thread for middle age to older Christian women.
Comments
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Amen Joanne. God sees each one of us and all the things we are going through. He knows what we need and will provide it in His time. Lord give us patience.
Faith, praying for your Dexa scan that all will be good news for you.
My MRI is this afternoon and God worked out a driver for me by accident. (you know how those "accidents" from God work).
Love,
Nancy
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Praise God the MRI went great today. I had no issues of sinus and coughing like the last one. They gave me the option of listening to music which really helped as well. My neighbor suggested taking the sedative earlier than I did the last time and that definitely helped. So many answered prayers today and thank you for praying. Now the wait. I have no idea how long that will be.
Have a safe and warm evening.
Love,
Nancy
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Thanks Teka. I am not used to sedatives and came home and slept. I am not trying to build enough courage to take my garbage to the curb. Not easy with the snow piles and I have to move my car out to get my garbage carts out.
Love,
Nancy
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Joanne, Faith, Nancy and others ~ I am praying for all of your needs. Yes, the Lord sees you and knows your name. You are never EVER alone. You mean more to the Lord than you can imagine - you are His own precious daughters and He hears each prayer and sees your tears. He makes us wait upon Him for answers often, but nothing is out of His control or beyond His reach, or impossible for Him. Be strong and of good courage and put your trust in Him more than your feelings. The battle belongs to the Lord.
Nancy thank you for the link! It was really good to "meet you"! I shared your blessing with my personal Facebook friends who voted & shared too.
I posted this once before here, but it is so good I will share again. ~
~*~ When you're in Christ ~*~
You're secure even when your feelings tell you otherwise.
You don't have to feel well to be strong and courageous.
You don't have to feel bold to be brave.
You don't have to feel accepted to live loved.
You don't have to feel faith for your faith to be real.
And you don't have to feel God's presence for Him to be near.
He's closer than your next breath and He lives mightily in you!
He pulled out a chair and gave you a place at the table of grace.
God is always near and you are always loved no matter how you feel.
You've seen too much to turn back now.
Keep marching onward and have a faith-filled day!
Love,
Ade
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Thank you Ade. "He pulled out a chair and gave you a place at the table of grace." I love that phrase as it really resonated with me today.
I know that those of us in the deep freeze or soon to go in it or anyone who may have the January blues I thought these butterflies might cheer you up. Butterflies to me are the hope of rebirth and spring time and I like to think on those wonderful times that will be here before you know it.
I know God wants us to be content in the present and I can see the beauty in the snow. At these times I am especially grateful for my house and my furnace and my warm bed knowing that many, many do not have this luxury that we take for granted.
My God lift your spirits through some unexpected blessings today. May He provide a way where there seems to be no way.
My BIL law is having heart surgery right now more than likely. He is having a defibrillator put in as his heart is only functioning at 15%. I would appreciate your prayers for my sister and for him.
Love,
Nancy
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Okay so I blew it yesterday! It was NOT Wednesday.
I am thanking God today. I got news late yesterday (which would be THURSDAY
)that I do NOT need neck surgery. I have many more questions than answers and I think I may not have those questions answered for a while. This specialist apparently wants to avoid office visits that she thinks is unnecessary. She can order balance PT if I want and I may do that. It still does not explain my symptoms. So I may make that apt with my ENT that I canceled in Dec. Now I am supposed to have another MRI of the brain probably in Feb since that is 3 mos since the last one.
Going swimming in this frigid weather. If you don't hear from me I may have turned into an icicle!
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, so thankful you do not need surgery, but I understand your hesitation. I will pray God has something special for you during this process.
The granddaughter is home with me today with another cold. We can't seem to keep her well. Doc says she is healthy but picks up every virus possible from preschool. Last time it passed me by and I am hoping this one will too. I haven't been to choir since before Christmas (yes, I missed the performance) and was hoping to go next week since I am finally well. We'll see!
In the meantime, you would love to swim in our pool here. It is 70* today and sunny. I don't swim in it because somewhere I was told it was not good for me because of my low immunity. Stage IV is a beast! Stay warm!
Chris
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I believe we are all praising God today for your good news Nancy. I'm so happy for you that you won't need neck surgery and God willing you won't ever need it. Prayers that the ENT will find a simple answer to your symptoms. I can't believe you went out in this deep freeze we are in to go swimming today but I'm sure it was good for you. We are staying home but I'm getting cabin fever already and it looks like it's not getting warmer anytime soon. Prayers that your BIL's heart surgery went well and he's feeling better already.
Ade, thank you for always being so faithful in your prayers for all of us here. I pray your DH is feeling okay and has the right meds for his condition.
Chris, sure hope you don't catch that cold from your sweet personal little germ factory (aka -granddaughter) 😉. Those little ones just bring everything home.
Joanne, I'm praying that there has been some improvement in your granddaughter's condition. I'm sure this has been an awful experience for all the family and it probably doesn't seem that it will ever get better but we all know that God works big miracles. We will just keep praying for a miracle for Michelle.
Love and prayers,
Faith (in the future).
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Nancy - YAAAAAAAY!!!! PRAISING THE LORD for answered prayers - NO SURGERY! I went to the ENT doc for my dizzy spells some time ago too but we discovered it was Hypoglycemia! (LOW blood sugar!) So if I take protein snacks every few hours I'm ok. I pray yours is that simple. Do you get water in your ears when swimming? Maybe a factor??? Is Cammie doing any better? Maybe she sensed your anxiety?
Chris - praying you can avoid the young'un's germs again!
Joanne - praying for your health and for many things for Michelle.
We continue to wait on the application results for James' meds to be approved. Thankful for 2 samples from his cardiologist.
Stay warm, sisters! (It's in the 40s and we shiver here! - What weenies we are!)
Blessings,
Ade
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Thank you so much dear sisters.
Chris, I could use some of that 70 temp about now. When I was out later this afternoon my car said it was 3 degrees and that doesn't take wind chill into account. It is the deep freeze for sure. Sorry to hear about your granddaughter getting sick again. Praying you will have a protective bubble around you.
Faith, I know it is pretty crazy going out in this weather but swimming does help me physically and mentally so it is worth it. My BIL's surgery went well yesterday. I haven't talked to my sister today but she was supposed to take him home today. He can't drive for a couple of weeks so my sister has her hands full with my Mom and now taking care of him.
Ade, praying that James can get these meds. This must be so frustrating but I know you have to persevere with insurance and sometimes be the squeaky wheel. I do have low blood sugar so I do have to be sure I eat alot of protein. I have a history of dizziness which was really severe after a vocal cord surgery years ago. I missed months of school it was so bad and I had to have dizziness therapy. I have really more than one thing going on. The balance issue is not the dizziness even though I am sure they affect each other. I don't feel as dizzy as I have so I think sinus issues may come to play in this as well. Wouldn't it be nice if we could have a tune up like our car and just drive in and say fix anything that needs attention!!!!
Joanne, praying that your LE abdominal device is not driving you batty!!!! I continue to pray for you and your family.
On my Christian radio station I listen to in the car they were talking about the January blues and that it is a very real thing. I think the post holiday let down, the shorter days and for some of us the cold and snowy weather all can come together for a perfect storm. (no pun intended). This may not be very spiritual even thought the Bible does say laughter doeth good like a medicine.
I accidentally came across these Youtube videos when I was looking for videos of this special type of swan this birder mistakenly told me was at the lake I go to often. In my search on Youtube for this trumpeter swan I found this whole set of funny dancing parrot videos. If you need a good belly laugh there are some AMAZING videos with dancing birds and birds that can bark like a dog and meow like a cat and do all sorts of things which will give you a good laugh. I highly recommend it if you need something to lift your spirits. Cammie was NOT too thrilled though. She may be going to the vet to be shaved and hopefully this may help her doing #2 on the floor. I want it to warm up some before I do it though.
Have a safe and warm weekend except for you all that live in CA that have those all the time
Love,
Nancy
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Congradulations on NO SURGERY Nancy! God is,so good. All He keeps telling me when I get anxious is "Trust Me". My follow up chest xray was negative! Also I got my foot caught in a bag handle and fell yesterday but no injuries. Love, Jean
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Thank you Jean. So glad to hear your chest x-ray was negative. So sorry about falling. Hope you are not too bruised up but will probably be sore. Baby yourself for a few days and give yourself permission to do nothing if you can.
Love,
Nancy
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Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a REAL thing. Lots of people get it. It's a mild to moderate form of depression that occurs when the days are shorter, colder, and there's nothing to look forward to in January.
That's why I keep my Christmas decorations up until the last weekend in January, taking things down day by day, little by little. I took my Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Misfit collection down and boxed them up. Christmas linens will be washed. The small nutcrackers are boxed up, and the large ones will be packed over the weekend.
I hope I'll still be here to put everything back up this coming December, but if the Lord decides to take me home before then, I'm okay with it. I'll see my parents, my grandparents, nieces and nephews, countless cousins, the child I miscarried, and my Bulldog will be waiting for me on the other side of the bridge.
Blessings and prayers to you all,
L
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Lita, this is for you and for everyone.
Love,Nancy
Proverbs 3:5-6 New International Version (NIV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.[a]0 -
Teka- love it!l
Nancy- good news about no surgery! Congratulations on the photo contest! My grandson made all district band to! He had very high scores! We are so proud of him.
Jo- I do hope your granddaughter is improving. I know she has a long road to recovery.
Lita- that's the way I do my Christmas decorations!
We made it to church today! Past 2 Sundays we have had icy roads and I dont attempt to get my girl out in icy conditions.
Have a blessed week!
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Teka, thank you. I LOVE the little kitties. Tonight Cammie is either mad at me or tired. We have not missed a play session in months but tonight we had a prayer service at church and I ate early and left as she was looking sadly at me at the top of the stairs when I left. When I came home she refused to play. She is like a pouting child at times.
Vargadoll, thank you. Tell your grandson Aunt Nancy is VERY proud of him. It's okay for me to adopt him? LOL Thank you regarding the photo contest. I had the privilege tonight at church to tell this missionary that I have just begun to know, that all of my prize money from the photo contest I am giving to her for her support as she raises funds to go back to Belgium as she works with Convoy of Hope ministries there. I am praying about supporting her more as well. I have found that you cannot out give God.
We concluded out 21 days of fasting and prayer today with our prayer rally tonight. The theme of these last many days was Impossible Things. As I look back on these days winning the photo competition and having a chance to share my God story (at least in print) and having a tv interview and not needing neck surgery I would say it has been a pretty fantastic last three weeks of God working in amazing ways.
I am praying that this year of 2019 is a year of victory!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am believing God for GREAT things. How about you???????
Love,
Nancy
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Note to myself. Life is a snow day. DEAL WITH IT. (Not happy I can't get out of my driveway to the Y to swim.)
Love,
Nancy
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Joanne, I second that!!! If any are snowed in like me I just have to mention this because it was just so funny and unreal. There is a youtube video of this cockatiel (I think) that had to go in it's carrier to go to the vet to have it's nails trimmed. This bird was having a hissy fit and was speaking in probably foul bird language. HA HA Not fowl. It carries on for seemingly a very long time as the video is running. It is worth the search. It is kind of like how I feel today because I can't get out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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It gets funnier as it goes on. Here it is for your enjoyment. LOL
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It gets funnier as it goes on. Here it is for your enjoyment. LOL
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Wow that's some hissy Maxwell threw! They are SO smart! (It's a cockatoo - the cockateils are smaller with the peachy circle on cheeks). Have you seen cockatoos dancing to music? They actually have a sense of rhythm! Our cockateil, Al would whistle the Andy Griffith song, do the wolf whistle to his "lady" Gretta, and say "You're a PRETTY bird!" and throw kisses to Gretta. In the morning I would let him out of the cage, he'd walk up my arm and sit on my shoulder waiting for my coffee to cool enough for him to get a sip. Then he would kiss my cheek with his little coffee-wet beak. I miss that little fella!
Thanks for sharing the video, Nancy - hope you get out to swim soon. It will hit 70 here in a few days
) but where our daughter is in Ohio the high Wednesday is ONE and the low is -9 with windchills of around 40 BELOW! Whoa! Could be us 'enjoying' those winters by next year if we move back - NOT looking forward to THAT! Joanne has pretty cold temps as you do too. Stay cozy, sisters & don't venture out unless you have to.
Blessings,
Ade
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Yes, Ade, I realized as soon as it said Cockatoo that it was not the other. I mentioned dancing parrots on Youtube recently but most of them were Cockatoo's and they have such great rhythm it is amazing. Obviously they are very smart. We grew up with canaries and parakeets. I still have some old books that have little beak marks where the parakeet would chew on the pages. One parakeet would play cards when I was playing solitaire on the floor. It would pick up a card and run around. I would love to have a bird. Can you just imagine with Cammie..............................Your bird sounds delightful. Who knew they drank coffee?
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As we venture into cold temps not seen in a very long time I pray that everyone stays safe and warm while we endure these days of arctic cold. I am going swimming today regardless!!
Love,
Nancy
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I was searching for how does one guard their heart as the Bible asks of us. I thought I would share some
gems that I found.
Love,
Nancy
7 Ways to Guard Your Heart by Mike Mobley
Vigilance is defined as the action or state of keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties. That's exactly what God calls us to do with our hearts. We are to pay extra attention to our hearts and watch them closely. There will be dangers and difficulties we will for sure face in this life, and we should be ready.
"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." – Proverbs 4:23
Jesus has done everything for us. Literally, everything. We are forgiven for all of eternity. What He did on the cross and how He rose from the dead was enough and will always be enough. And now as followers of Jesus, let's remain loyal and faithful to God in everything we do.
The springs of life…where someone does all thinking, feeling, and choosing doesn't come into our hearts from external circumstances, but rather flows out of our hearts through the Holy Spirit. At the end of the day, what you do reveals your heart.
Jesus has already done everything for us and we are forgiven for all of eternity.
Here are 7 ways to guard your heart:
1. Protect Everything That Comes InEverything is competing for our time, money, and resources. Just turn on the TV or go anywhere and you'll quickly be hit with anything and everything that wants your attention. Music, videos, sex, books, language, power, money, and pride are just some of the many examples.
We need to use wisdom in what we allow into our hearts. We only have a limited time each day to make much of God, so what are we being influenced by, listening to, or looking at?
Train your eyes to look away from lust. Listen to wisdom instead of folly. Protect yourself from harms way and a culture that is anti-God and replace it with things that are Godly. Your heart will then remain protected.
2. Persevere In The Face Of DifficultiesDifficulties are going to happen in this life. They have to. That's the product of a sinful world filled with sinful people. It's not a coincidence that God lines out multiple things for you to do while following Him. Reading the Bible…daily, praying consistently, sharing the Gospel with others, and spending time in solitude with the Lord are just some of these.
There will be times that you don't feel the Lord's presence or feel like He is listening to your prayers. Persevere! Trust that He is always completing a good work in you. Believe that the Lord will prevail, in all things. As you persevere, you will continue to grow in Godliness and your heart will be strong.
3. Follow What The Lord Is Leading You To DoEveryone is different. We all have different skills and desires and that's a good thing. God has made us different, intentionally. He calls us to follow Him in so many different ways. Some of us will be pastors, teachers, EMTs, stay at home moms, musicians, mechanics, writers, or baristas.
What is God asking you to do? What do you desire and just can't stop thinking about? How do you want to serve the Lord with that desire? Chances are, that's the thing God is calling you to do. Trust Him and go for it! The longer you quench that desire, the more strain you are putting on your heart.
4. Cultivate An Atmosphere Of CommunityWhen we are adopted as sons and daughters of the one true King, we come into a family and are sent on mission. This involves people. There's no way to follow Jesus in isolation, it flat out doesn't even make sense. If Jesus says by following Him, you'll be a part of the Church and you'll make disciples…that does not translate to – just have your personal isolated relationship with me and you'll be fine. We need people. We need community.
Your heart needs people constantly pouring into you, and you need to be pouring into people. There's a constant flow coming in and out as you love and serve others. People need to hear about Jesus and you need to grow in the Lord with your family that you'll be with for all eternity.
5. Keep Priorities High And Do Not CompromiseThere's wisdom in keeping our priorities. Of course, those need to be the right priorities to begin with, but nonetheless…keeping them is a big deal. What can happen (and its happened for me many times) is that we let the day dictate our priorities instead of our priorities dictating the day.
God, our family (spouse, children, etc.), work, and so on is an example of an order of priorities to keep throughout the day. What we might be tempted to do is to lower one throughout the day or elevate one too high. God might be the last thing on our list (we may not say that, but the way we live declares that), or we might elevate our kids to "god status."
Yes, we love and serve one another, but not to the extent of compromising the priorities and values the Lord has given us. Once you make a little compromise here or there, you begin to add toxicity to your heart. The good news is that if you keep them, your heart will grow in wisdom.
6. Trust The Lord With RestWe live in a culture that is so fast paced, chances are you might have spent about 30 seconds on this page, and then you'll be off to the next one. Productivity is elevated above all else and people are praised for getting things done. While we run around like crazy, we often forget this is bad for our hearts. We are also telling God we don't trust Him in the process.
When we rest in the Lord (including taking a full day off), we are declaring our dependency on Him. We are admitting we can't do life on our own. If you think about it, your body needs sleep for a third of the time you are even alive! Not only that, how do you think you fall asleep or even wake up in the morning? That's only because of the Lord.
Whether you need to start observing the Sabbath, or just need to take a deep breath and let the Lord do the work instead of you, be encouraged to trust Jesus and rest. Let your heart rest. The yoke is easy…the burden is light. (Matthew 11:30)
7. Preach The Gospel To Yourself Each DayThis last one sums up everything above and couldn't be more important. The Gospel isn't just a "one time" thing and a ticket to heaven, but something we all need each and every day…really every minute. The second we take our eyes off of the cross we forget who we really are. Our hearts need to be reminded that while we still sin, we are forgiven, redeemed, and are children of God!
As you start your day with this truthful reminder, you'll have no choice but to glorify God in everything you do because you'll find it so ridiculous that you get to do anything at all!
Dx 3/14/2014, IDC, Left, 1cm, Stage IA, Grade 1, 0/3 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2-Surgery 3/27/2014 Lumpectomy: Left; Lymph node removal: Left, SentinelRadiation Therapy 5/13/2014 Whole-breast: Breast, Lymph nodesHormonal Therapy 7/25/2014 Arimidex (anastrozole)
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Nancy - how I needed that! THANK YOU! I printed it for myself & some friends.
In the past few years we have moved across the country, been robbed of ALL of our money by an unscrupulous "Christian Brother" building contractor, leaving us in great debt, then came cancer, then 2 heart attacks with major surgeries with both. Now we have had to leave a church we loved because of unbiblical and unapproachable leadership, and we face moving back across the country due to several serious unchangeable factors here. And I wondered why I have been so stressed for so long. Oh how my heart needs guarded and my focus back on Jesus and His amazing love and power! THANK YOU!!!!
Love,
Ade
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What wonderful words of wisdom. Thank you Nancy.
Love,
Faith
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Ladies, I cannot join this thread but I have a beautiful Tristan Crested Cockatoo named Blanche caught from New Guinea in the 70's. She is a rescue as we would never domesticate a wild bird otherwise. Blanche is a gift to us and watching those videos makes me smile. Thanks for the smile
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Ok, I just watched the cockatoo!!!!!
Does anyone know what it was saying??? It doesn't really matter because what was so funny was the non-verbal components...the intonation and the body movements...like an actual person having a hissy fit!!!
I laughed out loud so much I started coughing!!! And the kitty in my lap was pretty interested in what that noise was...
They say laughter is a great medicine. Thank you for that great dose of medicine!!!
Gumdoctor
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Ade and Faith, I am glad that post inspired you. I knew it was long and I was not sure if anyone would be inspired by it as I was. I am glad I did post it.
TB90, I am glad you enjoyed the Cockatoo video. Your Blanche looks like a beauty. I realized that the video I posted is among several from MaxTV. Apparently he has quite a following. I didn't realize that until after I posted it and watched others with Max as the star. They are obviously very smart birds with a wide array of emotions. The owner of Max said it was like taking care of a perpetual 3 yr old.
Joanne, that video of Max throwing a fit is what Cammie does when I don't devote ALL of my attention to her and turn on the TV when she wants me to watch HER. I would love to see what she would do with a Cockatoo. Maybe I could start my own Youtube videos call Cammie TV. LOL
Have a good night everyone. It is so cold here I actually have one of my outside coats on inside the house!!!!
Love
Nancy
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Gumdoctor,
We must have posted at the same time. I just saw your post come in. The owner of Max says something like don't say bad words in some of the other videos of Max TV on Youtube. I don't think they are English words. Max did have a previous owner so who knows if he is swearing in another language. It is his body language that cracked me up. I had no idea that birds could display emotions like that. There is another video but not as funny where Max displays that same body language. It made me think that we may very well underestimate our fur babies emotional capacities.
At any rate I am glad you got a good laugh from it. That was my intent as I had the same reaction when I saw it. The videos with the dancing Cockatoos are absolutely amazing and funny. You might want to check those out too.
Have a good night.
Love
Nancy
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