thread for middle age to older Christian women.
Comments
-
Jean, I am glad to hear you are feeling better. I will keep praying for you. Rest my friend.
0 -
Hi dear ladies of faith.
I never did make it to visit my family and am not planning on it now. I had a setback a few days ago and was so dizzy and very disappointed. I had toyed with the idea of leaving today but I know I need to take time to finish healing. I still have a couple more days of antibiotics. I did see my new pcp yesterday as our urgent care wants you to follow up with your own doctor shortly after your visit. I am feeling much better today and even did some vacuuming and laundry today. I will have to find some time to squeeze in an unplanned visit later.
Jean, I am sorry to hear you have pneumonia but glad you have had a good experience with this doctor and are on meds now. I know it is not easy for me to just rest and do nothing but that is pretty much what I have done for the last three weeks and hopefully I am almost over with this stuff. I still have congestion but in general am feeling much better. Give yourself permission to rest and I know that is not easy to do.
Good to hear from you Vargadoll. I hope you had a good Christmas and New Years.
Lita, I use a lightbox and have used one for many, many years. I can start feeling the effects of shorter days as early as Oct. so I just keep this box on my dining room table and try to use it everyday. I think it helps a bit.
Do you all remember helping me with my sunset photos. Well............................I won for the month of December. I instantly have won a $75 gift card and am now in competition with the other month winners from May - Nov. to win the top prize of $500. Voting is all on Facebook which I am not even on so I don't have a million friends on Facebook to ask to vote for me. I am just happy to be a finalist. I was interviewed via email and there will be an article on me. I had quite the back and forth email volley today with the person writing the article. I had answered her questions yesterday and then she said something today in an email that something inside of me just laid it all on the line. I said something like I don't worship creation but the Creator. Anyway it will be interesting to see what she writes. This is the photo which I changed a bit since posting the last time. I was SOOOOOOOOOOO excited as I have worked so hard on this competition for two years. I took this pic just a few days before getting sick. So thank you all for your input. It is not the one I thought they would pick but you never know what they will pick.
I hope all of you who have been battling sickness are improving and that our 2019 will be a great year.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
Nancy, congratulations on the December award! Your photo is gorgeous. You have such a gift for perspective and color. Only if you are comfortable, please PM me a URL to the article when it is published. I'd love to read it.
I am sorry that you were unable to visit your family over the holidays. It sounds like you are doing the exact right things to heal and gain your strength. Perhaps a visit for Valentine's Day is in the cards??
Jean, I am happy that you are on the mend and that the new PCP was so skilled and efficient. He sounds like a keeper!
God bless everyone's day with happiness, peace, and love.
0 -
Teka, I think I accidentally missed your post. I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year. I have to schedule my MRI and then will decide when I can squeeze in a visit to my Mom's. If neck surgery is in my future then my schedule will be nothing as planned. I had hoped to schedule yesterday and Cammie after months of doing great backslid and I was quite upset about that. I am hoping it was a one time thing.
Hershey, thank you so much for your nice comments on my photo. Actually I have seen the article but as the person writing said it isn't live yet. It will come out in the forest preserve newsletter which I didn't realize has parts that are live so to speak so I accidentally came across it last night much to my surprise. As I had figured, the article which is supposed to be about my photo and not my faith is what I call the Reader's Digest version of what I had emailed but there was mention of God in it which made me happy. The voting starts on Facebook next Friday I think and I may mention it if anyone would like to send me a PM if they want to see the article and vote then I can retain some privacy. You do have to have a Facebook account to vote I am pretty sure which leaves me out. LOL I will let you know. I have saved the article on my other computer as this newsletter may not be available to you without a subscription. I am guessing as in the past when I received honorable mention a couple of times there were also articles in the Chicago Tribune and our local newspaper which I don't subscribe to either one of those but can find it online. It has been a fun distraction from the unknowns for me coming up.
Jean, continued prayers for healing.
Chris, I hope you are back to normal after your pneumonia. I know many of us don't really know what normal is anymore though.
Ellen, I have been reading the Proverbs 31 online devotions the last few days. I heard Lisa T. recently on TV in a sit down talk show. I also hear sound bites on the radio from her as well so I knew a little about her already. I am enjoying adding that to my usual devotionals.
Have a great weekend dear sisters. Everyone around here has Bear fever as in the Chicago Bears Football team which is finally in the playoffs after years of disappointing results. I do get caught up in the frenzy.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
Nancy, congratulations on your winning photo. It is beautiful! I wish I was on Facebook so I could vote but alas, I'm not. Hopefully I'll see mention of it in the local paper. If not, I hope you are saving the column and can send it to me. I'm glad you are starting to feel better but so sorry you haven't been able to visit your mom. Praying that your MRI will show nothing of concern and you will be able to visit her soon.
Thanks for asking how I'm feeling. Finally I think I'm feeling better. My digestive system has been out of order and I've been dizzy a lot lately but today, I actually walked for awhile on the treadmill. I'll probably pay for it tomorrow, but I need to get some exercise to combat my scanxiety. I'm having a PET scan on Thursday 1/10, it's the first in over a year and I'm so worried something will light up. It almost always does and that leads to more tests and then it's all ok but it's such a roller coaster of emotions. Prayers are much appreciated!
Jean, I'm happy to hear you are feeling a little better and that you like this new doctor. It is so important to feel comfortable with your doctors.
Joanne, I continue to pray for Michelle and your family. I hope you are seeing some signs of progress for her in the rehab she's in.
To everyone, you are all in my daily prayers even when I don't mention you.
Love,
Faith ( in the future).
0 -
Nancy,
As we get older, it just takes LONGER to get over any illness or come up with a workable Tx plan to manage a chronic condition, and I personally think that once a person has/had cancer, their system is NEVER the same again, adding to the delayed healing.
I applaud you for listening to your body and staying home this past holiday season. If you pushed yourself, you might have ended up in the hospital. I'm sure your family will understand. We're not getting any younger, are we?
Well, I'm on my "off chemo" week, and I'm going to make an easy pasta dish with a simple jarred pasta sauce, some Italian sausage and chopped onions and mushrooms. I can't eat tomatoes or tomato products during chemo weeks b'cuz the acid affects my stomach too much.
L
0 -
Thank you Faith. I have seen the article but it isn't out there for everyone to see yet I don't think. I'll let you know. If you see anything let me know as I don't take the local paper that things have appeared about me before. Hopefully not with me holding up numbers and a mug shot. LOL I can appreciate your scanxiety about your Pet scan and I will be praying for a good result. I am really anxious to get my neck MRI over to see what is happening. I am still very dizzy. I was standing behind this man at church today and when we were standing and singing he kept swaying from side to side and he was making me so dizzy. This is my first time back to church for a month I think.
Ade, how are you doing? I have missed your posts but I bet you are busy.
Lita, I hope your pasta dish was good. Yes, I think that is probably true that our bodies are never quite the same after bc treatments. Praying for you.
I do have a story of inspiration and a prayer request. My cousin Angela is 70 now. She has had some tragedies in her life and is a survivor. She lost her husband to cancer I believe right around Christmas time in 2012. In Jan of 2013 she had cancer of the thyroid and had her thyroid removed. Her only daughter lives in LA and she is in IL living alone. Three years ago she started working with a personal trainer. This is a person that grew up on a farm and not what you would guess would be your typical person to start working with a trainer at the age of 67. I talked to her last night on the phone. She now has bc and will have surgery on Jan. 21. Besides the usual things you would do in a gym with a personal trainer she has added boxing to her routine. Her concern was how soon she could get back to her training after her surgery. So don't let age or circumstances limit what might be possible if you only step outside your comfort zone. I learned how to swim my last year of my teaching career so I could swim laps in retirement. I took up photography as a result of my cancer treatments. Many things can happen with the Lord. I have not told my swan story for while and I will have to share that soon. God is amazing. That much I know for sure.
I am sure my cousin would appreciate your prayers for a successful surgery and recovery getting ready for whatever treatments they deem necessary.
Have a great day dear sisters. GO BEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Nancy
0 -
Nancy, I love the photo and wish you well on the competition. I will try to find it on Facebook (where I occasionally lurk.) Also, many prayers are going up on your behalf for the MRI and dizziness episodes. I can't imagine going through this alone, but I know God is by your side. I have added your cousin to my prayer list.
Faith, good to hear from you and that you are doing better. I applaud your exercise regimen and will pray for your scan on Thursday.
Lita, always glad to read your posts. You are my inspiration to keep going!
My cousin, Jeri, has surgery for meningioma on the 10th. She is a nurse, but quit her job this past summer to start her own business so things are a but difficult. I know this is doable, but she has additional struggles and I appreciate your prayers for her.
I missed church today because I didn't sleep much last night, so I took a walk outside to warm up in the sun and enjoy God's creation of the beautiful ocean, which is my happy place.Tomorrow we all go back to our "normal" schedule around here which is a good thing. Although I will miss the noisy activity of my granddaughter, a bit of quiet during the day might be good!
Praying God showers us all with many blessings!
Chris
0 -
Nancy I am delighted for your photo award - well deserved! Our daughter has been a professional photographer for almost 2 decades now. She does miracles with children and animals - you'd love her work. www.emilysphotography.com - if you want to take a peek. I surely hope Cammie's relapse is just a fluke and she gets back in line soon. She may be reacting to your stress and illness. Critters are sensitive like that.
James had a fever last night but is ok today - thankfully! He was turned down for his medicine form the pharmaceutical company and has to apply for low income help from Medicare to submit to the pharmaceutical company. We make just over the limit for that, and the company knows that, but we will jump through the hoops for them and submit our rejection paper from Medicare to the pharmaceutical company whenever we get it. Meanwhile DH is out of the meds so we have to drive the 3 hours away to get samples (last 2 they have left) from the cardiologist. (They won't mail them). They're SUPPOSED to save them for us - I pray they DO!
OH WHAT A WEEKEND! Friday our daughter-in-love, Marissa went to the E.R. with fast pulse and chest pain. Thankfully tests were fine and she was released that night. Whenever the gov. shut down ends the family will relocate back east for 6 months for our son's temp job - so they have been on standby for that (stress enough). Our son is getting their youngest daughter's strep throat, but that's not the worst. His friend, Bo, (goes to our church) rents one of his house rooms to his long time friend, (R) who apparently murdered someone (!!!) Friday night and was on the run. I have met the fella and he has been to several of our church gatherings & meals. He seemed nice and mild mannered. Anyway he was on the run, so Bo & his fiance were not allowed to go the house or cars because of the police investigation - and they decided to stay at Marissa & our sick son's house. Marissa has been a basket case over this, close to another panic attack, as well as their 15 year old daughter who is very sensitive like her mom. Well, they just found Bo's housemate and friend dead of self afflicted gunshot wound. It's been & will continue to be a weekend of intercession.
Do know that I am praying for each one of you too. How thankful we are to know our Heavenly Father never gets overwhelmed with all of this. Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.
Love,
Ade
0 -
I love the idea of God rejoicing over us with singing. I am going to hang onto that on a very dreary and rainy day here today.
My BIL who was supposed to have surgery on Wed is sick and had to postpone. My sister is probably sick too and will not admit it and she has to take my Mom to her annual physical on Thursday. I am praying my Mom doesn't end up sick. My Mom lost a front tooth and so the stress of family matters continues. I did schedule my neck MRI for Jan. 23 and I am going to hopefully not take the meds for claustrophobia so I won't need a driver. I figure if I am going to be having many of these in the future which that is probably going to be the case then I need to deal with this. Right now my fear is more of having a coughing fit like I did the last one in November and I was just dealing with my usual allergies then. I would appreciate your prayers for peace and calm in the coming days.
Ade, I don't even know where to begin. I am so sorry that your lives have been so complicated by James not getting approval for his needed meds. I really hope these samples will actually get into YOUR hands after driving all the hours you have to in order to get them. This nightmare that has happened and involved your son's family when they are sick is mindboggling. I am so sorry to hear about this man who took his life after taking another's. I know we only think these things happen in the movies until they rest at our own doorstep. Praying for your son's family and the familes who have not lost loved ones. So sad.
I did click on your daughter's link and got some strange stuff coming up so I couldn't see any of her photos. Is she selling her online domain? That is what it looks like. I bet her photos are wonderful.
Chris, I think I sent you the link. I also think I may be losing my mind .LOL I will pray for your friend Jeri as I imagine the apprehension of this surgery is great. As I contemplated that possibility for myself it was scary for sure. Hope you get your walk on the beach in today. Please send some sunshine our way!
Love,
Nancy
0 -
This is such a powerful scripture. That is my prayer for each of you as you wait to have scans, as you deal with SE's from our treatments and pills and as you face your own personal storms that rage in ourselves and in our families. Praising God when you don't feel like it has usually brought me to a place of peace and joy. It is easy to praise Him when everything is going great but sometimes that is the times that are most dangerous because we think we can handle life in our own strength and somehow leave God out of the mix.
Have a great day dear sisters. I am praying for you.Love,NancyRomans 15:13 New International Version (NIV)
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
0 -
This is one of my favorite scriptures. May each of you soak in the truth of these words.
Love,NancyPsalm 46:1-3 New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 46[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.[b] A song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]0 -
Let's remember to pray for Faith as she has her Pet scan today. Praying for peace and for good results.
Praying for Chris's friend Jeri who is having brain surgery today. I pray that she will have complete peace and that the surgeons will do the delicate work with steady hands and with the skill they need to eradicate this tumor. I pray for good pain control and a complete recovery with a good prognosis.
Joanne needs our prayers. She has been very nauseated, dizzy and has alot of back pain which is making it hard for her to sleep.
Have a good day dear sisters.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
Lord and Heavenly Father I lift up Faith today to You. May her results be good and Your peace enfold her as she awaits results.
I pray Your divine peace would also flow over Nancy with Your complete calm as she deals with the tests and potential surgery ahead. Please completely heal and eliminate the brain tumor and heal her neck so she will not NEED surgery. I thank You that in the midst of her own issues she is ALWAYS ready to lift up others to You.
I pray You will comfort Joanne, body, mind and soul as she endures trials on many fields from her own to her family. May she feel Your healing hand upon her now and receive the peaceful, painless rest she very much needs.
I Lift up ALL of the dear sisters here, that You heal every body and grant peace, wisdom and strength plus an extra measure of faith for each - to Your glory.You are Sovereign Lord over EVERY situation we face now - or shall EVER face. In You we trust. You will grant us perfect peace as we keep our eyes stayed upon You.
Amen.
Ade
0 -
Thank you Ade. I appreciate your prayer and your kind words in it. I was able to resume my swimming today and it felt so good to get pent up stress out of my body.
I have some exciting news. My church is having a 21 day prayer and fasting called " impossible things" and we each got booklets for journaling for these 21 days as we draw closer to God. There are many ways of fasting and this isn't a complete 21 days of not eating just to clarify. Yesterday here is my exact words that I wrote in the midst of my photo win and voting that starts tomorrow on FB to see if I win the top prize of $500. "I give you all the glory in my photography as I can see your beauty in nature. I want my hobby to be a way of glorifying you and not to be a distraction." The theme for yesterday was the power of focus.
Okay, so I was gone all afternoon yesterday at the car dealer and I got home quite late. I was reading my emails and I got an email from the lady that did the article on my win from the forest preserve. She said as she does with all of the winners of the month who will be vying for the top prize she sends out a feed to the surrounding newspapers and media. Naperville's cable TV station picked it up and notified this lady from the forest preserve that she was interested in interviewing me. So long story short I just got off the phone with the lady from the TV station. I was stressing about what am I going to wear, my hair, my nails............you know all the REALLY important stuff. LOL Well it is not going to take place in their studio but it is going to be outside with me and my camera at the Lake where I took the winning photo. Luckily it is near my house and not way out of town like some of the preserves where I have taken photos for this contest. She will have her camera videotaping me. Thank goodness for the ability to edit!!!! I just don't want to be on tv sounding like an idiot!!!!! Now, should I go buy some nice fancy boots. LOL NOT
I definitely think this is a God thing. I really am going to have to post my swan family and tell you my back story which some of you have heard before but many of you have not. I shared some of that story in this article and I am guessing it may come out in the newspaper some time soon. I will be anxious to see how much of my faith story gets told or not. So that is my exciting news.
Voting starts tomorrow at 11 am Friday to see who wins the photo contest and will go for seven days. I think you can vote once a day. The winner will be announced on Jan. 22 the day before my MRI of the neck.
Lot's going on and as my life has been for quite a while good and not so good things happening simultaneously. I think that is just life. Having a long vacation from stress sounds like a great thing but the reality is I don't think that is going to happen until we are in heaven.
Have a good night dear ladies.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
Nancy and Ade, thank you for your prayers for my PET scan today. I've been very anxious about the whole procedure for days now. However, today once I got there and had the injection and then the scan, I felt peace. I'm sure that's because of your prayers. I don't have any results yet but somehow I feel everything will be okay no matter what the results say. If there is progression, I know Jesus will give me the strength I need to deal with it.
Nancy, that is exciting news about your church and the fasting journaling. It seems like that is a good way to get ready for the Lenten season and the coming resurrection on Easter. It also exciting about your interview on your photography. Keep us posted on how it all goes. I do think you need new boots though. LOL!! This is one of the few times I wish I was on Facebook so I could vote. I will remember the date of your MRI on Jan 23rd, as I also have another dexa scan that day.
Ade, thank you always for your prayers, you have such a wonderful way of finding the right words to lift us all up. Joanne, I pray our Dear Lord will heal you of all your health and family problems. Chris, thank you also for remembering us in your prayers so often, I will keep your friend in my prayers also.
Love and prayers,
Faith (in the future).
0 -
Faith I'm thankful to the Lord for granting you that peace no matter what. That's how He blessed me with my diagnosis. We still pray for His very best for you!
Nancy, will you sign my autograph book? :oD I'm really excited for you to get the chance to glorify our Lord in this way!!! How do I find the voting on Face Book? (I have more than a few friends happy to vote for your entry with me!)
Blessings,
Ade
0 -
Faith, glad to hear you had peace during your scan. God is so good. I pray that your peace continues as you wait for results. I have a feeling winter boots are off the shelves and the bikinis have taken their place at this point!!!! I believe me NO one wants to see me in a bikini!!!!
Ade, you are too funny! I am going to send you a PM and the link that gives you info on where to vote. There is an embedded link in the article as well. Live voting is not until 11 am central time tomorrow and will go for seven days. As we joke in Chicago...........vote early and vote often. LOL
I will send you the info now on a PM and would love for you to ask your FB friends to vote as well. My photo is a sunset and none others are anything like that even if the person doesn't know my name before voting they will afterwards.
Also anyone else on FB that would like to vote let me know and I will send you a PM with the info.
Thank you so much.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
Nancy, please pm me too with the Facebook contest info....Lita
0 -
Will do, Lita.
Nancy
0 -
Please PM me too Nancy. Tks, Jean
0 -
Nancy, please add me to the FB link also!
Chris
0 -
Okay Jean, I sent you the PM. I sure appreciate it considering you are so sick. Thank you.
Chris, I could have sworn I sent that to you days ago. Well obviously not. You should have it now. Thank you.
Have a good night dear sisters.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
Thank you Nancy. You're up 'n running for votes on my Facebook page. You have one vote & comment from me and a friend just voted & posted your pic on her page too.
) Hopefully many more to come!Ade
0 -
Okay, this is against my better judgement but I have had a friend say the link I sent her is not allowing her to find the voting. I am sending this link and then will delete this post in a few days. Sorry if you have tried to vote for my photo of the sunset and not been successful.
https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/news-events/ne...
Love,
Nancy
0 -
Thanks Ade. Sorry if this has been a pain for some of you.
Off to swimming now.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
When you "LIKE" or comment it is a vote. Hope that's helpful.
0 -
Just SHARE the link on your wall after you find it on Facebook & you can leave a comment to your friends when you post it.
0 -
Thanks Ade. I don't have a "wall" since I am not on Facebook but others can see that and respond. I am curious though. Were you able to find the place to vote from my initial link? Also are you able to vote more than once?
Thanks.
Love,
Nancy
0 -
Nancy,
I just found your photo from the link you just posted and voted. Since it lists the person by name, probably cannot vote more than once. Don't know for sure.
I am new to this thread. Have been reading and this is my first post. Enjoying inspiration from you and others.
I grew up near you in Illinois...
Gumdoctor
0
