I love Monkey's

Well I tried to get a photo for the weekly watch of how my hair is growing and was not able to get a good one today Although it seems a little bit longer- it seems that when the light hits my head in the bathroom -that it kind of looks like my hair is thin on the top. So it makes it hard to tell what it really is. I will try again tomorrow to get a good photo. It feels a bit thicker. And my eye lashes are coming in nicely- although they are still 1/4th or so of the regular length of them. At least it is worth putting mascara on them now!

 

I just saw this on Facebook this morning and just had to share it here. It is very good advice. And I have always loved monkeys so that made me like this even more.

 

I went on a good walk this morning- before it got too warm. Then I got some weed eating done in my front and some in my back yard. I am so happy one of my crape myrtle's has begun to bloom and the one behind it is not too far behind. The big one beyond that is not yet blooming but maybe in the next week or so will.

My Mother in law has some burgundy crape myrtle shoots that are coming up around her plants and she does not want them. Said we could dig them up and have them. So we are trying to decide where we want to plant them. I am thinking of putting at least one in our back yard for more color and beauty there.

Well I have some hemming to do- so I better get off of here and get busy. I hope you all are having a good day. :O)

fruitful in the land of my affliction

Today I want to share my devotional for today. Some of you(maybe all of you) are going through some very tough times and I just pray that you will feel God's presence in your lives.

My Devotional from - "Steams in the Desert"
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"For God hath made me fruitful in the land of my affliction" Genesis 41:52b

The summer showers are falling. The poet stands by the window watching them. They are beating and buffeting the earth with their fierce downpour. But the poet sees in his imaginings more than the showers which are falling before his eyes. He sees myriads of lovely flowers which shall be soon breaking forth from the watered earth, filling it with matchless beauty and fragrance. And so he sings:

"It isn't raining rain for me, it's raining daffodils;
In every dimpling drop I see wild flowers upon the hills.
A cloud of gray engulfs the day, and overwhelms the town;
It isn't raining rain for me: it's raining roses down."
 Perchance some one of God's chastened children is even now saying, "O God, it is raining hard for me tonight.
"Testings are raining upon me which seem beyond my power to endure. Disappointments are raining fast, to the utter defeat of all my chosen plans. Bereavements are raining into my life which are making my shrinking heart quiver in its intensity of suffering. The rain of affliction is surely beating down upon my soul these days."
Withal, friend, you are mistaken. It isn't raining rain for you. It's raining blessing. For, if you will but believe your Father's Word, under that beating rain are springing up spiritual flowers of such fragrance and beauty as never before grew in that stormless, unchastened life of yours.
You indeed see the rain. But do you see also the flowers? You are pained by the testings. But God sees the sweet flower of faith which is upspringing in your life under those very trials.
You shrink from the suffering. But God sees the tender compassion for other sufferers which is finding birth in your soul.
Your heart winces under the sore bereavement. But God sees the deepening and enriching which that sorrow has brought to you.
It isn't raining afflictions for you. It is raining tenderness, love, compassion, patience, and a thousand other flowers and fruits of the blessed Spirit, which are bringing into your life such a spiritual enrichment as all the fullness of worldly prosperity and ease was never able to beget in your innermost soul. --J. M. McC.

SONGS ACROSS THE STORM
 
"A harp stood in the moveless air,
Where showers of sunshine washed a thousand fragrant blooms;
A traveler bowed with loads of care
Essayed from morning till the dusk of evening glooms
To thrum sweet sounds from the songless strings;
The pilgrim strives in vain with each unanswering chord,
Until the tempest's thunder sings,
And, moving on the storm, the fingers of the Lord
A wondrous melody awakes;
And though the battling winds their soldier deeds perform,
Their trumpet-sound brave music makes
While God's assuring voice sings love across the storm"

Love With All Your Heart...series...chapter 1

Our "Love With All Your Heart" series - chapter 1:



1

Love is patient and long suffering.

Ted was at his wits' end. He had had many difficulties in his life, and he was tired of them. He felt that his marriage was intolerable. His wife didn't meet his needs, and besides, she nagged and criticized him continually. Ted was full of bitterness towards God. He had built up deep feelings of resentment toward his wife. Recently, she had become ill, and he was expected to care for her. It seemed more than he could bear. His treatment of his wife fluctuated between ignoring her with an icy indifference and erupting in a vicious attack of stinging words. Ted was desperate; he just wanted out. He considered divorce, murder, suicide, and many other variations of escape. He deserved better than this, he thought. He just had to find a way our of this miserable existence. Then one day Ted came face to face with the claims of God's love as found in the Bible:

 

"Love suffers long...." 1 Corinthians 13:4

 

"...strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power,

for all patience and longsuffering with joy."

Colossians 1:11

 

    Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

2 Thessalonians 3:5

 

    The end of a thing is better than its beginning;

The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

Ecclesiastes 7:8

 

    But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life,

 purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance,   

2 Timothy 3:10

 

However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.   

1 Timothy 1:16

 

But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God:

in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,

2 Corinthians 6:4

 

Love is patient and calm under abuse.

Love patiently accepts adverse circumstance and unkind treatment.

When a trial or tragedy occurs that disturbs plans, when other's actions cause disappointment, love will keep one's spirit in a restful, unruffled state, enabling one to rise above the difficulty.

Love gives peace that is not affected by any circumstances.
Love accepts any inconvenience calmly and deals with it in a joyful frame of mind.

No matter how difficult the problem, how trying the circumstances, or how lengthy the trial, love is long suffering with an attitude of expectant rejoicing.

 

Important Information about Endometrial Cancer....

Just a quick post to share some very important information. For anyone new to my blog- I would like to share just a little bit of my story - just in case it may help one of you.

7 months ago - I had a hysterectomy. I had an enlarged uterus and the Dr thought that I had - adenomyosis. So on November the 18th- I had a total hysterectomy. When my uterus was sent to the lab- they found cancer- Endometrial cancer or uterine cancer. This is very unusual for someone pre menopausal- and it is the reason why my cancer was not found early enough not to have to have chemo. The cancer was found to have grown to about 80% into the uterine wall. If they find the cancer before it gets past the 50% point of the uterine wall- they are more sure that the cancer has been contained in the uterus. And on top of it being so large - I also found out that my cancer cells were a grade 3 - the highest and most aggressive cancer cells. For this reason - I was sent to on oncologist and am underwent 6 rounds of Carbo/Taxol chemo.

What I would like to share with you ladies is- if you are menopausal and you begin to bleed- have it checked out ASAP- that is when people find this cancer in time - so that they are able to just do a hysterectomy and not end up having to have all the chemo and radiation. If you are pre- menopausal and you are having heavy periods and break through bleeding- or spotting more and more- be sure and get with your Dr and explain to her what is going on with you. Endometrial cancer does not show up on pap smear tests. So you have to let your Dr know what is going on with you- if you have heavy period- or are bleeding more and more- have it checked out. I am only 44 years old - and was diagnosed at 43 with this cancer that usually hits women that are post menopausal. And when it hits younger women it tends to be more serious because we just think that the symptoms are just premenopausal and so we let it slid.

I really hope that by me sharing my story - that I can help other women avoid having to go through what I am have gone through, it is no fun. And it is also scary - to realize that you have had cancer growing inside of you for who knows how long and had no idea. It changes your life. I am so thankful that God led me to pushing have more testing done and that we found this cancer. Had I just had my pap smear and accepted my normal results - I might have been dead by the next time my annual came around. Cancer is nothing to play with - if you have problems - have it checked out - you will be glad you did.

I also want to share one of the ways that I know that God was watching out for me through this journey- called cancer.

When I found out that I needed to have a hysterectomy - God led me to the right Dr. who did the new DiVinci surgery. If you have cancer- and you have a laproscopy surgery - the way the procedure works - you actually have a chance of spreading the cancer while they are removing the uterus because with the laproscopy surgery - they take the uterus out in pieces. With the DiVinci surgery - the uterus is taken out completely whole. Once we found out that I had cancer- and I read an article telling of how the other surgery could allow the cancer to spread - I knew that God had been in control - because I had never heard of the DiVinci surgery before. But God was in control and I am so thankful that He was.

We can be confident that no matter what we face - God knows and will be with us every step of the way.

In One Thousand Trials....

"In one thousand trials it is not five hundred of them that work for the believer's good, but nine hundred and ninety-nine of them, and one besides."

 

George Mueller speaking of Romans 8:28 :0)

"I Love You's" from God

My husband and I like to do puzzles; however, we do not like paying a lot of money for puzzles. So we buy them from the thrift store. One of the thrift stores that I go to - has a lady that does the puzzles before they sell them to make sure that all the pieces are there. The only problem is that the puzzles still run more than I want to pay for a puzzle.

A favorite little thrift store in the area - sells their puzzles for 25-50 cents for a puzzle. That is more my style. So far all of the puzzles that we have gotten from them - have had all the pieces- I hope that continues.

 

Remember when I told you about going to the thrift store to pick up a few more puzzles last week.

Well one of the puzzles that I got - showed where the puzzle had originally came with a magnet. I have always wanted one of the magnets - but by the time that we buy the puzzle - the magnets are gone. So this morning - I am looking at this puzzle and I move it around and I hear a different noise than the usual pieces moving around sound. So I open up the puzzle and guess what I found?

 

A brand new puzzle and a brand new magnet!!!

What a wonderful I love you from God. I bought the puzzle for 25 cents and not only did I get a brand new puzzle but I also got a magnet. And it is even more special because on the barn it says - "Ladies of Lancaster- Quilts on Display" Along with several different quilts on the puzzle.

 

I love - I love you from God. I love that I will put this magnet on my fridge and will always remember today and what a joy it was to open that puzzle and find this magnet! What a blessing! :O)

 

Can You Tell?

Here is a photo of me from over the week end.

Can you tell my hair is getting darker?! I am thrilled about it. Especially since the weather here has been pretty warm and wearing a hat or wig is hot. I am happy to see that the day when I won't have to wear those things is fastly approaching. Yeah - I know I could go without them now- but I have not had enough courage. That is one reason why I am sharing my photo here - so that maybe because I am having the courage to share it here- maybe it can help me get more used to seeing it and having other people see me like this and then maybe when I do decide to go without wig or hat - I can better handle it.

 

Last week I watched a couple of Youtube videos where ladies that had lost their hair due to chemo - showed videos of their hair growing back. And I realized that it will take even longer than I had first thought it would - to grow out even to the shorter cut I had before chemo. Trying not to let that bother me right now - I am just trying to appreciate the growth that I have.

 

Oh I also wanted to warn you all - I am planning on doing another post about my cancer- mostly that so when people click over to check out my blog- from seeing my bald head(lol) that I can at least put a public service announcement type of thing out - maybe helping someone else in the process. I just did not want any of you to think I had lost it by sharing about it again...lol

 

I think I am going to try to get a weekly photo of myself - and that way I can compare photos and see the progress- especially since it is hard for me to see the progress when I see my hair every day. Not sure if I will post a weekly photo but I will see. Only if I can get good photos.

 

 

Hope you all are having a good week. :O)