thread for middle age to older Christian women.
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Nancy I just sent you the numbers I have. God be with you in your search and thank you so very much. You're obviously more techy than I.
Polly - welcome! We are happy to have you join our board and will pray God leads you and you find a good church home that fills your desires. As for your prayers, thank you so much for them and don't feel like you don't pray well because God knows your heart. I used to feel that way and was sensitive to pray out loud or in a group. God helped overcome it as I prayed about it for a long time. It's all part of the growth in your walk. I know it was for me. It makes me happy to know we come across as a powerful group of women who are believers. I am blessed to be a part if it.
Well it's very early at 4:45am for me here in Washington. Woke up a few times tonight, praying for stamina to go to work and stay up for my bible study.
Have a blessed day Warriors...Lucy
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Welcome, Polly! When I first came to this thread I was in a pretty rough patch spiritually and mostly read but didn't post. I can tell you that the faith, the strength, the prayers of these awesome warriors have strengthened me, rebuilt my faith, and made me feel like I am part of a team of sisters. Being here has made me more diligent in prayer, more grateful for the trials, and deepened my love for Jesus. I will add to my prayers your search for a church home. I know there are some wonderful churches in Texas as I have many friends all over the state (and I'm just north, in central Oklahoma). I was raised Methodist, and have been through many churches and denominations in my journey. Married a Catholic, and we have a wonderful church that is part of the Church of God (Anderson, IN) and even though I'm not able to be there, they have been wonderful support through the rough days of BC. It's not a denomination so much as an affiliation, and they really focus on the important things, namely, what is essential for salvation. We found this church in 1996, when we were really seekers, and it has been instrumental in growing our faith. Praying that you'll find one that does the same for you.
Nancy, bless you for the work you're doing to locate Sue. I pray that the answers will come quickly.
Anita, so glad you're home and breathing better. Continued prayers for clear lungs.
Lucy, I will be praying that the words will be there when you need them.
Blessings sisters.
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Hi ladies - it's been a busy couple of days here but I have to praise God right off the bat - yesterday I had a hectic day planned - heading to the local kennel to help clean then meeting a group from church to drive to the far side of Houston to make a presentation about one of the programs at our church. I never made it to the kennel, which gave me plenty of time to get to the church activity....because as I drove through town, a big ol' garbage truck backed into me - hit the passenger side rear. Now the bad news is this happened in my 2-month old car....but I'm just fine, the car is drivable and the garbage truck company is assuring me that they will do whatever is necessary to take care of everything. So - thank you, Lord!
Welcome, Polly! So glad you took the plunge to post. I see you're from Texas and of course, you could be 1000 miles from me - I'm about 50 miles northwest of Houston. I go to a big Baptist church but a dear friend of mine goes to a Methodist church nearby and participates in their Stephens Ministry - I know you mentioned that. As Char said, sometimes I wonder if my church is where I'll always be - but I do know it's where God wants me right now. I'll sure be praying for guidance for you.
Nancy (and all) thanks so much for the prayers for my husband, Dave (and Deborah's David) - I know many of us have unsaved loved ones so I just generally remember them all when I pray, knowing that God knows and loves each of them. I'm praying that you'll feel better soon, with all the nagging medical "stuff" behind you.
Anita, so glad you're doing so much better and are home - you're one of our toughest warriors!
Char, congratulations again on your great race - and all your support for us all.
Mags, Angie and Jean - praying for you sweet ladies through chemo. God is so much bigger and more powerful than those poison chemo drops!
Lucy, praying for you and your husband (and Gidget) to have many more great adventures in the future!
love y'all - Bev
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Today I am grateful for our taking a wrong turn and having to drive about 10 miles north through some of the most beautiful fall foliage. I had been longing for some private time with my hubby since my brother in law has been spending a few weeks with us. God just arranged this ride for us and it was wonderful. We even stopped at a farmstead and got some local squash which I made into squash soup. Yummy. Thanks, Jesus.
Welcome Polly. Great to have you join us.
Anita, glad you are home and your port has been taken care of.
Hope you guys find Sue and that she is OK
Love, Jean
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DAY #13 OF 50 DAYS OF GRATITUDE
Hello ladies,
I will have to post more later but I wanted to express my gratitude for my eyesight. For weeks I have been concerned that something might be terribly wrong and I wasn't up to a long eye apt with all my other issues going on. I finally got in today. I was very upset to find out that my doctor of many years is in semi retirement now and I couldn't get in to him for several weeks and that wasn't going to happen. My new doctor is quite the handsome man.
I didn't realize that I had bent one of the nose pieces on my glasses. DUH. No wonder I was having such issues with focusing my camera shots and trying to read. I still have many floaters and not sure if they will ever settle like they were supposed to six months ago. I had been having some sharp eye pain and he said that is a sign of dry eyes. Whew. Relief on that one. So I am so grateful for sight and know that I take that for granted every single day until I started having trouble. I will get my new prescription hopefully before going to stay with my mom. I had a little bit of time to resume looking for Sue. I am coming up with dead ends unless I pay. However two different paying sites had her phone number in two different towns so how reliable it would be is the question. Still waiting for Lucy to read my last PM and check her cell phone to see if Sue's name is still there when she texted her from the hospital.
Bev, I am glad you are okay with your run in with the garbage truck. I will have to tell you a story of the day I drove my brand new car to the dealer to pay it off. Another day for that one.
You are probably already doing this but please pray for me that I can find Sue's last name and find her brother. My gut feeling is I will get farther talking to a church secretary more than a hospital worker who is highly trained in privacy laws.
Thanks. Much love to all of you.
Nancy
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Bev: I am sorry to hear about you car but glad you are okay and that they will take care of it. I remember my husband driving his new Buick LaCrosse and saying how much he liked his new car of one week. Just as he finished, we were rear ended and my dad suffered wipe lash. When I checked on the people behind us I discovered that it was the parent of several of my students. Their kids were in the car and they all gasped and said that they hit their PE teacher's car.
Thank a everyone for continued prayer for Sue. I know she knows we are praying for her even if she cannot connect to us now. I am faithfully believing that she is somewhere other than Heaven. I think her family would have checked her phone messages if they were there at her house.
Day 12:
I give thanks for a good boss. A year a half ago I came close to asking for a transfer or even retiring early. While my prior boss was not mean, he was a control freak and never would let you anyone do anything without highly scrutinizing it. But he moved on to be an assistant superintendent. Right up his alley and we got a very sweet and approachable boss that allows us off a leash and is more trusting. I feel like I can stay till retiring and he promises me he will be here for awhile. At least until I retire. Thank you God for answered prayer.
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Oh Polly, I forgot to mention, I was a Stephen Minister as well, though it has been many years since I was active. What an awesome program! And when my mom passed on, I had a Stephen minister too.
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Tomorrow I am planning to see my grandaughter who is expecting a baby girl in December. She is only 18 and will be living at home. Please keep her in prayer along with my daughter, son in law and her brother. This dear girl was adopted at age 6 and has had to do a lot of adjusting. She us both excited and scared. We all love her and want the best for both her and the baby. Isn't God wonderful to give us a Christmas baby in the midst of all this. Love, Jean
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Tomorrow I am planning to see my grandaughter who is expecting a baby girl in December. She is only 18 and will be living at home. Please keep her in prayer along with my daughter, son in law and her brother. This dear girl was adopted at age 6 and has had to do a lot of adjusting. She us both excited and scared. We all love her and want the best for both her and the baby. Isn't God wonderful to give us a Christmas baby in the midst of all this. Love, Jean
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Wonderful ladies, I live in a small suburb of north Dallas called Sachse. Yep, it's pronounced in a funny way. We just moved here from about ten miles away, from a big house to a smaller home. Just got to be too much to care for. Plus, my doctor says lymphedema is setting in so it's time to go to a special clinic. Guess I did a little too much during the move. I'm falling apart! IBS is so active right now but I know it will get better.
Mags, I remember when you first started on BCO. I'm so glad you hung in there till you found your threads that you enjoy. My family lives in Vinita (in NE OK) and I have cousins around OKC. I sometimes miss it but I'm up there every few months.
I'll tell you all more about myself later. I'm so excited to be part of this group. I study on my own right now, have for the last couple of years. I can't name you individually yet, but you all are in my prayers nightly. Thank you for letting me in. Blessings, Polly
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Day #13 of 50 Days of Gratitude
So grateful to be able to share an evening with great friends in a bible study each week. Tonight the most special thing I learned was that I want to be not just a Christian but I want to be an Ambassador in Jesus Christ. Isn't that just so powerful?
Nancy I did answer you on PM but I have some news. My DH remembered he put her name in our one phone and her last name is actually Hahn. So maybe that will help. Let me know if you want me to call those hospitals tomorrow.
Blessings ladies.
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Day #4 - Day #13 of 50 Days of Gratitude:
Day #13: Grateful to be on the mend, treatment in place or over to take care of the infection and clotting and that I will have a few good days before my next chemo.
Day #4-#12: I am grateful for having such a caring supportive group of prayer warriors in my life here on bc.org and the intercessory prayer team that has been covering me since my diagnostics and the women's prayer group at work. I am grateful for a job that is flexible. I am grateful for God being such an orderly God and knowing when to bring order into chaos. I am Grateful how strong God showed up and showed out over the last few days and that He prepared and allowed me to be a testimony and an Amassador for Christ even when physically and mentally I didn't think I could do it, He said it is on my strength and He carried me through! We are always on assignment.
Mags, Thank you again for keeping the thread updated on my status. Hopefully I will catch-up on post in the next few days. God Bless all for your Prayers.
I give all praise, honor and glory to God for all He has done, does and will continue to do in my life and each of yours and for keeping me grounded in Him and my faith.
-Angie
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Lucy,
If you would like to call those hospital numbers that would be great. I didn't have time to do that yesterday. I spent about four more hours on internet. Thank you Jesus, you found the last name. That should be a big help. I still haven't found any pastors even remotely by that name though. Her home phone is an unlisted number (or so one place said) and that might be the reason I am having so much difficulty.
I have to run. I have a surgeon's apt today.
Love,
Nancy I believe we are on DAY #14 already.
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Today I am grateful for my headache subsiding and the ambition and strength to go to a silver sneakers class at the gym. Also seeing my dear daughter and granddaughter later. Love, Jean
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Day 14 of Gratitude.
Today I give thanks for my sweet son.
He was born when I was 18, unmarried, and really messed up. I placed him for adoption because I knew he would have a better chance at life with two responsible adults for parents. And even though I didn't know the Lord, I knew that he would keep him safe. Over the years, I never forgot, always grieved, especially on his birthday. I began searching in the early days of the internet, haunting every adoption registry site, spending all my non-work energy on finding him. As the Lord became more important to me, he showed me that the search had become an obsession, so one day I just laid it at the foot of the cross. I had really done all I could, and all I needed to do. The rest was up to God, in his timing. Three years later, I received an email forwarded from one of the registry sites. "I think I may be the one you're looking for." Indeed he was! He is now 44, married with two stepsons who he has raised and cared for as his own. He is a loving, compassionate, thoughtful, very smart, very talented guy, by profession a computer geek, by avocation a sailor, gardener, handyman. In his mannerisms and style, as well as looks, his is more like my father than any of dad's own children or grandchildren.
My only sorrow is that he is not a Christian. Well, that, and that his wife some years back took a dislike to me and will not allow any contact with the younger boy. The older is now in college and re established contact with us when he turned 18, and has come out for a week visit and intends to come again when work and school permit. No one knows what the problem was, including her mother, who is a Christian and with whom I am in frequent contact. My son's comment was, "That's just how she is."
Will you add another David to your salvation list? As wonderful a person as he is, my son still needs Jesus.
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I am grateful for my church family, and especially grateful for our parish nurses. They are great ladies who minister to our congregation lovingly and faithfully.
Blessings
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Day #14 of 50 DAYS OF GRATITUDE
Hi ladies. We are for sure on Day 14. I had to go back and count. This makes two solid weeks of praising the Lord. He says to enter his gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. We have now been doing that and it has been a blessing to see all of your praises each day.
I am grateful for another beautiful day that enabled me to take one of my cascading fountains down. It is a messy job. I needed a good day and to feel up to it and God allowed both of those things to come together.
Polly, I am so glad you feel comfortable in our little group of prayer warriors. I am sorry that you are now having to deal with lymphedema too. I hope you can get some help asap as I think it is better to catch it in the beginning. We have a few ladies here that are dealing with that.
Mags, That is such a moving story about your son and how you eventually found him. We can certainly add another David to the other Dave and David for prayer for salvation.
Angie, So glad you are doing better and I hope you have some great days before your next chemo.
Jean, Glad your headache is gone and you were able to get to the gym. That certainly helps with the emotional well being besides the physical.
Mini, Glad you have a church family and nurses. What a blessing that is.
Lucy, I called those hospital numbers and got nowhere fast. When I finally got to someone who I thought could help me she said I can't answer any of those questions. I did more online searching with the correct last name and even that didn't get me where I needed to go. I do believe she is in rehab someplace that maybe doesn't have wifi. Maybe her battery died in her cell phone. We can keep praying for sure. I still have found no church with a pastor with that same last name. Some of the websites do not give the pastor's name and some only give the head pastor.
I would appreciate your prayers. I saw my surgeon today and I was completely demoralized after the visit. I won't go into all the specifics but when I told him about dealing with the GI issues for six weeks he said I have seen worse. Then continued to press about if I was walking everyday and when was I going to get back to swimming. I should have just abruptly said have you heard anything I just told you! Instead I felt like a bad girl in the principals office. I did communicate with my oncologist again today and I am going to try taking my Arimidex at night to see if that makes any difference with the GI issues. I will see him in three weeks and I want to do everything I can to not have to stop the drug.
Have a wonderful evening everyone. You are all such a blessing.
Love,
Nancy
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Day #14 of 50 Days of Gratitude
I am so grateful for my home this time of year. I always love the warm and loving feeling we have when we are cuddling in our heated throws and watching a movie or reading together. We will have the fireplace on in the background and our little Gidget not letting us cuddle without her. I love the fall with pumpkin patches, apple cider, corn mazes, as we enter the welcoming of our winter season...thank you Father God for the seasons.
Nancy, I will give them a call this afternoon after I get back from a GP appt. During the night I have the worst sore throat and so I made an appt. at 4:30 to get a swab to make sure it's not strep. It sure is sore and scratchy, I don't know anyone who has it but I want to be sure. I am supposed to get my flu shot next Monday at the cancer center so I don't want to be sick. I have been so blessed with not being sick for over 3 years...Praises to our Lord!
Have a good day Warriors...Lucy
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Lucy,
I have a feeling you didn't see my post. We were probably posting at the same time. Don't worry about calling the hospital as I already did and they will not give out info. I will pray that your sore throat goes away and certainly that it is not strep. I had a bout with that a couple weeks ago and as quickly as it came it quickly left which was strange. I hope yours does the same.
Love,
Nancy
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Ladies can we add my stepson David to the prayers for salvation list. He is in his mid 40's, unmarried, very shut down and needs Jesus so badly. Love, Jean
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Good evening, everyone,
I see that many of us were in the doctors' offices' today; please add my name. Lots of changes for me, but no chemo. We will do aromasin instead. Hurray!
I got both flu and pneumonia shots, so far so good.
I'd like my sisters who drove down to visit me in the hospital last week to see we are doing a 50 degree temp drop. Brrr.
I have never been so extremely exhausted.
Love across the miles,
Anita
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Day 13: I am grateful for a beautiful day. I got to spend most of it outside playing with my kids. No one complained and everyone had a good time. Then I got to go run a little over seven miles to train for my next race. It was a glorious evening with comfortable weather, leaves starting to change colors, lots of deer to keep me company and beautiful sunset. I am blest to be a part of it.
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Nancy, so sorry you had a bad visit with the doctor today. You're such a great warrior and encourager for us all - don't let the enemy get you down! I'll sure be praying for you to feel much better.
Glad you won't be back to chemo, Anita, but I'll be praying for an easy adjustment to your new treatment.
Char, so glad you're enjoying (?!) running - you certainly inspire me to get out there and slog around the neighborhood.
Lucy, praying you'll feel better soon. Thanks to you and Nancy for all your efforts to try to reach Sue. I'll be praying that we hear something soon - God knows where she is and what she needs.
I think it's so interesting that we have so many Dave/David's to pray for and of course, the original David was "a man after God's own heart" so let's just claim God's softening in all their hearts - Jean's stepson, Mags' son, Deborah's and my husbands.....but I know that we all have unsaved loved ones so I'll pray generally for them all, too. May we all say and do (or not say and not do) just the right things for God to use to show them His power and love!
love you, ladies - thanks for being there!
Bev
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Day 13: I am grateful for a beautiful day in sunny California. We had temperatures of 80's today. Spent most of my time indoors, but did get out and enjoy God's lovely creation and the wonderful weather. The grandkids enjoyed the weather and we played with Lego's this evening. I told my grandson I was tired and was going to take a nap. He said, "Grammy, you can't we have to play Legos first. You can't Nap until we build Hulk and Superman and play Legos". I played Legos for a while before taking a Nap. Grateful for my grandkids.
Lucy and Nancy, thank you so much for your efforts in trying to reach Sue. I caught up with the thread and was sadden that there has been no contact and I will be praying along with the rest of you for Sue and that contact is made. I have to jump in and connect with someone per Lucy's/Nancy's suggestion.
Mags, such a wonderful and touching story. I teared up while reading it.
Lucy, Anita, Nancy, hoping you feel better soon.
Lucy, God will open a door that no man can shut. I am praying for your opportunity to share your story/testimony and be the Ambassador for Christ.
Char, you inspire me to do more than just walk :-).
Love all my Sisters in Christ,
-Angie
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Thanks Bev. I needed to hear those words of encouragement today. I was sure sorry to hear about your car after having it for such a short time. Hope it will all get taken by insurance. Looks like our salvation for the Dave and Davids is growing quickly. I wish I could join you guys in the running but walking and swimming and biking are more my thing. I felt so sure that I was going to discover a strong lead in my search for sue but it just didn't happen. I did not find one really free website even though they would say they were free. I am a little liery of using a credit card on some of these places. My credit card has been comprised twice now with the big security breach at Home Depot and Jewel so I am becoming a little cynical on some of these places wondering if they're legit. I also thought there would be a strong lead to her brother but haven't found lots of people but they are not her. I am pretty sure she has to be 65 or older because of some of the things she had mentioned like either Medicare or Medicaid so just her age ruled out many of the people that had her name. I didn't think it would be a big deal finding her brother but that whole process has been so slow and so many dead ends. The privacy laws in place at the hospitals turned out to be an obstacle I could not find my way around. I checked obituaries and found nothing so I am hopeful that she is at some rehab facility and unable to contact us.
Well I must get to bed. Have a good night.
Love,
Nancy
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Today I am grateful for Jesus who always comforts me. I am grateful for the opportunity to ask our dear Lord to make our David's men after His own heart. I am grateful for the visit with my daughter and pregnant granddaughter yesterday. The nursery they are decorating is so beautiful. There are even a flock of metalic 3D butterflies in the wall in the bathroom. Love, Jean
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DAY 15 OF 50 DAYS OF GRATITUDE
I am thankful today for friends that I will get to see today for the first time in a very long time. I wasn't sure if I would feel like joining them this morning but I was up to it so for that I am very thankful. I am also seeing another set of friends for coffee later this afternoon so it is going to be a big day and hopefully a great one.
I communicated yesterday with my oncologist and I asked him if I could try taking the Arimidex at night instead of stopping the drug for a week. He said that was fine. My prayer is that if it was the cause of my GI distress then maybe it will make the hours when I am awake better.
Jean, We will storm the gates of heaven on behalf of the David's and Dave.
Lucy, I pray that sore throat is leaving asap!
Have a wonderful day everyone.
Love,
Nancy
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Day 15 of gratitude.
Today I am grateful for a wonderful friend and mentor. Her name was Retha, and I met her in 1996 when we first joined our church. She and her husband were the first people we met, and they were new too, though quite a bit older and long time Christians. We had little else in common, but I was so drawn to her that I asked if we could have coffee. I intended from the beginning that we would be friends, and I set out to make it so. We had coffee together, at her house, every Tuesday morning for maybe ten years. Thus it was that one fateful Tuesday we sat together in horror watching the Twin Towers fall.
Our husbands became friends, and eventually we began taking day trips on a Saturday, finding ghost towns, the guys taking pictures, have lunch together, and one year spent a week together at a condo on the beach. What a time!
She had a rare form of rheumatoid arthritis and used a scooter for which her husband had built an automatic winch in the back of their van for transport. She never let that slow her down.
Then she was diagnosed with breast cancer. There were days when she was too sick, but most Tuesdays I would stop and pick up a dozen roses and my own coffee, and just sit for an hour or so without need for talking. All through her chemo and radiation, I made sure she had fresh roses every week. I didn't know what else I could do, except just be there. But she survived, and recovered, and even a heart attack a couple years later didn't seem to do much damage.
Our Tuesdays stopped when her husband closed his business and retired, as this was their time to be together, and they took wonderful long trips, driving all over the country to see things they'd always wanted to see.
Then one day I got a call from a mutual friend, saying that she had died suddenly. She was in the hospital, and I'm still not sure why, but she was sitting in a chair and suddenly she was gone.
But she's not forgotten. From Retha I learned what a Christian woman is like. How she handles adversity. How she overcomes. How important a sense of humor is. She had the gift of hospitality, and I learned how to be a gracious hostess. Most importantly these days, I learned how a woman of God stares breast cancer in the face and is not defeated by it.
She never wanted me to call her my mentor, but she was. And if I reach the end of my journey and can believe that she would be proud of me, I know that the Master will be too.
Thank you, Jesus, for the privilege of having sat at the feet of your saints.
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Thought you might enjoy this video from our Sunday worship service. My cousin is in the choir, all the way on the left, second row, the redhead.
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Mags,
As I was reading about your friend Retha at first I thought could this be my friend Retha but obviously as I read further it was not. It is amazing how much the qualities of your friend are similar to my friend Retha who I think is 80 and has Parkinson's and so many physical problems yet she is a trooper and so funny.
I know that in our entire live time we hear that if we can count on one hand the people that we can really consider true friends it sound like she was that for you. I am sorry she is not still here for you to enjoy her mentoring and friendship.
I listened to your choir link. Actually twice because I didn't read carefully enough the first time and I saw two redheads. LOL I finally realized after reading your post more carefully that your cousin is the short haired redhead. That is a massive choir! Oh my gosh. How special for her to be a part of that. I am assuming you mean this is the cousin that lives with you. I am also guessing that this is a very large church.
Thanks for sharing that. How are you feeling today? I hope much better than this weekend.
Love,
Nancy
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