Category: Life

Life

Why I Shut Down My Facebook and Messenger Accounts

You know 2020 has been one heck of a year for all of us. This Covid nightmare has to end soon!  I recently had something happen to me on Facebook that really rattled me to the core. Have you ever been hacked? Or watched? Or recorded without your permission? Well now I can say, “Yes, I have”.

This year my husband and I got a notice that our main password had been compromised and we needed to change it immediately. At first I didn’t believe it. Then I asked my super smart IT husband, Bob, and he said, “yes, it’s true. That password is on the Dark Web now.  Change the password on any sites you used it.” Oh my. I never knew I had signed up for so many sites before. It was a painstaking process. Thank goodness for Google and their Saved Password feature. I hadn’t used many of these apps for years.  I had to look it up. Here is how to see your saved passwords from Google.(Click on link to be directed to Google)

Anyway, Google made it much easier to see what sites I had used that old password at. It was a painstaking process, but I deleted like 40 sites. One by one.  That was the beginning of the ‘fun’ I had this month.  Then on to FB (Facebook).

I admit it. I am human. Sometimes I just need to vent. I need to let out how I feel about a situation and then I can calm down. I may be a bit passionate about it though. My Husband and Pastor call me the Kraken when I do that, lol!

Well one evening I released the Kraken at home with my husband Bob. I was complaining about a situation that happened at Church. It doesn’t matter which church, or which people I was referring to. I said my piece, let it go, and I felt better. We went to bed and my husband said, “You should check your FB . I think you were hacked.” I told him, “I’ll check it tomorrow, I’m tired.” I thought I could just change my password and that would be that. Man, was I wrong.

The next morning I grabbed my phone and started sipping my coffee. I love coffee in the morning. Bob was in the kitchen making breakfast. I opened up my phone and the FB app. I had 2 messages from my friends asking if I was all right. Hmmm. One of them even showed me a screen shot from Messenger, the instant messaging part of FB. I gasped! What? Bob asked me what was up. I asked him to give me a minute.

Imagine my horror when I discovered that my private conversation where I was venting had been RECORDED by Facebook (without my consent or permission) and sent to my contacts. I told Bob, “I never typed this…I said it!) And now all of my friends knew of the private conversation as FB Messenger decided to record me and make it PUBLIC!  My mind started racing a mile a minute. I thought of 3 things I could do right away:

1.  I changed my FB and Messenger password. 

2.   I thought would be easy. I could just delete the conversation. I opened up my Messenger App and checked the side where it lists all of your conversations. There was no message that I had typed or one where the message was sent.  This meant I could NOT delete the conversation.  Messenger also  had no record of who they had sent it to.

3.   As I had no control over the account anymore. I deleted my FB and Messenger accounts.

After doing some research I got even angrier when I found out that Facebook had done this before! And been punished with a huge fine. Here is a great article by Today.com dated  / Source: TODAY By Scott Stump.

 “How to opt out of Facebook Messenger Audio to protect your conversations.”

Here is a clip from that Today.com article:

“A report by Bloomberg found that Facebook has been paying hundreds of outside contractors to transcribe clips of audio from its users, citing “people with knowledge of the work” who were told to transcribe the audio without being informed how and where it was obtained.

Facebook confirmed to NBC News that it had engaged in the practice but said that it “paused human review of audio more than a week ago.”

The company added that the only users affected chose a transcription option in their Messenger app and that it masked the audio so the users’ identities were not revealed to third-party transcribers.

Third-party contractors told Bloomberg they felt the work was unethical because users didn’t know their audio would be reviewed and transcribed.

Facebook told NBC News it was reviewing the audio to make sure its artificial intelligence was working properly.”

If you read the article the author Scott Stump teaches you how to TURN YOUR MICROPHONE OFF ON FACEBOOK AND MESSENGER.  I sent this article to all my children and friends – via Email.

I am disappointed in Facebook, Messenger,  and Mark Zuckerberg.  It is an invasion of my privacy to record my conversations without my consent. And then have them sent to a 3rd party place to be transcribed and then sent out to my contacts.  All so you can target ads to me? I don’t want your ads!  I am no longer a customer. What they did was wrong.

What do you think? Have you ever been hacked? Have you had this happen to you? Is your microphone ON in Facebook and Messenger? I have more apologies to make. My private vent should have never been shared FB and Messenger. You are rude beyond belief.

More Sources:

 

Deliverance, Depression, Disablility, faith, God, Healing, health and wellness, Heart Attack, Life, Religion and Spirituality

Sitting in the Dust waiting for My Miracle

Remember Job? I can relate to this guy lately. I wrote about my heart attack here on 4/21/20. That was 6 days in the hospital. 4 weeks later I had another heart episode on 5/29/20 and had to go back to the Hospital. That was another 4 days. That’s 10 days out of 30 that I spent in the Hospital.

It was kind of a blur. Lots of IV’s, lots of medicine, and lots of falling asleep in the middle of a sentence! Very little sleep, they woke me up every hour for vitals and shots. It sucked!

Praise God I am home now. I qualified for Home Health so I have a visiting Nurse, Social Worker, Physical Therapist, and Occupational Therapist that all come to my home to help me get stronger. I’m still using my walker, that sucks, but at least I don’t fall down.

So back to Job. Here’s the verse: “Now there was a day when the sons of God (angels) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (adversary, accuser) also came among them.The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming around on the earth and from walking around on it.”The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered and reflected on My servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God [with reverence] and abstains from and turns away from evil [because he honors God].”Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing?Have You not put a hedge [of protection] around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands [and conferred prosperity and happiness upon him], and his possessions have increased in the land.But put forth Your hand now and touch (destroy) all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that Job has is in your power, only do not put your hand on the man himself.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.” – Job 1:6-12

I guess I’ve been considered. Never thought I would have a heart attack at 56 but here I am. I admit it, I lost it. When I got home at the end of April I was in shock. I froze. I was paralyzed. All the faith I thought I had shriveled up like a raisin. My friends tried to reach out to me and I didn’t even answer the phone. I had given up.

I sat in the dust like Job. I cried every day. I really thought I would just wake up dead. Fear had gripped my heart and was strangling me like a snake. I couldn’t pray. I couldn’t read my Bible, nor anything else for that matter. I couldn’t type, I kept messing up the letters. So I sat in the dust and cried and waited.


My husband and Pastor and friends prayed for me. I could feel it. Occasionally there were glimpses of light that came through my broken body and soul. They carried me and lowered me through the roof of despair and put me right in front of Jesus. I don’t think I would be here without their prayers.

Here I am 10 days later after the last hospital discharge. And I’m ready to get up! I have seen the Home Health Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, and Social Worker. I have also started Cardiac Rehab. I can’t believe all of the people God has put in my life to help me. My husband is amazing. He is so supportive I feel like I’m in a Hallmark movie. My kids have become my cheerleaders checking on me all the time. My tribe of girlfriends have rallied by my side and encourage me all the time. I truly am blessed.

So the point of my story? I may have been planted in the dirt but this seed is breaking through the soil of infitmity and growing more and more into the plant God made me to be. Has it been easy? Absolutely not. I am still fighting for my life here. But I am not alone. My God is for me, who can stand against me?

Here are the verses that I have used to exercise my faith during this trial. I hope that if you are going through a trial you will hold on to these in your heart and speak them to God. Then, like me, we have to give God a minute to do what He said He would do. God is faithful. Some I have paraphrased

FAITH POWER VERSES

Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.

If God is for me who can stand against me?

God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.

The blood on your houses will be a sign for you. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. No deadly plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
(I put the blood of Jesus on the doorpost of my heart so God will not destroy my and the enemy will pass over me.)

The devil has come to kill, steal and destroy. But I have come to give you life, and life more abundantly

My Deliverer is coming, my Deliverer is standing by

God will never leave nor forsake me

He who the Son sets free is free indeed.

Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
(Hide me under the shadow of your wings Lord so the enemy can’t find me.)

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.He will call on 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.
(Because I love You, You will protect me and show me Your Salvation)

Heal me Lord and I will be healed. Save me Lord and I will be saved.

The Lord bless you, and keep you [protect you, sustain you, and guard you];The Lord make His face shine upon you [with favor], And be gracious to you [surrounding you with lovingkindness];The Lord lift up His countenance (face) upon you [with divine approval], And give you peace [a tranquil heart and life].’ – Numbers 6:24-26

Heart Attack, Life, Spirituality, Women

It Didn’t Feel Like a Heart Attack

It was last Tuesday, April 21, 2020. My husband’s 55th birthday. The day did NOT go as planned to say the least. I had been sleeping upstairs again. I had been vomiting for the last 3 nights and tried to sleep in the recliner. It wasn’t working. I had not been able to keep anything down that day, not even a cracker. It felt like an Elephant was sitting on my chest. I did what I always do, I ignored my symptoms for 3 days. I had fever, chills, shortness of breath, headache, etc. Sounded like all they symptoms of Corona Virus.

Finally on the morning of the 21st I asked my Husband to take me to the Dr. I couldn’t deny it any longer, something was wrong. I had to call the Dr. ahead of time. With the Covid-19 outbreak you can’t just show  up these days. We drove up to Madison and went to see the Dr. My husband had to wait in the car. They don’t let any extra people in these days. Crazy times.

I answered a plethora of questions from the Nurse and Dr. both. They wanted to test me for Covid. I agreed, however the Dr. said if she did the test it would be weeks before I got the results back. She suggested I go the ER and they had a test that had results back in an hour. I went back to the car and asked my husband to bring me to the ER. Thank goodness he is a patient man! He had to wait in the car again.

They started with the Covid test. Gotta love that big Q-tip they shove up your nose, not! I thought it was gonna poke through my brain! Then the bloodwork. That was painful. I was pretty dehydrated at that point and my veins didn’t want to come out and play. It took 4 different people 2 tries each to finally find a vein. Needless to say, I still have a lot of bruises.

Then they hooked me up to the EKG Machine. It didn’t look good. They started the Oxygen and the IV fluids. Finally, getting somewhere I thought. They took like 15 vials of blood. Tested for everything under the sun.

After about an hour the Dr. came in. He said it didn’t look good. My Tryptophan levels were through the roof, my heart was not beating properly, and I wasn’t going to go home that day. I phoned my husband to break the news. He had been waiting in the parking lot 3 hours at this point. I told him to go home and that I didn’t know when they were going to let me go home. But it wasn’t going to be that day. Happy Birthday Bob. ;(

He drove home while the medical team kept working on me. I had an ultrasound of my heart done, a CT scan of my lungs, and another EKG of my heart.  After all that, the Dr. called me. Yes, they call you now on the phone, along with the registration people and the Pharmacist. It’s really weird. The Dr. said I was having a NSTEMI Heart Attack. That’s funny I thought, it didn’t feel like a Heart Attack. I didn’t even know what that word meant. I had to Google it. Which may I say, is NOT a good idea when you are sitting in an Emergency Room!

After 8 hours, I was finally admitted to the Hospital and got out of the ER. I have to say, it was the most organized ER I have ever been to. They had teams of people helping patients and I would definitely go there again. I had never been to that Hospital in Madison, WI before.

It was a long night. Lots of trips to the bathroom with all the stuff they were pumping into me. They added Heparin and Nitro to the IV. Not a good time. The next morning they told me they wanted to do an Angiogram. I didn’t know what that was either. More Google. Great. Lets take a camera, shove it up your vein into your heart and take a poke around. The week was getting “better and better”, not! Nothing to eat or drink after midnight they told me. Okey dokey.

I dozed on and off. At about 12:30 I felt it. A huge anxiety attack was rolling over me. Too many things to process in one day. My heartbeat sped up, I started breathing faster. I rang the bell for the nurse. She asked me what I took for anxiety. I had just started a new script that week for Lorazepam. I only took one and it made me so dizzy I almost puked. I asked her to call the Dr. for something else as I didn’t want to be that dizzy again. She called the Dr. and he said no, we can’t give her anything new with the procedure going on in a few hours. I got Melatonin. Didn’t help at all. I stared at the clock until 3:30 am totally freaking out. Finally, I feel asleep – for an hour. Then it started all over again. It was one of the worst nights of my life.

Wed morning rolls around and find out my angiogram isn’t until 11 am. That means no coffee! Miss D is not good at all without her morning coffee, just ask Bob! I wait it out and finally at 10 I get to go to the surgery prep area. Finally. Let’s get this show on the road! They don’t put you under, I had a drug that relaxed me and a local anesthetic for the vein. I was so tired by that point I fell asleep. Thank you Jesus!

I wake up an hour later and was in recovery. The Nurse brought me crackers and string cheese and decaf coffee. That was the best meal I have ever had! I was starving at that point. They wheeled me back up to the top floor of the Hospital. I did have a great view of Lake Monona!

The Angiogram looked good the Dr. said. No significant blockages so he didn’t have to do the balloon thing. Praise God! I ordered lunch and proceeded to stuff my face again, lol! The Cardiac Rehab Nurse came in and shared what I need to do to get better. Exercise, eat better, lower the alcohol, you know. She gave me a file and said I could go home that night between 5 and 6 pm! Yeah! I called Bob, and he was there at 5 pm. The Pharmacist filled my new scripts and brought them up. What a relief. I was so happy to get out of there!

So here we are, 6 days later. I still can’t believe it was a heart attack. It didn’t feel like one. Like I would know – I have never had a heart attack before, lol! I have started walking my dog Max everyday for 30 minutes. We are changing our diets slowly. And I have to see my regular Dr. sometime this week. It may be a phone call, we will see. I have to go back to the Cardio Unit in a month for follow up.

Here I sit. I trust You God to get me through this. I have no control over this, I have to believe that God does. I thought I had Covid, not a heart attack. Guess I’m just gonna take it day by day. Here are a few songs that helped me today. I heard them on Pandora while walking Max.

Max

 

 

I BELIEVE by James Fortune & FIYA featuring Zacardi Cortez & Shawn McLemore

 

 

THIS IS A MOVE by Brandon Lake and Tasha Cobbs Leonard

faith, God, health and wellness, Hope, Life, Spiritual warfare, Spirituality

I Helped Fight the Ebola Outbreak in Liberia. Here’s What It Takes to Conquer a Pandemic

One of the most important lessons I learned from fighting the Ebola outbreak in Liberia is that you have to prepare before an epidemic has reached …

I Helped Fight the Ebola Outbreak in Liberia. Here’s What It Takes to Conquer a Pandemic
faith, God, Hope, Life, Motivation, Music, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality, Videos

Shout Out to the Plants Growing Through Concrete or Snow

I live in Wisconsin. Last night we had another snow emergency with another 1 to 4 inches. We are kinda buried in snow. It’s real pretty to look at – as long as you are inside, lol!Then you see it. There is always a sign. God never gives up on us. Here is a little geranium plant that refuses to give up. It won’t quit. Shout out to all the plants growing through concrete – or snow!

“But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.” – Philippians 3:20 MSG

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV

This is my new favorite song!

The God Who Stays by Matthew West

Verse 1
If I were You I would’ve given up on me by now
I would’ve labeled me a lost cause
‘Cause I feel just like a lost cause
If I were You
I would’ve turned around and walked away
I would’ve labeled me beyond repair
‘Cause I feel like I’m beyond repair

Pre-Chorus
But (‘Cause) somehow You don’t see me like I do
Somehow You’re still hereChorus
You’re (From) the God who stays
You’re the God who stays
You’re the one who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away
You’re the God who stands
With wide open arms
And You tell me nothing I have ever done
Could separate my heart
(From the God who stays)

Verse 2
I used to hide
Every time I thought I let You down
I always thought I had to earn my way
But I’m learning You don’t work that way

Bridge
My shame can’t separate my guilt can’t separate
My past can’t separate I’m Yours foreverMy sin can’t separate my scars can’t separate
My failures can’t separate I’m Yours forever
No enemy can separate
No power of hell can take away
Your love for me will never change
I’m Yours forever

AJ Pruis | Jonathan Smith | Matthew West

© Be Essential Songs (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)
Cashagamble Jet Music (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)
Combustion Five (Admin. by Me Gusta Music LLC)
Highly Combustible Music (Admin. by One77 Songs c/o Kobalt Songs Music Publishing (ASCAP))

faith, God, Hope, Life, motivational, Music, Psalms, Quotes

Oh Come Let Us Adore Him

As the Christmas Season is upon us there is one word that I keep thinking of – Adore. Adore means to love and respect someone deeply, to worship them. This season I am taking time to Adore Jesus.

Yes, we can Adore Jesus in Church. But this season, I am going to Adore Him in my home, adore Him in my car, adore Him when I am doing the dishes, adore Him when I am doing laundry, adore Him when I am going about my day to day activities.

Psalm 95:1-7 MSG

1-2 Come, let’s shout praises to God,
    raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
Let’s march into his presence singing praises,
    lifting the rafters with our hymns!

3-5 And why? Because God is the best,
    High King over all the gods.
In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns,
    in the other hand grasps the high mountains.
He made Ocean—he owns it!
    His hands sculpted Earth!

6-7 So come, let us worship: bow before him,
    on your knees before God, who made us!
Oh yes, he’s our God,
    and we’re the people he pastures, the flock he feeds.

Source: lovelylovelythings.wordpress.com

I LOVE this version of O Come All Ye Faithful by Pentatonix!

O Come, All Ye Faithful

Pentatonix

O come, all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels!

O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful to Bethlehem
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful to Bethlehem

Oh, sing, choirs of angels
Sing in exultation
Oh, come, oh come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels

O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful to Bethlehem
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful to Bethlehem

O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful

O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful to Bethlehem

O come, all ye faithful
(O come, all ye faithful, o come, all ye faithful)
Joyful and triumphant
(O come, all ye faithful to Bethlehem)
Come and behold Him
(O come, all ye faithful, o come, all ye faithful)
Born the King of Angels

O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful to BethlehemSongwriters: KEVIN OLUSOLA, SCOTT HOYING, AVRIEL KAPLAN, KIRSTIN MALDONADO, MITCHELL GRASSI, BEN BRAM© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLCFor non-commercial use only.

aging, health and wellness, Life

10 Best Ways to Care for the Elderly During Flu Season
Let’s admit it, we are all getting older these days. I wish I could say I was 18 again, but alas it isn’t so. Currently I am helping my father in law, who is in his late 80’s, with care giving. My own father and stepmom are both over 75. It is really hard to see those you love decline in health. I want to be pro-active and find out the best way to care for the elderly during flu season. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) the number of people  in the USA who get the flu is rising each year:The number of people who get the flu has risen significantly over the last 8 years. The CDC estimates that influenza has resulted in:
  • between 9.3 million – 49.0 million illnesses
  • between 140,000 – 960,000 hospitalizations
  • between 12,000 – 79,000 deaths annually since 2010
So from 2010 until 2018:
  • 28,000,000 MORE Influenza (FLU) cases reported
  • 820,000 more people have been hospitalized for the flu
  • 67,000 more people have died from the flu
This is significant. I’m not sure about you, but I want to be sure to protect myself, my family, and those I care for from the flu this year. Truthfully, I have never had a flu shot. This year, that’s about to change. I don’t want to expose my family or friends to the flu. What if we are just a carrier? No thanks, it’s not worth sending my elderly loved ones to the Hospital. Getting the flu is even worse for our Elderly population over 65. As we age our immune systems slow down too. The Elderly have a much harder time fighting the flu, and often end up hospitalized. They are also at increased risk for flu complications.Here are the statistics from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases:10 Best Ways to Care for the Elderly in Flu Season
  1. Get your Flu Shot – Getting your annual flu shot will lower the number of days you may have the flu and it will decrease your chances of ending up in the Hospital.
  2. Wash your Hands  – Washing your hands with warm water for 20 seconds will help prevent the virus from spreading.
  3. Avoid touching mouth, eyes, and nose – The flu is a respiratory illness. It spreads in the mucous droplets when we cough. It is highly contagious. That’s why often whole families or workplace team members get sick at the same time.
  4. Stay home if you aren’t well – Doctors recommend you stay home when you are not well. Usually you are contagious 1 day before  symptoms appear. You remain contagious for 5-7 days after you start feeling symptoms.
  5. Clean doorknobs, bathtubs, and common areas with disinfectant – The flu virus can be stopped by disinfecting your home. There are many antibacterial products and wipes that make this an easy task.
  6. Boost your Immune System with good eating habits – The elderly have an immune system that may be compromised by age. By eating foods high in vitamins and minerals you can give your immune system the extra boost it needs.
  7. Quit Smoking – Recently  study by Yale University published in Science Daily has shown us that smokers have a more difficult time with the flu because their immune system overreacts to the flu virus.
  8. Reduce Stress – Stress can affect our bodies and bring fatigue, anxiety, and cause our immune systems to burn out.
  9. Exercise – Exercise has been shown to be the best answer for depression.  Exercise also boosts your immune system and helps your body fight viruses and bacteria.
  10. Avoid crowded places where germs are trapped  – We often have no control over the ventilation systems of where we work or go to school. Flu viruses can enter the ventilation systems from a simple cough. Have you noticed how a whole classroom or a group of coworkers all get the flu at the same time? It may be time to clean the vents and put in new air filters throughout the building.
In closing, let’s protect ourselves and our loved ones this flu season. By using these techniques you can reduce your chances of getting the flu, and reduce the amount of time it stays. Thank you to CureClick for sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% my own. CureClick is committed to supporting patients, caregivers, patient advocates and life science companies through education about health, science and clinical trials
Disablility, faith, God, Life, Spirituality

What to Do When Life Changes and You End Up Disabled

There will be times of pruning in our lives. Times after Harvest, where God will till the fields of our lives. He is a Good Father, and wants to help us produce more fruit, more wine.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” – Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV

I guess this is the season where I get to use that Faith Muscle. Not sure I like it. Next month it will be a year since I have been out of work. It definitely is not what I had planned. I was happy working my way up the ladder of Corporate America when BAM, life took a left turn I didn’t expect.

So, here I sit a year later. Last week I was granted Social Security Disability after my first attempt. People told me it would never happen, that I would have to go through at least 3 appeals, hire a lawyer, etc. They were wrong. I did use a service to help me with the paperwork. (If you need help, email me and I’ll send you a link).

Today I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I never wanted to be labelled as Disabled.

Is God mad at me? No, not according to the book of Job. He lost a lot in one day. Did I do something to deserve this? Is it punishment? No, I don’t think God punishes us like that. Jesus took the wrath that we deserved at the Cross. “It is finished.” He said. Well then, I don’t need to carry that wrath.

But why? Isn’t it funny that we as humans always want to know why? Sometimes I remind myself of a toddler. Why Daddy why? As a Good Father, He has vision way beyond my meager view of the world. I guess in this season, I have learned to stop asking Why, and just trust and believe that My Daddy knows what He is doing. I may not know all the answers, but I think I’ll stop my whining at the checkout aisle and see what God has in store for me next!

 

The True Vine

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. – John 15:1-6 

Hope, Life, Quotes

18 Quotes to Embrace the New Season

As summer turns to fall I can’t help but think about the changing seasons. Fall is pretty with beautiful colors and the crisp fall air. Yet it is also the time the trees lose their leaves and go into waiting. They are hibernating so to speak, and waiting to re-bloom in Spring. What about you? Are you waiting for a New Season? Me too.

18 Quotes to Embrace the New Season

  1. “Every new season of you life will be an opportunity for you to learn and grow. Don’t celebrate the good without celebrating the bad because they both work together to prepare you for the next season of your life.”― Theresa Lewis
  2. “Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.” – Mother Theresa
  3. “Be aware of what season you are in and give yourself the grace to be there.” — Kristen Dalton
  4. “When the winds of change blow, remember… sometimes what appears dead is simply preparing for a new season.” — Jane Lee Logan
  5. “Nature gives to every time and season unique beauty; from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it’s just a succession of changes so soft and comfortable that we hardly notice the progress.” — Charles Dickens
  6. “if I changed even one tiny little thing about that season, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t be WHO I am today. I wouldn’t have fought the hardest battles of my life and won.”― Mandy Hale
  7. “There is purpose in your season of waiting.” — Megan Smalley
  8. “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” — Alan W. Watts
  9. “I don’t know what lies around the bend, but I’m going to believe that the best does.” — Anne of Green Gables
  10. “All the trees are losing their leaves, and not one of them is worried.” — Donald Miller
  11. “Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.” — Henry David Thoreau
  12. “We live in great prophetic times. Time no longer belong to man for control. Time is now in the hands of the Ancient of Days. There is no other generation that has ever or will ever live through what we are going through now. God is moving things, people and seasons to usher us into His great and final move.”― Dr Paul Gitwaza
  13. “Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible.” — Mandy Hale
  14. “The moment in between what you once were, and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place.” — Barbara De Angelis
  15. “You can’t reach your potential by remaining in a past due season. Your breakthrough is coming. Strongholds are breaking. Get Ready!”― Germany Kent
  16. “Nature gives to every time and season unique beauty; from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it’s just a succession of changes so soft and comfortable that we hardly notice the progress.” — Charles Dickens
  17. “I believe in process. I believe in four seasons. I believe that winter’s tough, but spring’s coming. I believe that there’s a growing season. And I think that you realize that in life, you grow. You get better.” – Steve Southerland

  18. Everything Has Its Time

    “To everything there is a season,
    A time for every purpose under heaven:

     A time to be born,
    And a time to die;
    A time to plant,
    And a time to pluck what is planted;
    A time to kill,
    And a time to heal;
    A time to break down,
    And a time to build up;
    A time to weep,
    And a time to laugh;
    A time to mourn,
    And a time to dance;
    A time to cast away stones,
    And a time to gather stones;
    A time to embrace,
    And a time to refrain from embracing;
    A time to gain,
    And a time to lose;
    A time to keep,
    And a time to throw away;
     A time to tear,
    And a time to sew;
    A time to keep silence,
    And a time to speak;
    A time to love,
    And a time to hate;
    A time of war,
    And a time of peace.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

 

faith, God, Life, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

How God Saved My Life with $1

This is how God saved my life with $1. It was Friday afternoon. I decided to run to church to pick up my bass and a music stand. You know, a girl has to practice every so often. So I get there, load up my bass guitar in one hand and a music stand in the other hand.

It was 1:26 PM. As I was walking by the Altar I heard God speak to me in the Spirit. ‘Take your cash and put in it the Faithworks jar.” Faithworks is one of the local ministries our Church supports. And what do I do? I start arguing with God in my head. I say, “But my hands are full.” Being the slow learner that I sometimes am, I ignored Him and started walking to the door.

God spoke to me again. “Take your cash and put it in the Faithworks jar.” Did I listen? Nope. This time my argument was, “I only have $1 in my purse. Are they really that broke that they need this dollar?” And then the moment when Holy Spirit pricks your heart. You know…

So I reluctantly put down the bass, put down the music stand, and got out the $1 from my wallet. I put it in the Faithworks jar. Then I gathered my things and headed back home.

I got out on I90 and 5 minutes later I was sitting in standstill traffic. I was under a bridge near the Hospital. I saw one Ambulance and Police car drive down the ramp. Then the Firetrucks. Then Ambulance 2,3,and 4. Then 3 more Police cars.Then the tow trucks came. 1,2,3,4,5. I started praying for whoever was hurt. That’s a lot of ambulances. Traffic still sitting there for almost half an hour as we watched the Emergency Responders do their job. God bless them all Lord.

You see at 1:35 PM there was a huge accident on I90. As the cars cleared out with the tow trucks the traffic was diverted to 1 lane. As I drove slowly by, I counted the crunched cars. 1,2,3,…there were 10 cars and a semi truck in the accident. I saw people standing on the side of the road with kids and a dog. My heart hurt for them. The top ripped off a F150 pickup. So many crunched cars. So many ambulances. “Help them all Lord,” was all I could say.

It didn’t hit me until I was further down the road, back at 60 mph. I started shaking. If I didn’t have that little 5 minute argument with God over that stupid $1 I would have been in that crash. I had to pull of at the next exit. You see, I was so worried about having to put my stuff down and dig out that dollar that I didn’t see it. I pulled into a store parking lot and turned the car off.

I got it. The tears just stared flowing. “Thank you Lord for that delay. Thank you Lord for healing all those people. Thank you Jesus for your Divine protection.” I sat there about 30 minutes calming down.

After that I took the backroads home. No more I90. I should not be surprised that God interrupts our everyday life and cares for his kids. We do the same thing with our kids. I am grateful He does though. Thank you Jesus.

Fast forward 1 week. I share my story at Testimony time and praise God for his protection.

Fast forward to today, 2 weeks later. After music practice I look down at my music bag. What is sitting on top but $2.00. You see, God gives us back double for our trouble! Praise Jesus!

faith, God, Healing, Hope, Life, Spirituality

Sometimes You Have to be Your Own Advocate for Your Healthcare

I admit it. I am a naive patient. I have gone to the same Dr in the same clininc for years. When a problem arose I trusted the Dr to refer me to the specialist and assumed they were talking to each other for my best healthcare. I have learned this is not always the case. Sometimes, you have to be your own advocate for your Healthcare.

I have learned this last year that once a Dr sends you off to the specialist, they do not always follow through. They assume the specialist will do what they are supposed to do and they don’t have to deal with it. Then, when more specialists get involved, I thought they would all talk to each other. Not true.

This past year I have seen my Primary Dr, a Neurologist, an Orthopaedic Dr, a Neuropsychiatirst, a Physical Therapist, and an Occupational Therapist. Yeah, it’s been a year.

My eyes were opened when my Physical Therapist, whom I had been seeing for 3 months, twice a week, made it a point to write a special letter to the Neurologist #1 explaining my issues and the difficulties I was having. She shared how my progress was deteriorating and she needed direction on what exercieses I should do next and what Diagnosis the Neurologist would give me regarding these tremors/seizures.

When I went to the Neurologist #1, I asked him about the note from my Physical Therapist. He did not ever read it. I fired him. That is just wrong. So then I went to Neurologist #2. I asked my Physical Therapist to send him the same letter explaining my struggles. She did. Guess what? When I got to Neurologist #2 he had not ever read it either!

Ugggh. Really? So they send me here, there, and everywhere and they are so important that they will not even read what their supposed partners have found? It is so frustrating!

That is when I decided I have to own my treatment and my own healthcare. Yes, they are the Doctors, but many times they are only interested in their own findings and don’t look at me as a whole person.

After 4 MRI’s Neurologist #2 says that I don’t have any lesions on my brain or spinal cord, so there is nothing else he can do for me. He sends me to the Neuropsychiatrst. Pass the buck here. No, that is me, I am the patient.

I have been going to this Neuoropshychaitrist for 3 months now. The seizures are getting worse with FND ( Functional Neurological Disorder) and I am getting more frustrated.

My friend Laura suggested I get referred to another clinic that was associated with a large hospital in our area, UW-Madison. Thank you Laura! I sent a note to my Primary Doctor and she finally referred me to this other place, out of their network, and I will see Neurologist #3 here shortly.

I guess I share this with you because I learned that I can’t believe everything that a Doctor tells me. I have to OWN my health and my healthcare. I was told I would have this FND forever and there is no cure, just live with it. Ummmm – NO! I do not accept that.

Jesus died so I did not have to carry this illness, by HIS stripes I AM healed. And if one clinic is not going to help me get there, then I’ll go to the next one. God has given Doctors the gift of medicine just like Luke. Healing is from God, and sometimes He uses Doctors to administer it. I refuse to belive that there is no cure for this. I refuse to believe that I will be this way forever!

“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for you are my praise.” – Jeremiah 17:14

What about you? Have you ever had to change Doctors or Clinics?

 

Life, Quotes, Spirituality

30 Happy 4th of July Quotes to Celebrate our Independance

30 Happy 4th of July Quotes to Celebrate our Independance

  1. “The United States is the only country with a known birthday…. There is no ‘Republican,’ no ‘Democrat,’ on the Fourth of July—all are Americans.” –James G. Blaine
  2. “America means opportunity, freedom, power.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
  3. “Independence Day: freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed – else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
  4. “America…it is the only place where miracles not only happen, but where they happen all the time.” –Thomas Wolfe
  5. “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” –Harry S. Truman
  6. “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.” – Abraham Lincoln
  7. “Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.” – John Dickinson
  8. “I believe in America because we have great dreams, and because we have the opportunity to make those dreams come true.” –Wendell Willkie, 1940 Republican nominee for President
  9. “The essence of America— that which really unites us— is not ethnicity, or nationality, or religion. It is an idea— and what an idea it is: that you can come from humble circumstances and do great things. That it doesn’t matter where you came from, but where you are going.”–Condoleezza Rice, Republican National Convention, 2012
  10. “We’re blessed with the opportunity to stand for something—for liberty and freedom and fairness. And these are things worth fighting for, worth devoting our lives to.”–Ronald Reagan
  11. “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.” ― Mark Twain
  12. “In the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it.” ― Barack Obama
  13. “…It is a proud privilege to be a soldier – a good soldier … [with] discipline, self-respect, pride in his unit and his country, a high sense of duty and obligation to comrades and to his superiors, and a self confidence born of demonstrated ability.” ― George S. Patton Jr.
  14. “My country owes me nothing. It gave me, as it gives every boy and girl, a chance. It gave me schooling, independence of action, opportunity for service and honor.” ― Herbert Hoover
  15. “The United States is the only country with a known birthday…. There is no ‘Republican,’ no ‘Democrat,’ on the Fourth of July—all are Americans.” –James G. Blaine
  16. “America means opportunity, freedom, power.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
  17. “Independence Day: freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed – else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
  18. “America…it is the only place where miracles not only happen, but where they happen all the time.” –Thomas Wolfe
  19. “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” –Harry S. Truman
  20. “I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.” – Abraham Lincoln
  21. “Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.” – John Dickinson
  22. “I believe in America because we have great dreams, and because we have the opportunity to make those dreams come true.” –Wendell Willkie, 1940 Republican nominee for President
  23. “The essence of America— that which really unites us— is not ethnicity, or nationality, or religion. It is an idea— and what an idea it is: that you can come from humble circumstances and do great things. That it doesn’t matter where you came from, but where you are going.”–Condoleezza Rice, Republican National Convention, 2012
  24. “We’re blessed with the opportunity to stand for something—for liberty and freedom and fairness. And these are things worth fighting for, worth devoting our lives to.”–Ronald Reagan
  25. “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.” ― Mark Twain
  26. “The American flag is the most recognized symbol of freedom and democracy in the world.”–Virginia Foxx, US Congresswoman
  27. “In the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it.” ― Barack Obama
  28. “Where liberty dwells, there is my country.”–Benjamin Franklin
  29. “…It is a proud privilege to be a soldier – a good soldier … [with] discipline, self-respect, pride in his unit and his country, a high sense of duty and obligation to comrades and to his superiors, and a self confidence born of demonstrated ability.” ― George S. Patton Jr.
  30. “My country owes me nothing. It gave me, as it gives every boy and girl, a chance. It gave me schooling, independence of action, opportunity for service and honor.” ― Herbert Hoover