Symptom Relief Prayer Request

More reasons (symptoms) to pray.  Thank you.

Pain -
         low abdomen,
         uterine
         hips
         back, neck and shoulder (from car accidents 26+years ago)
         hernia
         scar
         area where they tied off much of the surgery large, hard, still painful
         feet
         rib and liver/gallbladder
         ankle
         teeth
         muscle pain - just pick a spot - everywhere


 Other symptoms:

 blurred vision
 hormonal upsets
 severe vaginal yeast infection
 itching
 bloating
 nausea
 muscle weakness
 nerves totally on edge
 not sleeping well

 Need I say more?
 I am a mess. 
And this is only a partial list. 
Most of this is ongoing.
Heightened at times.
Like today.
Wish I could take a vacation without my body.
Difficult to think, pray, read...
Too exhausted to get anything done.
I do not do well in heat.  I enjoy temps in the 60's - they are coming:)

I hesitate to post such a list of complaints.  Many are far worse off than I am.  
  

A Pictoral Glimpse of the Past Month

Busy.  Work.  Togetherness.
               Bounty.   Food.  Prepare for Winter.
                                           Blessed.   Family.   Home.

Colby Cheese

Great Pyrenees/Maremma Pup

On the way to a family reunion in Minnesota

                                       

We celebrated two birthdays and our anniversary in the same week

                        

Mud Puppy

                                                                 

                                                                     Salsa

Neighborhood cabbage harvest and kraut making

                                                 

Mozzarella

                                                   

Chicken tractor rework

                                                    

Boys need laundry skill too

                                        

Australian Heart tomatoes get huge and are delicious!

                                   

chilis

                                                        

                                                                     Okra

Karen's dream come true - a hammered dulcimer

                                      

Putting up hay (this is our neighbor's tractor)

                                       

Hiking and exploring

                                                        

New chicks

                                               

Hiking with friends

                                                           

More mucking

                                                             

Saving seeds for next year

                                             

Blueberry picking (in spite of lack of rain, this year's berries were sweet from the high heat)

                

Our sunflower field

                                                          

A last minute trip to southern Wisconsin and Chicago for our older children

                   

Milking at an organic dairy farm

                                                  

Bible conference

                                                          

City driving (so glad we live where we do)

                                                               

Playing her dulcimer

                                       
Okay, this was perhaps too many pictures.  I meant to organize them and arrange them more sensically,  but I am not extremely computer savvy, and figuring it all out and fixing it was proving to be an exercise in futility and frustration.  Hope you enjoy them anyway.

Ellen

His Mercies Are New Every Morning

Isaiah 40:28-29

Hast thou not known?  hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not, neither is weary?  there is no searching of his understanding.  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have not might he increaseth strength. 

 Ellen

Silver and Gold

"Make new friends, but keep the old: 
                                                one is silver and the other gold."

I have a story to share.  Twenty-six years ago, we lived in New Mexico and were good friends with another young couple from our church.  The husband was in the Air Force stationed in NM for a couple of years.  Besides numerous church activities, we went wilderness camping and hiking together several times.  We both had our first babies the same year, and we camped and hiked in the mountains with them too:)

After leaving New Mexico, they lived numerous places, and we moved overseas.  We corresponded for several years until the time they were stationed in Saudia Arabia.  We could no longer contact them, and we did not hear from them from that point on.  We were not sure if they were even alive.  For years we tried to find them, but to no avail.

Our daughter has a Facebook account for her business, and she got a message from our "long lost friend".  He explained who he was, and that he was trying to contact us - wondering if we were her parents (her unusual name gave him hope).  She showed us his request and we soon connected via e-mail.

These friends are from Mississippi and New Mexico and are true Southerners at heart.  How surprised we were to hear that they are living just north of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Minnesota area - about 3 hours from us!  Because of my health and surgery, we were not able to get together right away, but I am happy to say, they made the trip over here to visit us recently:)  It was amazing.  We never expected to see them again.  Their children are all grown and moved away so we didn't get to meet them yet, but we shared pictures, stories, life events etc. (Yes, I did have to lie down to rest a couple of times during the visit, but they were gracious and wore no perfumed or chemical products -even their laundry had no fumes and no dryer sheets were used -which helped tremendously)  The last time we had seen each other, we were our oldest children's age.  What a tremendous blessing it was to reconnect with them. God is amazing!

OneYear Ago

I am so thankful to be here today instead of where I was (Monday, July 25, 2011) one year ago...hospital, mass, tests, anesthesia, surgery, pain, difficulty breathing, drug side effects...fighting for life.
I thank God for answered prayers both then and now.

God's Priorities Are Perfect

Security is not found in safety.  Safety is an illusion.  Security is doing things God's way...in God's order...and in accepting God's timing.  Just some food for thought.

I have had a little more strength the past week - thanks be to God.  My pain levels, however, have been HIGH.  Headaches continue, mid back and rib pain on the right side are horrible and low back and hip pain are awful.  All the muscles in my body feel like I must have climbed Mount Everest this week.  The muscle fibers seems to seize up and not let go.  I do take extra minerals, but they don't seem to be helping much.   I broke my coccyx years ago while delivering one of our babies, and that pain flares up periodically.  It has been difficult to deal with lately because it hurts to sit, to walk, to lie down in certain positions etc.  It is especially painful to release pressure while getting up from a sitting position.

I will not bore you with the rest of my complaints:)

This is a busy time of year on a homestead.  God has also brought some interesting ministry opportunities to our children.  He has been changing our plans, often surprising us by what He has planned (that is the way we want it to be - his plans are what we want all of our plans to be).  It requires us to be flexible and to allow God's priorities to take presidence. He is wonderful!

Ellen

Intercession

But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.    Romans 8:25-26

I did not get a large number of responses from those reading my posts, but I so appreciate those special few of you who read and pray for me!  Thank you.  I also have written this blog to help my children so that they don't always have to be figuring out how to answer the kind question "How is your Mom doing?".

Today is one of those days I am so thankful for your prayers.  I am feeling sad, overwhelmed by several things, isolated, exhausted, frustrated, and wondering what else I should be doing to get stronger (but having no strength to do it), truly wondering if my health will EVER get better.  I am tired of working so hard just to survive.  I have to do so much just not to get worse, while I am still not getting better.  I still have hope in the LORD which is sure.  I can't imagine how people get through difficult or impossible circumstances without the LORD.  The more unable I become, the more I must learn to trust and rest.  That brings a good result, but is not always easy.  I have to be content with what each day holds, even if I can't go anywhere or do anything but lie down or sit in my recliner (a loving gift from Gregg's parents that has blessed me immensely).  It is especially difficult when this has been going on for weeks and weeks and so much of it for years and years.  I think most people think I have "good" or normal days, but honestly, I don't even remember what normal or energy feels like.

I know you each have your own hurts and challenging people and circumstances to deal with.  Counting blessings and thanking God is a good way to see life from a better perspective.  I pray for you also, that God will conform you to his image (see Romans 8).
 
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Romans 8:28-29 

Loving You Friends,
Ellen