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Welcome Friends
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You've found a great place to come and vent, share or ask for prayer support.
This is a great group who will be very encouraging, caring and loving....
....anyone is welcome to join!

A Servant's Prayer --

Jesus, My Jesus....How marvelous are your ways....
Far more splendid than my mind can envision.
What an honor to be chosen by you.
A lowly child I am, but empowered by the Holy Spirit
to fulfill the great hope to which you have called me.
I give myself totally to you, Lord.
Take my imperfect heart and make it perfect.
Peel away the hardness.
Close the doors I have opened to the temptations of this world.
Gently remove the roots of painful memories, sins, doubts and fears.
Discard anything that separates me from you.
Lord, fill the emptiness with the light of your love that I might be a
beacon calling the lost back to you.

To love as you love.....
To serve as you serve.....
To forgive as you forgive.....
Always mindful of my nothingness while doing great
and marvelous things in your name and for your glory.
This I pray, Jesus, in YOUR name ...
Amen.

HI EVERYONE -- can't believe it is AUGUST already; boy, this year has flown by, just as the summer has, but we've had some fun too. Loved the trip we took to THUNDER BAY for my niece's wedding: the road trip was beautiful. Lots of winding roads, lakes, and lovely scenery. We went out to dinner in some super places that we had never been to before and that was so fab (that is a habit that our family has: going to places you've never been to and eating in restaurants you have never gone to before; you know, just touring & tasting our way around the province ... ).

We also went to see the TERRY FOX MEMORIAL which was very emotional experience for me. We are the exact same age and I remember seeing him on TV when he made his run. My mother was already a cancer survivor as was my wonderful Gramma, so we were cheering him on and praying for him too. To see that huge statue of him running brought me to tears as soon as I saw it. What a brave young man he was; and it was sad that he didn't realize at the time how much we all admired him then and still do today, but I know that he knows that now ...

We've been busy at home and my perennial gardens look great; lots of lately has helped that a lot, along with the compost we put on the beds last year. We will put some more on this fall as I have some bags left that I got for only two bucks last year in the shed. The large Ivy is almost around the entire porch and goes up halfway on the north side roof.

We have a long weekend here in Ontario; hope everyone else has a great one and an awesome month of August too ...

Well,this is going to be interesting, as I have not been on this site for years. I confess to missing Christian companionship in my weight loss journey, which is why I am back. Justwan2behealthy, I seem to remember your name from a few years ago, and it is good to see you still here.
Be back tomorrow!
g

BACK, ECMOM ~ glad that you decided to rejoin us here. For me, this journey seems to be an ongoing process; and will likely be that way for all of our lives here. Losing and maintaining; and sometimes some repeats along the way are very typical. That's why I am still here and plan to be as long as I am able, with GOD's blessing and a nice PC like the one I have now -- PRAIZE GOD for that!

ECmom-Welcome back!

Rosebud-I hear ya! I can't believe that August is here! Of course, for us, with sons in football, that means summer is over, done, kaput Glad you've had a nice summer, even with all the trials and chemo. Your positive outlook is inspiring!

Found out yesterday, with the mail, that, since DS2 is a senior, he has to report for college football camp earlier than the underclassmen and has to be there Aug. 9th!! He's still trying to find an apartment, so he doesn't have to live in the dorm anymore. He has a good lead and has been in contact with a guy who needs a roommate, so we're heading out there on Monday to check it out and make sure it's a decent living arrangement. Then, I guess we will be packing/loading him up to move him a week from today. I just can't believe summer has ended so soon!

DS3 has the high school football camp next week, so he'll be busy too. Classes start for both of them on the 19th and 20th! I still need to get some resources for DS2, as we're still doing a couple classes at home, but he really, really likes chemistry, so he's taking chem 2, physics, Spanish 2, and computer at the school, so he can get good lab experiences, plus I couldn't teach him Spanish or computers if I had to! LOL!

Well, must get my lists going here to make sure we don't forget something with all this moving and schooling and stuff..... Take care! Prayers going up for all!

ECmom - Glad to have you here.

Ronni - You have your work ahead of you with all the running. I pray everything works out good for your DS2 and the apartment etc.

Rosebud, Bargoo and others - Prayers continue for y'all.

Good and happy Friday, Rosebud and Ronni and all who follow! Not sure if you actually remember me, I seem to have memories of both of you. Yes weight loss is a journey, for me I like to think of it as the long and winding road! I am happy to be back here, and am so thankful for your friendly welcome.

I used to be known as just ECmom, and right now just do not remember why I changed my name. Whatever, I am back andmsomhappy to be here!

Ronni, how sad that you are now in a hurry to get Ds2 packed and ready for senior year. Our time with our dear children is too short.....their lives so,precious.

Rose, I will have to catch up with your weight loss journey, as indicated on the bottom of your post. My weight is back up....this h as been a difficult summer for me. But let me explain why I am back. For several years I have been posting on a Christian board on Weight watchers site. Regretfully, one person seems to dominate that board, and she is constantly in "sales" mode, for her latest business venture. Yesterday was the last straw for me! The I thought of this thread.....prayed that maybe, just maybe you were still here! I am so thankful you are!

Got a nice walk in today......eating is a bit shaky but if I behave during dinner I will finish the day fine. Got a good points friendly dinner planned.
Have a great day!
ginny

Trisha, thanks for the welcome!
ginny

Happy Saturday morning! I made it through yesterday with only minimal stress eating...yes, I did some but did not overdo it. I have set a mini goal for myself to be in the 160's in about 5 weeks....should be able to do this with my WI this morning of 177.2.

Have a blessed day all!
Ginny

I am new to the thread and look forward to chatting with all of you. I have been posting on another thread, but look forward to connecting and praying with all of you here. Blessings as you start your week!

PRAIRIECHICKEN -- nice to have you join us in this faith chat thread. We've had a nice long weekend so far, except for my DH waking me up at 4:45 am today. He has ALZ (our code for Alzheimers); and was somewhat agitated last night before bed so didn't sleep much. He wakes me up in the middle of the night; but now he sleeps ...

I cut half the lawn on Friday; and was able to finish it off yesterday. It was and beautiful all day, so we spent a lot of time outdoors. Gotta take advantage when we can -- it is overcast on the east side but the west looks clear so maybe we'll get another nice day.

Yesterday was great day until the evening when DH became agitated for some unknown reason. I went for my walk to the lake and tied our furry baby up so he couldn't get away; but somehow he ended up outside and off the rope. Wonder who did that but totally denied it while holding the dog in his hands ... hmmm. I asked a silly question ... how did the dog get outside?

Guess who just got back up and went outside. I found him wandering around the house with my cancer feces test this am and he got upset when I told him what it was ... you have to laugh really as it is funny. He said he was going to work at 5 am but when he went out and saw how dark it was, he came back in and laid down again. Not for long though ...

I made a nice roast chicken with lots of veggies & new potatoes for dinner yesterday and we have leftovers too. My Aunt came over and we had a lovely visit together; chatting and laughing on our front porch. It was so nice to sit out there amid the flowers and vines and enjoy ourselves for a change. Dh was able to go for some rides on his bike (3-wheeler) today as well; and that's good for him really.

Oh LORD, please let us have a peaceful day today. They say today is the civic holiday, so the stores will be closed I guess. I ordered a new battery charger for my grass whizzer and it should be in by Friday this week, so I can do my trimming with it instead of by hand. I may start by hand until then; just taking my time.

I need to keep busy; it helps me get exercise and calms my mind at the same time. I hope you all have a wonderful week ...

EDIT2ADD -- GINNY, I am so glad that you thought of us again; and we do not have anything to sell here ourselves. I managed to reach my goal finally, then had a 100 lb tumor taken out of my abdomen (another story), which brought me down into onederland. I was so elated to be there, but then had to have chemo and the steroids made me gain so much weight; they cause your body to lower the metabolism so low and cause weight gain. A friend of mine told me the exact same thing happened to her, as did our friend BARGOO here.

I had lost 55 lbs the year before the surgery; and it was actually a good thing that I had some extra weight at the time, as the tumor caused that. Now, I will have to work twice as hard to get it back off again. I would like to lose 30 lbs for now; that is my goal, but I want to do that very slowly becuz as we see, that weight came off so fast that it came back on fast too (in only 6 months). I was quite saddened to find out that they knew this would happen and I could have taken another anti-nausea med that would not have caused that weight-gain. They are great people; I just wish that I had known that I had an option.


August's financial tip is -- A DOLLAR SAVED IS A DOLLAR EARNED!

Prairie Chicken to our Faith group. This is a great support group. So glad you are joining us.

ECmom2 Loved seeing the Trisha made feel so warm & fuzzy inside like I was home as that is what my sisters (younger than me) call me. Took on the name Trish when I married my DH because he like it better than all my other nicknames. I have many alias LOL. Friends in TX call me Pat, Nieces and nephews back in TX call me Aunt Pat because it was easier for them to say. Daddy refuses to call me any thing but Patricia and my grands call me Nana, but my DH grands call me Nannie as they already had a Nana when I came along. Glad you had a good weekend with your eating.

Rosebud All I can say about your DH is that you never have a dull day. I see more and more about ALZ and I know they are looking for something to cure it. I sure pray they are able to find something soon for your DH.

Bargoo I don't know what your treatment is with your recent situation, but I am praying for you. God is doing so many miracles these days in the lives of so many people I know who have had this battle. I am praying for you to have the same miracle. Please know prayers are going up for you. Blessings.

I think I shared a while back about the 2 ladies in my church who have been in that battle themselves. Those women have been such an inspiration to me. One of them wrote a devotional book just before she went through her battle with breast cancer. She has come through the chemo to remove the breast etc and is now doing the treatments while getting ready for reconstruction. The pastor did an interview with her about 2 weeks ago. She just glows. I had not gotten one of her books when they were selling them. Yesterday she blessed me with a signed copy and I feel so privileged to have it. I saw the other lady yesterday and she has had all the treatment to get rid of the ovarian cancer and is in the final treatments of chemo they do. (I don't really understand all this just appears from what they are going through and what you did Rosebud that this is routine.) She glows as well. She had a treatment Friday and said that she has had so much energy after that she has been cleaning. Said she is waiting for the side effects to happen, but enjoying the energy while she has it.

You know, I don't understand why some people fight and end up going home with the Lord and some are allowed to have such victory. I thought of Gary and of our friend here Luke who went home to be with the Lord about the same time. I had a minister tell me once when I realized that my Mama wasn't going to stay here with us. He told me that my Mama had seen Heaven and decided she wanted to go home. I know my experience with her as she passed on and I am inclined to believe him. I heard a testimony of a woman who while having a grand mal seizure she was leaving her body and she heard her DH voice tell her to get back in her body in the name of Jesus. He was in the hall talking to their minister and didn't know in the natural what was going on. She immediately obeyed. My Daddy was holding my Mama up in a sitting position and we were discussing letting her go. I had a friend say she didn't hold on to faith for her Dad. I honestly believe my Mama knew me well enough to know what I was about to pray for her to stay, but she already knew all that day that she was leaving. She couldn't talk, but when I tried to feed her that day, she kept moaning no sounds. As I got down in front of her to say what I wanted to say, she just looked at me, smiled and took her last breath leaving us. I knew what the minister had told me was true and that she had already been telling me all day "I'm leaving, I'm going home". I have to believe that is what happened
with Gary and Luke. They, like my Mama, were the most loving, kind testimony of what a Christian should be. You could feel the glow when they spoke. I know those of us who knew Gary know what I'm talking about.

I guess, I said all that to say that this is why we never give up praying for anyone. We stand with them all the way until the get through their battle. And the blessing we have as Christians is that we NEVER lose regardless of how it goes because as my Mama always said when someone left us and went on to Heaven "They got their ULTIMATE HEALING".

Don't know why I sharing what is on my heart. WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE.

Prayers continue for all.

TRISH -- you are sharing your heart with us becuz you are supposed to and what you have to say is important to all of us. I just loved what your mother said; she is so very right. I wish people could really understand that very point and they would realize that a healing here is just temporary or even partial for some, but going home is indeed the "ultimate healing" becuz over there in heaven, they are healed completely in every way.

Yes, we desire them to stay becuz we love them and will miss them; but when they go home, they are healed in body, mind, and spirit; have perfect peace; plus all knowledge and understanding; and are released from all pain and suffering. I find this so comforting to know for loved ones who have gone on before us.

I too was blessed with a great healing; lots of comfort and strength all during my chemo treatments. Sure there were a few tuff days, but there were many more where I felt strong and energetic. They are really getting good at finding the right combos of meds to help all of us who are going through chemo treatments. I am so thankful and grateful to GOD for that and all your prayers; I have no doubt all the prayers I had from friends & family, and partners & warriors, near and far, made a huge difference in my case.

Our pastor always stresses the importance of prayer to everyone and if they need prayer to be sure and call or send us their prayer requests. The friend I told y'all about who the pastor interviewed said "When I was at my lowest and I couldn't even find the strength to pray, I knew that my church family and others were praying for me and that got me through those times." Prayer is so very, very important in everything we go through.

I always wonder what people do who don't believe in God who loves them and wants to help them. I don't think I could have survived all the heartaches, hurts and things I've gone through in my life if I had not had the Lord to go through it with me and Christian friends and family to pray me through them.

We had a busy day today; went shopping and ran errands. My legs & feet are now very sore and tired from all the walking, so I am taking it easy now. Just gonna spend the night resting and reading. I came home; put the groceries away and had a couple of visitors (SIL and her SIL) until amost dinnertime. We had pizza tonight; haven't had that for awhile (cut it back to once a month again).

I put an old classic movie on for DH to watch; that is finally catching his eye and he is now watching it ... phew. I thought I'd come in here first to check for any requests and posts. Hope you all have a great weekend coming up ...


TRISH -- I agree; I know that I wouldn't have made it through all these trials without GOD helping me, along with all the support and prayers of so many caring people. GOD is such an important part of my life, that I wouldn't want to live without Him my life.