Category: Life

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
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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

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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 

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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?

God with us

 

Life, Quotes, Spirituality

30 Happy 4th of July Quotes to Celebrate our Independance

30 Happy 4th of July Quotes to Celebrate our Independance

4th of July

  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

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Hope, Life, Quotes, Spirituality

10 Inspirational Quotes for Father’s Day

10 Inspirational Quotes for Father’s Day

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  1. “A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.” – Billy Graham
  2. “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.” – Psalm 103:13 NLT
  3. “Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad. ” – Anne Geddes
  4. “One night a father overheard his son pray: Dear God, Make me the kind of man my Daddy is. Later that night, the Father prayed, Dear God, Make me the kind of man my son wants me to be.” – Unknown
  5. “It’s only when you grow up and step back from him—or leave him for your own home—it’s only then that you can measure his greatness and fully appreciate it.” – Margaret Truman
  6. “My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.” – Clarence Budington Kelland
  7. “My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: He believed in me.” –
    Jim Valvano
  8. “A father is neither an anchor to hold us back nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way.” – Unknown
  9. “By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder–infinitely prouder–to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys.” – Douglas MacArthur
  10. “The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.” – Max Lucado

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Anxiety, behavior, christian poetry, Depression, Hope, Life, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

What Do You Do When Your Plan Gets Interrupted?

What do you do when your plan gets interrupted? It may be due to a job change, an illness, a change in circumstances, or whatever. How do you respond? I find myself in that exact situation now. An illness has interrupted my normal everyday life and I find myself at a crossroads.

Here are the three ways people can respond to change according to Success Magazine:

  1. Be Non Active – people resist change and blame and stay stuck
  2. Be Reactive – people jump into the next crisis without thinking things through
  3. Be ProActive and Positive – people put their focus on what they could do, focused on the positive outcomes and took action

I have to admit, I have been the Reactive Person most of my life. I have jumped from crisis to crisis trying to fix everyone and everything and it usually turns into a trainwreck. I never had a problem finding a job – I would take the first one that came along. I always was a bit impulsive.

This illness has forced me to slow down and re-evaluate my life and my job and my family. My kids are all grown and working or going to college now. My Mom duties have diminished and I struggle with the Empty Nest syndrome as well. I am not sure what to do next. I pray and ask God for direction, and then sit here and wait. I have been out of work since last November and on Disability. It is very strange for me. I have worked my whole life on and off with kids. I struggle with trying to keep busy while living within the limits of what I can do currently. I have to fight off the spirit of depression and anxiety in the middle of this mess.

I am back in Therapy to learn some new tools for my toolbox for keeping myself well. We are body, soul, and spirit. I haven’t really taken the best care of myself. It was so easy to put everyone else first when you are the Mom.

How about you? Have you ever had your life interrupted? How did you respond?

God’s Word for You:

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10 NKJV

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My Prayer for You:

Lord, I have absoluetly no idea why I am here. I was not ready for this interruption –  yet I choose to trust You in the proccess. Show me Your ways. Lead me in the path of understanding. I trust You Lord to lead me through this valley and on to the other side where my cup overflows and I sit in green pastures of peace, in Jesus Name.

Isaiah 55:8

 

 

 

 

 

God, Life, Motivation, Quotes, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

15 Beautiful Quotes for Mothers Day

I miss my Mom and my mother-in-law. They both passed away from Cancer in 2012. But they still live in my heart. The love that they gave me is still there. The memories still come . It is bittersweet. Their love never dies.

I am a Mom too. I am blessed with 4 beautiful children and 2 stepkids. I love them so much. I am so proud of all of them. You know…we always want the best for our kids. We don’t want them to go through the hard things we had to go through.

Here are some beautiful quotes and verses for Mother’s Day. Have a blessed day!

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15 Beautiful Quotes for Mother’s Day

  1. Motherhood is a million little moments that God weaves together with grace, redemption, laughter, tears, and most of all, love. – Lysa TerKeurst
  2. All the forces on this planet, will never beat that of a mother’s love. ― Elle Smith
  3. Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.– Barbara Kingsolver
  4. Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.– Eric Fromm
  5. You made all of the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. – Psalm 139:13
  6. The love of a mother is the veil of a softer light between the heart and the heavenly Father.– Samuel Taylor Coleridge
  7. A mother’s love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible– Marion C. Garretty.
  8. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right. Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise – that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life. – Ephesians 6:1-3
  9. I cannot tell you how much I owe to the solemn word of my good mother. – Charles Haddon Spurgeon
  10. A mother is your first friend, your best friend, your forever friend. – Unknown
  11. Mother is a verb. It’s something you do. Not just who you are. – Dorothy Canfield Fisher
  12. Moms are the people who know us the best and love us the most. – Unknown
  13. And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. – Genesis 17:15-16
  14. Motherhood: All love begins and ends there. – Robert Browning
  15. Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous; is not proud; is not conceited; does not act foolishly; is not selfish; is not easily provoked to anger; keeps no record of wrongs; takes no pleasure in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. – I Corinthians 13:4-7.

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God, Life, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

How to Tell Who is Real and Who is Fake

We live in a difficult world. In the Age of Information there are more and more people pretending to be someone else. All you need is a laptop and a half an hour and you can make yourself popular with today’s social media platforms. There are hundreds of apps out there where you can say whatever you want to say and be whoever you want to be. It’s frightening.There are hundreds of stories of people meeting from this app or that app and end up dead or abused or hurt. Acording to Naked Security by Sophos, with the finding of a survey released on Wednesday by Custard, a British digital marketing company.

  • In a survey of 2000 Brits, more than 75% admitted to lying about themselves on social profiles.
  • Only 18% said that their Twitter and Facebook profiles accurately represent them.
  • Some 31% said that their Facebook profiles are “pretty much my life but without the boring bits.” And 14% said that Facebook makes them look much more socially active than they are.
  • Men are more prone than women when it comes to dressing up the shop window. Nearly half – 43% – of men polled admitted to fabricating facts

The Bible teaches us to test the spirits. God already knew that we would run into liars, or people who like to stretch the truth. We run into fake people everywhere, even at Church. God wanted to warn us that not everyone who goes to Church is real. And the opposite is true, not everyone who doesn’t go to Church is fake. We are to test each person, ask God, and use wisdom.

My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.

Here’s how you test for the genuine Spirit of God. Everyone who confesses openly his faith in Jesus Christ—the Son of God, who came as an actual flesh-and-blood person—comes from God and belongs to God. And everyone who refuses to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common with God. This is the spirit of antichrist that you heard was coming. Well, here it is, sooner than we thought! – 1 John 4:1-3MSG

realI have learned this the hard way. I am such a trusting, gullible person sometimes. I used to trust everyone with everything. Until I got burned. Maybe it happened to you too. If so, I am sorry. I learned to step back and watch and ask God for wisdom. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would teach us ALL things. I have discovered that I can just ask Him and He will let me know.The other cool thing I learned is that I am NOT the Holy Spirit. It is not my job to prove to the fake people they are fake. Have you ever heard the expression – just give them enough rope and they will hang themselves? My Mom taught me that one! It is true. Just because someone is a fool doesn’t mean I have to expose them or embarrass them. I can pray for God to touch that person and give them wisdom. That way God can deal with them and I don’t have to!real3I have also learned that when they teach Bank Tellers to spot fraudulant money, they don’t focus on the fake money – they teach them what REAL money looks like. If you know what REAL looks like, you don’t accept FAKE.Jesus says He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. I belive Him. Jesus also said He would give us a comforter, the Holy Spirit, who would TEACH us all things. Christ in us – the Hope of Glory. As a believer with the Holy Spirit, REAL knows REAL. The Holy Spirit in us will recognize the Holy Spirit in someone else.There are times I would be walking in a store and felt the presence of God on someone I passed by. Our eyes would meet and we knew we were both believers of Christ. Same thing happened to me at work. There was one aisle I loved to walk down because there were multiple people filled with the Holy Ghost and I could smell Jesus everytime I walked through. REAL knows REAL.The definition of a fool is:

  • a person who acts unwisely or imprudently; a silly person or
  • someone who tricks or deceives (someone); dupe.

real4God hates fools and liars, just like we do. He knows, He sees, and He will deal with it. I don’t have to listen to liars. I just tune them out.What about you? How do you deal with fake people?

faith, God, Life, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

This Life is Only Temporary

Hey all, been a while. I have recently broken my right arm so typing has been a challenge. No worries, God is more than able to heal. I will be back to my normal sassy self soon, lol! During this process I have to admit I have taken my health for granted. I never really got that sick so I never really thought about it much.

Then, I fell outside, landed on my right elbow. I broke my radius and 3 breaks in my shoulder in the humerus. Ouch! I’m in a sling and the Doc says with Occupational Therapy and time I will heal, but he said my shoulder will never be the same. Great.

So, here I sit, day after day, waiting for my body to heal. I admit, I really don’t like pain. I don’t know of anyone who does. Bone break pain sucks. It keeps me up at night. Then I turn into Cruella Deville. Yep, I’m cranky! Just ask my husband. And there is not a dang thing I can do about it.

I am taking my meds, doing my approved exercises, and wearing this sling and I have to sit and wait. You know me, I don’t like waiting. I love the drive throughs in places. You don’t even have to get out of your car! Can I have a drive through new shoulder please? Yes, and a side of elbow with that. I know, laugh or cry!

Anyway, this time has given me time to reflect. I would get so caught up in the little things that really didn’t matter anyway. This life is only temporary.  This world is not our real home anyway. We are Citizens of Heaven and children of the King of Kings!

citizen

So I set my thoughts on things above and do my best with what I have. It’s not perfect and I would rather be more comfortable, yet I press on to the goal God has set before me. I had to let go of what was, surrender to what is, and have faith in what will be. God is with me and as long as I stick with Him I know I’ll be alright.

I have many sisters in Christ who are helping me. A few of us text each other a Bible Verse every morning. I can’t tell you how this has helped me hold on to my faith during this time of difficulty. Today’s declaration was:

“I am blessed and it’s only a matter of time before things change. What I see now is only temporary. ” 2 Corinthians 4:18

This one got to me. Hallelujah, this too will pass!  This arm thing is only temporary!  Woohoo! I pray you have a blessed day and week, and let’s talk soon!

2corin

God, Hope, Life, Motivation, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

Before the World was Made

Before the world was even made Daddy God had you on His mind. Yes, even before one sea or star or Earth even came to be, God wanted a family. He choose you, before everything.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:3-6 NKJV

We all like being choosen.  Remember those awful gym classes in High School? I was not very athletic so I was always one of the last ones to be chosen. It was embarrasing. I hated that class. It’s not like that with God. Before God formed the world He chose YOU to be part of His family!

That gives me strength and hope. I am not always chosen by family, friends, or work opportunities, but God chose me first – and you too! Remember in those times of rejection who we belong to. God wants us first!

chosen

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

 

chosen 2

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;  who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. – 1 Peter 2:9 – 10