Fads, Phases or Crazes vs the Solid Rock. - 11/11/2024

 Fads, Phase or Craze vs the Solid Rock.

Was blessed to have two dear Friends take me on an adventure one day.  It was especially sweet to go with them, after having had such a long journey of days not feeling well.  Thinking Jamie appreciated the break too.  Cry Freedom for us both.   Ang & Joy, I’d like to also point out that Jamie owes you big now.  Remember he makes a really delicious glazed ham.  There are always blessings in the storms on our life’s journey.  Who can you be a blessing to today?

Now, if you’d like, it’s time for you to go on your adventure with me again.  Warning, make sure you get on your comfortable hiking boots .  Please bring lots of nutritional drinks -hydration, hydration, hydration right Trish & Lisa.  Of course bring some of your favorite nutritional\energy snacks for this adventure today too.  We need to enjoy the outdoors while we can.  Remember there is a cool breeze today, so be sure to dress in layers.

Do you have any pets in your house?  Do you make special accommodations for your pets?  Was wondering, what is your kind of decor?  Have you ever dreamt of having a white stucco ceiling with red polka dots?  People who know me, know that I am not much of a decorator.  I’m pretty basic and more of an earth tones kind of girl.  When we acquired our home on Campobello… well it had many of the colors from the 70’s… hot pink, almost fluorescent yellow and under the paneling in the living room we discovered a very distinctive slime green, etc.  You do remember the phase of wood paneling on the walls in your home, don’t you?  Even this hippy-spirited soul girl bought a few gallons of paint & painted the walls into submission into the selected earth tone beige.  Here’s another memory… do you all remember the throw back of shag carpeting?  That was a fantastic place for hiding surprises of spills & unexpected leftovers.  What about when the kids were little & got sick?    It was an adventure and a real labor of love to truly attempt cleaning those shag carpets!  Honestly, I’m not even sure if I ever got them fully clean. If they had sent samples of those used shag carpets to a lab , I am sure they’d of made great scientific discoveries… like penicillin… you know, mold! 

Having been blessed to have lived near the ocean all my life… and then being married to a sea captain my whole married life… well you tend to look at things from a nautical perspective ️ at times.  Also, I have always loved learning about & noting the weather.  In the routines of life there are many ebbs & flows.  Sometimes you can even get grounded out in your boat of life. 

“Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.”  Isaiah 26:4  NIV. 

It’s all in your perspective have you grounded out on the rocks or are you hanging onto the Solid Rock?   He’s still Rolling Stones away today.

When we are journeying on the oceans of life, some seas are significantly rougher than others, as the  unexpected storms occur in varying intensities. In the unexpected there can be strong, dangerous, undertows from such storms.  You’ve heard the stories of people not being unaware of the undertows and then unexpected swept away to drown.  Are we going to be pulled under or will we choose to dance in the deep with the Lord?   A life-ring is a common apparatus for rescuing a man overboard or a lost soul at sea. Scripture verses can be our life-rings for when these unexpected storms strike.  Walking with our Lord is an essential choice that we need to make everyday when we wake up.  With that being said, I am so thankful that the several unexpected storms of September, seem to be behind us.  Many lessons were learned & a strong sense of true gratitude intensified, yet again.  It truly is the simple things that are distinct blessings.  As they say, you sometimes never know what you’ve got until it’s gone.  I said “behind us” because we are definitely a team.  For that specific blessing, I praise the Lord more than I can really express in words, but I know that God hears my heart even when I can’t.  So very thankful for Jamie’s love, support & how he plays the double roll of husband & care-giver for me. 

When the storms strike, we hold fast to our only “true north”, God.  We can keep our feet firmly planted on the rock of God’s truths.  As they say, the greatest battle-field is the mind.  Those who have gone through serious illness and trials know the truth of this, because God reveals himself in those places.  We need to focus on God & His truths, so as to not get lost in the intensity of the storms.  Is it always easy?  NO!  Is there frustration? YES!  Can there be tears?  YES!  If it were easy, we could be deceived into thinking that we don’t need God.  That seems to be the undertow that the world has today… living for self… if it feels right or makes one happy then it’s ok to just do it, etc.  This is one of the highest forms of satan’s deception.  If we are truthful, we can all think of times that satan has deceived us.  What I have learned from these experiences is that absolutely NOTHING satan has to offer will fill the void(s) that we have in our hearts, minds & souls.  You see only God can satisfy these longings.   God wants us to be raw & real and bring everything to Him.  He has seen me at what I felt was my best & seen me at my absolute worst.  He loves me just the same.  I have said to Jamie that in life I had to learn to trust myself enough to FULLY trust in the Lord.  Stop, pause & think about that statement for a few minutes.  You see in my life I have made so many poor choices and some devastating ones.  So much so I did not know if I could trust myself due to my many mistakes.  Here is where God’s mercy & grace apply because He offers us the opportunity of full forgiveness and to learn from our mistakes, IF we are willing.  How many of you have spent countless, sleepless nights before you finally took the causes of your unrest to God.   If I am honest, I sadly hung onto some for years. 

“You will keep in perfect peace, those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you”.  Isaiah 26:3  NIV

God’s peace is strikingly different than how we define earthly peace.  God’s peace does not come through earthly fulfillment like a new job, a car, a house etc.  Do you remember the SEARS catalogue and dreaming of getting that long awaited toy.  If I received it, I would play with my new toy, but through the passage of time its use & value would dwindle.  I did so love my “Easy Bake Oven” though.  It was our version of today’s cooking shows.    Believe me you would have been well entertained with my cooking adventures as a child.  Even as an adult there have been some real doozies.  Ask the sea gulls on Campobello about my tofu cheese cake that was not edible by man nor beast.  Seriously, NOT even the sea gulls ate it!   Looks can be decieving.  It had to naturally decompose, which wasn’t so natural, as it took a very long time. 

Do you remember those large plastic spaghetti strainers?  If my parents were still alive, you could ask my Mom or Dad about the time I melted our plastic spaghetti strainer in the oven.  All my Mom had asked me to do was to turn on the oven, as she wanted to bake me some brownies.  I excitedly turned on the oven, forgetting that during my chore time instead of drying the plastic strainer with the dishtowel, I had strategically placed it in the oven so it would be self-drying.   I should confess that I often did this with the pots & pans and their covers too.  You can guess what happened when I turned the oven to 350 degrees to warm it up for my Mom to make me brownies. Of course I had placed that plastic strainer on the top rack of the oven when I put it in for it to drip-dry.  The oxymoron is that it looked like spaghetti hanging down through the oven racks when it melted.  .  Let’s just say that I ended up scraping plastic off both oven racks & a lot of burnt plastic off the bottom of the oven over many hours.  To taunt me the burnt plastic looked like brownies in the bottom of the oven. Much to my Mom’s chagrin, my Dad came to my rescue when he found me in tears on the back door step while trying to scrape off the oven racks.  Do I dare confess that to this day I still place things in the oven to drip-dry?  I did however invest in a metal spaghetti strainer.   I guess I partially learned my lesson.  Kind of like how we are with God at times.  How many times before we learn the concept of what God is really trying to teach us.  True story, Jamie is fully trained to open the oven door & check BEFORE he turns the oven on.   

There will always be a new phase or craze.  Let’s look at some stuffed animal crazes…  Winnie-the-Pooh, Beanie Babies, Furbys, Tickle-me-Elmo, Teddy Ruxpin, Plushies etc.   Do you remember when they even had the one’s that were “virtual pets” like Digimon & Tamagotchi?  Come on, be truthful…. How many of you collected Pokemons?   Are you tempted to download that app again or do you still possibly have it?    Now ask yourself, how many of these trends lasted.  There is only one trend that has lasted through the ages that will bring true contentment.  Contentment blossoms from being grateful for what we have, NOT what we feel we want!  Contentment comes directly from gratitude when mixed with the blessing from God’s Throne of Mercy & Grace.  I have heard many people say that God never gives us more than we can handle.  I strongly disagree with that statement.  He gives us more than we can handle, so we have the blessing of being  able to recognize that we can turn to Him for help.   It doesn’t make sense that we would turn to Him if life were easy.  If we are honest, it is in the hardest places that truly teach us to recognize our need for Him so vividly. Like when lightening flashes during the darkest night.  We need to recognize our need for Him…  we need to acknowledge our need for Him…  and we need choose to live in that space DAILY with Him.   Acknowledging our need for Him is NOT a weakness, it is a STRENGTH!  Again, His mercy & grace cannot be measured in an earthly capacity, because it is spiritual.  Through my most extraordinary trails is where He has strengthened me the most, spiritually.  That in turn gives me the wisdom & strength to keep taking those next steps with Him. 

We are about to be off for some adventures very soon.  On “Nov. 15th” my gastroentronologist will be doing an Upper Endoscopy.   At this time she will stretch my Schatzki’s ring, which will enable me to swallow food better, without it getting stuck.  With the size of my stomach you wouldn’t think that was even an issue.    Anywho… Pop-cycles, jello & cold drinks for several days for me.  Good thing my Swamp Water\Frog Pond water (Essiac Tea) that I drink 3x’s daily has to be kept refrigerated.  Darn, I won’t have to miss any doses.   Yes I am still faithfully drinking it chilled… 6oz, three times a day… pulp & all.    If I invite you over for tea, beware!  Willing to share any time with anyone who is brave enough to try it. 

When I go for my procedure, I will need to remind them of my usuals… that I am allergic to latex and that I need to receive that “magic anti-nausea cocktail”, so I don’t get sick from the anaesthetic.   Those that have this anaesthetic or nausea issue will understand.   Oh.. there goes my ADD again hi-jacking the show.   Hoping you are still wearing your hiking boots  & not getting too tired yet.  Maybe it’s time for you to stop for a snack & drink now…   Anyway, I had this procedure done about three years ago.  It is an outpatient procedure, so I should get to come home the same day.  No food or drink from midnight on the night before my procedure, so when I arrive at the Regional at 11:30 am that day, I will be a hungry camper.  In contrast afterwards, I probably won’t care about eating.  Maybe I can lose some weight???  Did I hear you laughing… well it doesn’t hurt for a girl to dream a little.  Last time my gastroenterologist did this was during COVID times.   At the time, I also needed a colonoscopy.  You know, “The Great Wipe & Swipe”.   During COVID, I did not want to have to go the hospital twice, so I asked her if she would be willing to do both the same day for me.  Guess what?  She did!   Maybe I am a glutton for punishment.  When I arrived that morning, I asked her to be sure NOT to mix up the scopes.    We both got a chuckle from that.  Thank you Lord for humor. 

The next week on November 19th I have a CT Scan & Bone Scan on the same day.  I love that they are willing to do that for me, so there is only one trip to Saint John.  Please be praying for God’s will in these test results and for whom God will place in my path this day.  Remember that’s the day that I will be beyond hungry on my high doses of prednisone, so I don’t react to the CT Scan dye.  As this is my 6th set of scans since May 2023, Jamie is now well trained for this and will bring a lot of snacks for me.  If he’s good maybe I will share with him.  Though I must confess that I am not good at sharing when on such high doses of prednisone.  They say that honesty is the best policy, so in the spirit of being honest… I wouldn’t stand between me & food if you see me that day.     ***Lisa & Trish are ahead of me as they both just had theirs done.  Let’s all continue to be praying for them as they continue their journeys to wellness too.  And please add my Friend Aubrey, whom you have prayed for before.  I met her at Hope 4 Cancer\H4C.

Back to the question of if you have pet.  Technically my breathing issues do not allow me to have pets… but it seems that Mother Nature decided to give us quite a few at the same time.  Sometimes that happens.  When we had cats… oh the flea issues that would occur.  I learned what “bombing our house for fleas” was.  I also learned the “life cycle of a flea”.   Not thinking it was anything that would ever become a high priority in my life, but with cats it did!   Any of you dealt with fleas before?  Oh what about those flea bites too.  They loved Jamie the best.  He looked like he had measles on his legs.  I was mortified when I sprayed a sheet with repellant & laid it on our wooden floor,  only to find hundreds of dead fleas on it the next morning.  This test was proof of the seriousness of the infestation of fleas in our home.  FYI, they thrive living in between the cracks of wooden floors.  Science needed to create a way to deal with them.  Flea collars weren’t enough and then of course there was the story they told us that an eagle could pick up a cat by its collar, so NO more collars.   Once when bombing the house for fleas, it misfired & Jamie got sprayed!  All at the crucial time you are supposed to exit & not enter back in for several hours.  Eventually there were monthly treatments for each cat with a liquid that went behind their neck.  It seemed that I had one cat with special allergies.  Poor Maggie May had to be given Benadryl with each treatment she had… as her fur even fell out in the area it was placed!  We even had one cat that was allergic to fleas.  There were many, many cat adventures in our home.  Just ask Jamie & our kids.

Any way back to our recent unwelcome,  pet 

, or should I say pesky guests in our apartment… no they were NOT ladybugs.  Windows had been opened on the nice days, but screens were closed… those pesky beetles, that are “NOT lady bugs”, kept finding their way in from our deck.  We discovered a space at the top of the screen door where they were gaining entrance.   They seemed to love our apartment and especially loved to come out on those warm afternoons.  You know the ones where you love to air your home out. They particularly loved our stucco ceilings.  Jamie prevailed & did not relent to our red moving polka-dotted stucco ceilings.  He got the shop vac out and sucked the little red buggers up.  My dream had never been to have white ceiling with little red moving polka dots.  Maybe it will become a trend like black-lights.  One never knows. Do I dare confess that one year, one survived and so in all fairness, I let it live in our apartment until it gave up the ghost.  Like a lot of us, the kitchen was it’s favorite place.  Jamie I just found one hiding in the hanging lamp shade or should I say hanging out in it? 

On this journey appointments are just part of regular life.  You keep a notebook & pen handy incase the phone rings… extra-mural, oncology & various medical departments.  Keeping them all straight is another story & can be a full-time job.  I like to be my own secretary for this.  Praise the Lord for my iPad!  It seriously is my memory & the true brains of the outfit, as far as appointments!  Thank the Lord that my grandkids introduced me to Apple technology all those years ago. 

With my many appointments in October now behind me...  there still are many appointments ahead of me.  It’s like the song that never ends.  You do all remember that song don’t you.  Also met with my oncologist recently, she said I was stable.  I was even able to walk all the way down to the oncology department!  By the way, that’s twice I’ve been told that I am stable, so Jamie will just have to get used to the concept.  Praying this trend continues.   Endoscopy scheduled for Nov.15th.  CT Scan & Bone Scans scheduled for Nov. 19th.  Within a couple of weeks from then, I should have my test results.  My rash\hives from the injection are under control It seems the injections create a new design every time.  Not sure if it’s a dot-to-dot pattern or an etcha-sketch design.    Remember spirographs? 

After having my chest x-ray & doing my breathing test, I did also meet with my lung specialist.    My lungs have diminished a bit since 2021 but they still sounded clear.  Too bad my belly wouldn’t diminish a bit!  Still sporting my twins Angela & Joy very well.  Though my clothes seem to be tight.  My Lung specialist has a plan of action & medication all called in, should my lung issues kick up again.  Praying that was just a reaction from the overload of my fall allergies and the combo of treatments.  Funny fall is still my favorite time of the year.  What’s your favorite time of the year weather wise?  What I have learned is no matter the weather, the Lord is my solid Rock.  He has proven himself faithful to me through it all. 

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10 NIV

Bet you are really glad that you finally reached home so you can take your hiking boots  off, enjoy a hot bath  and the beverage of your choice that you no longer have to carry!   Maybe even a home cooked meal will be waiting for you.  Again thank you for the gift of your prayers, text messages, love & support.  They mean the world to me.  May God continue to bless you each in the ways you each need.  Holy Spirit Hugs from My Heart to Each of Your Hearts.