Word Filled Wednesday

Yes, the storms will come into your life, the winds will begin to blow, and try their best to knock you down. But, the Anchor will hold you steady. Jesus is my Anchor, I hold tightly onto Him. Sweet peace is given to me, even in the middle of my storms. Thank You precious Lord.

In Other Words Tuesday

Today we are doing In Other Words a little differently.
Instead of writing on one quote,
we are sharing a special quote,
Bible verse, song, etc. and why it is special to us.
What’s yours?
All the world is full of suffering. But, it is also full of overcoming. Helen Keller              I love this quote by Helen Keller, who truly did suffer, and overcome. She has always been one of my true heros, I admire the way she lived her life, and overcame some huge obstacles.God blessed her, and never left her side. In this world, we will have suffering, there will be much pain in our life. But, I know for a fact, you can, and will, overcome the suffering. All of this year, up until Labor Day, I was so sick, every weekend, I would be in bed, due to illness. Then, on Labor Day, I had a stroke, and came very close to dying. God brought me through, and here I am, almost three months later. I am not sick any longer every weekend, and praise God, I am alive. Yes, I am different in several ways, and I am still healing, but no suffering. Do not give up my brothers and sisters, you can overcome. With God, all things are possible.

                                                      

Light Of The World

Last night, Lovebug and I enjoyed a sweet time of worship. We lit a candle, and both spoke about what the Light of the world means to us. How many of you have seen the movie called "The Perfect Gift"?? That movie is so awesome, one of my favorite Christmas movies. There is a song in that movie called "Emmanuel(You are with us). It is such a beautiful song, it is playing on my blog right now. I sang a part of the song last night, the words--Come into my darkness, and be my Light. Yes, my forever shining Light. The world is full of darkness, evil is all around us, but, Jesus is always there to lead me out of the darkness, and into His light. When I was in the hospital, at night in the intensive care unit, He was my night light, keeping me safe through the night. During the day, He kept me from falling deep into a dark depression, He kept shining brightly, never letting me be alone in any type of darkness. I am so grateful for the Light of the world. Shine on Jesus, shine on. May I shine His light for others to see.

Our Thanksgiving

I am very thankful to have been blessed with a wonderful Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day,we ate with my sister in-love Cheryle(the wife of my oldest brother who went to heaven in 2008). Also there, were my niece Kelli, her husband John, and my great nephew Zachary, my nephew Bryan, and his girlfriend Loren, and Cheryle's sister Peggy, her daughter Abby, and son Nathan, and her husband Steve.  It was so nice to be surrounded by my family, I love them so much. After we left there, we went down to visit Eddie's mom and dad. We took them their favorite kind of pies, and ate dessert with them. My sister Vicky, was going to come down yesterday, and eat with us, but plans changed, she did not get to come. So, I cooked, and Eddie and I are going to have dinner today, looking forward to it. Eddie said he loves my cooking, that makes me smile really big. Praying you all enjoyed your thanksgiving, love you all.

Saturday Healing Verse: Exodus 15:26

Exodus 15:26-And said, If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, and will do that, which is right in His sight, and will give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD, that heals you.                                                      Thank You Lord, for the amazing grace, that You continually pour out upon my life, and the healing that You have done to my body. Thanks does not begin to express how I feel. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that You are my healer. I will always, listen to Your voice, and only do what is right, in Your sight.I will listen to Your commandments, and keep them. I love You, and that is forever.

Fearless Friday

Hello my dear brothers, and sisters. Praying that your Thanksgiving was a very blessed one.  November is national diabetes month, please join me today, in praying for all those that are affected by diabetes. Whether it is yourself, a family member, or a friend, please join your heart with mine, and pray.

Data from the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet

Total prevalence of diabetes

Total: 25.8 million children and adults in the United States—8.3% of the population—have diabetes.
Diagnosed: 18.8 million people
Undiagnosed: 7.0 million people
Prediabetes: 79 million people*
New Cases: 1.9 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older.

Happy Thanksgiving

I thought I would share a cute little poem that I wrote tonight.  Here it is-- Thanksgiving Day is finally here, delicious food is everywhere. Loved ones are gathered together, just like birds of a feather. Laughter can be heard, as food is being hurled across the room.  We watch the rolls, as they roll across the table. Catch them if you are able. Apple, peach, pumpkin pies, oh my!! Try them all, and then try not to fall, as you wobble your way to your favorite chair. Are you aware of how many calories you will consume today? Wait, never mind, no calorie counting until after Christmas. Have a very happy thanksgiving, I love you all.

Word Filled Wednesday

Father, I am so very honored to be Your daughter.  I am happy to be a part of the family of God. May our family continue to grow. I love You Father, bless all of my brothers and sisters.

In Other Words Tuesday

“Let us remember that, as much as has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart, as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.”
Theodore Roosevelt                                                                                                       Amen, I totally agree with this quote. I am so very thankful for all that God has blessed me with, without Him, I would be nothing, nor have anything. But, due to His love, and kindness, I can be all that I can be through Him, and I have a place to live, food to eat, my bills get paid, we have a vehicle, lovebug has a job, and his health. I am alive. Praise God.  Now, to truly show my thankful heart, it is my God given duty, to pass on the blessings. What does that mean?  It means that I am to show kindness, and much encouragement to others, let Jesus shine through me. Give them the greatest gift ever, Jesus, and His love.  Bless others, as I have been blessed. If given the opportunity to help others, I will. When someone comes knocking on my door, I will answer with a great big smile upon my face, I may be the only Jesus they ever see. Smile everyone, Jesus, and I love you.

Birthday Blessings

Wow, I had such an awesome birthday filled with many precious blessings. The blessings were flowing all over my blog, and facebook yesterday. My dear friends Peggy, and alice, spoiled me rotten. Peggy sent me the cutest videos, and ecards. She also shared such kind words on her blogs about me, and said beautiful prayers for me. Alice also had kind words to say about me on her blog, cute videos, and a birthday party for me, woo hoo. Thanks to both of you, you truly out did yourselves. I love you both with all of my heart. I thank my sweet friends Cathy, Karen, and Mary for the birthday cards that filled my home mailbox with love, much love to you all. Karen, thanks so much for my precious prayer box, it will be put to use on a daily basis. To all of you that left birthday messages on my blog, or on facebook, thanks from the bottom of my heart. I love you all bunches. Lovebug out did his self, as always. He ordered me a beautiful birthday cake, I have a picture to show you, sorry the picture is blurry. It was delicious, chocolate cake, with white whipped icing. It had such beautiful roses on it, yellow, purple, and pink. My favorites. It said, happy birthday Denise. The card he gave me was beyond beautiful, made me cry. He took me, and our dear nephew Zach, who is two years old, to the park. Zach, and I, ran all over the place, riding down slides, riding the swings, and the dinosaur. Lovebug took pictures, and laughed, lol After we took Zach home, Lovebug took me out to eat at Golden Corral. Yummy in my tummy. I attacked their chocolate fountain. I dipped strawberries, pineapple, and bananas in the fountain. Whoo Hoo, it was delicious. After we ate, we went home, and lovebug gave me my gifts. This is what I got--Two gift sets of perfume, tweety bird fleece pajamas, warm socks, a charm bracelet with a lovely heart on it, and two shirts. He must like me a little bit, lol He is definitely a keeper. Again, I thank you all for making my birthday so special, bless you all.

Happy Birthday To Me

Well, I did it, I made it to my 48th Birthday. Praise God for bringing me through all He has this year. Today, we are celebrating life, and all the joy that is in my heart. I am beyond thankful for being alive. I love you all, blessings to you.  I will be posting a video about my birthday on Monday.

Saturday Healing Verse

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)       Hello my friends, I pray that your weekend is going well, and that you are smiling really big. Starting today, every Saturday, until the end of this year, I will be posting a healing verse, and writing about it. Today's verse, as you see above, is John 10:10 Such a powerful, and very truthful verse. I have definitely lived this verse my friends. As I was laying in the intensive care unit, totally out of it, from all the medications they were giving me to try to get my brain to quit swelling, the enemy was on me big time. I could feel his presence, he tried his best to bring me down, crush my spirit. I knew he wanted me to truly give in, and to just die.  I could hear his laughter, his wicked voice in my ears, saying, where is your Jesus now, when you need Him the most?? I know he thought that I would give up, and let him win. Well, he was wrong, I kicked his butt back to hell where he belongs, and he went back there alone. I do not belong to him, I belong to my precious Saviour, I am covered by His blood, and by His stripes, I have been, and will continue to be healed. Jesus never left me, He spoke life back into me. He laid His healing hands upon me. He guided the Doctors, and gave them wisdom to know how to treat me. When the Neurologist said, we may have to remove half of your skull, Jesus just smiled at me, and said no, that is not going to happen. Once again, Jesus blessed me with life. Thank You Dear Jesus, I love You.

For Karen-The Prayer Box

A box arrived for me today, just in time for my birthday. Hey, Hey, this has turned out to be a good day. Oh, that sly little fox, how did she know, that I really wanted a prayer box?I bow to her, for she has made my heart glow. I owe her many thanks. Happiness, and much love are filling my heart. Thanks Karen, for always sharing your heart with me. I am very well pleased with my precious prayer box. I love you sweet sis, now, and forever.

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for my upcoming birthday this Sunday. It means more this year, than ever before. Birth Day, it truly feels as if I have been reborn. From nearly dying at the hospital, to being back home with my dear lovebug, that is the greatest gift ever, my life.  I intend to celebrate my life, I do not care who knows my age, which as of Sunday, I will be 48!! Whoo Hoo, bring on the 48 candles, I do not care if you call the fire department, lol I am happy to be 48, God blessed me with another year, He saved me once again. I will praise Him all the days of my life. Thank You God for all of my blessings, of which, I am most thankful for You.

Word Filled Wednesday

Amen, this is the way, walk in it. The road may not always be easy, there will be plenty of bumps along the way. At times, even some huge pot holes. But my friend, do not quit, the straight and narrow path may not be easy, but, it will be so worth it, at the end of your journey.

In Other Words Tuesday

No wound? No scar?
Yet as the Master, shall the servant be,
And pierced are the feet, that follow Me;
But thine are whole. Can he have followed far,
Who has no wound, nor scar? ”

~ Amy Carmichael                                                                                              We all have our share of wounds, and scars. Some are visible, and some are invisible. Some are big, some tiny. Many of us try our best to keep our wounds, and scars hidden away from the world. But, not me.  I am very proud of my wounds, and my scars.  They tell the story of me, a willing servant, and my precious Master. Where He leads, I gladly follow. The wounds, and scars are there on my body, to show the world, that my God is real. He has brought me through the fire many times, showing me what death looked like,but then, pulling me back, renewing my life. Never one time, were there ashes on my body, not even a tiny stench of smoke upon me. Yes, I praise God for every single wound, and scar upon my body!!

Anger: Be Angry, But Do Not Sin

Friends, have you been angry lately? Have you ever been angry? Be totally honest!! Totally honest, well, yes, of course I have been angry before. Especially recently, due to certain events in my life. What, did you think I was happy, about having a stroke, and my brain swelling? Do you think I am happy about the fact, that my brain continues to swell, and I have a blocked artery(100%) in the left back of my brain? No, of course I am not happy about any of this. Am I, or have I been angry? You better believe it my friends. Steam has not come out of my ears, and thank God, I have not blown any gaskets. But, yes, I have experienced anger. I am not perfect, far from it, but praise God, I am saved by His beautiful grace. Anger is not a good thing, a terrible emotion. But, my friends, sometimes we need to express our true emotions. Please do not misunderstand me,  I do not want you to express your anger by hurting others, that is a sin. Do not be angry at the person, be angry at the sin. Pray for them, keep the peace my friends.  In my case, I am angry at the stroke, and my brain swelling, and my diabetes. Not at my Father God, He has not done anything wrong, He loves me, cares about me, and He saved my life. How could I , or why would I, be angry at Him? Never!! I hate that I had a stroke, and that my brain is swelling, so I pray, pray, pray totally against my stroke, and brain swelling. I tell them both, on a daily basis, to go back to hell where they belong, and leave my brain alone!!! I love you sweet friends.

Sonday Sonshine

Oh what a beautiful day my Father God blessed me with today. My sweet sister, Marsha, of Marsha's Musings, came for a visit today. As soon as I saw her, her husband Mike, and two of their precious grandchildren, Lana, and Logan, my face, as well as my heart, began to smile really big.  The visit was way too short, but I was blessed every second I had with them. I wish we had taken some pictures, but we both forgot to.  Marsha is such a faithful, and beautiful prayer warrior. Before they left, she and I held hands, as she prayed for me. From her mouth, straight to God's ears. Thank you Marsha, and your sweet family for blessing me and Eddie, with such a wonderful Sonday. We both love you all very much.

Letter To My Father

Dear Heavenly Father,  Hello from Your daughter Denise. How are You Father? I pray that You are doing really well. As for me, well, of course, You already know how I am doing. But, I thought I would share with You anyway. I have been feeling down the last couple of days Father.  The enemy, is really trying to use my health problems against me. In what ways, You ask?? Financially, the medical bills are beginning to reach the ceiling. All caused by me, of course.  My health has been causing me to feel physically sick, and depressed. I have been feeling like this will be my last Birthday(next Sunday, November 20) and these Holidays, my last ones.  I feel, as if , my brain will not stop swelling, and that blockage in my brain will cause me to have a massive stroke. But, Father, man is only mere man. You, my Father God, are the one, and only, God. My Saviour, my one, and only, Healer. My true Physician. You created me, and only You, know how many days I have left in this world.  I know, how very close I came to dying when I had my stroke, but, You chose to save me. I praise You for that. You have a reason for keeping me here. Whatever You want from me, I will do Father. I am totally Yours. Have Thine own way Lord, have Thine own way. Bye for now Father. I love You beyond measure.

Fearless Friday

Another Fearless Friday is here, time to share our prayer needs, and our praises. Please let me know how I can help you pray my friends. Please join me in praying for my uncle  Ralph(my dad's only brother) he is dealing with prostate cancer, pray for total healing. My  sister Vickie, broke several of her ribs. Pray for them to heal quickly, and for the pain to lessen. My dad will soon be having surgery on his back, pray for wisdom, as the Doctor's perform the surgery. My brother Jim had heart valve surgery while I was in the hospital, pray for his recovery. I have a friend(Mike), who recently had brain surgery to remove a brain tumor, pray for his recovery. My uncle Arnold(my mom's brother in law), had surgery for prostate cancer, pray for his recovery. My dear friend Peggy, has really bad fungus on her finger, pray that God will remove it quickly. Pray for our great niece Sarah, she has been having seizures, she is only 2.  Pray that the Doctor's will find out what is causing the seizures, and be able to stop them. Please pray for me, pray that the swelling in my brain will stop, and that the blockage in my brain will totally dissolve.  I give God the praise for my life, so glad He allows me to still be here.  I praise God for all of you who choose to be my friend, and visit my blog. I love you all, be blessed.

Thankful Thursday

Hello my dear friends, so thankful for all of you. Friendship is such a precious gift, that we give ourselves.  I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful friendships. I have been through so many things , just as so many of you have. I thank God that you were there, loving me, caring about me, and most importantly, praying for me.  I wish I could meet you all face to face, but I am very thankful to know you all, heart to heart. Please know, when I say that I am thankful for you all, and that I love you all, I mean it with all of my heart. I wish you all God's sweetest blessings.

Word Filled Wednesday

Lift your hands toward heaven, and pray, pray, pray. All day long, and into the night. Trust in God, not in man. God never fails you, but man can, and will fail you miserably.Give God the glory, and tell the old time story, of Jesus and His love.

The Gifts That Keep On Giving

Hello my sweet friends, another day is here, another day closer to Christmas. If you are like me and my dear Lovebug, you are probably in a tight money crunch this year. Due to all of my medical problems, we are looking at a huge stack of medical bills. Unfortunately, right now, all we can do is look. Of course, we are in a state of prayer also. We know God will help us through, as He always does. Please know, He can, and will help you through also. Oh, how He loves you, and me. If you are like us, and stressing over what you are going to do about gifts this year, it is time to quit stressing my friends. I have a solution for you, it is what we are going to do. Are you ready?? Give yourself away this year, and every year. Wonder what that crazy shortybear is talking about?? Well, she is going to explain her plan to you. Give your heart away, if you have not already given it to Jesus, please do. If you have given it to Jesus, but need to renew, or refresh, please do. Do not put it off any longer, it is so very important. He is waiting with wide open arms. Your name is written on His heart, now, it is time for His name to be written on your heart. If you need, or want to talk to me about this, or if you need a prayer partner, just email me. My email address is shortybear.63@att.net Then, give your heart to others, by loving them with all of your heart , unconditionally, there is no greater gift, than pure love. Then, give your time away, do not be selfish with your time, instead, be selfless. Think of others, and their needs, not your needs, it will be good for both of you. Give your ears away, sounds weird right?? But, listening, really listening, will mean so much to others. Give your eyes away, another weird suggestion right?? Looking into anothers heart, can, and will tell you so much. It will help you to understand why they are the way they are, and help you to meet them where they need you to meet them the most. Thanks for taking the time to read this post today, may God greatly bless you.

Marriage Monday- Inlaws

Hello my dear friends, welcome to another edition of Marriage Monday. The topic for this month is in laws, or , unfortunately in my case, it is outlaws. Lovebug and I will celebrate 27 years of marriage in April.  We have been trying for all those years, to build some type of relationship with his parents for me. But, unfortunately, they do not want to build any kind of bridge, only break hearts. It is beyond sad, I love his parents for many reasons, number one being, they gave me lovebug. Their love created my precious lovebug. I wish I knew why they feel the way they do, but God knows their hearts. They are both Christians, that is what really bothers me. When I was recently in the hospital, due to my stroke, close to death, they never called, or came to see me. I was in two hospitals, for three weeks. I can accept this, it hurts, but I can accept it. But, my dear lovebug is so stressed, and upset due to this. He went to see them on Saturday, he asked them several questions regarding their recent behaviour. He told them that he was really hurt over the way they had treated us. He told them he really needed them during all of this, but they were not there. They gave him no answers. Please help me to pray for them, may God melt their coldness toward me, and bring us all together. Bless you, and your in laws.

Thankful Thursday

Is Thursday the only day you count your blessings? I pray that you count your blessings daily. Believe me, I do, now, more than ever. On Labor Day, I had my stroke. When I tried to walk, and I was not able to, my dear lovebug had to pick me up, carry me into the bathroom, sit me down on the commode, then pick me up, and carry me back into our bedroom, where he gently sat me back down on our bed. As soon as he sat me back down on the bed, and let go of me, I fell back on the bed, I had no control over my body. When the ambulance got here, they had to pick me up, and put me on the gurney. Friends, I had my stroke on September 5th, so this Saturday, it has been two months since my stroke. I consider it a huge blessing that I am still alive, and that I can walk. My walking is not like it used to be, I walk a little slower, and I walk off balance sometimes. But, that is quite alright with me. At least my legs still work, go me. I get really tired very easy, and sometimes quite often. But hey, so did the little engine, but it kept chugging along, and made it up the mountain. I can see my mountain in the distance. Woo Hoo. When I get tired, my lungs hurt really bad, and I have problems with my breathing. But, praise God, I continue to breathe. Also, when I get tired, it affects my speech. My speech becomes very slurred. But, again, I praise God, because I continue to talk, and talk, and talk. lol!! I give You all the praise Father God,  and I will all the days of my life. My life, which I only continue to live, because of You. To God be the glory, thanks for the gift of life Father God.

About My Weight

Hello dear friends, praying that you are all enjoying this day. I realized when I wrote my update yesterday, I did not say anything at all about my weight. As most of you know, before I had my stroke, I was dealing with an eating disorder. When I first went into the ICU in the hospital, I weighed 100 pounds. After being there for 10 days, they moved me to Siskin Rehab Hospital, they weighed me there the first day I got there, I weighed 104. They made sure that while I was there, I ate 3 meals a day, and because I am diabetic, they also made sure that I had a healthy snack at night. It was good that they did this, I needed all the strength I could get for my daily rehab.  Everyday, I would walk the indoor track, and the outdoor track, and go up and down stairs. After being there for 10 days, I got to go home.  They weighed me the day I left, I weighed 116.  This coming Saturday, I have been home for six weeks. I weighed myself this morning, I weigh 112.  The Doctors told me that one of the main reasons for my eating disorder, was due to the fact that the area where I had my stroke, is where your appetite controller is, plus all of the throwing up I had been doing. Since I have been back home, I can tell a great difference.  I had no appetite before my stroke, but now, I get hungry, and I eat. I do not eat alot, and I try my best to eat healthy. I never want to be over weight again, but, I also never want to be sickly thin either. I want to live my life, be as healthy as I can be, and just be me, imperfections, and all. Take care everyone, God and I love you very much.

Update

Hello sweet friends, praying that you are all doing well. Thought I would update you on my health. I had an appointment with my neurologist yesterday, lovebug got to go with me, was very glad about that. Here is what we now know for sure: My brain is still swelling, have no idea how long it will continue to swell, I definitely have a blocked artery in the same location as where I had my stroke, in the back left of my brain, it is 100 blocked. If I have another stroke, it will be a massive one. But, I know that God is in total control here. I am not giving in to stress, and sadness, I am not giving up on my life, I am laying it all in God's precious, healing, hands. He has taken care of me my entire life, and I know He will continue to carry me through all of life's storms, and together, we will conquer the storm, and create a beautiful rainbow at the end. Thanks for your continued prayers, love you all so much.