Closing the Door on 2017

What a wonderful week it was to be able to stay home, celebrate Christmas with the family, and make plans for the New Year. How did this year pass so quickly? As I look back, I've had more ups than downs, more good health than sickness, more joy than sorrow, and more laughter than tears. It's been a very good year for me. 

Others may have had a difficult year. I was reading through some posts on Facebook about how some were so glad 2017 was over. I thought about how there are always trials in this imperfect life: times when you wish things were different, that your pain would go away, or you could get a do-over for something. I will choose not to dwell on those, but rather look to the future. Specifically, I want to look to the future through the lens of God's promises and not the lens of fear. 

Psalm 91:14-16 "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation."

Christmas Eve

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

I wish to everyone sweet Christmas blessings and to remember His many names as you approach and a new year.

Joy after Pain

I admit it. I'm one of those people who cannot seem to make it through the holiday season without the stress getting to me. But it's not the season, the gifts, or the celebrations; it's the stress from work with deadlines and just wanting to be done for the year. Last year, it began the week before Christmas with severe pain in my left shoulder. It was so bad that I barely completed work and sought out doctors for relief. I saw a physical therapist, a chiropractor and a massage therapist. By the end of January, I began functioning close to normal again.

This year it began at Thanksgiving, along with a cold. I was really surprised since I was walking a couple of miles each day in an effort to keep my stress levels low and I had also not been sick in about 2 years. Regardless, I was determined to not let it rob me of a pleasant time off again. I began with the chiropractor and massage therapist; no relief. Next was the doctor and muscle relaxers, which did not help. Then I tried flotation therapy (floating in a tub of magnesium salts) which I imagine would be as effortless as floating in the Dead Sea. That treatment actually did help the pain to subside. My doctor had also recommended a different massage therapist and I went there Friday morning. Thankfully, the float and the new therapist have reduced my pain to only a slight nuisance! I am so happy that I can finish this upcoming week and hopefully enjoy the Christmas season with little to no pain!

Ecclesiastes 7:14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.

We live on earth, so we cannot escape sickness or pain. I do believe that it did not get as bad this year, so for that I am thankful and joyful!

It's Snow Much Fun!

The weather forecasters predicted snow on Friday. December in Georgia is just not the time one would expect to see snow. We were skeptically hopeful. We trudged off to school and work, going about our day. The rains began and we sighed. Hours later, there was a mix of rain and snow, then only snow. It was beautiful, peaceful and welcome. 

We left work and school early, expecting it to stop snowing any minute. The snow kept coming and we watched it through our bay window. It was beautiful with the Christmas lights aglow. We went to sleep, fully expecting the snow to be over when we awoke. It was still snowing throughout the morning. When it stopped around 10 am, we had a winter wonderland on our doorstep with 3.5 inches of snow. We tromped through the snow, slid down hills and built a snowman. In early December. In Georgia. I guess God wanted us to have snow. :)

Job 37:5-7 God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend. For He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth'; likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength. He seals the hand of every man, that all men may know His work. 

Double Whammy

It had been almost a full year since I had problems with my upper back and two years since I had a cold. Guess what? I got kicked HARD this week! My back started to bother me over last weekend, but I just kept pushing. The irritation in my throat began on Monday. They both steadily worsened. By Wednesday, I thought I could go home early from work and knock out the cold, then see the chiropractor about my back. Uh, no.

I tried home remedies that I thought would improve the condition (and perhaps they did), but here I am on Sunday wondering if I'll finally make it back to work tomorrow. The cold has now settled into a cough and my back has improved slightly after a visit to the chiropractor and a massage therapist.  I've been told I have many adhesions in my back muscles, which are causing the pain. I'm doing stretches throughout the day to release them, but it will be a slow process. 

It's weeks like these when in the middle of the night you are walking the floors praying for relief from your maladies. You're unable to go about your normal day and everything that you think is important falls to the wayside. Your focus changes from what needs to be done to simply hoping this passes as quickly as possible. Even still, you are not alone. You know Jesus cares for you and is bearing us up during our time of infirmity and sickness.

Matthew 8:16b-17 And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."