Day 122 Fatigue takes its toll

Take time for you!

Find rest and energy from nature.

Gain strength from the scriptures.

Allow God to administer to you

His own healing touch.

Enter a creative zone.

Even if you don't feel like creating,

Collect ideas and plan and dream.

Take time for you!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Thought a little levity was in order!

Guess who?

Day 121 Prayers for:

Just realized this post is blank so I'd like to add this:
I pray each day for several dozen family, friends and family and friends of friends.
God thinks you are each special and He is truly addressing each and every need, so knuckle down and stay the course and trust our Heavenly Father for EVERYTHING!
God bless you ALL!
Amen
(Let it be or so be it!)

Day 121 Prayer Formula

Many years ago someone taught me a simple formula for prayer. When at a loss for words this formula keeps me focused. Maybe it will help you.

A adoration

C confession

T thanksgiving

S supplication

Dear Lord,

in Your mercy, hear my prayer.

I praise Your miracles and answers.

I ask for forgiveness of my sin.

I thank You for my many blessings.

I ask for continued healing, health, and strength for all those in need.

In Christ's name,

Amen

Equilibrium

Clouds march across
The bright western sky,
A parade of gold and violet.
Something leaps within my soul.
A pang of relief.
It feels as if God Himself
is patting me on the head saying,
"There there my child,
Hang onto your faith
A little longer.
The worst is over."
The release I feel is amazing,
Release from
Trusting too little,
Expecting too much, and
Accepting too greedily.
God understands me.
God is with me, Himself.
God is still my Father.
I will not forget and
I will forever follow
His lead.

A half moon plays
Peep eye in the south west.
I almost hear angel laughter.
A wondrous lightness
Of heart gives my spine a shiver.
I really know God's mirth and
Sense of joy.
Holding that thought in my heart
Will certainly keep me on the path
To a new equilibrium and
A contented soul.

Day 120 Mercy

Lord, in your mercy

hear my prayer.

Heal my blindness to my many blessings

and tunnel vision of problems.

Forgive my lack of faith.

Help me find joy in life.

Show me the path that leads

to a stronger relationship with You.

Protect those I love.

Give us peace.

Amen

The sun's rays

break through

my darkened soul.

Lighting the way

I find a hope

that has been dying slowly

with each crisis.

Trusting God to continue

healing our bodies and lifting

our spirits.

Knowing He is with us.

No matter

where we walk,

what we experience,

how we feel,

when we need Him.

That same "Son" light

points the way to

new peace.

Image is for Create Every Day (Words theme)

Day 119 Making sense of it all

It gets harder and harder to start each day with months of fatigue lingering in our minds and bodies. Somehow, we continue to do so. No, not somehow; with God we continue. Each day we accomplish what is needed, receive what is needed, and make small strides forward, living a reasonably good life.

Never knowing God's purpose for all we've been dealt, we plunge ahead. Finding some days easier than others, we simply trust God and follow as closely as humanly possible. He continues to sustain us and we survive. I wonder if the days of thriving simply become days of surviving. Maybe that's sufficient but I have to wonder. Is that all life is? I'm really not sure. I don't know if I need to know or understand all this but I seek meaning anyway. I seem to need it. Making sense of human existence tends to dominate my thoughts now more than ever.

I am thankful for Mom and Dad and the several years of retirement they have enjoyed. Unlike Terry's parents who were somewhat robbed at an early age, and then forced to retire. Dying before knowing much about the latter years.
We wonder will we live peaceful decades or only a few years. Does it matter? Is time not relevant to "quality" rather than "quantity"?

Lord, speak to my heart with words my spirit can thrive on.

Lord, embrace my weary body and fill it with your grace to survive.

Lord, keep me content with all my blessings and remove my greedy nature to hold on to more than is needed.

Lord, send your angels to hover over all those I care for, keeping them safe.

Lord, in your mercy, hear my prayer.

Amen

Day 117 Prayers

Dear Lord

I pray

Meet everyone's needs

Protect their going and coming

Guide their feet in you direction

Bless them each

Heal their pain

Know their souls

Forgive them when they ask

Give them a clean slate each day

Lord in you mercy

Hear my prayers

Amen

Day 116 all you need is there waiting for you

the path is there

follow it

the blessings are there

accept them

the love is there

share it

the hope is there

believe it

the answers are there

listen

Follow the way before you!

Having not been able to visit my precious mecca at Fernwood, walk the paths, find the peace and know it's beauty, I have been rediscovering it through my photos stored and images remembered in my soul. The words came to me while following my daily routine and chores today.

Day 106 Weather the Storms

Heed His touch.

Weather the storm.

Feel the spirit lift.

Release the fear.

Accept His strength.

Know encouragement.

Still the mind.

Experience peace.

Share PLEASE!

I am happy to share my words with anyone who can use them to comfort another! Please just reference the blog. Blessings to you all who find inspiration here!

Day 112 Sometimes and always

Sometimes the words are

not there.

They stick in my head and heart.

Some days the effort is

not there.

It gets swallowed up

by fatigue.

Some how the answers

to life's questions

are not there.

God is waiting to be sought.

For some reason the dreams are

not there anymore.

A daily exisitence has plowed them down

However, God is always there and

He alone gives us

the words,

the effort,

the answers, and

the dreams.

CREATE EVERY DAY!

I love BLOGS and am enjoying the one at http://creativeeveryday.com/. (Sorry but you'll also have to cut and paste the link into your browser.) I do tire of reading from the screen so i tend to do a lot of cutting and pasting into WORD and reading casually. I have also been doing lots of collage images on the computer, printing them washed out and then drawing, coloring and adding to them by hand. Here is a short mini series of them using info from the above site printing on top of printing, then adding color and details with my favorite Prismacolor Art Stix. Check out the site and tell me if you are inspired yourself to get busy and run away with your own crayola box and paper!

Day 111 tears, living and addictions

The tears puddle

out of nowhere

do they fall from bliss or to bliss?

The release is imcomplete

though comforting.

The tears season

our tasteless lives and

we find a flavor like

no other.

The taste is fulfilling

yet lacking.

The tears trace

the cheek and spot

the shirt

finding a moment's saturated

pleasure.

They dry up quickly

and are forgotten till

the next emotional flood.

Like an addict

in withdrawal

I get shaky.

Nauseous.

I seek a hit.

A high.

It's nothing I can

buy at the pharmacy.

Nor the street corner.

The only fix is

within my creative soul.

Artfully.

A blob of cerulean.

A drop of sienna.

A shapeless wonder.

I seek and find

a moment's satisfaction.

Brief but enough.

Day 110 what works

Peaceful moments

give us strength

to keep us well.

Hopeful days

give us fuel

to keep living.

Promising weeks

give us energy

to not give up.

Persevering months

give us blessings

to go the distance.

Multiple Messages-Balance is Everything!

Clearly hidden in a color book world, I find my escape. Knowing my boundaries, I go the distance, follow the path of least resistance and accept a peaceful existence. I can hide beneath three simple primaries of red, yellow and blue. Protected and hopeful, I rest assured that long days and longer nights can be endured if I only keep a balanced thought at any given moment.

Day 109 A good day to think about A T T I T U D E

wish I had wrote this but I didn't...

“Attitude”

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ... a
church ... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do
is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our Attitude." - Chuck Swindoll

Day 108 Scrambled thoughts are okay too

Scrambled thoughts can show us a path. Maybe not of our choosing but a way to follow and find what we need. Sometimes all the scripture and writings connect on the same wave-length. Sometimes they don't. They often mimic my own scattered ideas, prayers, and hopes but maybe there's reason for that--just as a "to do" list is often jumbled, it still leads us to the finish line. Sometimes the path doesn't matter. The quote may say the journey matters most but sometimes it's about the destination. So, expect the unexpected to be "God" expected.

The trees rain on me much like life rains on us daily. Much of life is about ups and downs, positive and negative but realize that water not only drowns, it also nourishes. Trust God to never leave nor forsake you. He rains on the just and unjust but he also is with the just and unjust. HE is the ultimate friend, caregiver, love, gift and immigrant (the 5 themes in today's disjointed devotional time). Immigrant? You may ask. Yes, He is desperately immigrating into our hearts and often finds a permanent home there.

Day 107 Day's End

The blue hemisphere

fades to gray at

day's end.

The sun descends as

the moon appears.

Birds gently sing a

sleepy lullaby.

Katydids shout tales of

inspiration.

God's children lay down

their weary heads and

dream of pleasant days

to come.

restore me

Lord, remove the skin

that blinds me that

I may see your beauty.

Unstop my ears that

I may hear your wonder.

Open my mouth that

I may sing your praises.

Unclench my fist that

I may extend your grace.

Awaken my heart that

I may share your love.

Day 106 No Matter

No matter the question

God is the answer.

No matter the need

God is the supply.

No matter the problem

God is the solution.

No matter the illness

God is the cure.

No matter the direction

God is the path.

Day 105 Lessons learned

Pastor Joey (at Mom and Dad's church) had a great sermon last week based on John 14's Vine and the Branches passage. How many times does someone ask WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE? Maybe it's God's way of pruning to make them even stronger, better. It gave me great hope.

Pastor Noel at my church had a great sermon on Joshua yesterday. A great remeinder that Faith conquers fear.

Life is full of lessons. This 3 month journey which will surely be 12 at least is the biggest lesson, learning curve, adjustment, change, revelation and experience of my entire life of 53 years. Here are a few of the lessons:
· Aging is preferred over death but is difficult
· Illness strikes everyone and it's never expected or prepared for
· Faith, determination and patience are tested and acquired in crisis
· We don't know what we are capable of until tested
· Family and friends get us through
· GOD IS KEY!
· Hope not only springs eternal but continually
· Life is about seasons and thick and lean years
· DOCTORS DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING!

I'm sure more lessons will surface as this journey continues. HOW WOULD I HAVE MADE IT WITHOUT GOD?

Day 104

The fatigue continues to overwhelm the entire being

body

mind

soul

My breathing fades

My head swims

My heart slows

I find no relief......

God is my source of energy

body

mind

soul

My breathing quickens

My head remembers

My heart realigns

I find peace.....

a look at homecoming

Day 103 (notes from Day 98)

The sun peeks through the cypress trees at the side yard.
The skies become blue with morning light.
God's light will lead me through the day.
I will falter but not stumble and fall.

Five small birds sit on a line.
Another above and one below.
Two more join.
Six move.
Another adjustment and they sit
Three, eight, one….
Like music notes on a staff.
Could it be their arrangement mimics their song?
Knowing God, I would not doubt it.

Image is one of a new series of self portraits

from Day 99

Drowning in thoughts
Pleading for a Savior
I lose my spirit and
Go into survival mode
Just doing what must be done-
Day by day
Moment by moment

The tears are there but I just hold them till I escape to a better place to release them.

I sit here on my parents breezeway but the air is still stagnant.
I gasp for life.
It doesn’t help.
My lungs won't work.
The air stays on my tongue.
And I lose hope again.

I've so much to be thankful for. How easily I forget. When will I lose myself to others?

The mind is crammed.
The stomach is aching.
The heart is broken.
The spirit is gone.
The soul is vacant.
The mind is losing brains cells with each crisis.

I must take hold of myself. Get over myself and release it!

The sun brightens in the
Eastern sky.
When will I allow God's Son to brighten me?
The moon fades in the
Western sky just
As my spirit fades within me.
When will I allow God to bring the light
Into my soul?

HOPE
Returns
Doctor
Was
PLEASED
With
PROGRESS

Time to let go and let God is always the right path to take!

Slowly learning that a stroke must be recovered slowly by everyone taking care of the patient as well.

Day 101 Seasons

Seasons come and go
Beautiful spring ones
Harsh winter ones
Life is the same
Some we survive
Some we don't
God only knows the
Hows
Whys
Whens
Wheres
Thank HIM

Image is sunset overlay on Mom and Dad.

Day 100 Dad is home!

In the still
Dark morning
I meet God for help
In the cool still air
I wait for God to come
In the morning's
Bright light
I find strength
Through God
In the midday
Warm sun
I feel God's
Continued embrace
In the early
Sweet dusk
I know God's
Abiding presence
In the dark
Of the night
I receive God'sMighty peace

Day 94 seeking Balance and finding Syncronicity

I love when things line up. Been focusing on balance all year and it's been hard but I've learned that to have balance things must first be imbalanced so that's a good thing. My life has certainly been out of balance for a while but this year is the real test. At least since May 31st when Dad had his stroke. Well, tomorrow he comes home!!!!! Praying we are all up to the task of caregiving now needed.

I also find it a direct blessing when synchronicity happens. (You know at the same providential time.) Well, after writing the piece on listening yesterday, I received a phone tree message from our pastor about . . . L I S T E N I N G! So trying hard to listen for lessons to strengthen, bless and heal my hurting body, mind and soul!

Day 93 conflicting messages

I pray

God listens

I whine

God listens

I grieve

God listens

I beg

God listens

I plead

God listens

I speculate

God listens

When do I ever listen?

Finally

I thank

God smiles

I praise

God smiles

I pray

God listens

God speaks

I listen

Day 92 Multiple messages

from today's devotions but basic message is from

Deuteronomy 33:25

"Your strength will equal you days."

Boy! Was I needing to hear that about now!?

It was from God's heart to mine!

With a never ending source,

my strength will prevail.

Though my mind and body

go limp with fatique,

I will find power

in the spirit of God within.

With the never failing

band of prayer warriors,

I will be a survivor.

Nothing on earth or below

can hold me back;

with God on my side, gently leading me,

I will most assuredly see the promise kept.