggle with Parkinson's, He is teaching me how to manage my symptoms, to keep a positive outlook instead of giving into depression even if it means that my anxiety medication needs to be adjusted from time to time. Having PD anxiety is a part of the disease, somehow dopamine depletion in my brain affects the ability to handle stress, anxiety what have you. In the back of my mind recently I ponder a bit too much on why my legs/gait are continuing to give out on me. I am exercising, on my feet as much as possible but my ability to stand, be balanced continues to decline and sets off my anxiety. Right now God helps me to stay focused on what I still have, the abilities to do things and even learn keeping me from a major shut down in my emotions. Realizing that I may be in a wheelchair at some point I felt God leading me to learn new things like decopauging and sewing, along with doing a cross stitch project again. These things are engaging my mind making me think through my brain fog so that I am experiencing brain fog less often these days. My church family is coming alongside of Junior and me while he is out of town. Debbie and Terrie are checking in with me while he is gone and at the prayer meeting Junior requested prayer for travel mercies and for me while he is gone, that felt good. Since I don't drive anymore, I feel connected to others and not alone up on our mountain. These little things are what I am able to share about how God sustains me and in sharing I also bring attention to the fact that God is willing to be intimately involved in everyone's life. Being loved, valued even though I am disabled makes getting up and moving a wonderful reason to smile and love again another day. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
It was Wednesday and I wanted to go grocery shopping before Junior left for Michigan for a few days, on the way to the grocery store we realized that it was Wednesday and we wanted to start going to prayer meetings at church on Wednesday. This was the 2nd week of attempting to make Wednesday night part of our weekly schedule and we forgot until we got into town. Luckily we were early so we did our shopping and then went over to the church and was able to pray along with the other people who come to the prayer meeting. One of the things I get discouraged with my chronic illness is that I am not dependable anymore. It takes me longer to get up and get moving these days, some days I am extremely tired so I need to sleep more and making a commitment is difficult. I do feel I am able to handle Wednesday night prayer meetings now and I am attempting to go with Junior, I value the opportunity to be with other believers and to stay close to God in my faith walk. I socialize on line quite a bit and prayerfully my faith walk comes through in my interactions online. The next place I am these days is shopping mainly grocery shopping so I pray that my words, the interaction with Junior are a light that shines for God's glory. I can't travel well anymore so I can't be a witness to God's love to others and volunteering or working are not possible either so I use what avenues I have available to me to be a witness for Jesus. I can feel God's hand on me as I struggle with Parkinson's, He is teaching me how to manage my symptoms, to keep a positive outlook instead of giving into depression even if it means that my anxiety medication needs to be adjusted from time to time. Having PD anxiety is a part of the disease, somehow dopamine depletion in my brain affects the ability to handle stress, anxiety what have you. In the back of my mind recently I ponder a bit too much on why my legs/gait are continuing to give out on me. I am exercising, on my feet as much as possible but my ability to stand, be balanced continues to decline and sets off my anxiety. Right now God helps me to stay focused on what I still have, the abilities to do things and even learn keeping me from a major shut down in my emotions. Realizing that I may be in a wheelchair at some point I felt God leading me to learn new things like decopauging and sewing, along with doing a cross stitch project again. These things are engaging my mind making me think through my brain fog so that I am experiencing brain fog less often these days. My church family is coming alongside of Junior and me while he is out of town. Debbie and Terrie are checking in with me while he is gone and at the prayer meeting Junior requested prayer for travel mercies and for me while he is gone, that felt good. Since I don't drive anymore, I feel connected to others and not alone up on our mountain. These little things are what I am able to share about how God sustains me and in sharing I also bring attention to the fact that God is willing to be intimately involved in everyone's life. Being loved, valued even though I am disabled makes getting up and moving a wonderful reason to smile and love again another day. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
August 22, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
As I write this the day's agenda in the morning was clean the bathroom, cut corn off the cob and dehydrate it finishing up with heating left over homemade mac and cheese for lunch. The corn on the cob was a process of heating it up in the microwave, shucking the stalk off of it then cutting the corn from the cob. This was the first day of using my walker as I went about my day in the house so I was anxious to see if my energy level would increase. My walker helps me align my spine straight and I pull my shoulders down from my neck automatically, at the end of the morning my lower back did not ache. After lunch I laid down in the recliner and slept 3 hours. My nap was my usual of late I admit I was rather wore out. My thinking is I stayed with the corn process longer than usual. I am once more in the process of attempting to learn how to utilize my energy so that I can stay active for as long as I am able. Day one of my work week does not seem like I have made any progress other than no lower back pain from being on my feet and that is okay. Junior took Jack to the vet this afternoon I decided to stay home. Last week i called the vet to set up appointments for the fur children for the next year. I was getting confused who needed an appointment next and who was coming up for the next scheduled one so now i have each fur child set up, their name alongside their appointment day and time. Later this week we take both baby girls in for their first check up to begin the process of getting them in to get their baby making equipment to not function. I have heard for years how important it is to spay and neuter the fur children, living with a house full of strays I get it more so these days. I also see that the 3 girl cats we have rescued when they were too young to be taken from their mother are very attached to Junior and I. Lovey and Maxine were following me around the yard the other night while I picked up debris just like they follow Junior around as he works on the porch, cleaning up the car port and shed. I believe both baby girls seek Junior and I out to have us love on them like they would their mother would have. Jack and Grey who we got last year are very attached to us as well. Grey was dumped on the side of the road when we took her from the police officer so he could do road side checks of drivers licenses. Grey still needs to be loved on while Jack who came to us when he was old enough to be weened from his mother and seems to know he is wanted. All the dogs are good kids in general with a couple needing more attention. These fur children give me the incentive to keep being active so I am able to help care for them although Junior does most of the feeding, bathing etc. Daisy is at my feet or on my walker as I go about the day. When I carry her she helps me stay balanced and when she sits in my lap she calms my anxious thoughts. Her one eye is totally gone now. My heart breaks when giving her the eye drops and ointment, she does not squint as I draw close to her eye, she doesn't see it. She is 10 years old, still I hate to see her unable to see, her one leg has quit working since Bella bit her which is why Bella had to go. She was needing too much attention in a house full of other animals and her attacking little tiny Daisy was the last straw. We took her to a shelter and made sure they understood her need to be an only child. My little family gives me the desire to stay involved with them, to work hard at being as physically able for as long as possible. God knew I needed extra comfort and encouragement to work hard at being as healthy as I can be. I am grateful for His love in this time of declining health. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
As I write this the day's agenda in the morning was clean the bathroom, cut corn off the cob and dehydrate it finishing up with heating left over homemade mac and cheese for lunch. The corn on the cob was a process of heating it up in the microwave, shucking the stalk off of it then cutting the corn from the cob. This was the first day of using my walker as I went about my day in the house so I was anxious to see if my energy level would increase. My walker helps me align my spine straight and I pull my shoulders down from my neck automatically, at the end of the morning my lower back did not ache. After lunch I laid down in the recliner and slept 3 hours. My nap was my usual of late I admit I was rather wore out. My thinking is I stayed with the corn process longer than usual. I am once more in the process of attempting to learn how to utilize my energy so that I can stay active for as long as I am able. Day one of my work week does not seem like I have made any progress other than no lower back pain from being on my feet and that is okay. Junior took Jack to the vet this afternoon I decided to stay home. Last week i called the vet to set up appointments for the fur children for the next year. I was getting confused who needed an appointment next and who was coming up for the next scheduled one so now i have each fur child set up, their name alongside their appointment day and time. Later this week we take both baby girls in for their first check up to begin the process of getting them in to get their baby making equipment to not function. I have heard for years how important it is to spay and neuter the fur children, living with a house full of strays I get it more so these days. I also see that the 3 girl cats we have rescued when they were too young to be taken from their mother are very attached to Junior and I. Lovey and Maxine were following me around the yard the other night while I picked up debris just like they follow Junior around as he works on the porch, cleaning up the car port and shed. I believe both baby girls seek Junior and I out to have us love on them like they would their mother would have. Jack and Grey who we got last year are very attached to us as well. Grey was dumped on the side of the road when we took her from the police officer so he could do road side checks of drivers licenses. Grey still needs to be loved on while Jack who came to us when he was old enough to be weened from his mother and seems to know he is wanted. All the dogs are good kids in general with a couple needing more attention. These fur children give me the incentive to keep being active so I am able to help care for them although Junior does most of the feeding, bathing etc. Daisy is at my feet or on my walker as I go about the day. When I carry her she helps me stay balanced and when she sits in my lap she calms my anxious thoughts. Her one eye is totally gone now. My heart breaks when giving her the eye drops and ointment, she does not squint as I draw close to her eye, she doesn't see it. She is 10 years old, still I hate to see her unable to see, her one leg has quit working since Bella bit her which is why Bella had to go. She was needing too much attention in a house full of other animals and her attacking little tiny Daisy was the last straw. We took her to a shelter and made sure they understood her need to be an only child. My little family gives me the desire to stay involved with them, to work hard at being as physically able for as long as possible. God knew I needed extra comfort and encouragement to work hard at being as healthy as I can be. I am grateful for His love in this time of declining health. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Saturday, August 19, 2017
August 19, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
Slowly I am switching to wearing dresses only and I am having fun buying mostly thrift store finds right now. One dress is a button down jean dress with long sleeves, it is too small to button up around my belly but I am planning on wearing as a light weight jacket for cool fall days. Pastor Jenny's wife does this with some of the dresses she finds and it looks real nice. It has been a year now since I have started wearing dresses all the time, I am surprised how much I don't mind wearing dresses. I wear long to the ankle length dresses which allows me to sit cross legged, not show anything private off. Last winter I wore skirts they are okay although it is easier to slip a dress over my head than a skirt and a top. I have started finding short sleeved dresses, 2 long sleeved dresses for the cooler weather I am happy I made the choice to stop trying to balance to put slacks or shorts on. With a dress it means I slip it over my head then I am done. While we were walking down the road the other night a neighbor stopped to talk to us for a minute. Of course the first thing you ask is how are you doing. I was asked this question first so I mentioned I had Parkinson's Disease. The woman answered that the disease is the one where people shake. Out of 4 people I know who have PD, only one shakes all the time. My shakes are mostly not noticeable with the occasional twitching with my hands. Tight muscles seem to be the major struggle I deal with and extreme fatigue. I am getting tireder when we run around town. When we went to Kingsport, I drank a cup of coffee which allowed me to do errands with Junior and not stay in the truck. We went to Bristol a couple of days later the coffee helped me somewhat. I am struggling to do the same amount of housework and baking, dehydrating that I did a year ago. I keep finding that PD is a whole lot more than shaking although the shaking is what people associate PD with. It is the extreme tiredness, the struggle to walk and stay on my feet because walking these days wears me out when I am walking on my own steam. I wear out using a walker, not as quickly though. I don't use anything to assist my walking in the house so I tire quicker, which makes me think it may be time to use a walking stick or cane, even the walker. I feel confident at home and I don't wobble. That is the other thing we need to do, it is to constantly rethink what we are doing so that we can do the most we can with what energy, stability we have. I find myself in prayer a whole lot asking God to give me strength for another day. Junior is picking up the work I no longer can do, I am grateful but he has a lot of work he must do as well. I was the one who was going to take care of Junior, he is 7 years older than I am, has a bad back instead he is taking care of me. God has been with us throughout this process so far and I am sure that He will be guiding us as we go forward, it is the only way I can deal with all of the things going on in my body. I find the porch time at the end of the day settling, quieting my anxiety as I watch the fire and as we talk about life in general. I run through the list of things I accomplished I am grateful for what I was able to do. Instead of doing more housework we have started going to Wednesday night prayer meetings I feel a need to be out and about as much as possible knowing that soon, I won't be able to be with people much at all. I work hard at attending church, so far I am able to go. I love the worship time the time to be with other Christians. God is great and Junior cherishes me. For this I am grateful. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet\
Slowly I am switching to wearing dresses only and I am having fun buying mostly thrift store finds right now. One dress is a button down jean dress with long sleeves, it is too small to button up around my belly but I am planning on wearing as a light weight jacket for cool fall days. Pastor Jenny's wife does this with some of the dresses she finds and it looks real nice. It has been a year now since I have started wearing dresses all the time, I am surprised how much I don't mind wearing dresses. I wear long to the ankle length dresses which allows me to sit cross legged, not show anything private off. Last winter I wore skirts they are okay although it is easier to slip a dress over my head than a skirt and a top. I have started finding short sleeved dresses, 2 long sleeved dresses for the cooler weather I am happy I made the choice to stop trying to balance to put slacks or shorts on. With a dress it means I slip it over my head then I am done. While we were walking down the road the other night a neighbor stopped to talk to us for a minute. Of course the first thing you ask is how are you doing. I was asked this question first so I mentioned I had Parkinson's Disease. The woman answered that the disease is the one where people shake. Out of 4 people I know who have PD, only one shakes all the time. My shakes are mostly not noticeable with the occasional twitching with my hands. Tight muscles seem to be the major struggle I deal with and extreme fatigue. I am getting tireder when we run around town. When we went to Kingsport, I drank a cup of coffee which allowed me to do errands with Junior and not stay in the truck. We went to Bristol a couple of days later the coffee helped me somewhat. I am struggling to do the same amount of housework and baking, dehydrating that I did a year ago. I keep finding that PD is a whole lot more than shaking although the shaking is what people associate PD with. It is the extreme tiredness, the struggle to walk and stay on my feet because walking these days wears me out when I am walking on my own steam. I wear out using a walker, not as quickly though. I don't use anything to assist my walking in the house so I tire quicker, which makes me think it may be time to use a walking stick or cane, even the walker. I feel confident at home and I don't wobble. That is the other thing we need to do, it is to constantly rethink what we are doing so that we can do the most we can with what energy, stability we have. I find myself in prayer a whole lot asking God to give me strength for another day. Junior is picking up the work I no longer can do, I am grateful but he has a lot of work he must do as well. I was the one who was going to take care of Junior, he is 7 years older than I am, has a bad back instead he is taking care of me. God has been with us throughout this process so far and I am sure that He will be guiding us as we go forward, it is the only way I can deal with all of the things going on in my body. I find the porch time at the end of the day settling, quieting my anxiety as I watch the fire and as we talk about life in general. I run through the list of things I accomplished I am grateful for what I was able to do. Instead of doing more housework we have started going to Wednesday night prayer meetings I feel a need to be out and about as much as possible knowing that soon, I won't be able to be with people much at all. I work hard at attending church, so far I am able to go. I love the worship time the time to be with other Christians. God is great and Junior cherishes me. For this I am grateful. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet\
Thursday, August 17, 2017
August 17, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
There I was sitting on the porch with some green beans, snapping them preparing them to be frozen, while I was doing this Junior was working on a couple of projects on the porch. We chatted as we worked and life was sweet. When Junior finished his work, he put wood in the fire pit and got a fire going. I had taken the beans in, packaged them to be frozen then made a cup of chamomile tea. Junior came in to make a cup of coffee and then we went to watch the fire. I don't know why but as the evening played out I felt connected to God and His awesome creation of us and the beauty that also sustains us with food. We were winding down with our days labors enjoying the work of our hands, enjoying a depth to our relationship and drawing close to God. I am still working out how to have a years supply of food on hand. Our plan that night was to to the meat packing plant the following day to buy pork for the next several months along with some ground beef. I have been drying and freezing food throughout the summer, now I am working on canned goods, like meat, fruit and vegetables. I have it worked out in my mind that we buy these things when they are on sale, when we use one can we can always buy one more to rotate into the yearly supply or we wait until they go on sale next year, I am not sure which one I will do. With food on hand, we are prepared for any disaster throughout the year to have enough food in the house to last us for sometime. I have called all of this living the simple life, which takes us back to the basics. I find that as we cut down to the basic needs level, it is there life seems to have the most meaning. I sense we are drawing closer to Jesus, learning to rely on Him and "it is well with my soul." The more I pull back from wanting stuff, the more I understand the beauty of less stuff. Stuff means I need to find a way to store it, guard it and in a sense become a slave to it. The simple life provides for my immediate needs, allows me to be productive as I fill my days and in the end I can give out of my abundance or of being. I have always given of myself and it has blessed me. Some give out of their abundance for me giving of myself is the highest gift I am able to give. I am grateful to be learning this way of life and to love God. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
There I was sitting on the porch with some green beans, snapping them preparing them to be frozen, while I was doing this Junior was working on a couple of projects on the porch. We chatted as we worked and life was sweet. When Junior finished his work, he put wood in the fire pit and got a fire going. I had taken the beans in, packaged them to be frozen then made a cup of chamomile tea. Junior came in to make a cup of coffee and then we went to watch the fire. I don't know why but as the evening played out I felt connected to God and His awesome creation of us and the beauty that also sustains us with food. We were winding down with our days labors enjoying the work of our hands, enjoying a depth to our relationship and drawing close to God. I am still working out how to have a years supply of food on hand. Our plan that night was to to the meat packing plant the following day to buy pork for the next several months along with some ground beef. I have been drying and freezing food throughout the summer, now I am working on canned goods, like meat, fruit and vegetables. I have it worked out in my mind that we buy these things when they are on sale, when we use one can we can always buy one more to rotate into the yearly supply or we wait until they go on sale next year, I am not sure which one I will do. With food on hand, we are prepared for any disaster throughout the year to have enough food in the house to last us for sometime. I have called all of this living the simple life, which takes us back to the basics. I find that as we cut down to the basic needs level, it is there life seems to have the most meaning. I sense we are drawing closer to Jesus, learning to rely on Him and "it is well with my soul." The more I pull back from wanting stuff, the more I understand the beauty of less stuff. Stuff means I need to find a way to store it, guard it and in a sense become a slave to it. The simple life provides for my immediate needs, allows me to be productive as I fill my days and in the end I can give out of my abundance or of being. I have always given of myself and it has blessed me. Some give out of their abundance for me giving of myself is the highest gift I am able to give. I am grateful to be learning this way of life and to love God. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
August 15, 2015
Greetings My Friend,
I value my relationship with God and I work hard not allowing things to interfere with it. Recently I had an offer to attend an exercise class at 10:00 in the morning. For most people this is not an unreasonable hour, for me it is. I need a couple of hours to wake up in the morning, part of my wake up routine is studying the Word right when I get up. After that I wake up on line with social media, I need to see the flowers, birds, puppies and kittens that abound on the internet. I forward several jokes and I am refreshed with the Scriptures that come across the screen as well. I often finish up my quiet time with writing my blog or Letters From Janet Facebook page. I need this time for my mental and spiritual health and I have learned to protect this time with God. The rest of my day goes by rather well because I have spent time alone with God. With the stronger medication for my Parkinson's I also have more energy, the revival showed me that I could handle one more day of activity outside the home each week so we began attending Wednesday night prayer meeting last week I did very good and I plan on doing it again this week. A year ago I needed a wheelchair to go shopping with Parkinson's medication I have so much more energy, I do not need a wheelchair to get around and God has blessed me beyond belief. I don't know if I will do even more than I am doing at the present if not I am very good with the energy level I have. Because I been consistent with my time alone with God I have been able to "hear" what He has been teaching me to bring me back to a measure of healing and I am able to reach out to others through social media to give the hope I have which is Jesus Christ. God has been honoring me by waking me up early on mornings we have doctor's appointments and I am grateful to have spent sometime in alone with God before we head out for the day. With my 2 hour nap in the afternoon I have worked towards taking a walk in the evening which helps me get to sleep at night. Some nights we have cleaned up the clutter in the yard, our front yard and porch now are looking so much better as well. I asked Junior if he could see the difference and was surprised when he said he did not see it. I marvel that people truly can't see their clutter. Again with quiet time alone with God, Junior heard God tell him to clean up the front yard and God taught me how to approach Junior gently which did not make him defensive. I now am able to move about the yard better with my walker, I enjoy the more picked up state of the yard and Junior and I have grown closer together as a couple. I definitely love my walk of faith and cherish it. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
I value my relationship with God and I work hard not allowing things to interfere with it. Recently I had an offer to attend an exercise class at 10:00 in the morning. For most people this is not an unreasonable hour, for me it is. I need a couple of hours to wake up in the morning, part of my wake up routine is studying the Word right when I get up. After that I wake up on line with social media, I need to see the flowers, birds, puppies and kittens that abound on the internet. I forward several jokes and I am refreshed with the Scriptures that come across the screen as well. I often finish up my quiet time with writing my blog or Letters From Janet Facebook page. I need this time for my mental and spiritual health and I have learned to protect this time with God. The rest of my day goes by rather well because I have spent time alone with God. With the stronger medication for my Parkinson's I also have more energy, the revival showed me that I could handle one more day of activity outside the home each week so we began attending Wednesday night prayer meeting last week I did very good and I plan on doing it again this week. A year ago I needed a wheelchair to go shopping with Parkinson's medication I have so much more energy, I do not need a wheelchair to get around and God has blessed me beyond belief. I don't know if I will do even more than I am doing at the present if not I am very good with the energy level I have. Because I been consistent with my time alone with God I have been able to "hear" what He has been teaching me to bring me back to a measure of healing and I am able to reach out to others through social media to give the hope I have which is Jesus Christ. God has been honoring me by waking me up early on mornings we have doctor's appointments and I am grateful to have spent sometime in alone with God before we head out for the day. With my 2 hour nap in the afternoon I have worked towards taking a walk in the evening which helps me get to sleep at night. Some nights we have cleaned up the clutter in the yard, our front yard and porch now are looking so much better as well. I asked Junior if he could see the difference and was surprised when he said he did not see it. I marvel that people truly can't see their clutter. Again with quiet time alone with God, Junior heard God tell him to clean up the front yard and God taught me how to approach Junior gently which did not make him defensive. I now am able to move about the yard better with my walker, I enjoy the more picked up state of the yard and Junior and I have grown closer together as a couple. I definitely love my walk of faith and cherish it. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Saturday, August 12, 2017
August 12, 2017
Greetings My Friend
For awhile now God has been working with me while He works with Junior on some of his habits. The first one was money, I am more cautious with spending money than Junior is so when I could no longer handle paying bills it became Junior's job. I worried myself sick that Junior would get us so far into debt we'd never see daylight again. God had to show me Junior never had the power turned off, never had anything reposed or lost a home. God allowed Junior to get to the point he was sweating the payments then we sold the house in Michigan and we were able to get almost out of the debt we had. There is one credit card debt he is working hard at paying off. I had been able to deal with Junior's piles in the house for years but since we moved to Virginia and Junior has been renovating....I have struggled with his piles around the yard, sometimes making it difficult for me to go into the yard with my walker. With Junior's hernia operation and the need for a catheter God has had Junior cleaning up the front yard. A little while later God laid on my heart to help Junior and gave me a word picture to help Junior see what needs to be done, "get the yard curb pretty". We have been working on the yard, Junior leaves tools lay where he has been working, he thinks it makes no sense to put them away if he is going to work there again soon. The problem is he may not get back to that project for a couple of weeks. I have gone around the yard picking up tools, debris from Junior and the dogs along with wood, flower pots with nothing in them etc. The porch is mostly cleaned off and I am happy. Sitting on the porch with Junior the other night, I looked at how cleaned the porch is and thought to myself "we will never have a showcase pretty place." Our home is comfortable, clean and very rustic. I always feel comfortable as I walk around the house, it fits our lifestyle very well. We have a chewed up bench on the porch near the ramp coming into the house. In the main area of the porch we have 3 wood rocking chairs, next year I plan on getting cushions but the rockers are not painted, more than likely won't be painted. In my mind I think this is how the original owners might have lived, simple and not overly fussy pretty. The style seems to be the same thing God has been teaching me in my life, the simple life is is much more pleasant, quiet and peaceful. I believe that God is working on Junior's hoarding ways just as He helped Junior get his spending under control. While God has been working with Junior, He has been working on me to trust and obey, to let go and let God. I feel safer than I have felt in my life with Junior, I am thankful for all the work God has done to bring me to this day. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
For awhile now God has been working with me while He works with Junior on some of his habits. The first one was money, I am more cautious with spending money than Junior is so when I could no longer handle paying bills it became Junior's job. I worried myself sick that Junior would get us so far into debt we'd never see daylight again. God had to show me Junior never had the power turned off, never had anything reposed or lost a home. God allowed Junior to get to the point he was sweating the payments then we sold the house in Michigan and we were able to get almost out of the debt we had. There is one credit card debt he is working hard at paying off. I had been able to deal with Junior's piles in the house for years but since we moved to Virginia and Junior has been renovating....I have struggled with his piles around the yard, sometimes making it difficult for me to go into the yard with my walker. With Junior's hernia operation and the need for a catheter God has had Junior cleaning up the front yard. A little while later God laid on my heart to help Junior and gave me a word picture to help Junior see what needs to be done, "get the yard curb pretty". We have been working on the yard, Junior leaves tools lay where he has been working, he thinks it makes no sense to put them away if he is going to work there again soon. The problem is he may not get back to that project for a couple of weeks. I have gone around the yard picking up tools, debris from Junior and the dogs along with wood, flower pots with nothing in them etc. The porch is mostly cleaned off and I am happy. Sitting on the porch with Junior the other night, I looked at how cleaned the porch is and thought to myself "we will never have a showcase pretty place." Our home is comfortable, clean and very rustic. I always feel comfortable as I walk around the house, it fits our lifestyle very well. We have a chewed up bench on the porch near the ramp coming into the house. In the main area of the porch we have 3 wood rocking chairs, next year I plan on getting cushions but the rockers are not painted, more than likely won't be painted. In my mind I think this is how the original owners might have lived, simple and not overly fussy pretty. The style seems to be the same thing God has been teaching me in my life, the simple life is is much more pleasant, quiet and peaceful. I believe that God is working on Junior's hoarding ways just as He helped Junior get his spending under control. While God has been working with Junior, He has been working on me to trust and obey, to let go and let God. I feel safer than I have felt in my life with Junior, I am thankful for all the work God has done to bring me to this day. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Thursday, August 10, 2017
August 10, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
I put an oatmeal pie in the oven, afterwards I decided it was time to sit down to rest. Since the pie takes 45 - 50 minutes to bake it came to me to use my quiet time writing. At times like this I sense this is the Holy Spirit prompting me to rest and to work in my rest. For some reason I find that I am not ready for an afternoon nap today, I want to entertain the idea that I am getting better although the thought quickly passes and reminds me today is a good day, to enjoy it since who knows how long this will last. I also believe the Holy Spirit is prompting my thoughts here as well. I called my new friend Caroline recently and thanked her for her informative afternoon that I had spent with her. She inquired how I was doing so I told her about how I was working around the house, going for walks and the date Junior and I had recently where we went to Pikeville to explore shopping, Pikeville is an hour from our home and is in Kentucky. Debbie and Boogie have introduced Junior and I to the area and we find it to be a great place to shop, a whole lot closer than TN where we usually go. Next I told Caroline how I make a list at the start of the week of the things I want to get done during the week and generally most weeks I finish my list. Caroline reminded me I should also make time to have fun along with all the work I want to accomplish. Her statement struck me rather hard, a good hard, I find that I am real good at attempting to get work done each week and making time to do fun things is not on my agenda overall. As I reflected about our trip to Pikeville I discovered that the time away refreshed me after a day or 2 or extra naps. The Monday afterwards I found myself full of energy, I had a song in my step and I tackled a project I had been putting off far too long. Afterwards I sat down to rest thinking I would be tired and nap for 2 hours. I was not. God prompted me to write my Facebook page, when I finished I made the oatmeal pie and I am once more sitting. While I wait for the pie to get done I begin writing again, this time my blog. I am just now starting to feel tired, after the pie is finished I know it will be time to take an afternoon nap. Something tells me I won't sleep 2 hours as I usually do....I wonder if my energy burst is do to having a play day over the weekend. God teaches us to rest, to focus on Him on the Sabbath. Most Sundays we spend at church and napping. It seems the day that I catch up on the rest I need in order to face the new week. Now I am thinking a Sabbath rest is needed along with a play time rest. I believe I will start adding to my weekly to do list time to sew, cross stitch and visit friends either by a phone visit or a personal visit. We learned in our Re-married classes it is important to take time out and date each other like we did when we were dating. I admit that Junior and I have fallen away from this habit, I wear out too easily, Junior is working hard with the renovation and we have forgotten how to play. God teaches us to work and it is good for us, God also instituted feasts for His people to enjoy throughout the year. The Israelite's were encouraged to break bread together, to celebrate the fruit of their labors. It seems even though going places wears me out I should still find fun things to do. I may not last long and that is okay. It is about changing my focus from a work perspective to a playful perspective that is important. Since we are near where the civil war and Revolutionary wars were fought, it might be fun to visit a few of those battlefield sights. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
August 8, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
As we chatted about our disease we confirmed that we did not want to live angry and depressed because of Parkinson's. We both have Parkinson's, it is what we have now we feel the need to live life as fully as we can, we want to move out of the down moments as quickly as we can with God's help and go the distance the best we can. This was the lady who I gave my phone number to a friend of hers at the revival. I was surprised when she actually called, we set up a date to meet at her house since she does not drive much anymore. Caroline, invited Junior and I into her home and we began talking PD almost immediately. Her tremors are not real pronounced, she is a bit lopsided due to scoliosis which is common to PD, a fact I was not aware of. Her one foot drops on her making it difficult to get around. Right now Caroline is in physical therapy so she can strengthen muscles, learn to manage better and she shared what she was learning with me. I stand very little just to stand, she encouraged me to stand more because I need to strengthen my back muscles to prolong the effects of scoliosis. I stand in the kitchen when I am cooking or preparing food or when I am cleaning but I struggle to stand to just stand still. We kept going back to attempting to not allowing ourselves to fall into depression and staying there. When I read my devotions the next day I was in Job and for some reason his response to his wife made me realize that accepting my disease is the response I need to have. "But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and she we not receive evil? In all of this did not Job sin with his lips." It is easy to love the gifts I receive from God, Junior, the fur children, children and grandchildren and so much more, so having PD is not a fun thing to live with and deal with so should I be angry? I keep finding good that comes with this disease, I am more creative since I continually need to seek to do old things in a new way, I stay close to God with consistent prayers and He gives me hope to face each day. My disease has days of pain, fatigue beyond belief etc. so talking to God opens my heart to His guidance making my relationship even deeper with Him. God guides me with ways to cope, to trust Him and rely even more on His love. I visited Caroline for 3 hours and thought with all the sitting I thought I would be able to come home, make dinner, go for a walk then have quiet time on the porch. I got dinner in the oven, sat down, nodded off, after dinner, I sat down because going for a walk was going to be difficult for me only to fall asleep again. I need my afternoon nap, regardless of how busy or not busy I am. Since I had missed my afternoon nap though, I found myself going to bed earlier then getting up refreshed the next morning. I was happy to meet face to face with a woman who does not mind talking and feel God led me to her another gift God gave me. I feel strengthened and ready to face the good parts of life along with the not so good parts. May God bless you and keep you, make His face shine on you. Love Janet
As we chatted about our disease we confirmed that we did not want to live angry and depressed because of Parkinson's. We both have Parkinson's, it is what we have now we feel the need to live life as fully as we can, we want to move out of the down moments as quickly as we can with God's help and go the distance the best we can. This was the lady who I gave my phone number to a friend of hers at the revival. I was surprised when she actually called, we set up a date to meet at her house since she does not drive much anymore. Caroline, invited Junior and I into her home and we began talking PD almost immediately. Her tremors are not real pronounced, she is a bit lopsided due to scoliosis which is common to PD, a fact I was not aware of. Her one foot drops on her making it difficult to get around. Right now Caroline is in physical therapy so she can strengthen muscles, learn to manage better and she shared what she was learning with me. I stand very little just to stand, she encouraged me to stand more because I need to strengthen my back muscles to prolong the effects of scoliosis. I stand in the kitchen when I am cooking or preparing food or when I am cleaning but I struggle to stand to just stand still. We kept going back to attempting to not allowing ourselves to fall into depression and staying there. When I read my devotions the next day I was in Job and for some reason his response to his wife made me realize that accepting my disease is the response I need to have. "But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and she we not receive evil? In all of this did not Job sin with his lips." It is easy to love the gifts I receive from God, Junior, the fur children, children and grandchildren and so much more, so having PD is not a fun thing to live with and deal with so should I be angry? I keep finding good that comes with this disease, I am more creative since I continually need to seek to do old things in a new way, I stay close to God with consistent prayers and He gives me hope to face each day. My disease has days of pain, fatigue beyond belief etc. so talking to God opens my heart to His guidance making my relationship even deeper with Him. God guides me with ways to cope, to trust Him and rely even more on His love. I visited Caroline for 3 hours and thought with all the sitting I thought I would be able to come home, make dinner, go for a walk then have quiet time on the porch. I got dinner in the oven, sat down, nodded off, after dinner, I sat down because going for a walk was going to be difficult for me only to fall asleep again. I need my afternoon nap, regardless of how busy or not busy I am. Since I had missed my afternoon nap though, I found myself going to bed earlier then getting up refreshed the next morning. I was happy to meet face to face with a woman who does not mind talking and feel God led me to her another gift God gave me. I feel strengthened and ready to face the good parts of life along with the not so good parts. May God bless you and keep you, make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Saturday, August 5, 2017
August 5, 2017
Greetings my Friend,
With the revival over with, I believe I will be able to add more to my day/week. For three weeks we went to the revival at night. I was able to do a few things around the house, take a nap and attend the nightly meetings. I believe the afternoon nap has allowed me to stop to rest for a long period of time, wake up and do a few more things. I love my evening walks and porch time which is exercising my body and quieting my mind. I am noticing the sounds of the night are changing, for awhile I heard frogs, now I am hearing a symphony of insects fill the night air. It is beautiful, this quiet time reminds me of all God's wonderful works in creation. It has been nearly a month now since I have quit turning on the TV until the 10:00 news. With the TV turned off, I find that I seek to keep busy longer into the day and for some reason I feel more alive, in my own world instead of caught up in the world TV drama. I hope to begin to go to Wednesday night Bible study again, I like the idea of being with friends and studying the Word with other believers. When we went to Ward in Michigan we had Bible study groups we were involved in, accountability groups and even hosted Re-married Workshops for a few years. As my health declined I pulled back from being involved at church with medication to manage my Parkinson's and a good afternoon nap I believe I may be able to add one more night to my weekly activity. This will give me a chance to be social and to grow in God's Word. Church is a great place to learn how to grow in my faith then I am able to be about God's business when I am out in the world easier. I like to think of church as the training ground for my faith where I learn how to love those that are difficult to love, to be a friend to the unlovable and to share my life's journey with. Through the years since my retirement I have learned to slow down, stay home and be content, now I can balance my time more with social activity. I can not commit to volunteering or to things where others depend on me, I still am not able to maintain a regulated schedule day in and day out. Attending Wednesday night Bible study is dependent on my ability to handle the interactions and not wear out. If it is bad night, I won't go and no one is relying on me. Compared to where I was a year ago I am a lot better although I still need to take my daily naps. I am grateful I am able to keep our home in order, write and now I am able to go for a short walk in the evenings. Life is good, God is great. God has brought a measure of healing into my life with medication that has given me the ability to walk again. I see that sometimes healing is not a snap of God's finger type of healing but a step by step process of learning how to manage my illness, do exercises, take medication, supplements and to trust and obey God. May God bless you and keep you. Love Janet
With the revival over with, I believe I will be able to add more to my day/week. For three weeks we went to the revival at night. I was able to do a few things around the house, take a nap and attend the nightly meetings. I believe the afternoon nap has allowed me to stop to rest for a long period of time, wake up and do a few more things. I love my evening walks and porch time which is exercising my body and quieting my mind. I am noticing the sounds of the night are changing, for awhile I heard frogs, now I am hearing a symphony of insects fill the night air. It is beautiful, this quiet time reminds me of all God's wonderful works in creation. It has been nearly a month now since I have quit turning on the TV until the 10:00 news. With the TV turned off, I find that I seek to keep busy longer into the day and for some reason I feel more alive, in my own world instead of caught up in the world TV drama. I hope to begin to go to Wednesday night Bible study again, I like the idea of being with friends and studying the Word with other believers. When we went to Ward in Michigan we had Bible study groups we were involved in, accountability groups and even hosted Re-married Workshops for a few years. As my health declined I pulled back from being involved at church with medication to manage my Parkinson's and a good afternoon nap I believe I may be able to add one more night to my weekly activity. This will give me a chance to be social and to grow in God's Word. Church is a great place to learn how to grow in my faith then I am able to be about God's business when I am out in the world easier. I like to think of church as the training ground for my faith where I learn how to love those that are difficult to love, to be a friend to the unlovable and to share my life's journey with. Through the years since my retirement I have learned to slow down, stay home and be content, now I can balance my time more with social activity. I can not commit to volunteering or to things where others depend on me, I still am not able to maintain a regulated schedule day in and day out. Attending Wednesday night Bible study is dependent on my ability to handle the interactions and not wear out. If it is bad night, I won't go and no one is relying on me. Compared to where I was a year ago I am a lot better although I still need to take my daily naps. I am grateful I am able to keep our home in order, write and now I am able to go for a short walk in the evenings. Life is good, God is great. God has brought a measure of healing into my life with medication that has given me the ability to walk again. I see that sometimes healing is not a snap of God's finger type of healing but a step by step process of learning how to manage my illness, do exercises, take medication, supplements and to trust and obey God. May God bless you and keep you. Love Janet
Thursday, August 3, 2017
August 3, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
I remember when I was an youth adviser to the teens that something special happened when we went on retreats or a mission trip, we grew close to each other, depended on each other and we learned some wonderful things. As we left to come home the glow of the event filled our hearts for a few days and then we began to settle back into our family, school and work lives. I am experiencing much the same thing from the revival that has fed me for 3 weeks. Junior and I mentioned to Pastor Joe and his wife Jenny that we may go to some of the Wednesday night Bible studies around our county, to see if we all are willing to truly be one body, one church, the body of Jesus Christ. Pastor Joe seems to think it more important for us to grow our faith at Clintwood Baptist. I ponder his words in my heart, honestly we have not gone to Wednesday night services for a few years. My health has not allowed me to do it, although now with my Parkinson's medication, a long afternoon nap I find that I more than likely can commit to going. I know this because we were able to attend most nights of the revival other than when we had doctor's appointments which can be a bit much when we travel 2 hours one way to the appointment. As the glow of the revival wears off, I find that I might be more comfortable being in a familiar setting. I want to be one body for Jesus, how does this look? Does it mean being involved with different churches, maybe accepting that we worship differently but we worship the same Jesus? Is this a matter of where my heart is? I have lots of questions, I ask a lot of questions these days, I am not that wallflower I once was and frankly some people are offended by all of my questions. I feel like a sponge soaking up all that I can learn which means I am desiring to understand more fully. Sunday night's Bible study, Pastor Joe was talking about the rapture, showed us some passages and then he was teaching us that the word Catholic means universal so that prompted me to ask a ton of questions in regards to the Catholic church. For the longest time I wondered if the Catholic church's services resembled the ways the Jewish people worshiped God. Then I had heard a Catholic talk show teach that the true church is the Catholic church because they felt that Peter founded the church and Jesus had said he was the rock on which the church will be built. Pastor Joe taught us that the Hebrew word meant stone, not rock. I learned more, at the same time I wound up taking us off topic. I appreciate Pastor Joe allowing me to ask questions, it helps me in my faith walk. I also know that I have offended other Pastor's in the past with my questions to the point of being asked to not ask so many questions. I was crushed and embarrassed so I took a time out from my home church and visited other churches in the area until I settled down my emotions then went back. That leave showed me that the Word is preached in most of the churches around us which made us happy to know this. Some were real friendly and welcomed us, some not so much. I relate the most where we go right now. I grew up and attended a church until my divorce, when my ex who asked for the divorce kept wanting to talk to me so I left. Junior and I attended the church where we met for 10 years before moving to Virginia, we have been at Clintwood Baptist for 8 years now. I don't leave churches, they become my family so my heart is starting to desire to do Wednesday night's at my home church. Junior will push me if this is important, I have learned to trust him so if he insists I will go. I think that I can be friends with others of different denominations and I am close to a few that are. We love Jesus and we share a deep love for each other. So many questions roll around my brain and God will lead me and that is okay. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
I remember when I was an youth adviser to the teens that something special happened when we went on retreats or a mission trip, we grew close to each other, depended on each other and we learned some wonderful things. As we left to come home the glow of the event filled our hearts for a few days and then we began to settle back into our family, school and work lives. I am experiencing much the same thing from the revival that has fed me for 3 weeks. Junior and I mentioned to Pastor Joe and his wife Jenny that we may go to some of the Wednesday night Bible studies around our county, to see if we all are willing to truly be one body, one church, the body of Jesus Christ. Pastor Joe seems to think it more important for us to grow our faith at Clintwood Baptist. I ponder his words in my heart, honestly we have not gone to Wednesday night services for a few years. My health has not allowed me to do it, although now with my Parkinson's medication, a long afternoon nap I find that I more than likely can commit to going. I know this because we were able to attend most nights of the revival other than when we had doctor's appointments which can be a bit much when we travel 2 hours one way to the appointment. As the glow of the revival wears off, I find that I might be more comfortable being in a familiar setting. I want to be one body for Jesus, how does this look? Does it mean being involved with different churches, maybe accepting that we worship differently but we worship the same Jesus? Is this a matter of where my heart is? I have lots of questions, I ask a lot of questions these days, I am not that wallflower I once was and frankly some people are offended by all of my questions. I feel like a sponge soaking up all that I can learn which means I am desiring to understand more fully. Sunday night's Bible study, Pastor Joe was talking about the rapture, showed us some passages and then he was teaching us that the word Catholic means universal so that prompted me to ask a ton of questions in regards to the Catholic church. For the longest time I wondered if the Catholic church's services resembled the ways the Jewish people worshiped God. Then I had heard a Catholic talk show teach that the true church is the Catholic church because they felt that Peter founded the church and Jesus had said he was the rock on which the church will be built. Pastor Joe taught us that the Hebrew word meant stone, not rock. I learned more, at the same time I wound up taking us off topic. I appreciate Pastor Joe allowing me to ask questions, it helps me in my faith walk. I also know that I have offended other Pastor's in the past with my questions to the point of being asked to not ask so many questions. I was crushed and embarrassed so I took a time out from my home church and visited other churches in the area until I settled down my emotions then went back. That leave showed me that the Word is preached in most of the churches around us which made us happy to know this. Some were real friendly and welcomed us, some not so much. I relate the most where we go right now. I grew up and attended a church until my divorce, when my ex who asked for the divorce kept wanting to talk to me so I left. Junior and I attended the church where we met for 10 years before moving to Virginia, we have been at Clintwood Baptist for 8 years now. I don't leave churches, they become my family so my heart is starting to desire to do Wednesday night's at my home church. Junior will push me if this is important, I have learned to trust him so if he insists I will go. I think that I can be friends with others of different denominations and I am close to a few that are. We love Jesus and we share a deep love for each other. So many questions roll around my brain and God will lead me and that is okay. May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
August 1, 2017
Greetings My Friend,
Right now Pastor Joe is teaching us about the rapture of the church. He is showing us in the Word of God why he believes the "church" will be taken up to heaven before the tribulation will come. As he shows us the passages of Scripture in Revelation, I can see how he has come to his decision. Through the years I have heard many different beliefs as Scriptural. When pressed further like when I have a passage that I am looking at and ask a direct question I am told it is how you interpret the Bible. Lately I find when I ask God to teach me what a passage is saying, I tend to find there is no other way to interpret the Bible. I can read the same passage and learn another lesson, but I can not interpret what I want to believe into the passage. For instance I have been told that the devil is not real if you do not want to believe in him. My problem with this thinking is Jesus talks about hell more than he does heaven so interpreting the devil out of the Bible does not mean he in not real. More recently all we ever hear is that God is a loving God and He is but He will bring wrath upon us if we choose to not repent and turn from our evil ways. Right now I see that our country is about due for a major spanking if we do not turn back to inviting God back into our land. God calls certain things immoral and He even states He hates them and if we keep believing He loves the worst things he finds unacceptable we are in for a major wake up call. God wants All people to choose Him and His ways, not reinvent His ways to suite what we believe is right and just. Even though God finds adultery, homosexuality an abomination, God wants us to repent which means He will give us a chance to accept His ways and then if we don't He will turn us over to our abominations. God wants me to be respectful of people, to be like Jesus is to believe He is God's Son and if these people refuse to turn from their ways well.....their eternity will not be pleasant at all. We have the choice to believe God, follow His ways and in turn receive His loving kindness and patience or to walk away from Him, He leaves the choice up to us. God does not compromise His ways at all. We can learn what God truly likes and how to be forgiven as we read the Bible. As the revival taught it is Jesus life, death and resurrection. Nothing less, nothing more. I also learned again from the revival that once we accept Jesus a relationship with Him will begin and what you used to be and do will no longer have a hold on you. It may take time but change will take place in your heart. If you are the same as the day you said the sinner's prayer then, more than likely you were caught up in a moment of excitement. Once you accept Jesus you begin to change and continue to change the longer you walk in faith, it is building a personal relationship with Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes to reside in you upon your confession of faith and He will begin to convict your heart. You learn to hear His voice as you read Scripture and pray. I have to agree with what was being taught at the revival, it may be time to make sure the saved are truly saved in the heart, not just with their lips. Once we begin healing in the church, I believe we can go forth bringing the true Gospel message of love and repentance. The Holy Spirit laid this saying on my heart, " Save souls, not bodies to fill the pews." May God bless you and keep you, make His face shine on you. Love Janet
Right now Pastor Joe is teaching us about the rapture of the church. He is showing us in the Word of God why he believes the "church" will be taken up to heaven before the tribulation will come. As he shows us the passages of Scripture in Revelation, I can see how he has come to his decision. Through the years I have heard many different beliefs as Scriptural. When pressed further like when I have a passage that I am looking at and ask a direct question I am told it is how you interpret the Bible. Lately I find when I ask God to teach me what a passage is saying, I tend to find there is no other way to interpret the Bible. I can read the same passage and learn another lesson, but I can not interpret what I want to believe into the passage. For instance I have been told that the devil is not real if you do not want to believe in him. My problem with this thinking is Jesus talks about hell more than he does heaven so interpreting the devil out of the Bible does not mean he in not real. More recently all we ever hear is that God is a loving God and He is but He will bring wrath upon us if we choose to not repent and turn from our evil ways. Right now I see that our country is about due for a major spanking if we do not turn back to inviting God back into our land. God calls certain things immoral and He even states He hates them and if we keep believing He loves the worst things he finds unacceptable we are in for a major wake up call. God wants All people to choose Him and His ways, not reinvent His ways to suite what we believe is right and just. Even though God finds adultery, homosexuality an abomination, God wants us to repent which means He will give us a chance to accept His ways and then if we don't He will turn us over to our abominations. God wants me to be respectful of people, to be like Jesus is to believe He is God's Son and if these people refuse to turn from their ways well.....their eternity will not be pleasant at all. We have the choice to believe God, follow His ways and in turn receive His loving kindness and patience or to walk away from Him, He leaves the choice up to us. God does not compromise His ways at all. We can learn what God truly likes and how to be forgiven as we read the Bible. As the revival taught it is Jesus life, death and resurrection. Nothing less, nothing more. I also learned again from the revival that once we accept Jesus a relationship with Him will begin and what you used to be and do will no longer have a hold on you. It may take time but change will take place in your heart. If you are the same as the day you said the sinner's prayer then, more than likely you were caught up in a moment of excitement. Once you accept Jesus you begin to change and continue to change the longer you walk in faith, it is building a personal relationship with Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes to reside in you upon your confession of faith and He will begin to convict your heart. You learn to hear His voice as you read Scripture and pray. I have to agree with what was being taught at the revival, it may be time to make sure the saved are truly saved in the heart, not just with their lips. Once we begin healing in the church, I believe we can go forth bringing the true Gospel message of love and repentance. The Holy Spirit laid this saying on my heart, " Save souls, not bodies to fill the pews." May God bless you and keep you, make His face shine on you. Love Janet
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