That is the sign of maturity, Ginny. To welcome and not recoil from that refinement….I want it too, until it happens. Then I become five years old all over again. Thank you for always sharing your thoughts here Gin. LY.

Thank you for all you shared, Lar. You have been through a lot too. And I completely agree with you – those two women God gave you are two of the most amazing blessings I’ve ever known. They bless you and they bless me. 🙂

I was touched by your blog today and am blessed by the things you have and are going through knowing that He will be using you all the way through what ever is coming.

In times during my days of what I would call blessings, I have learned that during the lowest of times, is when He is nearer, and so close I could almost feel His breath. It is during those times when I knew with all my being, that I could do nothing about my own condition or my future. Once I was hospitalized and after days and days and what seemed like eternity, my wife who had been putting herself through all that could be imanagable to be at my side told me that she needed to go home, and would need to start going home each night to take care of other things, like the living little blessing He had given both of us. I had up until then put my self and my desires and my needs first, before all or anyone else in my life. Even my wife and my daughter. I was at a stage in my condition that I knew I was perhaps dying, and that nothing could really be done any more than pray. I had been so blessed by both of the women in my life that I could not even begin to express just how or even to the extent that or the depth of just how much they both had blessed me. I was laying in bed with tubes coming out my side, I had been there for several weeks and could not take care of my own personal and private needs on my own. With all of this, god knew that my wife needed to minister to our daughter and that I needed to be ministered to by Him. On the ceiling above my bed were verses that my daughter had printed out and had taped them to the drop celing tiles so that I could see them at all hours of the day and night. The first night my wife had gone home to look after our daughter who was at that time being taken care of by our believing extended family of brothers and sisters, I felt very alone and now depending on those of the hospital staff to help me with my very persoanl needs where my wife had helped me before. I had put my needs before that of my family, those that I loved more than anything else on this earth. I needed to hear from Him and could not if someone else was there, and I did not realize that until later that first night, I needed to hear him say to me directly “QUIT FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF” “I AM HERE”.

From that point on, when I was alone with Him, it was then that He started to use me and that my room became a room of healing, a room of prayer, and I started praying for the hospital staff that had come into my room. It was then that I could have a in-depth peace with just Him. It was then that I grew closer to Him and was able to really see those verses on the celing above me and realize how blessed I was that they were there. It was those same verses that caused the staff to bring up Him to me in questions and about how those verses even got there and what those verses meant. It was because of the love for me that my wife and dauther had, and their being obedient to Him, that enabled me to minister then to others in the private of my hospital room. I would pray over the food servers, the room sanitation people, the nurses and yes for everyone but my self. It was not until then did I start to really get better. So Sis I say all of this to say, keep Him near, as it is your presonal and only your personal relationship with Him that truly matters, He will lead you in all things, He will always be there, He will always love on you when you need it the most, He will give you strength when you know you have none of your own left, He will provide you with the peace that is beyone all understanding, He will overlook and protect those of your loved ones that love Him as well, He will so all things, all he wants is just all that you have and that is giving Him thanks for all things, good or bad, for with out Him we have nothing. Thanking Him for all that He provides, recognizing Him for all that He is.

Blessings
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I know exactly what you’re talking about Patty…sometimes I’m so blind to the blessings poured out on me. I am seriously thinking about coming to Syracuse with Sharon….if I can get all my ducks in a row here, I’ll do it. It would be so lovely to meet you finally. You are a blessing.

Dorothy you have blessed me and our family in a thousand ways…if peoples’ riches were counted by the ways they love, you would be a gazillionaire. LY…

Yes Sue…I often wonder about the line between complaining and honest sharing. For me I think it’s a heart attitude…others might not know, but I know when I’m just sharing information and when I’m actually sort of whining. There’s an intimacy missing when people can’t share their hearts, and there’s a weariness that comes from being with people who only complain. When I think of someone who strikes a perfect balance in this area, I think of you….

On the material level today I am most thankful for hot running water.

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Have you been challenged on how to balance being honest in reporting hard life circumstances and the real grief that sometimes accompanies them with the desire to live an uncomplaining life? Where does one cross the line from reporting to complaining?