BENEFITS!

I have spent a good bit of time this week working on my disability benefits. Those words, "disability" and "benefit" used together always seem a little funny to me. It sounds like "Hey, your disabled - you get a prize!" I am very thankful for these monetary benefits...oh boy, am I thankful! But it is not a quick process to go through. Thankfully I had someone help me understand the paperwork at the beginning. But along the way there are letters and meetings and emails and phone calls. I received a phone call telling me I should be receiving a letter - when I got the letter it basically said I should have received a phone call. Mix all this information with a chemo brain and you have one confused woman on your hands!

On top of that I have been paying on a disability policy for twelve years that unfortunately I get to use. So that is another collection of phone calls, letters and emails. I considered myself a person of average intelligence until I went through this process. With this company you have to give info to a recording using the numbers on your phone before you are granted an audience with customer service. The info required: My claim number (7 digits), my phone number (10 digits), my birthdate (6 digits) and for security purposes I had to spell out the model of my first car! All of this number punching gave me the privilege to hear this recording, "Our office is closed for a training meeting - please call back after 1:00 pm" click.

My Pastor gave a message on Sunday about the benefits of God (Psalm 103:1-5)

1. He forgives your sin

2. He heals your diseases

3. He redeems your life

4. He loves you unconditionally

5. He satisfies your soul

How marvelous are the benefits of God! These benefits don't run out, you don't have to complete any paperwork, no password is needed and you don't have to punch a bunch of numbers! You don't even have to pay for it - Jesus Christ paid the fee for us! Woohoo! "That'll preach brother!"

I am thankful for the monetary benefits I receive, but, Oh, how much more thankful I am for the benefits of God! To God I am not a claim number. He knows my name and everything about me - even the number of hairs and freckles! He knows my every need and sees every teardrop.

Thank you God! Through the death, burial and resurrection of Your Son, I have full access to you. All You want from me is my love and worship. Help me keep my heart's focus on You and let my worship be pleasing to You. Amen

I have something cool I want to share today, but as a logged on I realized I haven't done a medical update. So, first things first. I had a PET scan last Tuesday. I have this scan every three months to check on those nasty tumors that have taken up residence in my lungs. This scan shows if the tumors have changed in size and if the cancer has spread to another part of my body.

Steve and I went Thursday for the results. Our prayer before these results is always that God will give us the strength and courage to handle the results whatever they may be and that through it all we will continue to give God the glory. The results were not what we wanted to hear. The tumors have grown, but praise God the cancer has not spread elsewhere. After talking things over with the doc, it was decided that it is time for me to go to a different treatment plan. I've been given a break until September to give my body time to regain strength before hitting it with bigger guns. On September 7, I will begin a regimen of 48 straight hours of chemo every other week and just like the last plan, we will continue for as long as it works.

OK....now on to more fun stuff! Sometimes people tell me how "good" or how "wonderful" I look and I have a "glow" about me. I know they are not talking of a physical beauty. I've gained over 80 pounds, have thinning gray hair and about a glabillion freckles on my face! A beauty queen I am not! What I hope people are seeing in me is the glory of God. Instead of saying thanks I try to say "to God's glory"! Please do not read into this that I feel "holier than thou" or that I think I have it all figured out. I have realized that without Christ I am nothing. Life is not about a career, a house or where I attend church. Life is about focusing on Jesus and knowing that without Him I would be as lost at a goat!

When we truly give our lives over to God he fills us with His glory, but it's not a one time fill up. If you continue to focus on Him, continue to look to His Word for guidance and continue to praise Him he will continue to fill you with His glory! Woohoo!!!

In 2 Corinthians 2:7-18, Paul is talking about the glory of the New Covenant. I encourage you to read it because it is really cool. In verses 18 "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." Man, I love the Word - it just blows me away!

What if we spent as much time seeking God as we do worrying about our appearance?

I've always appreciated when someone tells me I look nice, but what an awesome thing it is for someone to tell you they can see the Glory of God on your face! Imagine if the whole world focused on God and because of that we all reflected an ever-increasing glory! Then Max Factor and all those other cosmetic companies wouldn't have to airbrush pictures of their models!

Alright, I'm going to sign off now and enjoy the rest of this beautiful day!

AmyLou

Running

I came across a familiar verse during my study time this morning. I felt inspired to write about it. I was writing it for myself but was encouraged to share it on my blog...so here it goes!

"Let us run the race that is before us and never give up." Hebrews 12:1

Sometimes I am weary from the race that seems so long,

The time spent weak and crying, begging again to be made strong.

Why are some untouched by the sickness of this child,

Their life seems so carefree, their troubles only mild.

Am I paying for past sins from when my heart was cold?

When God wanted to guide me, but I refused and tightened my hold?

I know this world is a fallen one, full of sin and grief and pain,

But I also know that God forgives us and for this His Son was slain.

Because of His love for us, God gave His only Son,

So if this is the race chosen for me, then this is the race I will run.

Basket of Blessings

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time
we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Galatians 6:9

Isn't that a beautiful basket of food? When I saw this basket sitting on my kitchen counter I knew I had to share it's beauty with you. I love the rich colors and smells from fresh produce. I like food fresh from the garden. It makes me think that God is saying, "Here you go, this is a gift for you."

You've heard me brag about all the flowers that Steve plants, but I don't think I've mentioned the garden spots. I guess we have had a vegetable garden almost every year that we've been married. Some have been large, some have been small. One year we had a huge garden, it took up our entire backyard. Steve has always been the outdoor person in our marriage. In our earlier years, I don't think he realized that I had grown up working in gardens, snapping beans, shucking corn, etc. I remember once I offered to weed the garden for him. He was quite surprised that I knew how to do it!

This year Steve underestimated our garden's abilities to grow. We don't have a great garden area, so he figured some of what he planted would die out. I think everything with the exception of broccoli has out done itself. I don't know how many hundreds of cherry tomatoes he has picked, along with squash, okra, beans, peas, and tomatoes.

I have been toying with the idea of canning tomatoes. I've frozen peas, beans and corn before, but canning tomatoes will be a new experience. I will let you know if I get brave enough to try it.

I've had a busy week since my last treatment. I did my usual hibernation for 3-4 days, but once I got back on my feet I was out and about. I'm trying to stay busy and as active as possible. This week is a big week at our house. My PET scan is scheduled for tomorrow with the results on Thursday. This test will show what these nasty tumors have been doing for the past three months. Our prayer continues to be that God's glory will be shown and that our faith is strong enough to continue praising God through the storm. I have several friends that are also having cancer tests this week. I pray they will find their strength and peace in God.

Have a great week!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - PART II

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

TO STEVE - THE BEST HUSBAND

A GAL COULD PRAY FOR!!

How can I begin to express my love and gratitude to my husband...without getting all mushy?

How does the old joke go? We've been married for 28 years...it's been the happiest 3 years of my life! haha! Just like everyone else we've had our good years and our not so good years. But God has blessed us with each of these years. I'm thankful for all of these days.

Steve and I knew each other for a couple of years before we actually started dating. I thought he was a snob and he thought I was a flirt. He chased me until I finally caught him....that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :-) We married during my senior year of high school, that was not the smartest idea we ever had - but what God has joined together let no one put assunder.

Steve is many things to me:

MY COOK:Steve grilled out for us on our second date. Steak, bake potato, salad....he had me at steak! Since then he has wowed me with all sorts of wonderful meals...coconut shrimp, low country boil, homemade french toast, omelets and any kind of BBQ you can imagine!

MY LAWN MAN: He made a decision 16 years ago that he wanted to be with his wife and kids more, to be a bigger part of our lives. He left the retail world and started his own business. I was scared to death! But it was a great decision for our family. He is great at what he does and year after year our backyard becomes more beautiful with flowers, shrubbery, and our water fountain.

MY POOL GUY: Steve does absolutely everything for our pool. He opens it every year, maintains it all summer, closes it in the winter and repairs all broken parts. He does everything except swim it in - I guess that's my job.

Three years ago with my cancer diagnosis, he added another description. MY CARETAKER. Neither one of us wanted him to have this title - and I didn't take to it very well in the beginning. But he has been with me every step of the way. He was a watchdog while I was in the hospital, making sure all the nurses were meeting my needs. He has protected my heart, shielded me from hurts, encouraged me to fight when I didn't think I had any fight left in me. The picture at the top of this post was taken on a trip at the end of my first round of treatment. We were both so excited to be outside, away from the house after a very trying year.

These are all wonderful traits in a husband, but I also admire his traits as a Christian man.

He is GENEROUS. He always trys to help a friend or stranger anytime he can. Whether it's money, food, helping with a chore. He has taught me alot about generosity.

He is TRUSTWORTHY. If he says he is going to do something, he does it.

Marvelous attributes of a man these days...but the most important thing about my husband is that he is a Christian. He's not just a guy that believes there is a God. He is a man that believes, trusts, worships and serves God. He is sold-out and locked-in to God.

Thank you God for blessing me with this man. You knew this man was what I needed long before I did.

Happy Birthday Steve!

I love you more every day!

Amy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - PART I

Happy birthday to my "older" sister - Sue, Susan, Susie, Mrs. Dial, Goose - and my favorite - "Goofy"!

Sue seems to have a lot of nicknames, maybe they are for all the different hats she wears. If someone asked me to describe her, I would have to tell them to take a seat. We grew up with the classic love/hate relationship. We loved to hate (or at least act like we hated) each other. She would finally succumb to play with me. But we always played "beauty pageant" and she insisted her dolls won. Her favorite line when we finished playing was, "I got all these toys out, so you have to pick them up". As the younger sister I truly enjoyed making her life miserable. She was a little high strung and jumpy, so my favorite game was sneaking into her room and yelling "BOO!" She would just about jump out of her skin....but the best part was that since she was also a little scatter brain, I could wait 2-3 minutes and do it again...and get the same reaction from her- over and over again! It was fantastic!!

Fortunately, we became closer when we didn't live under the same roof. I began to appreciate Sue for who she truly is. She is a completely devoted mother. She stayed at home with her girls until they were school age. She loves those girls with all of her heart and soul. When they were babies she made homemade baby food so they could have healthy food without all the perservatives. I can see parts of Sue in those girls....and that is not a bad thing...most of the time. I get amused when she makes a comment about her daughters rooms being messy. When Sue was a teenager you literally could not see the floor of her room for all the clutter - this was a permanent condition of her room. She had a little blue Mustang while she was in college. The back seat and floorboard were the same height and I never attempted to move the stuff out of the front passenger seat - I would just sit on top of it!

For several years Sue was the youth leader at our church. I watched her love those kids and get involved with their lives. A lot of those kids were not "church kids", meaning their families didn't go to church - they came on their own. Most of those kids have graduated from college, have careers and some have a family. I'm sure they can recall many of the lessons they learned in that youth group, because Sue had a way of making it real to them.

When the girls started to school, Sue started teaching again. I think this is her true calling. Her mission field is her classroom. She has a passion for learning and she has a passion for each of those kids to realize their full potential and urges them to work for it. She truly cares for each of those students. Several times she has called and said I can't tell you the students name, but please pray for this situation. For this dedication and passion she has received the Second Mile Teacher award twice. I'm very proud of this recognition she has received, but that is not why she does it. She works nights, weekends and summers to help her students succeed. If all teachers had this kind of commitment, just think how far their students could go!

Sue got a lot of our grandmother's talents. Sue likes to cook and cooks wonderfully, during her time as a full-time mom, she would sew...as long as you didn't give her a deadline! Although she did do a last-minute job of sewing Andrew's new chevrons on his uniform the night before he left for Japan!

Sue has the wonderful gift of investing herself in people. If she sits down next to a stranger in a waiting room, they will not be a stranger when she leaves...and amazingly if they ever cross paths again, she will remember them! This is a gift I wish I had...especially since I don't even know the names of all my neighbors!

In honor of Sue's birthday I wanted to share her with you. I am thankful to be blessed with two wonderful sisters. I am uber-thankful that we have remained close through all of these years. I'm thankful that God blessed them with children so I could have the joy of nieces and nephews (and a grand-niece). I'm thankful that they love my children as if they were their own. But most of all I am thankful for heaven so they we will spend an eternity together.

Sue, happy birthday!

I love you,

Ro-Ro

"I thank my God in all my remembrances of you." Philippians 1:3

GIMME A "C"!

TODAY'S POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LETTER "C"

As I was going over my activities of the day and thanking God for the energy to do these things, it occurred to me how many things I did yesterday involving the letter "C" (these are the deep thoughts one has when they no longer work or have children to raise) :-)

CLEANING day! Woohoo! I love CLEANING day - my house smells so fresh, the floors are clean, furniture is dusted. It is a beautiful thing. Heavens no, I am not the one doing all this cleaning! But I did write the CHECK to have it done!

My first activity was to use my COUPONS. This picture shows the things I purchased yesterday at CVS. Using my coupons the total for this purchase was only $26! Yay! Let me stop right here and brag on the customer service at my local CVS. They are always very helpful and friendly. I try to shop with them whenever possible, because it is just so nice to do business with people who are COURTEOUS!

Next on my list was CHATTING with a CHICK friend over some CHINESE food. The food was good, but the CONVERSATION was excellent! I am so thankful to have been blessed with friends that are entertaining and also are not bashful to talked about God, our dependency on Him and how He blesses us each day.

Now on to Wal-mart. I don't particularly like to shop at Wal-mart. Unfortunately, sometimes the ole CHECKBOOK dictates where I shop. However, I was able to use almost $8 in COUPONS.

Back at the house, I unloaded all of these purchases (whew). Thank you God for the energy to COMPLETE this task and thank You for providing food for our CUPBOARD.

Two sweet CHICK friends came by the house to visit with me for a little while. Their visits are such a sweet time of fellowship.

Time to get ready for CHURCH! I changed into a new outfit I bought while on vacation last week. Guess what color. CYAN (a shade of blue)! CHURCH was awesome again! Our time of praise and worship was so incredible. Standing among fellow believers worshiping our Almighty God! Words just can't describe it!

Onto the last stop of the day. We had after church supper with friends...you guessed it....I had CHICKEN fingers!

Last night I prayed for those fighting CANCER. I pray for strength for those who have fought for a long time and peace for those new to the fight. To each of them I offer this scripture...

"Have I not COMMANDED YOU? Be strong and COURAGEOUS. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" Joshua 1:9