Learning to Walk, Again

Those of you who have been following me know that since August I have been having correct bone alignment in my feet. We corrected the left foot first. It is about 85% healed. So it took about 6 weeks before I could put pressure down on the foot and learn to walk again with the new alignment. It gives you a new appreciation for babies learning to walk.

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I still get the sharp healing pains as the nerves are knitting back together as they say it will take about 1 year. Not a fun experience but part of the healing experience. In November we corrected the right foot and I have been going from bed to sofa with the help of a knee cart. Its nice to be able to get around without crutches but when you already have knee issues from challenges of youth, it can be painful.

The challenges of youth should be correctly called the stupidity of youth because as an adult you would never do these things. And with me being a tomboy, I was not about to be shown up by any boy. And since I was into horses, well now you have added in another factor of – “You did what?” For example – diving from the top of the hay loft into the pile of hay below. Was it thick enough to cushion our fall? Were snakes hiding in the hay as they often were? How about standing on top of your horse as he walked around the pasture with no bridle or saddle? And of course there were the neighborhood ball games with all the guys? And the list goes on. I am sure others have similar lists.

Yes so now in my mid 60s I am paying for those challenges. But doing OK. As I have stated before I have earned every gray hair, every wrinkle…and every pain. But I would not have changed a thing, well maybe one thing that still scares me to think about it to this day involving a train.

So this week’s challenge is to start walking without the boot. Its twice as difficult as the left foot has not fully healed so I am having balance/confidence issues. My goal is to be back in church before Christmas. I go back to Dr on Thursday so we will see. But regardless, progress for this challenge is being made.

IMG_20181211_101649 — Slow progress is still progress

So in this season of thankfulness I am ever grateful that I can walk at all and that I have been blessed with another day of life. So tagging in with jansenphoto TPC weekly challenge word of Challenge, I submit my challenge of walking and ask you to play along for the fun.

And as I always say, remember to be kind. Even though someone may not look like they are hurting, a kind word will ease those silent hurts that are deep within.

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Word Prompt, Optimism

I can see it…light at the end of the tunnel. I am optimistic I can make it. It has been a 5 month uphill battle of necessity but it is almost done. One last week of the knee cart, then one more week of walking in boot then on to real shoes. Yahoo!!

IMG_20181114_115640 — Soon to be twin feet

Left foot about 90% healed, Right foot soon to free of heavy boot. QC’s prompt on optimism is exactly where I am. I can see the end and optimistic that with therapy I will be back to normal…as normal as I can be at this point of my life. I am looking forward to spring where walks through the parks and forest can be done again.

I loved QC’s opening quote by Roy Bennett – “Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.” ― Roy T. Bennett.

Life is a choice and life is what you make it. QC also stated the difference between optimism and pessimism and fully hit the nail on the head – Optimism is contagious while pessimism is infectious.

Think of how optimism can drive a car through rough times but pessimism will just deflate the tires.

The holidays is a hard emotional time for many. Recent tragedies can amplify those painful times. Reach out to those and give reason for optimism, give them hope to continue. Spread encouragement and kindness where you can as it breeds hope and optimism.

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November Thankful Challenge, Last Days

What a wonderful month this has been as I have shared on a few of the many many things I am thankful for during the month. It is important that we tie in thankfulness and gratitude for our many blessings like waking up today, being able to read this post, having friends we share with over the internet that are across the world. It is all so fascinating how very close we can be with a simple reach out. This month brought the (hopefully) final surgery on my feet. I have great hopes for being able to go walking in the spring and share the many beautiful things I see. But for now, we are healing and enjoying some down time with my fur baby who currently can not get close enough on the sofa while I try to type this message.

So lets finish up that challenge list but always remember daily the many blessing we are given from family, friends, life and God.

Nov 26 – I am so very thankful for my daughter who has been taking care of me why I recover. With all the snow we got over the weekend, she shoveled the driveway(with snow plow) but still…and she cleared off the sidewalks in the front.

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Nov 27 – I am thankful for the ability and understanding of the importance of helping others.

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Nov 28 – I am thankful that I can laugh and joke about myself as I age. Laughter is a strong medicine.

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Nov 29 – I am thankful for the people in my life that made me realize the most important decision I would ever make in my life – Accepting Jesus as my Savior. I could not have survived some of the things I have been through in my life with out His help.

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Nov 30 – I am thankful for someone suggesting this challenge to remind us all of the many things we need to be aware of that are gifts to be thankful for.

As I close off the challenge of my thankful November I remind everyone to be kind. I ran across this quote which I though was very appropriate from Mark Twain. He said –

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

So I close in reminder saying of it’s the tiny things we do in life that can bring the greatest thankfulness and the brightest joy.

kindness 2

November Thankful Challenge, Week 4

I did not get this posted yesterday so I am a day late for week 4. The month of November is where we focus on things we are thankful for so I am posting this weekly during the month to share all that I am thankful for. Some overlap a bit but thankfulness has a way of doing that because life overlaps in many ways as it should. If you didn’t see the others and would like to, they are listed here; week 1, week 2, week 3.

Nov 19 – I am thankful the Lord has given me yet another day. Hopefully I use each day as the gift it is.

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Nov 20 – I am thankful that although the pain in my foot is minor as I recover from surgery, at least I still have a foot that is healing nicely. Now both are done.

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Nov 21 – I am so thankful for God’s light that shines on all of us and for the many artist that use their talents to remind us and lift us when we need that lift.

Nov 22 – I am thankful for what this day remind us of and for the love of family and friends that surrounds at this time. Also for the many memories of this day, the “Wow” moments and the “Oh, Really” moments.

Nov 23 – I am so very thankful that I do not have the shopping bug so that I do not have to get out in the madness of Black Friday.

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Nov 24 – I am thankful for the fun I have with college football and super excited that my team won and is headed to the conference championship, Go Dawgs!

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Nov 25 – I am thankful for all the blessing I have received and the ability to enjoy sitting on the couch watching the birds eat as much as they can before the snow gets too thick on the feeders. Then of course it did.

Nov 26 – I am so thankful that I have a daughter that is taking care of me as I heal and that she took care of all the snow removal since I am still on the knee walker from surgery. Don’t think it would do well in 13″ of snow.

And remember as always, especially when times, weather and situations get trying, be kind. It can be the greatest gift you could give.

kind 10 — Friendship and kindness and healing tools

November Thankful Challenge, Week 3

Welcome to week 3 of my November Challenge to help me remember all that I have that makes me thankful of all my blessings. We should not wait until a certain time of year to bring all of those wonderful gifts to mind. At lease during the holiday season we bring them to the front all the wonder things we are thankful for and try to share the joys of love and kindness throughout the season.

Nov 12 – I am so thankful for the guarding of an over protective hound who actually has kept some door-to-door bothersome’s away from my front door.

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Nov 13 – I am thankful for the extraordinary vision given by God to enjoy the beauty of nature.

Nov 14 – I am thankful for the beauty of hearing the wonderful sounds of peace and power from the same substance – water.

Nov 15 – I am thankful for this season to remind us of all the wonderful things to be thankful for.

Nov 16 – I am thankful for all the small things in this life that makes me smile.

Nov 17 – I am thankful that again my cactus is going to bloom for the season. It looks like an ornament on the tree.

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Nov 18 – I am thankful that even though it snowed(again) last night, the ground is still warm enough where the roads are still clear.

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So I challenge you regardless of where you are in this season to remember the love, gratefulness and the kindness of this season.

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And remember the value of kindness during this season of thankfulness. They go together like toast and jam.

toast

Do You Hear What I Hear?

gods beauty — Lets God’s Light Shine Through You

As we approach the wonderful seasons associated with love and thanksgiving, I will try to increase the shared joy of what I find fascinatingly tied to all mankind, in hopes you feel it and enjoy it along with me. Songs are one ways we share these joyous time. Like one song in particular, The Little Drummer Boy, helps us focus on what we see, what we hear and how we can honor this king that was given to us as a gift. What a magnificent gift.

Yesterday’s post on the ABCs of God’s Love ties in with today’s thought of what do you hear or better yet, what do you listen to. And I am not referring necessarily to music but to everyday life. Do you hear the encouraging love of Christ or the demeaning ways of satan. So I added a list that has been floating around awhile but needs to have some serious thought applied to it, especially this time of year.

godsvoice1

Do you hear…..

Do you hear God’s voice as He stills your heart…..or satan’s rants as he rushes you along
Do you hear God’s voice as He leads you along the narrow path …..or satan’s nudge as he pushes you in the wrong direction
Do you hear God’s voice as He lovingly reassures you…. or satan’s screeching as he tries to frighten you
Do you hear God’s voice as He enlightens your thoughts….or saran’s twists as he confuses your direction
Do you hear God’s voice as He lavishes encouragement on you…..or satan’s demeaning discouragement
Do you hear God’s voice as He comforts you…or satan’s negative overtures to make you worry
Do you hear God’s voice as He calms you….or satan’s irrational thoughts of obsession
Do you hear God’s voice as He lovingly convicts you to turn from sin….or satan’s foreboding condemnation of lost hope

God is love and He would never speak to you without love in His voice even when he disciplines us. He is always there for us, His timing is always perfect and He wants you with Him forever.

Godslove1 — Feel God’s love as he holds you tight

I always close my posts with a reminder to myself and others to always be kind. Let the smallest drop of kindness fall to create a ripple effect that can move across the oceans of life.

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The ABC’s of Christ’s Love for Me

I ran across this the other day and it helped me understand and reflect on “My Identity in Christ” listing many of the ways we can see how we are a new creation of His making as we go through the ABCs of His guidance for us. I did not write this but I am sharing it as I think it is so much worth the share. Hope you enjoy and realize how you too are blessed with the same love and guidance given by Him to you.

I AM…

Accepted in His beloved grace
Blessed with all spiritual blessings
Chosen in Him before the world’s foundation
Delivered from the powers of darkness
Elevated to heavenly places
Forgiven from all my sin
God’s masterpiece
Healed by Jesus’ stripes
In Him…forever
Justified by faith
Kept by the power of God
Loved unconditionally
More than a conqueror
Not condemned
Overcoming the world through faith
Predestined to Sonship
Quickened together in Christ
Redeemed from the curses of the law
Sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise
To His praise
Unto His glory
Victorious through Him
Washed from my sin through His own blood
X “Crucified” with Christ
Yoked together with other believers
Zealous to do good works

And as I remind myself and anyone else, remember to be kind. Kindness is a gift to be shared and spread thick wherever you go.

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The Grogginess of Healing

The wonders of medicine in today’s world is amazing. We now have out-patient surgery that get us home to heal which is such a better place if possible. But during that healing, certain precautions need to be made to make sure we don’t do harm to our self or undo the procedure we have gone through. There enters the dreaded pain meds. Not only do they make us groggy, they keep us somewhat immobile with extra sleeping, that gets old.

pills — Don’t get me started on child proof caps!

I also understand the importance of these meds due to my stubborn nature – “Oh, I am ok, I can do that…not”? Uh huh. Stubborn. That’s me. My daughter told me I invented the word.

So we are in healing mode between the bed, the couch and the bathroom and of course the kitchen. I don’t think I have ever been too hurt to eat – probably why I have a high BMI. But its all good, one foot is ready and doing well and the other is starting the healing process.

You would think I would be feeling the same since it was basically the same surgery but no its been different. But healing all the same. Go back to Dr. tomorrow for x-rays to make sure bones are knitting correctly but as well as I did last time, we should all be good.

This has been an informative One Liner Wednesday post tagged in with Linda G Hill combined in with humor so come join in on the fun.

As I close in a note of a more serious nature, I again remind everyone of the beauty of kindness. Kindness is a reflection of God’s love that even in its smallest gesture brings a profound result of goodness and joy.

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My Living Room Tree

I think we all have hobbies or things we collect that make us smile. Mine is Christmas and decorating for it. Unfortunately, my daughter suffers from the same collecting hobby. We are major college football fans and we use the off weekend of play to go shopping for new and interesting decorations. I have three large trees, three small table trees and 4 larger nativity scenes. Then there is the remaining table decor that is spread throughout the house. It’s a lot but evidently not enough as we still go shopping. My daughter also has 3 trees downstairs in her portion of the house. It’s a wonderful bonding time that we enjoy together. In two of my previous posts I shared my dining room tree with the village, the fun tree in my bedroom so now its time for the more formal tree of the living room. If you wish to see the other posts click on the highlighted sections for review. And I do apologize if all this Christmas is just not your thing or way to early for you to get into it. I am temporarily “benched” so I decorated early.

In most homes, the living room/family room is where the main tree is if there is more than one tree in the home. And that is how it is in my home, however I do not have exquisitely formal ornaments. That is just not my style. I do love going to other peoples houses and looking at all of there decorations and seeing their personalities. The decoration styles reflect on the things that we believe are important, so I am doing my reflecting here.

So now that I have displayed all trees, let’s dissect the tree itself to gather its full meaning. It is not just a decoration for the season, there is meaning behind all of it.

The tree itself represents the cross of which Jesus was hung on when crucified. There are 18 reference in the bible that specify that he was hung on a tree due to the way the scriptures were translated. Even the old testament refers to the Holy One being hung on a tree. We know it was not a tree in itself but it was wood from a tree. I placed a square nail on my tree near the trunk to remind me of the love and sacrifice Jesus made for me and everyone else.

The lights on the tree represent Jesus’ light that he leaves with us. Numbers 6:24-26 – May His light shine upon you and bring you peace. We talk a lot about peace at Christmas time and try to always be peaceful and kind during this time of year. The colors of the lights also have a significance in the Christian faith, similar to the Christian beads we make for our children to understand more about Christ’s love for us.

The red lights represent Jesus’ blood shed for us. Romans 5:8-9

The white lights represent our cleansing from sin as we turn from our sin to God. Psalm 51:1-2

The blue lights represents out faith in baptism; 1 Lord, 1 faith, 1 baptism. Romans 8:9

The green lights represent our growing in faith. Colossians 1:10

The gold lights represent eternal life in Heaven with God. John 3:16

The beauty of the tree is then added to by the ornaments we place on it that reflect our personalities, our love, and the beauty of the season. Below are a few of my favorites that are on this tree that reflect family love and the beauty of the season.

I have sincere hopes that as you approach this wonderful holiday season that you are filled with the love of family, friends and the fullness of Christ.

And please remember that tomorrow is November 13, the internationally recognized day of World Kindness Day. There is no act of kindness that is ever too small.

Even animals know, understand and use kindness.

November Thankful Challenge, Week 2

Last week I posted a challenge that was actually started on facebook to remind us the wonderful things we can be thankful for. In the US, November is a dual thankful month for us as we celebrate Veteran Day at the first of the month and Thanksgiving at the end of the month. So I am doing a daily thankful challenge but posting it only once per week each Sunday. If you want to check last weeks post out, it is located here. And if you would like to join in on the fun, I would love your thoughts.

Since pictures are so powerful in connecting our brain with our heart, I thought I would add pictures with my daily challenge.

Nov 5 – I am thankful that now with the weather turning wet and cold, I have a warm and dry house to live in.

March Snow 3 — First snow of the season, didn’t last long thankfully

Nov 6 – I am thankful that all the the medical testing I have been getting are showing good results.

Nov 7 – While the medical test were good, my BMI was high. BMI for those who may not know what it is, it means I am overweight. That means I have plenty of food on my table and for that I am truly thankful as there are some who do not.

Nov 8 – I am thankful for the laughter I have in my life as laughter can remove a lot of hurt in this world.

Nov 9 – I am thankful for the basic good health I have. Being in my mid-60s, I am on no daily medication other than a multi-vitamin. God has been good to me.

Nov 10 – I am thankful for all the military men and women who have served and sacrificed themselves for my freedom.

military thanks

Nov 11 – I am thankful for friends and neighbors who do little things that mean so very much when you need the help.

And as we share in the thankfulness of this month always remember to be kind. Kindness is a gift from God that should be spread thick like jam on toast.