Hi, Friends!

We got some news last night, part good, part not so. Uncle had his aortic valve repair surgery and it went well. He's in ICU for a couple days, then regular room for another week. BUT, they also found an intestinal blockage that has to be dealt with as soon as he's able, probably next week. They couldn't do it before the heart surgery, as the docs didn't think he'd live through it, so prayers needed for him (he's in his late 70's).

My sis (who ran the marathon Sunday) had to have a uterine polyp removed yesterday and, of course, is waiting for lab results to come back on that. She also has an ovarian cyst that they are watching closely and may have to remove. She's very positive, though. I think I'm more worried than she is!

And in the 'it never rains, but it pours (or snows and avalanches, as Rosebud, puts it!)' category, along with all the Mayo visits, football games, and other activities and stuff we have going on, I have to do a deposition on the 30th related to a car accident we had 2 1/2 years ago! What gets me is that, since the other person ran a stop sign and hit us in the side, why do we have to take this to court to get their insurance to pay us anything for our medical and other expenses!!!??? Stuff like this really bugs me

At least I have you guys to 'rant' to and I can stick to my plan!

Prayers for all of you. Hope you're having a great day!

Rosebud - thank you for your kind words!!!! I must say that exercising regularly and getting those 90 lbs off has really helped my energy level. I used to drag my sorry self home from work and take a nap. Now i try to exercise before I start dinner. And - thankfully, DH is a great cook and takes his turn when I have to work late. Tonight, dinner was on the table when I walked in the door

Glad you had a good day! Prayers continuing for an affordable house!

Wilma - Glad you enjoyed your holiday! I hope you enjoy the visit from your sister! I wish I had a sister, brothers just aren't the same.

Ronni - prayers continuing for your family. You certainly have things coming at you from all directions! How blessed your family is to have you as a calming factor in the storm!!!

Prayers continuing for everyone - Bargoo - I hope you are doing OK with your treatments!

Blessings to all - I'm off to catch the rest of the debate and get some packing done.

Have a great Thursday all!

THANKS TO EVERYONE ~ for all the prayers; so very appreciated. We are still looking; it seems something comes up almost every day now.

We have cool temps here, but the sun was out; plus there was a gorgeous big moon for the last couple of nights; so lovely. Just did housework today; nothing special really.

PRAYERS continue for all your loved ones and health concerns too ... RONNI and BARGOO!!!

COUNTING ~ off on another business trip; glad your DH helps with the cooking, that's very helpful when you are working a lot.

HI WILMA ~ glad to hear from you; you are another one that is very busy. Thanks for the prayers too!

Well I'm off to bed; it's getting late ~ take good care of yourselves, your fellow encourager ROSEBUD ^^PRAYERS^^ continue for you and yours ...

Hello Ladies and Gary!

Its been a while since i have been around. Things have been very hectic and stressful for me right now. All of my spare time has been spent in the hospital with mt gram. She is now off the vent. but things arent much better. Just wanted to say that even though i havent been posting i have been reading and all your prayer requests have been sent up. Hope everyone has a Happy thursday.

Courtney - glad you came by to post. Prayers continuing for your Grandma and your family.

Rosebud - sweet dreams!

Hi to everone else! Prayers continuing!

Hi!
Mind if I jump back into this thread? I used to post here a long time ago- and well life just got in the way. I remember some really great people here (Wilma, you are up in Canada, right?..), Rosebud sounds familiar too.....so does Gary....

I have been on and off WW for a while- attending meetings but not really locked in. Its time to get myself back in mode and losing weight.
Chat with you tomorrow, if you will have me!
Ginny

WELCOME BACK, GINNY ~ people pop in and out of here all the time. Of course, we'd love to have you join us here again. We all know that life can get harried at times, and can take us away for awhile (illness, jobs, family, life).

COURTNEY ~ prayers going up for your grandmother, you, and your family, daily. This is a hard time for you: may GOD grant you peace and comfort through this time ...

HI COUNTING ~ have a great evening!

WE HAVE MANY OTHER FRIENDS ~ that we haven't seen in a while, like Trish, Aunt Sue, Shy, and Karen, but I think Lori was here a week or so ago. I'm sure all these ladies are just busy with life; but we sure hope that they are all well.

Take good care everyone, your fellow encourager ROSEBUD ^^PRAYERS^^ continue for you and yours ...

Hello!

Well, some prayers were answered yesterday and some doors were closed, but I'm sure we'll survive.

Uncle is doing great! Out of ICU 1/2 a day early, color is back, and they don't think there actually is an intestinal blockage anymore. After the aorta repair, everything started working better again! Uncle said he thought the heart issue was the real problem all along. He may even get to go home (to his son's) Saturday already-much earlier than expected! Thanks for all the prayers for him. God still has plans for him here awhile longer. It was so good to see them again after so many years too.

We got good news and bad on DS3, though. First, all blood work and other tests on possible causes for the abdominal pain came back ok. GI doc believes that it's 'just' a torn or badly strained abdominal muscle under the floating ribs and must do stretching exercises to keep it from developing adhesions. Thank the Lord, because we were really getting concerned that they had found something bad and didn't want to tell us over the phone, since we hadn't received any word about any of the tests. Then, the ortho docs ordered more x-rays of the back and determined that there is no crushed vertebra-it's just one of those strange but "within the range of normal" growth plate things that show up weird on the films Also, the spina bifida occulta is very, very small (the local docs had panicked prematurely) and should not ever cause an issue-no nerve involvement at all But, on closer examination and with standing x-rays they were able to see that the spondylolysis has caused the vertebra to slip, so there is spondylolysthesis, which is what is causing all the back pain. We now know that he will never be allowed any contact sports or cross country/track. No football like older brother. He is soooo sad

Docs did say that if he responds well to the PT exercises and the pain goes away, he may be able to play baseball, soccer, and should be able to continue bike-riding. Forgot to ask about basketball, but there's almost constant running in that and it's the constant jarring of the spine that's part of the concern, so I doubt it's allowed. Of course, swimming is recommended, but we don't have a local indoor pool so he could do that year-round.

So, yesterday was a very up and down day. Kind of numb this morning about it all, so I guess it just needs time to absorb. We'll all be walking and doing our PT exercises together

Prayers continuing for you all! Good to hear from Courtney. You, your grandma, and your family are in my prayers, as well Hope everyone has a great day!

Good Morning Gals ~

I got home late last night for the week-end. I just saw our church "mid-week" prayer in my e-mail, I thought it may come in handy for some of you. I wll be back later....PRAYERS and ~ Gary

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Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7



“The Peace of God”…. Awesome words, but difficult at times, to find in our lives.



As we go through our day, days that turn into weeks and years, it is easy to loose sight of God’s promise in the midst of living.



These past seven days have been eventful to say the least ---countries throughout the world are fighting economic panic and uncertainty. People in all corners of the globe are affected by the financial “meltdown” as reported in every paper and website.



Things that until recently we were certain of: saving for retirement in our 401k and IRA’s, the equity in our home, seem vulnerable.



In the midst of living in these times, how do we find the Peace of God?



Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, through the apostle Paul tells us:



Be anxious in nothing

Prayerful in everything

Thankful in anything



That seems crazy!



Anxious in nothing? Doesn't God read the paper?

Prayerful in everything? How do I pray for what I don't know or understand?

Thankful in anything? What about the difficult times we face?



God gives us our answer in the rest of the passage:



Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.
And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4: 8 – 9



God created this world for us, he wants us to live and experience it until He takes us home. He has given us a “road map” to His peace, and has empowered us with His Holy Spirit – Gods’s power – not ours - to follow it.



God is indeed excellent and praiseworthy, admirable, lovely, pure – we must think on these things, God’s things.



God promises us His peace! How awesome! How comforting!



We have God's peace, in good times and bad, through Christ's person and work for us on the cross



We are sure of:




Our forgiveness

Our salvation.

An eternity in heaven in God’s presence



Rejoice! God is near, He has given us the perspective and strength to be at peace within ourselves, regardless of circumstances! We know God loves us unconditionally and will work all things together for Him, giving us - His peace that surpasses all human understanding.



Hear again His words, His promise – words we hear every weekend at the conclusion of our worship service:



The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you, The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.



In the midst of life, look at Christ and what He did for us upon the cross. Through Word and Sacrament we know that God is God yesterday, today and always, His promises are certain.



Think on these things and you will be filled to overflowing with His Peace.



Amen

Thank you , Gary for sharing the scriptures from Philippians In my present situation I would be hysterical except for "the peace of God which passes all understanding."

Hey everyone! Just wanted to drop in and say I have been reading everyones situations daily. I am so thankful we have a God who is faithful through ALL of the ups and downs of life! I was just thinking today what if I had to go through all of this stuff and not have God on my side. - If the LORD had not been on our side, when the people rose up against us the would have swallowed us alive- Psalm 124:2-3 We are facing some very tough times in life right now(I think everyone is dealing with something major, I think I'm at least dealing with 2-3) I cant wait to see what God has planned for all of this trouble! - You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing, you have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.-Psalm 30:11-12 I pray for everyone that this week would be a week of breakthrough in our trouble! (and its Friday, so our faith wont terry!) God bless you all! Ps I am very busy this weekend so I plan on starting to really get into a plan on Monday! (is it just me or are Mondays always a fresh start!)

Back again!
What a stressful day, but praise the Lord I am here to talk about it!
Tons of talk about cutbacks at work- layoffs........and they will, if they take place, be very close to me in seniority, but it appears as though I will be ok.
My husbands job is also in jeporardy- and we will know his fate in 3 weeks or less. But, once again, we are here to face these tough times, so that our God can show us just how great he is! "Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Pr 3:4-5) right?

thanks for the welcome back.......I need you all.

Ronni- glad to hear that none of the medical issues in your family are devastating. How is DS3 doing today?

gotta go......see you tomorrow.
Ginny

Hello, Everyone!

ECmom-Thank you for your concern! DS3 is ok-still unhappy about the restrictions, but doing his prescribed exercises. I think he was surprised at how hard they actually are when you have to do them for a specified length of time They're a lot harder than they look! But, he didn't argue, just kept doing what he needed to do. Probably didn't help that last night was football night. I heard several rounds of "I want to play football too" during the game, but he'll find something else. He's very interested in bicycle racing, so we'll see what kind of events are in our area next year.

Prayers for your DH's job situation and glad that your's appears safe.

Gary-thanks for the verses and prayer-just what I needed.

Today, DH has to work 12 hour days this weekend due to planned maintenance at the plant, so the DS's and I are on our own. Probably go to town. DS2 has bowling league, so DS3 and I can shop while he bowls-always easier with just one of them Going to get paint for the kitchen. Not a big job, since it's mostly cabinets and tile in there, but just needs a perk-up, especially to try to sell the place!

I've been surprised at myself through all this stress lately. I used to just eat my way through it, especially when the weather is turning colder and it's so dark so early, but now, I've been able to keep my focus and stay with my plan. In fact, I think sitting down and working out the calories in what I'm cooking or planning to cook helps deal with the stress. I can just block out the disappointments and work on the math! I've just been so shocked that I haven't gone on a binge or grabbed a case of Coke. Don't even crave the stuff most of the time anymore. I know God's giving me the strength to do this and the support from you all helps even more! to you all!

Have a great day!

Hi Gals ~ Angie and I will be leaving in a bit to take the dogs out for coffee....I will check in and post later.

Ronni...what about Coke 0...I am sure it isn't good for you but I like it.

C-YA

Gary-I just don't do artificial sweeteners, so I stay away from pop, etc completely. Just works better for me. I drink water, water, water, and a little fruit juice (no sugar added, of course) every now and again.

Just wondering-do your dogs really like coffee? or did I misunderstand?-lol