I'll Never Be Paul; However....

Wow. I was reading Acts 16 today for my Bible study and once again read the story of Paul and Silas getting thrown in jail for casting a demon out of a slave girl.  She told fortunes, and the Bible stated she got her powers from a demon.  Her owners didn't care, because she was making them money!

So when Paul cast the spirit out of her, they were mad, because they're money-maker no longer made money!  They were beaten, flogged publicly, had no trial, they were in a thrown in the dungeon of the prison, their feet in chains, it was midnight, and guess what they were doing?  Sleeping?  Crying?  Cursing?

Nope.

They were singing hymns and praising God.  See, they KNEW God had plans for them.  They KNEW that God would take care of them.  When their chains were miraculously loosed, they did not leave!  Why?  Because they knew the jailer would be punished.  In fact, when the jailer awoke and saw all the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was going to fall on it.

Paul told him that all of the prisoners were still there and accounted for.  The jailer asked what he had to do to be saved.  Paul told him to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, then the jailer took them to his home where he and his whole family were baptised.

You see, Paul and Silas went through all of this not for themselves...the miracle wasn't for Paul and Silas.  The miracle was for the jailer.  Yes, God gave them strength to endure their hardship.  They could not have known they were going to end up in prison.

Yes, the slave girl was set free from her demon.

But the jailer...He received the REAL miracle.  The gift of eternal life through Jesus.  

I will never be Paul. I'm not sure I could stand in the dungeon of a prison at midnight after being beaten and sing praises.  I just don't know if I could do that.

But I want to be the kind of person who uses my circumstances for God's glory.  If ONE person can benefit by something I have gone through, I am okay with it.  I have my good days, and I have my bad days...but most of all, I just want people to know there is Hope.  And His name is Jesus.

Today

Today the sun is shining so brightly,
But I cannot go out and play.

Today my husband is home from work,
But I can't do the same things he does.

Today Jacob is out playing with his Daddy,
And that makes my heart happy. I wish I could be there.

Today my eyes are filled with sadness,
But somehow don't overflow.

Today, maybe the tears are dried up
From all the crying done before.

Today my pain is overwhelming.
Physical, real, intense, pain.

Today my heart is heavy because
My pain is jealous and wants all my attention.

Today I had to take my trach out again
Because I couldn't breathe.

Today I scared Jacob because I told him
I might need him to run and get Daddy fast.

And that broke my heart. And now the tears come.

Today the inside of my neck looks like raw hamburger.
The pain is unbelievable.  But that just happens sometimes.


Today I don't want to be here....
So I thank God that tomorrow is another day.


Tomorrow may be better.


So I hang on....


To the One Who Knows.

Good Gravy

Short post today.  I don't know if I'm still recovering from having company or what.  I THOUGHT I slept okay last night (after coughing my guts out for an hour and a half...maybe that's what did it)...

But I'm just frustrated!  By the time I do all the crap stuff I have to do (breathing treatment, clean trach, cough assist, the Vest, breakfast for Jacob and I) it's lunch time.  I did manage to get my Bible study in this morning, and read with Jacob but now it's 2:00 and we haven't eaten lunch yet.  Which means I have to go.

Just wondering when I am supposed to pay the bills, balance the checkbook, homeschool my child, keep my house up, check my e-mail, do a blogpost, check facebook (which I'm SO far behind on...hopefully I didn't miss anything terribly important) work on my book, build my business, make jewelry, spend time with my husband....JUST the breathing stuff, and other medical things I have to do take up at LEAST 3 hours a day.  {Sigh}.

Anyway.  Off to mac-mac-cheese land.

Random Letters Volume...Whatever

Dear Sandman,

You FINALLY got it right. God Bless You! Now I won't have to fire you or hunt you down and infest your armpits with the fleas of a thousand camels.

Most Sincerely,
Finally Got A Good Night's Sleep


Dear Medicare,

RE-Qualify AGAIN for oxygen? Serisously?? The orders from a Pulmonologist aren't enough? Oh, wait, let me break that down for you (please read very slowly): A Pulmonologist is a doctor who goes to SCHOOL for years and years so he can figure out whether or not people can breathe. So when a Pulmonologist tells you I need oxygen to breathe, I NEED OXYGEN TO BREATHE.

And if you check with my Neurologist (sorry, that would be a doctor who also goes to school for many, many years to study the BRAIN (something found in MOST people's heads) and diseases that effects muscles necessary for breathing.) You see, I have one of those diseases, and it effects all the muscles I breathe with. Yes, you use muscles to breathe, not just your mouth.

I however, don't even use my mouth to breathe, I use a trach. (That's a tube in my neck that I use to breathe through, but I still need those pesky muscles.) This disease has no cure, so it's not going to Magically Disappear. So this requalifying crap is just another waste of my time, money, energy, and so on. THAT I know you understand, because you are SO good at it.


Dear Congress,

You are {mostly all} pathetic. My deepest sympathies for those of you who think you can affect change on your own. More power to you. There are forces at work that have been at work since lobbyists have been allowed to bribe talk to you about their special interests.

Now you're having issues dealing with the debt ceiling. Let me remind you of something: The President printed his own money. He has upped the national deficit $3,715,953,067,638 in 2.5 years. And before you all start pointing fingers, George Bush added a total of $4,899,100,310,609 in his 8 years of Presidency. I'm not saying that's good either, but Obama is a big spender.

By the way, the dollar is already practically useless, China owns most of the country anyway, and when you're talking 15 TRILLION dollars that will never get paid off anyway....I just don't see the dilema. I mean, what ARE your options? Let the country go bankrupt? Let money become completely worthless? No one pays their bills? It would be anarchy. (On second thought...)

I have the BEST idea: Why don't ALL of you, all 535 members of the House and Senate, live on Medicare and government "assistance" for one year, and THEN decide if you want to make cuts. You may not use your savings, IRA's, CD's, offshore bank accounts, private health insurance, luxury cars, etc. Oh, and for fun, why don't you all live in subsidized housing for that year as well. Y'all need something called PERSPECTIVE.

With Seething Rage at Your Ineptitude,
Walk A Mile In My Mocassins

Catching Up

My goodness! This last week has been a whirlwind. Tracy came up from Florida for a week, but it seemed more like a day or two. It went SO fast. We went to Birch Run and Bronners...SO fun. LONG day though....we left at 8:30 in the morning, and didn't get back til 10:30 at night. Yikes. Exhausting!

I've also had Airway Oxygen here every day except Sat. Sun. and Monday for something or another. Crazy. I'm behind on everything, including my blog! I've got pictures to post on my jewelry site, and a few on facebook as well.

Last night I had to requalify for my oxygen AGAIN by doing ANOTHER pulse oximetery test without oxygen, but with my vent. So imagine me trying to sleep with a pulse ox, wrist guards for carpel tunnel, my vent attachment into my trach, the hose clipped to my nightshirt with a hairclip, kleenex shoved up my nose to stop the air leak....Yeah. I was a beaut I'm sure.

Try adjusting a tiny part of the adapter (that fits snugly INSIDE my trach) with a pulse ox on. Try doing suction with a vent (have to sit up, detach, do suction) with a pulse ox on. My Airway Oxygen rep. told me Medicare needed at least 4 hours. They got 4 hours and 3 minutes.

PLUS, I have to have some stupid walking pulse ox test at the flippin' hospital to qualify for portable oxygen tanks. Portable. Oxygen. Tanks. I have the prescription for oxygen from my doctor. I have a chronic, incurable neuro-muscular disease, but I have to drive an hour away to have a 6 minute walking test, and drive an hour home, because I have to qualify by MEDICARE'S standard. Don't get me started. That's a whooooooole separate post.

Then I turned on my oxygen concentrator so I could sleep better, and took that $#@*&% pulse ox off. What a pain. So I finally get to have oxygen (at night anyway). I turn the thing on, and at first it sounds just like my old one.

Until I hear "the noise."

Have you ever heard the air brake on a semi tractor or a bus? You know, the loud "Pshooosh."
Mmmm-Hmm.

Every.
Five.
Seconds.

At 3:17 AM, I'm standing in front of this O2 concentrator saying (loudly) "Are you KIDDING me??" I don't know how I managed to sleep, but I did. Oh, the visual.

Hopefully tonight I can just sleep. No tests, no projects, no qualifying, just SLEEPING!

This and That

As you can see, I have a wonderful button for my web page, Kerri's Kreations! If you have a blog or web page and feel so inclined, I would be honored if you put my button on your page. Every sale helps fight MG. A HUGE thanks to my blog designer, Kate! Her button is on the right sidebar. If you need any work done, she is THE WOMAN! She ROCKS!!

Last night I had a scare! Yikes! Second night on the vent, which overall went well. But somehow when I was getting all hooked up, I started coughing. That's not so unusual...but what IS unusual is that I felt like I was suffocating! I was like, I'm hooked up to a ventilator for crying out loud, how can I be suffocating??

So I scramble to get this thing off me, still not breathing very well, look in the mirror, and realize that somehow, my trach had gotten turned completely upside down! I don't know how in the world that could have possibly happened... The only thing I can think of it that while I was hooking up, coughing, moving around, etc, the trach went IN too far (thus the suffocating feeling) and spun around during the commotion.

I had to take it out, put it back in, and start over. HIDEOUS. Scared the {BEEP} outta me. But I survived. {sigh} Just another day in the life, I guess!

New Vent!

So the first night I used the new vent it was a nightmare. Two hours, and air was leaking up past my palate and I was making weird little noises...crazy.

So the Airway Dude came out again and adjusted the settings a little bit. Plus, my hubby (a.k.a. McGuyver) took an old trach band from a Shiley trach and wrapped it around the adapter from my trach to the vent tube, and around my neck so the weight was pulling on my trach.

Then, I came up with the brilliant idea (it DOES happen once in a while!) of using a hair clip to clip the air hose to my night shirt so there's NO pulling at all when I move around.

I. Slept. All. Night. Long.

I woke up once to go potty, do suction, etc.

Oh, but I did have to also make some impromptu nose plugs....half a tissue rolled into a capsule like shape. Not terrible comfortable, but not uncomfortable enough to interrupt sleep, and that helped fix the air leak.

YAY!!!

So......Today is making jewelry and doing laundry...tomorrow hanging out, and then Monday: ROAD TRIP!!! Going to a huge outlet mall to meet ANOTHER friend from college and do a little shopping. Whoo to the Hoo!

Haven't been on the computer much because along with having a broken foot, Tracy is taking Master's classes and needs to be online some. But that's cool...gives me time for other stuff like sorting all my beads!

Hope everyone is doing well, and I'll be back atcha soon!

Tiger Chef Restaurant Supply

Have you ever walked into a restaurant and the first thing you see is this amazing display case full of the most beautiful and delicious-looking treats you’ve ever seen? You just about forget about dinner and are ready for the last course: dessert!

I like seeing the bakery display cases all shiny and clean, with all the colorful desserts inside. It gives me ideas for my own desserts, although some are a bit out of my range of baking-ability!

Tiger Chef has over 30 years of experience in the restaurant equipment field, and they have some very interesting display cases. I never knew there were so many! They have everything from counter top doughnut displays to huge, self-standing, grand display cases like the one I talked about earlier.

Tiger Chef has just about anything you would need for your personal or professional cooking. They have restaurant supplies galore! My husband has always wanted a slushy machine. Well, you could get one online at Tiger Chef. Someday that would be the ultimate gift; he talks about it every year at least once.

You could find pots and pans, pizza making supplies, muffin tins, and tools you would use at a bar. But you could also find industrial ovens, refrigerators and freezers, and grills.

You could even find everything you need to keep the place spotless. So check out Tiger Chef the next time you’re looking for anything kitchen or restaurant related. I am sure you will find what you are looking for.

This is a sponsored post.

YAY! Boooo. YAY! Boooo. YAY! Booo......

The last few days have been just crazy. My friend from college (Tracy) is up visiting from Florida! YAY!

Right before she came out here, she was at her mom's on vacation, and broke her foot. Booooooo.

She scheduled her flights at PERFECT times for our family, and for Doug to not have to miss any work. YAY!

Her flight into Grand Rapids from Detroit was delayed over two hours. Boooooo.

Having Tracy here is SO awesome. Catching up, talking about the "good ol days." YAY!

The weather is SO stinking hot, we can't go anywhere. Booooo.

The Airway guy finally got out here with my cough assist and vent. YAY!!!

He didn't have all the parts for the vent to adapt to the trach (he thought what he had would work but it was off by just a smidgeon.) Booooo.

He came back yesterday, I tried the vent sitting and the table and it was amazing! YAY!!!

I tried it in bed last night and could only have it on for about 2 hours. Booooo. It take a lot of getting used to.

So again the roller coaster of my life continues........
Today is a little stormy, but it's supposed to be MUCH cooler. We shall see!

Oh, and a little announcement: for my 700th post, I will be having a giveaway! Stay tuned for more info!

Yesterday Afternoon

As Alexander would say, yesterday (afternoon) was a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."


My poor Blackie has "hotspots" on his cheeks and he won't leave them alone. He got some mud caked in his fur, and Doug didn't notice, til it was too late and all matted in there. So when he picked it out, some fur came out, and Blackie just kept scratching at it. He finally took him to the vet and he has to wear the cone of shame....{see Clifford}

He is NOT a happy boy. Poor baby.

THEN, my almost-5-year-old baby (who is SO not a baby anymore....he doesn't even have ANY baby look left) got his first bee sting. Neither Doug nor I are allergic, but we didn't know for sure about Jacob. Thankfully, he is not.

Put a good ol' mixture of baking soda and water on it, and the hugest band-aid we could find (ouchies with much pain require MUCH bandaging.)

SO...Jacob is fine, Blackie is on antibiotics and other topical medication for his face.

I LOVE my dogs, but I am telling you what, spending $600.00 bucks on 3 dogs in the last 2 months is NOT cool. When these ones are gone, I am DONE with the dog thing for a looooong time.

Kerri's Kreations!

Some of my latest work: Hair clips in purple and light blue.

This is a charm bracelet with the MG colors, and symbols. The snowflake is the symbol of MG because everyone who has MG is different. No two cases are exactly alike. This one also has the hope ribbon, a charm that says "inspire" and a cross.


Pretty in pink...or rose, or mauve...whatever you want to call it!
I would love you to stop by my facebook page and check out more of my stuff! Ten percent of everything sold will go to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America's Great Lakes Chapter.
Check it out Kerri's Kreations!

Reflecting Him by Carla McDougal

Oh, the importance of light in our lives, in our world, on our planet. Carla shares a perfect analogy:

"A month after Jake's birth, I awakened in the middle of the night to an immense pounding pain that ignited every nerve in my body. I quietly tiptoed to the bathroom to use the medicine I knew would provide immediate relief. As a thoughtful wife, I decided not to turn on the light because it might wake up my husband, Fred. I reached into the drawer for the tube of medicine, applied it liberally, and then staggered back to bed. Not thirty seconds later, I felt a fire ignite in my lower regions. Instantly, I realized the "hemorrhoid medicine" I had used was actually a tube of Deep Heat!" (pg 64, Reflecting Him)

Obviously, if Carla had turned the light on, she would have seen her error before it was made. In our lives, if we are in the Light, we can see the error of our ways before we get burned.

There are so many ways to compare the Son and the sun...Here are just a few:

Just as the sun is the center of our universe and our source of light, just as the sun governs the day, so is Jesus the center of our souls, and the Source to light our way.

Just like we would die without the physical sun, so would our souls "die" eternally if we didn't have Jesus in our lives.

In the spectrum of light, visible light is the portion that can be seen by the human eye. The following are elements we cannot see: cosmic rays, gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, and radio waves. If we based what we knew about the sun on only what we could see, we would not have the fullest understanding of physical light. (Reflecting Him pg. 73)

The same can be said about Jesus. Some of the things He does we can see in our lives...miracles happen around us every day. But there is SO MUCH MORE to discover. So much to be understood that is unseen about the way Jesus works in our lives. Think of what we would miss if we were content to accept only what is seen!

One more interesting point from these two weeks of study: Have you ever realized that vegetation on earth was created before the sun? We all know that plants need sunlight for photosynthesis, and that photosynthesis is the key to their very existence. So why did God create vegetation before he created its life-source?

Ponder this: plants were created with an unmet need: the sun. I believe that we as human beings are also created with an unmet need: the Son. And God in His infinite wisdom and mercy provided the source for both.

I am in week 7 of 10 in this study, and I'm telling you, I will be sad to see it end. I highly recommend this study to anyone...you will learn so much! More reviews to come...I'm not done yet!

You Reap What You Sow

I got this from a dear friend of mine in e-mail. It absolutely moved me to tears. We truly do reap what we sow. If you plant love, you'll get love. If you plant misery...well, you ain't gonna get cherries.

YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

Good morning said a woman as she walked up to the man sitting on the ground.

The man slowly looked up.

This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life.

His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before. "Leave me alone," he growled..........

To his amazement, the woman continued standing.

She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she asked.

"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away."

The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.

"What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone."

Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked.

"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"

The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"

"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."

"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything."

"This is a good deal for you, Jack" the officer answered. "Don't blow it."

Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived..........The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table.........."What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this, is this man in trouble?"

"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.

"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business."

Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."

The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled.........."Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"

"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."

"And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"

"What business is that of yours?"

“I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."

"Oh."

The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"

"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."

"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"

"Yes, ma’am. That would be very nice."

The cafeteria manager turned on his heel, "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."

The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said.

"That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."

She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently.........."Jack, do you remember me?"

Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes. "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar."

"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."

"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.

"I was just out of college," the woman began.........."I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."

Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said.........."I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."

"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble..........Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register, I knew then that everything would be all right."

"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.

"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card.........."When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons..........He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet.......... If you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you."

There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you?" he said.

"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus..........He led me to you."

Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways..........

"Thank you for all your help, officer," she said.

"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And..........And thank you for the coffee."

If you have missed knowing me, you have missed nothing.

If you have missed some of my emails, you might have missed a laugh..........

But, if you have missed knowing my Lord and Savior, Jesus Chris t, you have missed everything in the world..........

Have a Wonderful Day. May God Bless You Always and don't forget that when you "cast your bread upon the waters," you never know how it will be returned to you.

God is so big He can cover the whole world with his Love and so small He can curl up inside your heart.

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go.

Only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He'll catch you when you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly!

The power of one sentence!

Have a blessed day and remember to be a blessing..........

What?!?!?

First of all, I have to just mention that I am feeling SOOOO much better! OH my GOSH. What a difference a day makes. You can check out the youtube video here.

What I am going to write about has nothing to do with me or my health. I heard on the news last night something so sickening (that's why I don't watch the news!) that it made my blood boil. This pervert in Washington State who is on trial for I don't know how many counts of child molest@tion is "representing himself" as his own attorney.

By doing this, he has access to all of the "evidence" in the case. The "evidence" that is making me crazy is the TWENTY-EIGHT HOURS of self-made video that this disgusting excuse of a man created while m@lesting children. I don't know how many because my brain was numb that this was legal. He lured children into his home, and videotaped his own crime, and now gets to relive it over and over and over. And his victims get victimized over and over and over.

So this creep can sit in his jail cell, getting 3 meals a day, on OUR dime, receiving better health care than half of hard-working, honest, decent Americans, AND watch 28 hours of homemade child p@rn.

And it's completely legal.

SERIOUSLY???? The degenerate probably doesn't care if he rots in jail because trials take forever, and he gets to sit and you-know-what to his heart's content. If he HAS a heart.

And if that's not bad enough, he gets to question his victims on the stand. This is too much. I understand that everyone has rights, but what about the rights of the victims? Where is the moral outrage? Where is the public outcry? Most people in this country probably won't even hear about the story.

But I could not let it go unnoticed in my tiny circle of influence. This country is so demoralized. Talk about Sodom and Gomorrah. Those poor children. I can't even fathom.

I can only remember my own words a few days ago: Justice WILL be done, whether on earth or not. I would not want to be NEAR this man when he stands before God. That's the only thing that keeps me from completely losing my mind over this.

God said:
"It is mine to avenge; I will repay.
In due time their foot will slip;
their day of disaster is near
and their doom rushes upon them.”
Deuteronomy 32:35

The Day After The Day After

Well, not the dramatic improvement I had hoped for. Maybe because Doug was gone from 3:30 til 9:15 last night at the cow auction. Hmmm....could be. There is such a juxtaposition between before treatment and after.

In the weeks following these treatments (after the recovery of course), so far I have felt fantastic. It's like a new lease on life. Like I used to feel at my strongest since I've been diagnosed.

Then I get the treatments. If I don't just sit and do absolutely nothing, it takes longer to feel better. And timing sucks. It seems like there are people coming out of the woodwork when I feel fantastic, but when I'm half dead, everyone is gone or busy.

My mom volunteered to come out today, but she just had Jacob on Monday, and my dad is still recovering from being in the hospital last week with pneumonia. (He is doing really well though). So I just suck it up. What choice do I have?

That's why there is SUCH a need for a type of ministry that has people available to help people in similar situations as the one I am in. The ones who fall through the cracks. The ones who make too much money for government help (which is almost everyone if you have a spouse with a job). The ones who aren't 60 who can't get "elder care."

So once again I urge you, no, I IMPLORE you....please volunteer. PLEASE find something you can do to help. Maybe it's to supply paper and pencils for schools hit by the horrible tornadoes this year.

Maybe it's donate blood or plasma. If people did not donate plasma, I could not get treatments, and would probably be dead. So don't think "that's ALL I can do." It's huge.

Call your local Red Cross, or hospital, or hospice, or someplace like Love INC. Ask what the needs are. Call your church if you go to one. Tell the pastor what you can do. Can you cook? Can you clean? For people like me, those are (80% of the time) monumental tasks.

You don't have to give someone a million dollars to be a hero. Sometimes all it takes is a card, or a phone call, a meal, or a visit.

Whatever you do for the least of these....

Would YOU Ever Wear A Wig?

When my dear friend Linda got cancer, and started chemo, she lost her hair. She asked me to go with her to get a wig. I have to tell you, wigs have come a long way from the gnarly wig of my grandmother's I used to play with.

Check out these lace wigs, and they look so real! My goodness! I have another friend who was "blessed" with thinning hair, and she wears a wig sometimes. It's GORGEOUS, and you would NEVER know it was not her own beautiful hair!

I would seriously like to try one of these lace front wigs. I have been fortunate and have really thick hair, and I do like my hair, but it would be fun to try out a short blonde bob or something! I mean, seriously, celebrities wear them all the time! I think it would be fabulous to have that opportunity to just change my hair entirely...temporarily!

Recovering

Hey everyone. I am recovering from my treatments. We did them on Wednesday, Friday, and the third one on Monday, and it seems to be better that way. I'm not as bad after three this time as I was last time. That one extra day in between really helps. Now if we can just get everyone's schedules together, we will be golden!

I posted a video on facebook and youtube...I forgot to make it go on my blog (I'm so tech-savvy, aren't I???) but here is the link if you want to check it out.

I think this is it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqH7rEiplnY&feature=feedfbc

NonProfit Jobs

When I hear the word "nonprofit" I always think "no money." But did you know that you can WORK for a nonprofit organization and still make a healthy salary? Have you ever thought about nonprofit jobs?

I was under the incorrect assumption that nonprofit organizations don't make a profit. They CAN, and hopefully do. The difference is, they need to use that surplus to reinvest in their company. And what better way to reinvest than to hire professionals to help them serve their purpose?

This is a wonderful, meaningful way to not only contribute to society, but also make a great living. Something to think about!


This is a sponsored post.

Yikes

Quick post.....Would really appreciate your prayers. Have my third treatment today, then a doc. appt. It's getting ready to storm REALLY bad...the lakeshore) 20 miles from here) has had up to 85 mph wind gusts. I do NOT want to drive through this. Please pray for our safety and for a good treatment.
Thanks.

Justice?

You know, there really isn't justice here on this earth. No matter how you look at things. None of us get what we deserve, good OR bad. We are all sinners saved by grace.

Lately though, it seems like the blatant injustice in this world is getting worse and worse. Take little Caylee Anthony for example. There was no justice for her. Her killer was not brought to justice. On this earth. We have to remember that EVERYONE will stand before God and be held accountable.

This past week a tragedy the like of which my home city has never seen occurred. A man went on a rampage and killed 7 people, including his own daughter. I do not understand, other than to say that satan has dominion over this world for the time being.

This is a footnote in my Life Application Study Bible:

"When faced by a confusing set of circumstances, remember that 1) God is in control--nothing surprises Him. 2) This world is not all there is--it will pass away, but God is eternal. 3) God is JUST and He WILL make things right--punishing the wicked and rewarding the faithful. 4) God wants to use YOU (and me), --like Joseph, Moses, Stephen,--to make a difference in the world." emphasis mine.

As long as Christ has not yet returned there will be pain and suffering in this world. There will be disappointment, heartache, heart-break, sorrow and devastation. There will be tragedy and disaster.

But Glory to God! This time on earth, no matter if you live 100 days or 100 years...is simply a drop in the bucket compared to eternity. What we must bear here is NOTHING compared to the joy and glory we will partake of when we reach those pearly gates and streets of gold.

No tears. No pain. No disease. No crime. No discomfort. No shame. No sin. NO SIN!

Somebody give me an Amen!

Above Ground Pools

We never did get our pool up this year. Last year with Jacob's broken arm we didn't use it much, and this year it wasn't hot enough until half way through June. In Michigan, after that, it's like, what's the point.

When I was growing up, we had more permanent above ground pools that we got when I was about twelve. I remember swimming in that pool for hours! It was such fun, especially if we could get my dad or older brother in there to throw us around. That was the BEST.

I sure have lots of fond memories of our pool. Next year, we will be getting it out for sure, because I miss it!

This is a sponsored post

Health Update

Two treatments down, one to go. Had another newbie to break in yesterday, but she did pretty good. One needle needed adjusting, which is a pretty intense, special kind of pain. The worst part was the waiting. We actually got there early, because we left early to run a couple of errands (well, Doug ran, I schlumped) and met my sister Lori who took Jacob back to her house. (Which he LOVED!)

So WE get there early, and the tech is running LATE, because the guy she ran at a different hospital wanted to run really slowly. I'm exactly the opposite...I'm like "The faster the better.... up til like 110 anyway." She was super shocked, but it went well overall.

But as I said the worst part was the waiting. Once they get there, they have to go get the pheresis machine, run all the tubing, etc....so while we got there at about 12:45, I wasn't hooked up and running until 2:10. I told Doug it's like waiting to be tortured. (Not that it's TRULY torturous...) But I hate it. You think I'd get used to it, but I never do. Doug's like, "You'll be fine." And I know I will be, but putting yourself through something you DREAD (root canal anyone?) and then having to wait an hour and a half before time.....Ug. Torture.

Every single nurse has asked if this is the last treatment then, and I'm like, um, no. They're like, well how long to you have to get this done? I'm like, forever, until there's a cure or I'm healed by God. Welcome to the reality of chronic illness. {Speaking of a cure, YOU can help by purchasing something from my new business, Kerri's Kreations, and 10% of all proceeds will go to the Great Lakes Chapter of the MGFA}.

Anyway. I'm feeling pretty wiped out, but NOT as bad as I was after last time....today is the day after treatment number 2, but I don't have the 3rd one til Monday, so I'm hoping having one extra day in between will help me not be SO run down after number 3. We shall see.

Reflecting Him...Another Review

I wasn't going to do a review on week two, because after all, you need SOMETHING to find out on your own when YOU do this study, right?

But Carla uses an analogy that is SO perfect, I just have to.

"For we are to God the aroma of Christ." 2 Corinthians 2:15

Carla shares an experience where her son opens her kitchen pantry door and comes out running from a horrible stench. When she goes in the pantry, she almost gags the smell is so strong. She covers her face with her shirt, and gropes around in the area of the smell. What she finds is a bag of potatoes. She grabs them, runs out of the pantry, through the kitchen and out to the garbage.

ONE rotten potato ruined the whole bag, and not only that, stunk enough to stink up 2 rooms in her house. Once the source of the stench is removed, clean air can once again prevail.

On page 52 Carla says, "I realized an odor has the power to draw people to it or send them running...Notice...the kitchen pantry didn't produce [the] aroma. The processes taking place inside the pantry generated the smells. This could also be a picture of us as Christians. We are the pantry, and what is produced within us will either draw people to Jesus or turn them away."

This is POWERFUL stuff. Have you ever sat down in a group setting, church, a movie theatre, anywhere people sit in rows....and the woman who sits directly in front of you has enough perfume on for the entire crowd? SHE is not the source of the offense, it is her perfume.

What kind of "aroma" are YOU producing? Are you grumpy and cranky all the time, yet tell everyone you're a Christian? Or are you pleasant even to those who are not?

I'm not saying you have to paste a plastic smile on and say "Everything's fine" when it's not. That's more offensive to ME than an unpleasant odor. But we represent Christ to the masses, and if I see someone who I know is a Christian and they are miserable and mean, I'm going to wonder what kind of God they serve.

Just something to think about as you go through your day.
In other words, don't be a stinky potato!

Investing with Gold?

"Gold price fixing." That doesn't sound quite right, does it? That's what I thought, anyway, when I first read it. All that means is that a set of banks "fixes" the price of gold (or spot gold price) twice a day, giving it its value.

In 1913, gold was "fixed" at $0.40 per $1.00 of paper currency. In 1933, it was up to $0.59 per $1.00 paper dollar. At this time, gold was pouring into the U.S. because foreign countries were getting $35.00 paper dollars an ounce. Today, the gold spot fixing takes place on the phone, still twice a day, at 10:30 and 15:00 GMT.

In 2009, Obama spent $2 TRILLION more than he took in, and PRINTED another $1 TRILLION. How much do you suspect that paper money is worth? While gold prices continue to go up, the dollar continues to degrade. It is virtually worthless.

So what does this mean for "Joe American?" To me, it says invest in gold. Gold has stood the test of time, through all the ups and down this country has had from the Great Depression to the current economic shambles were currently face.


This is a sponsored post.

Meet The Needs

I heard this song on the radio the other day and I about stopped my car. This is my life theme song right here. This is my message. It is ALL about the least of these: the widow, the orphan, the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, the sick, the imprisoned... This song is amazing! I put a link to the youtube video so you can hear it, but if you don't get video I wanted to make sure you at least got the lyrics.

I'll be working on a video message this and next week, and figuring out how to get it onto a disc. Then I can send them out to different churches, and hopefully start motivating people to get out and help those less fortunate. Oh, and in the video, these guys go to Cambodia. Some people are called to go to the ends of the earth, others just need to go to the end of their road.

Or their comfort zone.

Follow You by Leeland with Brandon Heath

You live among the least of these
The weary and the weak
And it would be a tragedy for me to turn away.

All my needs you have supplied.
When I was dead you gave me life.
How could I not give it away so freely?

And I`ll.....
Follow you into the homes of the broken.
Follow you into the world.
I'll meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.
Follow you into the world.

Use my hands, use my feet
To make your kingdom come.
To the corners of the earth;
Until your work is done.

`Cause faith without works is dead
And on the cross your blood was shed
So how could we not give it away so freely?

And I`ll...
Follow you into the homes of the broken.
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.
Follow you into the world.

Follow you into the homes of the broken.
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.
Follow you into the world.

I give all myself.
I give all myself
I give all myself...to you.

And I give all myself.
Yes I give all myself.
And I give all myself...to you.

And I`ll.....
Follow you into the homes of the broken
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.
Follow you into the world.

Follow you into the homes of the broken
Follow you into the world
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy God.....

Youtube link

Happy Birthday America!

The Anticipation!!



Let the show begin!


SO pretty!!


Oooooooh! Aaaaaah!


That was fun! Can we do more???

Announcing....Kerri's Kreations!

Well I have a new "thing." I am making jewelry. I've seen so many cute things that I like, and have had other ideas that I wanted that I couldn't find anywhere, so I decided to try it myself.

I will be making mostly bracelets and earrings, and beaded hair clips. I will post more as I get more, but I wanted to display this MG awareness bracelet. Teal is the "color" for MG, and MY word for life is HOPE. I was overjoyed when I found these "HOPE" charms!

I JUST started, but I have a facebook page that needs to get like 30 people to "like" it before it has a web address. SO....if you would like to, you can click on the Facebook icon on my blog, and go to Kerri's Kreations, and like it. (But only if you really DO like it).

Ten percent of the proceeds from my jewelry (all jewelry) will be going to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America Great Lakes chapter. So not only will you be getting beautiful jewelry, you will be supporting a good cause.

Here's a link!! Kerri's Kreations

Thanks, and have a safe and Happy 4th of July!

Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC)

June 30 was AMC day. AMC stands for Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita.

I'm kind of a day late and a dollar short; June (as you ALL know) was MG Awareness Month, and I had my last 2 posts planned....but I still wanted to bring attention to this disease and at least mention June 30. And that to participate in the day, all you had to do was wear blue.
So here I am in my blue shirt!

You can click the link and read about it. My dear friend Diana, whom I went to college with, has a beautiful son named Isaiah who was born with AMC. Diana has been Isaiah's Mama since he was like 6 weeks old, through the foster system, and is now officially, legally his Mama. She's BEEN his Mama since he was born, in God's eyes.

She had to go through the ringer, but Isaiah David Geist is now her son in the whole world's eyes!

So please take a moment to check out AMC, and say a prayer for those who suffer from it.

Coming next week I will continue my review of Reflecting Him by Carla McDougal.

HUGE Thanks

Wow.

I am just thrilled to bits. You ALL know how important Matthew 25 is to me. About taking care of the poor, the widows, orphans, the sick, imprisoned...

Well, HUGE thanks and a great big shout out to the Bridge Church here in Allegan. Their youth leader came to our house yesterday morning with about 12 kids and a few supervisors, and scraped and power-washed all around our house as far as they could reach. (We didn't want ladders, liability, minors, whatever, but I'm sure they would have been willing).

I was feeling very poorly yesterday so I didn't get a chance to go outside and personally thank the kids when they were here. They may never know how BLESSED we felt that they would do this for us.

My husband works his tail off. He's the hardest working man I've ever known (just like my Daddy). He also has to work his tail off at home, outside, taking care of the animals and stuff. Why does he do it? Because he loves us, wants to provide for us, and he wants Jacob to have an awesome childhood. (So do I, otherwise I probably wouldn't live out in the middle on nowhere!)

To have this church, that we don't even go to, call us, come over to our house, and do all that hard work, in the heat....we are so thankful. We are so grateful. Our God is SO good.

I was reading about Solomon today, after he had built the Temple, how the Ark of the Covenant went in, and then the Glory of God filled the Holy of Holies with a cloud. Then Solomon blessed the people and talked about how God had built up leaders among his people.

Anyway, one of the footnotes about this Scripture talked about how for 480 years (since He led the Israelites out of Egypt) God didn’t ask His people to build him a church. It was more important to God that the people grew close to Him and that spiritual leaders were raised up. Relationship with us is far more important to God than buildings of wood or brick.

I LOVED that. The Bridge Church youth group and their leaders know this principal. They go outside their walls. Their pastor called a local ministry to get the name of a family who might need some outside work done. And the ministry gave them our name. God bless them!! God knows how much Doug works, and how hard he works. I need to stop worrying that Doug will do too much. God knows our needs, and met them before we even asked.

These kids have got “it.” The know the deal. They are reaching out to those who CAN’T, because THEY CAN. So thanks again, and may God bless your socks off!!