What’s Happening – Page 6

Joining the Resistance

September 10, 2012 by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, Isaac Update, Managing My Mondays, What's Happening

I know I've been lax on daily or even weekly updates on us, here on the blog, for quite a while. I plan to do better about that – honest! :) I'm going to try to allow myself to write shorter entries, and to be less critical of each entry. It's true that we tend to be our own worst critics, yeah?

So, on with an update:

We had a pretty miserable weekend here. We are all sick, and it's a good thing misery loves company, because neither Doug nor I felt up to church yesterday. We all slept most of the day. I even missed listening to the morning church service online because I was asleep. I can't even remember the last time that happened.

We are all taking our supplements, especially the new vitamin C powder we added to our arsenal, and I am p-r-a-y-i-n-g that we will be feeling better soon.

Of course, yesterday was supposed to be Doug's first Sunday working in the children's ministry at church. I cannot help but think this illness had some devilish assistance in finding our house!

On the days when we feel particularly unimportant, it would be wise for us to remember how hard our enemy fights to keep us from doing our work for the Lord – whether that work is in your home, in your church ministry, or at your job. The devil would like nothing better than to keep us ineffective in our own personal circles.

I Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour"

We must remember that even though we have a powerful adversary, we have an even mightier Advocate!!!

I John 4:4 "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."

Have things been difficult at your house too? Believe me, I understand! Let's pray for one another, and encourage one another to continue strong in our faith, as we do the work the Lord has entrusted to us today.

If you have a particular prayer request, share it with me here in the comments or by email. I will pray about it with you. I would appreciate your prayers for us, too. 🙂

Blessings,

Alesha

Catching Up

August 16, 2012June 23, 2015 by ObtainingMercy, posted in Blessings, Household, How Great is Our God, What's Happening

So what have we been doing for the past 2 weeks?

We've been working on bulletin boards, of course! What else would a teacher be doing during the final few days of summer??? 😉

Doug had some big plans for his new room, and we worked hard to pull all the pieces together for that (quite literally!). He has 2 boards 8×4, and one 4×4…so you can see that we had a lot of space to fill.

Here's the small board:

(Math: The only place a kid buys 60 watermelons and nobody asks "Why?")

And the larger ones:

(John Wooden's Pyramid of Success. Doug will add the "blocks" to the pyramid throughout the year, along with the corresponding "Building materials" explanation to the right.)

(Heaven's GPS. This was a great idea that Doug had to make the Plan of Salvation a setting on the GPS. You can see his "map" and his many instructions, along with detours and road blocks. We are praying that his students come to understand the concept and come to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, if they don't already know Him when the school year starts.)

Isaac and I are settling back into our routine with Julie, Ike's caregiver. I am hoping to add some new activities to my schedule this year…just what that will be, remains to be seen. I would love to start voice lessons, as well as volunteer somewhere each week. I'd also like to settle on whether I want to write a book or not. I love to write, but do I really have a book "in me"??? I just don't know yet.

I have a HUGE coupon that is active in my Etsy shop right now. Use 25OFF to receive 25% off any purchase from Alesha Kay Jewelry. I added a few new things to the shop just today.

My aunt Helen, my mom's sister, passed away early this week. We will be attending her funeral tomorrow. Yesterday would have been her birthday, had she lived; but my mom was happy to think about her spending her birthday in Heaven with the Lord. I am so thankful that she is at home with Him now, healthy and happy and whole.

God has been so good to us throughout this summer. It has been very difficult financially, but He has met our every need. It has been a summer of spiritual growth and I am thankful for that…even though it was quite painful at times. I'd rather walk through the hard times WITH the Lord, than to have no troubles, but not know Him.

What do people do when they don't know Jesus? It's a sad thing indeed, when you think about it, isn't it? That's why it's so important that we live our lives to show them how different it can be to know a Saviour like our Lord Jesus Christ! Our walk should show them what our talk tells them.

Philippians 2:15-16a "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Holding forth the word of life…"

Blessings to you and yours as you shine as lights for the Lord!

Alesha

Twenty-Four Years Ago

July 15, 2012June 23, 2015 by ObtainingMercy, posted in Blessings, Friendship, Household, How Great is Our God, Just My Thoughts, What's Happening

…on July 15, 1988,

Two crazy kids…

said "I do."

And my life has never been the same!

Oh, how I love this man!!!

Happy Anniversary to Doug – my amazing husband and very best friend.

Looking forward to the rest of our adventure together,

Alesha

Isaac’s Appointments and A Thought About Burdens

July 13, 2012 by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, Isaac Update, What's Happening

Good morning!

Here's a quick update of Isaac's doctor visits this week:

His first visit with the dentist/oral surgeon. He was rather a young man, but we felt comfortable with him. Sigh…I find that the older I get, the younger Isaac's doctors get! :o/

The appointment for teeth cleaning and teeth pulling will probably not happen until September or October. Evidently St. Joseph's Children's Hospital has quite a full schedule for dental procedures.

We also found out that he will be intubated while they do the procedure. They do not put the massive tube down the throat (tracheal intubation), but rather a smaller tube through the nose (nasotracheal intubation). I was really glad when they explained that me!

Isaac's second doctor's visit this week was to the neurologist. She's the one who works with us for seizure control and sleep issues. (Although she is constantly trying to get us to have surgeries for various and sundry other issues: drooling, spasticity, hip subluxation. Fortunately she is not pushy about these things, because we feel that Isaac has had so many surgeries already, we almost never choose "selective" surgeries for him.)

The neurologist was very pleased to hear that we have not been seeing any seizures, and that Isaac is sleeping fairly well right now. He had gained a bit of weight and is currently 69.7 pounds. We do keep a pretty close eye on weight with the neurologist, because each weight gain could be the tipping point between seizure-control and a total lack of seizure control. We never know which ounce gained will cause that change.

All in all, we had pretty good visits with Isaac's doctors this week. We still have 2 more scheduled this month, and I will let you know how those go.

Here's a thought that I hope will encourage you today:

"There is no burden which, if we lift it cheerfully and bear it with love in our hearts, will not become a blessing to us. God means our tasks to be our helpers; to refuse to bend our shoulders to receive a load is to decline a new opportunity for growth." ~J.R. Miller

I know that life is not always easy, and it often seems that instead of the burden growing lighter as we go along, it gets heavier and more cumbersome.

However, Jesus promised us the following:

Matthew 11:[28] Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
[29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
[30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

When we accept our situations as being designed for us by our Heavenly Father, the burdens turn in to opportunities.

I do not wish to go through another surgery with Isaac. There is always a risk and I am not ignorant of that fact.

However, I know that my Father has planned this out for us. I trust that He is in control of all of it. I know that He has been faithful in the past, and I trust Him to be the same in the future.

So, instead of looking toward the upcoming events with a sense of dread, I have a peaceful heart. No matter the outcome, I know I can trust the heart of my Father. He will only do what is best for me, what is best for Isaac and what is best for Doug.

When I accept this as fact, I can turn my focus from the "what ifs" and be prepared to face whatever opportunity lies ahead of me.

I encourage you today to take a new and perhaps "radical" view of your burdens. Rather than focusing on the pain of carrying them, imagine what opportunities God might have waiting for you because of them.

Blessings to you,

Alesha

Travel, Surgery, Celebrations – July Has It All!

July 10, 2012June 23, 2015 by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, Isaac Update, What's Happening

We are all doing well, here at our house. Isaac is content and happy most every day, with a few grumpy days occasionally thrown in for good measure. 😉

July is our month of check ups for Isaac. We will see the oral surgeon, neurosurgeon, gastroenterologist and the neurologist this month…in three different cities around central Florida. I'm glad all of these six-month- and yearly checkups happen in the summer. That is so convenient for my teacher-husband, who is my favorite chauffeur in the world.

When we see the oral surgeon, we will be setting a date for Isaac to go into the hospital for work on his teeth. Since he does not chew up food for each meal, his teeth do not get cleaned the way ours do. The dental plaque has started to build up and is causing issues with his gums. At the hospital he will be sedated while they clean his teeth and pull any remaining baby teeth and do any work that they feel is necessary

While we are happy that his mouth will be healthy and pain-free, we do dread the sedation. If you've ever had surgery, you will understand that from a personal view. It's always so yucky to wake up after surgery, isn't it?

Also, you will understand our trepidation if you've ever had your child put under for surgery. It is difficult on the mommy's heart when her child is sedated and wheeled away, regardless of how many times she has gone through it.

I will certainly let you know when Isaac's oral surgery is planned so that you can pray for me. OH…and for Isaac, too, of course!!! 😉

Doug and I are doing well. We will celebrate our 24th anniversary on Sunday. I find that very, very hard to believe. I remember when I was a young teen, my aunt and uncle celebrate their "silver" wedding anniversary, and I thought it was such a momentous, unfathomable milestone; and now Doug and I are only one year away from that same milestone in our own marriage.

Of course, our anniversary always gives me pause, and encourages my reminiscing…and I guess that's a good thing. I love to think back over God's blessings. It always makes me very grateful, and that gratitude fuels me for the tasks of each day.

Doug has been out of work this summer, and that has been quite a challenge; but God is always good, and He has met every need. The Lord has also given us the opportunity to meet the needs of others with the provisions that He has given us. It has been very exciting to give something away, only to see the Lord replace it when we needed it. He is always, always faithful; and you cannot OUTgive God. It really is amazing to see that truth in action in our lives.

With all of the doctor's visits this month, I hope that you will not be disappointed if I miss some devotional posts along the way. Most of my writing is done in the early morning, and of course, I will not be able to write on the mornings that we are traveling for Ike's doctor's visits.

I want to thank you for reading my posts here at Obtaining Mercy. I am so thankful for you! I appreciate your reading and commenting and caring and praying.

May God bless you today with glimpses of Him everywhere you look.

Blessings,

Alesha