PROSPERITY AND PROVISION

PROSPERITY AND PROVISION
Sunrise-Psalm 84:11

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.


Heavenly Father, thank you for the glorious sunrise this morning, and with it another opportunity to see your hand painting the sky. How dark the world would be without the sun, (without Your Son) for there would be no life, no warmth, no beauty. How dreadful it would be if you were not there, if your love did not shine forth, for then I would be in utter darkness, and for ever searching but never able to find peace. I was so at peace with my life this morning. I know that everything that happens and will happen is in your control. Thank you again for the beautiful sunrise this morning.

I'm feeling Great! Little Bald humor from my son and grandson.

I forgot to include in my post yesterday that I am feeling great! I'm back singing on the Worship team. Friday I started back doing both of my routes and my janitors job. Everything is healing up nicely. Oh, life is good.

God has been very, very good to me.

I'll finish telling my story soon but right now I have to run and get Boaz from his soccer practice.

You might think I'm whacked-out but here are a few funny comments from my son Bo and Ethan regarding me losing my hair from the Chemo. Hey, what can I say. I have to keep laughing. I refuse to let this destroy my life or my personality.

Boaz wanted to know about the Chemo so my husband and I told him that the oncologist told us the worse thing I'm really going to have to deal with is my hair loss. Boaz looked at me and said, "Dad is not going to want to sleep with you with a bald head. If he reaches over to rub your shoulder, he won't know if it is your bald head or your shoulder." I could not stop laughing at his comment. A little while later we turned the lights off to go to sleep. My husband reached out and started rubbing my shoulder. I said "How do you know if your rubbing my shoulder or my head". Hee, hee

Last night we went to my oldest Grandson's soccer game. It was a bit cold out last night so my husband brought blankets for me to cover up with. Ethan jumped up on my lap and got underneath the blankets. He kept staring at me with a funny little look on his face. I finally asked why he was looking at me so funny.

Remember he is only 5.

He said, "That looks real." I said, "What looks real." He said, "I know Nana that you have a bald head." he said, "Your hair, it looks real." I said, "Ethan, this is my real hair." He said, "Your not going to go bald? What if you do, if it is windy will your hair blow off." I assured him if my hair blows off, he needs to run and get it as fast as possible because it cost me $165.00. He asked me to tell him more funny story about my wig. We are going to be just fine. My family loves me for me not for my hair or how I look.

If that is all I have to look forward to with Chemo, I think I will just keep laughing about it.

I almost forgot the most important thing. My grandson scored a goal! Whooohooooo Goooooooo Josh!!

Blessings to you all!

What took place at my Physical

I think I'm strong enough now to tell my story! I'm only going to tell this story so that all of you women reading my blog will not put off getting your yearly check-ups. If I can save one woman from all of this, it will be well worth sharing my story.

About two months ago I went to the doctor's office because I felt a lump in my left breast. It had been there for a bit and I thought I'd better get it checked out. My grandmother was diagnosed with Breast cancer in her 40's.

I went for my check-up Monday morning March 17, 2008. It was St.Patrick's day 2008. I didn't tell them about the lump when I called, I just told them I needed a physical. After I got checked in, I told them about the lump. The Nurse that did my physical wasn't happy. I got a very long. long lecture! I tried to explain why I waited so long before I came to see the Doctor. Oh, I thought it would just go away after a bit. If you have read my blog for any length of time you will know I keep myself very busy. Always something else I should be doing. After much nagging from my Daughter-in-law and my Mom, (You know I love you both very much) I decided I'd better make an appointment.

The next day (Tuesday March 18th, 2008) the nurse sent me to get a Mammogram and Ultra sound on the lump. I had several pictures taken! I was then placed in a waiting room with a group of women all dressed in the same hospital shirt; with all of them having the same frightened look on their faces. One by one the women's names were called. They were told they were free to go or that they needed to get more pictures taken. It was a bit spooky waiting for them to tell ME I was good or I had to go get more pictures. Well, I being one of the lucky ones had to get more pictures taken.

I was then moved to another room where a woman sat crying. She was the only one in this room. I felt so sorry for this poor woman, I said a silent prayer for her at that moment. It was then my turn to have an Ultra sound. After everything, they sat me down in a conference room (I knew this could not be a good thing) and the Radiologist told me I had cancer. They showed me my pictures and where the Cancer was. They told me I needed to find a surgeon. It really didn't hit me at that moment what it all meant and how my life would begin to change.

Finding a surgeon: This is a story I will wait to tell. How I found my surgeon was a bit of a miracle.

They then sent me to have an MRI because my Breasts are dense; Meaning they can't see through them. I was then sent to get the tumor biopsied. I was told it wouldn't hurt very much; well it hurt pretty bad. They take what looks to be a big dart gun, it is shot through the breast into the tumor and it takes out tissue. They did this in four different areas of the tumor. Ouch, ouch and ouch! I had seven children with no medication so I tryed to take it like a man.

This is just the start of what would be a long two months! More in my next post.

My life has been a bit Crazy!

If I blog about what has transpired in my life the last month, no one would believe me. Unless infact you know me! I'll have a little more time for blogging next week after all of our guest or should I say Care Givers have left. My baby girl and my dad return home tomorrow and my boy will be leaving on Monday.

Stay tuned...more details next week.

How my husband and I Met! By Loriannhouse Marriage Monday!

Don't forget to pop over and view Chryslis blog; she is the host of Marriage MondayI It's Marriage Monday; I love her slide show


I have no idea why it took me so many years to see what a fantastic man I am married to. Three months ago my eyes were opened, I could finally see all the sacrifices and the love this man has for me. Tears spring to my eyes just thinking about how I could have lost this man years ago. God spared his life and I am so thankful to Him for that. May I never take my husband for grated again. He is a strong leader, a very hard worker and provider, the best husband a woman could ask for, a dad that loves and gives up doing anything for himself to take care of and give to his children. Last but not least and most importantly a very Godly example for me and our children to follow. I never hear him complain about how hard he has to work to provide for us. The more I write about him the more my heart bursts with love for this man.

I found out I was ill about a month ago. I have had many test run, appointments and I have also had two surgeries in the past week! My husband took two weeks off work (he said he would take more if I needed him to) to take care of me. He has done all the laundry, dishes, cleaned the house, got the kids off to school AND he has had to help me undress, shower, dress, montitor the fluid from my drain that was attached to my side and my pain medication. Plus, the poor man still had to worked his second job. He also set someone up to watch me and the kids while he went to work. Goodness, I don't know what else to say about this man. I'll just tell you the story of how we met. Some day soon I'll share about my illness with all of you and how God has brought people into our lives to bring a sense of peace about the whole thing.

My husband and I met while we were both working at McDonalds. I was the opening manager and he was an employee. I don't remember the first time we met but I love to hear him tell his side of the story.

A funny side note: When we were young children our parents used to hang out together and we used to be watched by a babysitter in our home. I didn't remember him and he didn't remember me. How wild is that!

I was down in our break room at McDonalds's sitting with my boyfriend at the time. My husband (Jim) was on his orientation. The manager that was taking him around introduced us. (I don't remember this) My husband said he thought WOW! when he first saw me. (He is such a funny guy) He said, "I saw this beautiful lady through smoke filled eyes." (I smoked very heavy back then, I quit smoking 18 years ago, May). I love when he tells this story, I always get a chuckle from it.

My husband worked the night shift, I only worked with him a few times before he went on his senior trip to Spain. After he return home, I needed to cross train a closer on the opening shirt. (It was for a raise, all the manager's had to cross train an employee). My husband (just friend's at the time) and I, along with a group of our friends started hanging out together after work. Jim (My husband) and I became really good friends over a period of time. We played on the Mcdonald's coed softball team together, plus we did many other things as a group.

Manager's and crew were not allowed to date. A friend of my husband's dared us to go out on a date together. I had a little boy and really needed my job but I went anyway. We were already friends but it was a bit different being alone with him. Oh my, did I think he was good looking. The only problem was that he was younger than I was. I was looking for a father for my son and I didn't see how this could work out.

I kept seeing him anyway regardless of his age. (He is three years younger than I am) Like I said, we went out on several dates before he approached me one night in McDonalds's parking lot. He came up to my car window and asked me if I liked him? I said yes! He said, "NO, I mean do you really like me?" At that point I knew I wanted to marry this man. (He was just so cute) After we dated for over a year, he asked me to marry him. We were married not long after that.

My husband not only married me but took on my son (Bret was seven at the time) he treated Bret like his own from the very start. Even when we were just friends he would go to Bret's Baseball games. No other man I dated took such interest in Bret. Bret started calling him dad right after we got married. At 19 he was more responsible than a lot of the older men I dated. It was o.k. that they dated me but they really didn't want anything to do with my son. My husband gave up a Three year scholarship to the U of M to marry me? I wonder why such a smart guy would give up so much and have to work so hard his whole life, to marry me and take on my son? I don't know if I will ever figure that out. How could I every replace such a man? Even back then, he sacrificed his life for me. My husband is a great dad, he loves all of his children very much!

It's in the Valley we Grow

It's in the Valley we Grow

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble and woe
It's then we have to remember
That it's in the valleys we grow.

If we always stayed on the mountain top
And never experienced pain,
We would never appreciate God's love
And would be living in vain.

We have so much to learn
And our growth is very slow,
Sometimes we need the mountain tops,
But it's in the valleys we grow.

We do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see me through.


The little valleys are nothing
When we picture Christ on the cross
He went through the valley of death;
His victory was Satan's loss.

Forgive me Lord, for complaining
When I'm feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it's in the valleys I grow.

Continue to strengthen me, Lord
And use my life each day
To share your love with others
And help them find their way.

Thank you for the valleys, Lord
For this one thing I know
The mountain tops are glorious
But it's in the valleys I grow!

Have a blessed weekend!