Things are Falling into Place, In His Time 10/14/2024

 

Things are Falling into Place, In His Time

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving.  How could we ever count all of our blessings?!  My husband, family, friends, our church family, prayer, fellowship, our salvation, freedom and Jesus’ faithfulness through it all.  That’s just to name a few.    So blessed to have shared our Thanksgiving Dinner with Lesley Savage & Merrill Matthews.  Jamie did the lions share “and I helped”!  Can you remember what advertisement that was from?  MFSIL showed me how to make Great Aunt Bet’s carrot casserole. 

Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”  Matthew 23:37.  So ask yourself, what does this mean?  Pastor Angela Wade has been teaching us about his.

“If you just believe.”  This is a powerful statement because what we believe can change how we look at the world and can become our perspective.  How many of you remember when you encountered this statement, “If you only believe”?  Give this some thought… now get a Thanksgiving Treat, a hot drink, count at least one blessing and we will continue our journey into, “if you only believe”.  Well that is, if you believe that you can finish reading this.  What do you believe?

September was a long month of challenges with my health, but God has been so faithful through it all.  He knew when Jamie & I would need encouragement & sent in the troops.  He knows our needs before we know them.  He goes before us to make a way.  He gave me days of grace too.  Sometimes that all you need to just take the next step.  We truly are never alone in our life’s journey.  Some of these sweet moments are just so special. 

The first week in Oct. was a very busy week.  Trying to figure out what has caused my symptoms since the injection & radiation combination in September.  Which came first, the chicken or the egg kind of inquiry.  God leads the way through it all.  Those who have been on a health journey will understand this kind of crazy list.  

 Saw Extra Mural Nurse on Tuesday - referrals sent
  Saw Family Doctor Tuesday - referrals sent
  Blood work Done Wednesday - by God’s grace through CCH
  Bottom’s Up Cafe Done - Thursday;  It’s surprising what feels like a taste of “normal”.  
  Phone consult my lung specialist on Thursday excellent appt. Plan of action in place for chest x-ray & spirometry test being ordered
 Chest X-ray done on Friday
As soon as my breathing test is completed by respiratory therapist at the hospital he will get the results & then I meet with him in person in the future. 
  Secretary from my gastrointernologist called.  Oct.  15th phone consult with my gastrointernologist.  They have me on a cancellation list.  She will scope me to see what’s going on & stretch my esphogus for swallowing. 
  Have now had my breathing test completed.  Thanks to Sara at CCH. 

Did I forget to mention how blessed we are to have our medical system in place & not owe anything!  That is a very rich blessing.   How about my handsome chauffer, Jamie.  Not forgetting to mention he is an excellent cook.   

How did God send in the reinforcements\troops you might ask?  First I think you should know that you can feel people’s prayers!  Thank you for each and every prayer and all the text messages.  Then God decided to send in some additional blessings… special people. 

First my best Friend from Childhood Howard Reynolds came to visit me on a Thursday afternoon, while Jamie was away at an appt.   He will always be Beav to me.  He’s been through “chest cancer” this year.  Finished the traditional chemo treatments.  Now on a medication they want him to take.  Please be praying for his recovery from chemo treatments and that the medication he is taking won’t have too many side effects.  Those who know, understand.  Those who don’t know, God understands.  Isn’t it wonderful that we don’t have to completely understand to pray because God does.  This cancer journey is not something Beav & I ever thought we’d be doing together.  We’ve done a lot of firsts together too.  We had a wonderful visit & trip down memory lane that day.  It was good for the heart, mind & soul.  We’ve been Friends for over 60 years!  Can you imagine the adventures we have had.  Things changed from Black & White to “Living Color” in our early years both on TV & in real life.  You should ask Beav about some of our adventures.  His perspective will be different than mine but the one thing we are both grateful for is all the years of Friendship & unconditional Christ-like love.  He has shown me a Friend loveth at all times. 

HUGE SURPRISE that really touched my heart!  My Cousin, Richard Stevens called me from a cruise ship!!!  It was just coming into Halifax!  He & his wife, Monette, are who met us in California at the airport and treated Jamie & I to our hotel room for the night stocked with all my gluten free special foods that I needed.   This was after we had flown from the east coast to the west coast, on our way to Hope 4 Cancer in Tijuana, Mexico.  Aunt Sonja & Uncle Dan had dropped us off at the Bangor International Airport and Richard & Monette met us in San Diego, California.  We started the day with family & ended the day with family.  They got a hotel room too & spent the night with us.  The next morning before we left for Mexico, they treated us to a delicious “big breakfast & we all had time to have breakfast together we were being picked up by H4C to go to Mexico.  There is nothing like some real cousin & family love.  I LOVE my cousins.  Each have left footprints on my heart. Of course I love all my Aunts & Uncles too… they have loved us well. 

Another day Lisa Richardson showed up & had baked me GF cookies, an apple pie and a Gluten Free pie crust for our Thanksgiving Dinner!  What special gifts!!  I think I’ve gained weight Lisa!  Another day, Trish Parker & Wade came in His perfect timing too.  Trish brought surprises from she & her Mom.  Trish, Wade, Jamie & I had some fellowship and a powerful prayer time together.  Going directly to the Throne Room of Grace is truly a powerful blessing & gift from God.  Seriouly, we can go there anytime!  

When I was not able to go out for a meal, Angela Wade & Mark send food over to us.  “Special delivery” by Mark.  Another nice HUG from God in His perfect timing.  Bet you all know where “Special Delivery” came from.  Mr. ?

Does God go before us to make a way?  Yes HE does!  He blesses us beyond what we ever expect or sometimes even imagine.  And as you will find out, I have had a vivid imagination since I was a child…

Let me give you another hint but first you must open your mind to a time long ago.  "All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust."  Have you heard this statement?  This was my first encounter where I profoundly remember hearing, “If you only believe.”  It was in the 1954 Disney movie, “Peter Pan”.  How many of you have read this story or seen a version of this movie  like Walter Disney’s animated classic, Steven Spielberg’s Hook in 1992 and it was even preformed live on national television in 2014. 

Oh I just loved “The Wonderful World of Disney” on Sunday nights.  Oh, there goes my ADD again.  Remembering all the treats Mom & Dad would buy for us to enjoy while we all watched.  What were your favorite treats as a child?  Oh I loved red licorices & mini snickers bars and I got that from my Mom.  My Dad taught me to love miniature peanut butter cups that had been frozen.  Most Stevens will admit they have a sweet tooth. 

As you may have guessed, I had quite a creative imagination as a child and was an “all in” kind of girl.  Well I was absolutely convinced that, “if I only believed” I truly would be able to fly, if I had some pixie dust.  Hum… it seems I was not only creative but I also had my own improvisations when needed.   Unknown to my parents one night, while in my PJ’s, I climbed up on the cupboard.  Next, I  sprinkled sugar over myself, as I was convinced that it was pixie dust because it sparkled in the light.   After applying the proper dose of my sugar pixie dust… well I jumped off the cupboard, just knowing I would be able to fly because I truly believed.  Well you can imagine the results of that adventure.  God was good as I did not break anything.  After the thud & crash landing… well as Ricky Ricardo used to say, “I had some splanin to do”.  You do remember the Lucille Ball show don’t you?  Seriously can you imagine trying to raise me?    It was one adventure after the other.  “Naive” must have been my middle name because I KNOW it wasn’t Grace!    I am blessed to have had the parents I did.

No wonder, there was really nothing that my kids did, when they were really young, that ever really shocked me!  I’d probably already had done my version of it or worse as a child.  When my kids had their adventures I gave them creative freedom mixed with a touch of safety precautions as needed.  I remember one time there was indeed flour all over my kitchen.  I simply joined in the fun and when it came time, just had them help me clean it up.  It was a fun memory for me.  Sometimes we need to learn to respond and not react.   That creates some of the real cherished moments with our children & others.  Yes, I moved the flour & in its place put the Tupperware that they could play with without restriction, anytime their hearts desired.  The Tupperware cupboard was indeed a popular cupboard.  Lindsay could easily fit inside the cupboard when emptied out.  Clean up was easy, as they just threw it back in.

Apparently an adventurous spirit lived at Jamie’s house too and her name was Grandma.  I remember she taught the kids how to shoot an elastic in the Red & White Store in Lubec.  Not forgetting all the adventures that my Mom & Dad took them on… fishing, swimming & shooting the BBGun.  Many traditions got passed down too.  Aunt Lassie & Uncle Allan, also brought up the same snare drum that Jamie had handed down to his nephew one New Year’s Day morning.  Yes that’s the day & the favor that was also reciprocated.     

Sometimes I think it was me who surprised my kids!   “Wakey, wakey, rise & shine.  Moonbird is here and the morning is fine.”   Have any of you read, “Introducing The Journey to Earth Moonbird” series by Mike Higgs.  Moonbird would fly from the moon to earth to help anything… from rescuing a kitten to a boy who needed a kite.  Oh I found some creative children’s books for them.  I loved Dr. Suess & Robert Munch too.  How about “The Box Car Children”?  With a quote, like from above, is how I often greeted the kids, when I woke them up for the day.  Truthfully, I was not a morning person by nature but I learned to be by getting up at least an hour before them, so I would be in a bubbly mood when I woke them for school.  Imagine me being over bubbly and that I was your wake up call!!  I am sure all my craziness in the mornings probably motivated them to want to go to school, to escape me at times!  Though we all LOVED storm days.  Blankets, games, popcorn & movies if we had power.  By the Way Dad says that “he’s sorry” as he now knows what you went through as kids as Mom sometimes wake up long before him.  As I’d great him with some fun unique things at times.    You’d have to ask each of them.  I think their perspective might have been or are a little different than mine.  I’ll leave that to your imagination.  

Well you now know my secret that I always wanted to be able to fly since I was a child.  Even though I am afraid of heights, I’ve still always wanted to fly since Peter Pan entered my imagination.  Don’t think I ever wanted to grow up either or still want to fully grow up now in some ways.   I’m sure you’ve seen the mischief in my eyes or heard it in my voice at times.  We are, after all, God’s children and He is our Heavenly Father.  The COOLEST THING is because I BELIEVE in my Lord & King, one day I WILL get to fly in the air!!  1Thessalonians 4:17 says “Then, together with them, we who are still alive & remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.”  NLT    Guess what everyone?  No pixie dust needed!   Peter Pan was right though because it’s ONLY if you believe.   Do you believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross?  Have you asked Him to forgive your sins?  If you have repented of your sins the Bible clearly states, “… as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12  There’s no “Let’s Make a Deal” because it’s a DONE DEAL & it is truly FINISHED!!!   Seriously, if you have repented from your sins He doesn’t see them anymore.  In case satan has tried to convince you that you are not good enough, just before Christ died on the cross He said, in John 19:30 “It is finished.”  Also in Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is NOT from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Just incase you are not sure of the definition of faith, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Hebrews 11: 1 NKJV

So thankful to have gotten to see my Gardner Lake family before Canadian Thanksgiving.  (Sonja, Dan, Elaine, Kevin, Davine & JJ)

Pray you all have had Thanksgiving in the way you needed.  Unless of course you are in the U.S. then that celebration is yet to come on November 28th.  We truly all should be thankful all year long.  When saying grace, two of my favorite things to include is asking God to please bless this food to our bodies, BUT to His use.  And to please truly, truly bless the hands that prepared it, from wherever it started to the table.   A simple way to honor God & bless all the hard work hands of others.  It really is mind boggling if you stop to think about where our food actually started & how many people it involved for us to receive it at our table.   Signing off grateful to each & everyone one of you for all your prayers, friendship & support through this journey.  PRAYER DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!  That is why God tells us to pray without ceasing.  What can you thank God for today?  Who can you pray for today?  May God hear each of your hearts for the special requests for loved ones & others that you keep in the deepest place in your hearts.