Prayers For Baby Gracie

I had called to talk to Melody last night and she told me I needed to hurry and start posting to my blog again because she had a prayer request. Her request is for a friend's 2 month old grand daughter, Gracie. Following a seizure Gracie was diagnosed with Lissencephaly, also known as 'Smooth Brain Syndrome'.

This is a somewhat rare disorder. Normally, while the brain is developing during pregnancy, neurons develop in the center of the brain and migrate to the outer layers of the brain, forming the hills and valleys of the brain . In Lissencephaly children, something goes wrong during this migration and the neurons are left scattered throughout the brain, leaving incomplete connections.

The doctors have told the family that Baby Gracie will probably not live longer than two years. I can't even begin to imagine how heartbreaking it would be to wake up every morning and wonder if this is the day that my baby will die.

We are praying for a miracle here. With your help it could very well happen. We are hoping for a world wide effort in prayers for this precious little one. Please right click on the Baby Gracie graphic above and display it on your blog and send it out in e-mails with the request that it be forwarded on. Feel free to copy this posting and use it in your e-mails and on your blogs. By one hand taking another hand, and another, and another we can form a prayer chain that reaches around the world and all take part in praying for a miracle to touch Baby Gracie.

I have created an e-mail account in case you would like to send a message of hope to Baby Gracie's family : Pray4babygracie@gmail.com

May you be showered with more blessings than you know what to do with.

Preparing for Winter

Springtime tends to speak to us of the warmth of summer being on it's way and nudges us to take that time to clean and prepare for the months to come. So here it is autumn and I can hear it whispering in my ear. Telling me that preparations need to be made for the cold months of winter that is just around the corner. There are windows to be washed, feather beds to be taken from storage and placed on the bed. Quilts and throw rugs to be washed. Winter clothes taken out of storage and washed, while placing summer clothes in the baskets to be stored away for winter. Flower gardens to be cared for and prepped for the winter months. I am thinking that I need a To Do List. While I am at it I think I should go ahead and make another To Do List for what I want to get accomplished over the winter months.

While I am tending to these lists and chores, I will be away for a week or two getting things accomplished. I will be posting when we know more about what is going on with Mindy. Until then, May God Hold You Safely In The Palm Of His Hand.

Urgent Request

If I have learned anything in the time that I have been blogging it is how loving and generous the blogging community is. Especially in time of need. I have followed the blog, 'Wildflower Cabin' for quite a long time now. In fact I think Janice's blog was one of the first to go on my blog roll. My dear friend Nanna called my attention to Wildflower Cabin today in an e-mail. Janice's little 13 month old grand daughter, Poppy died following a car accident the 13th of this month. It is breaking my heart to type this, as I am sure each of you reading this are feeling the same ache in your hearts. Death of any kind can be hard to deal with because we never want to let go of those that we love. When it comes to the death of a child it is always so much more difficult to deal with for the plain and simple reason that their lives are just beginning. I would give anything if I had the words that would take away the pain that little Poppy's family is going through. I'm afraid that the only thing that can do that is prayer and time. As a blogging family we can all reach out to Janice and her family through prayer. Please post this prayer request on your blogs and ask others to post it on theirs. Janice has also asked that anyone that has suffered the loss of a child to please e-mail her with words of encouragement that she can print off for Poppy's Mama and Daddy. She is very concerned for her daughter, as she is feeling that she can never live her life again. Janice's e-mail address is posted on her profile page.

Janice, please know that prayers are going up for the family, that you will feel God wrap you all in the warmth of His healing love and He will help you get through the days and the weeks ahead.

Meaningful Monday A Day Late

I missed posting my Meaningful Monday yesterday. Ike came through over the weekend and at the same time we had a cold front moving in, resulting in a double whammy. We lost our electric for about two hours and from what we are hearing on the news we were very fortunate. Many in the Columbus area are still without electric and not likely to have it restored until Wednesday, while some areas not until Sunday. With those storms moving in, my pain meter has been riding on the high side. After the cortisone shot in my knee, the blood sugar has been spiking into the upper 200's. Of course that puts me in a funky kind of existence. The desire to do something productive is there, but the get up and get-r-done is no where to be found.

When I found this 'Note To Self' graphic, it spoke volumes to me. I am a 'make a note' person. Almost as long as I can remember I have been one of those people that are constantly making notes to get things accomplished. When I was in school, it was so I would be able to remember when certain assignments were do so I didn't miss the deadline and get a BIG ZERO for my work being turned in late. As a young bride, it was just second nature to make notes, so I just continued the practice. Later on as a mother of two active children, those notes were my survival tool to make sure that all activities fell into place and I was where I was supposed to be, when I was supposed to be there. ( Of course there was that one time when I dropped Chris at school for a dance and went home to wait until it was time to pick him up. I fell asleep and awoke to the phone ringing and Chris asking, "Did you forget something?" when I answered the phone.) He still pulls that story out and uses it on me from time to time. These days, my notes are to make sure that I don't forget blood work, doctor's appointments, spending time with the kids, birthdays, grand children's activity schedules and of course grocery lists.

Growing up was not filled with the wonderful memories that most people have. To be quite honest about it, my father was an abuser. He was physically and emotionally abusive to my mother. He was abusive to his children in the order of our birth. His oldest daughter got the physical abuse while his oldest son received the emotional abuse. His youngest son received the physical abuse while myself, the youngest daughter received the emotional abuse. As siblings, we were set up to be dysfunctional by our father. The two that were physically abused, resented the two that were "just" emotionally abused. He created mistrust and jealousy between the four of us. My youngest brother (2 1/2 years my senior) looked for any opportunity to cause me pain. I remember him once waking me to pour pepper in my eyes.

From life with Daddy, I went to a first marriage that turned out to be just more of the same. Needless to say, The majority of my life I didn't have a very good self image, I was very selective about sharing my inner self with anyone, and I spent the better part of my life gathering up any fault that I found laying around, I was trained at an early age to claim it all as mine.

What a wonderful tool the "notes to self" would have been for me in those years. I don't care who you are or how wonderful your life is, everyone has a bad day from time to time. I know personally that I can be my own worse critic when I have a day like that. I think we could all benefit from little "notes to self' reminding us that there is a person within that needs to be reminded of our worth and that we are lovable.

Go ahead and write that "note to self". hoping that you have a day filled with many blessings.

"Note to self: It's OK to not feel good."

Note from Jo........ I want you to know that part of moving ahead with my life has been to accept all aspects of my life before, as the mold that has formed the person that I am. Had I not experienced that life, I would be a different person. Most days, I like who I am.

Continued Prayers

I wanted to give you an update on Mindy. After waiting a week for the results of the CT Scan she got the results on Thursday when she went to the doctor. They found one mass on her lung that is 1 1/4 centimeters in size. They also found numerous small specks all over her lung. The scan also showed that the bottom portion of one lung has collapsed. They found a Lymph node beside the lung that is 3 centimeters in size. The doctor gave her these results and then told her that he couldn't say that she doesn't have cancer, but then he couldn't say that she does either. With that he referred her to a pulmonary specialist. Thank you for all of your prayers and positive energy you have been sending Mindy's way. Your prayers are still very much needed.

I received this award from Tracy@ Spiritual Brush Strokes and I want to thank her for the honor. I just love that little kitten's face. I want to pay this award forward to:

~WELL~

I tried to choose 4 or 5 of my favorite blogs to gift this award to, but couldn't make a choice. Since I can't make a decision, if you are reading this please accept this award for your wonderful blog. I think all of you are just plain wonderful.

Current Addictions

Last but certainly not least, Prixie tagged me for this meme started by Being Brazen.

The rules are:

*Post at least five current addictions (with some details please).

*Mention the person who started this game of tag (i.e Being Brazen) and also the person who just tagged you.

*Type your post with the heading "Current addictions".

*Tag at least two people and pass on the above rules.

Here we go now.

1. Coffee.... I love coffee but do not drink as much as I did when I smoked. If I drink it in the afternoon I can pretty much count on a good case of acid reflux. Still if I am offered a cup in the afternoon I will gladly drink it and suffer the consequences.
2. Blogging.... Either posting or reading. I just plain and simply love blogging.
3. Pogo.... Yes, I am addicted to Pogo. My screen name on Pogo is 'southernohiogirl'. If you play Pogo look for me and say 'Hi'.
4. Popsicles.... I picked this little habit up when I quit smoking. I allow myself one a day, unless my blood sugar drops and then I get another one as a treat.
5. Old TV programs.... WGN out of Chicago started Retro Night not long ago on Sunday nights. They show two episodes of 'WKRP', two of 'Newhart' and two of 'The Honeymooners'. Today is Sunday so that means I will be feeding one of my addictions tonight.

The two friends that I am tagging is:

Kate @ ....... Shambled Manor

Diane @ Diane's Place

That just about sums it up for today. We have grocery shopping to get done today and a little bitty rocking chair to pick up at Chris and Melody's, so Pappaw can work his magic and it tighten it all up for Seth. It was Alley Oop's rocker when she was little and they brought it down from her room to see if Seth would like it. He thinks he is big stuff sitting in that rocker. We are going to have to sneak it out of the house to keep him from throwing a fit. Wishing all a day filled with blessings and happiness.

We Remember Our Military on 9-11

We will remember 9-11 and pay tribute today to those people that experienced the horror of the terrorist acts up close and personal seven years ago. Their lives were changed for ever. We still feel the ache in our hearts for the husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, and children who lost loved ones to this great national tragedy.

It is only fitting that we show tribute as well to those brave men and women that serve us in our military. Some paid the ultimate price with their lives. Some were there when the first of our troops set foot on the foreign soils of Iraq and Afghanistan. Some have returned home having served their time, only to be sent back again and again.

We will never hear them complain, because this is what they do. They serve their country and go where they are told to go. They fight whoever they are told to fight. They do this not only to protect their families, but to protect mine and yours as well. People they have never known, and probably never will. They do this because they are Americans called to serve and protect our country.

Not matter what you think about our troops being there. One thing I have heard over and over again from people that have taken a stand on our presence in the middle east. They all support our troops and pray for their safe return to their families and homes.

As we bow our heads today to offer a prayer for all the lives that the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001 have effected. While we offer a moment of silence to those who have lost their lives on that day and since. Please remember the families of our military that struggle and wait and pray for the safe return of their loved ones.

Please take this candle and place it on the side bar of your blog to show your support to our military men and women. May the light of the candles be bright enough to guide them safely home. Please countinue to read the next post, as it recounts the story of the day a sleeping giant was awakened. Wishing you all a day filled with blessings.

9-11 Remembered

'MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL'

You say that you will never forget where you were when you heard the news on September 11, 2001. Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room with a man who called his wife to say, "Good-bye". I Held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it Is OK..I am ready to go.'

I was with his wife when he called as she fed breakfast to their children. I held her up as she tried to understand his words and as she realized he wasn 't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said. 'Of course I will show you the way home - only believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building with the Priest ministering to the injured and devastated souls. I took him home to tend to his flock in Heaven. He heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat, with every prayer. I was with the crew as they were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the believers there, comforting and assuring them that their faith has saved them.

I was in Texas,Virginia, California, Michigan, Afghanistan.. I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news. Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath. Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... This way... Take My hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me. But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You may not know why, but I do. However, if you were there in that explosive moment in time, would you have reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey for you. But someday your journey will end. And I will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are'ready to go.'

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

© Stacey Randall

Note from Jo: A special thank you to my dear friend Nanna's sister-in-law Cathy for sending this to me to post. Wishing all a day full of blessings.

Meaningful Monday

Every time I am asked to pray, I think of the old deacon who always prayed, 'Lord, prop us up on our leanin' side.' After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently.

He answered, 'Well sir, you see, it's like this... I got an old barn out back. It's been there a long time; it's withstood a lot of weather; it's gone through a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years. It's still standing. But one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn't fall.

Then I got to thinking about that and how much I was like that old barn. I've been around a long time. I've withstood a lot of life's storms. I've withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I've withstood a lot of hard times, and I'm still standing too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop us up on our leaning side, 'cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning at times.

Sometimes we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning toward cussing, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't .

So we need to pray, 'Lord, prop us up on our leaning side, so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Lord.''

Wishing all a week filled with blessings and happiness. May some of your blessings be people that will serve as those pine prop poles to hold you up when you start to lean.

Wild Thing......You Make My Heart Sing

Here it is Saturday already and we are spending the day with Seth and Riley while Mommy and Daddy have a day out. When I went to the Dr Tuesday my pain level was an 8 - 8 1/2. With that he decided to try the cortisone shot in my knee to see if it will help any. I have to say it has been 4 days and I have had some relief to the pain in my knee, but when you add to the equation the fibromyalgia and the pain in my hip that is a constant, the shot to the knee was sort of like throwing a bucket of water on a forest fire. Although the knee is no longer hurting the rest of me still is. He was very concerned that my Vitamin D levels in my blood work was so extremely low. So he ordered more blood work to start the process of elimination to find the cause for that. Riley had his first soccer game of the season this morning so I figured we could go by the lab, get my blood work taken care of, go to Riley's game and then spend time with the boys. It was a good plan except for the blood work. Who ever was scheduled to draw blood today didn't show up. So no blood work today.

I neglected to bring the camera, but I thought the above picture would pretty much fit in. I have a story to tell you about something Alley Oop did the last time she came to spend the night with us. The head board on the bed in the guest room is metal with bars. Pretty much like the old iron head boards. Oop had gone in to plug her cell phone in to recharge and was gone for quite some time. When she finally came back to the living room she had this sheepish grin on her face. I asked her what has she been up to and she didn't hesitate to tell us all about her adventures in the guest room...... It seems that the only outlet that she could think of to plug her phone into was behind the head board of the bed so she stuck her arm through the bars, but she couldn't feel the outlet. So she then stuck her head through the bars on the head board so she could see where the outlet was. It seems that her head got stuck and she was there for quite a while struggling to get it out. When I was able to stop laughing long enough to talk, I asked her why she didn't yell for help. I mean talk about a photo op. She laughed and said that's why she didn't yell for help. So I don't have a picture to share of that one, but it gives you a chance to use your imagination and get a mental visual of it. What was really so funny to me was that she didn't want me to take a picture of something like that, but she couldn't wait to tell us about it. That's our Alley Oop though.

We still haven't heard back from the Dr about Mindy's CT Scan. The waiting for knowledge of unknown is always the most difficult part of an illness. I will let you know when we hear anything. As for friends and family in Louisiana during Gustav, they were all fine and didn't have any damage to any of the property.

That's it for now. I wish you many blessings and much happiness.

Instructions For A Hard Life........

I have a prayer request to send out for Melody's (our daughter-in-law) sister, Mindy. Mindy is 29 years old. She is married and the mother of two sweet girls. Recently she was diagnosed with emphysema. That was quite a blow to all of us. Now they have looked the x-rays over closely and are seeing a couple of places on her lungs that they want to have a closer look at. Melody will be going with her tomorrow to get a CT Scan. If you are so inclined, please send up some prayers for Mindy and the family. If prayer isn't your way, she could sure use a lot of positive energy coming her way. It will probably be a couple of days before she gets the results, but as soon as I hear anything you will be the next in line to know.

J.D.'s family in Louisiana are all safe and sound. His brother told him that they lost their power for a few minutes and had winds of about 35 MPH. Like J.D. pointed out...... we get winds a lot higher than that here on the mountain ridge. Thanks to all for sending up prayers for their safety.

I had a doctors appointment this morning and got a shot of cortisone in my knee and am supposed to have it up for now with ice on it. I will post more about my appointment tomorrow. Right now, I need to hobble to the couch and follow instructions.

Wishing you a day of blessings and happiness.

Meaningful Monday

My Special Place

There is a special place in life,

That needs my humble skill,

A certain job I'm meant to do,

That no one else can fulfill.

The time will be demanding,

The pay is not too good,

And I wouldn't change it

For a moment, even if I could.

There is a special place in life,

A goal I must attain,

A dream that I must follow,

Because I won't be back again.

There is a mark that I must leave,

However small it seems to be,

A legacy of love for those,

Who follow after me.

There is a special place in life,

That only I may share,

A little path that bears my name,

Awaiting me somewhere.

There is a hand that I must hold,

A word that I must say,

A smile that I must give,

for there are tears to blow away.

There is a special place in life,

That I was meant to fill,

A sunny spot where flowers grow,

Upon a windy hill.

There's always a tomorrow,

And the best is yet to be,

For somewhere in this world,

I know there is a place for me.

~Author Unknown

So there you have it friends, yet one more of those beautiful examples penned by our friend 'Author Unknown' that circulates the inboxes. I did a google search this morning trying to find this poem some place out there with an actual name, but came up empty handed.

When I first read this poem it felt as if it was written with me in mind, because it speaks so clearly of the way I have felt most of my life. Here I am 59 years old and I still feel as if there is something more that I need to do. My belief has always been that we are all put on this earth with a purpose to fulfill. It is just a matter of sitting quietly for a while and listening to the world around you. When it is your turn to contribute, you will just know. I have also long believed that when we have fulfilled our worldly purpose then we are permitted to move on to a higher plain. I have a feeling that the beauty that we are given a taste of in this world can not compare to what lays in store. So take some time, sit, listen and be generous with the gifts you have been given to share with others.

Please hold those that are in the path of Gustav in your prayers. We have family and friends in the Lake Charles, Louisiana area and are anxiously watching the news reports his morning. May your week be filled with blessings.