A JOYFUL NOISE

Last week (6/16-6/23), I spent the week with my sister and my nieces since my brother in law had to go on a business trip to Las Vegas for a business trip.  Miranda is doing well after her surgery 3 weeks ago, although there are still times she has pain and needs to lay down and rest.  She had her 8th birthday on the 17th.    She had two of her best friends over for cup cake.  The two girls in the middle belongs to Katie,  She is a friend of my sister and me.   Interestingly enough,  Katie grew up with us in the same church long time ago.   God in his providence brought my sister and her back together in Richmond and they became good friends again.   I've gotten to reconnect with Katie as well through Facebook, email, phone, and texting.   What a wonder modern technology is!   Katie's parents, Jim and Karen, goes to Covenant Presbyterian as well Katie'sr sister, Nicki (a...

I love going to places and I love planning vacations, get-aways, etc  But in all reality, I plan ahead but I also know that there is a possibility that something (like my physical stamina) might come up and I can't go.    Things have been rough the past few weeks both physically, but most of all emotionally and spiritually, where at times I seem as if I can't find God anywhere.   I'm thankful for friends who have been praying for me and with me.    Lately, for the past few days, this song has been stuck in my head every day and sometimes for almost the whole day.    What a wonderful message it brings to my heart and soul.   God's love is so perfect and unending.  When I think I've lost my way, I wasn't lost;  I just needed a reminder that I needed Him every hour of every day; through every situation I go through. I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord; No tender voice like Thine can pea...

  This morning was a rather "good" morning for me.  It was nice because I got to see one of my good friend, Liz and her two little children.  We met in Staunton which was a good mid-meeting place for us.  I love her kids so much as they easily pull my heart strings.   This "aunt" will do almost anything for them.....when Mommy says "no", auntie will probably say "yes" but what aunt doesn't?  But, of course, I do also honor Mom if it's something she really doesn't want them to have.   It's an aunt's job, right?  Throughout the day, I kept hearing "Auntie Becky" over and over again and I just smiled and smiled.    After the waitress gave us our brunch, I whispered to her to help me surprise Mia with a sundae and sing happy birthday (she is 2 now--her birthday was last week).   I'm not sure what she thought.   She stuck her hand into the bowl and got the whipped c...

Another test---- clear, negative .   Good news, yes.  Thankful.  Yes.    Frustrated still.....yes. I continue to face chronic pain and it's debilitating effects it has on me.  Sometimes it makes my whole world stop and frankly, I hate it.   These past 2 weeks  has been a odd week for me.   I've had a re-occurrence of severe nausea and pain that has led me to eating a lot less and when I do eat, it is painful.  I drink fluids when I can, what I can, but because of how icky it makes me feel, I've not been very good in my food diet.    On Thursday, I started to have a different pain in my upper mid abdomen that was bothering me but I've had that before and nothing came out of it; Friday it got worse and move to my back, I was running only a mild fever, but it didn't warrant my protocol to go to the ER.  Just popped in some Vicodin (that my pcp gives me for pain)  and hoped for a night...

One of the things we automatically do as human beings is that we put ourselves in to a rut….a schedule.    We get out of bed, we head for our morning cup of coffee or tea with breakfast,   wash up for the day and head to our morning chores (or whatever order you put it in)..    For years, this has been my pattern.    My day would start off with coffee in my hand, heading then heading out to door to work or school.   Maybe I would throw in some ingredients in a crockpot for dinner so it will be ready when I would return from work..    Well, as you all know, the “rut of life” changed back in 2010 when I became ill and unable to work. “WHY GOD….WHY ME?” was (and honestly at times STILL IS) my constant question.    Questions after questions encompassed my brain….EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.   It continues to encompass my brain as I continue to physically decline with a great amount of other physical issues showing up….increased pain ...

All of us has gone through times when we feel as if our whole body goes numb due to something. There is physical numbness.  Numbing because of surgery a shot or whatever.  Maybe your mouth after getting a tooth extraction or a cavity filled.   I know with me I've gone through so many surgeries that the nerves where the surgery site gets cut takes a good while to regrow, and that area is somewhat numb; I can feel some, but not a lot. Then there is emotional numbness.   So much heartache and maybe accompanied with physical pain.   It's a "feeling" you just can't describe, thus why you call it a "numbness".   People ask me "how are you?" and all I can say is "ok, I guess".   People say "are you REALLY OKAY".  and all I can say "I don't know, I really can't explain how I feel." Then, as I was reminded today, there is such thing as spiritual numbness.   That numbness where you WANT ...

Let me first start by saying THANK YOU to everyone who has kept me in their thoughts and prayers over the last three weeks as my grandmother was in the hospital when I traveled up to NY, traveled back down, and went back up for the funeral.   I definitely felt your prayers and love. This past Sunday and Monday, April 14th and April 15th were the longest two days I've felt in quite a long time.   I was confused what day it was; I was confused what time it was,  I was, at times, so disoriented.  It was crazy.  And with my physically not feeling well, the emotionally toll didn't help much either. Instead of going through all the details, which will take every page of a notebook to fill, I will just give the highlights of what happened this past week.   Chinese funerals is different in some ways than a traditional American funeral.   It's a long process which can be pretty draining physically, mentally, and emotionally. Sunday wa...