Exhaustion and Prayer Request

I am exhausted after working 4 days this past week. I know some of you are saying “I do that all the time” or “I work 5 days a week.” Please don’t judge me too harshly. I haven’t worked a job since the middle of January 2009 when I went on medical leave.  Since that time, I became sicker before I started getting better.

Hypothyroidism doesn’t just make you tired or cause you to gain weight.  These are the symptoms that most people know but the thyroid produces hormones that are necessary, YES NECESSARY, for proper functioning of every cell in the body.  In hypothyroidism, the thyroid isn’t producing these hormones; therefore, the cells in the body are not receiving the hormones they need to function properly.  That’s why there are so many different symptoms and why many people are misdiagnosed.  In my case, I believe this is what happened.  My symptoms included: emotional changes misdiagnosed as depression for 19 years; joint pain, especially the knees; fatigue (at my worst, I was sleeping 18-60 hours each day); I went from having hot flashes and being warm all the time, to getting cold. It started with being cold when I was tired, to being cold much of the time.  I was having a lot of difficulty remembering things.

It wasn’t until I told the doctor about sleeping for 14 hours in bed and then falling asleep in the chair for more hours, that I was finally properly diagnosed.  Wow!  Once he said hypothyroid I started putting 2+2+2+2 together (some nurse huh?!).  I immediately started reading about hypothyroidism on the web.  A cousin of my husband told me about Mary Shomon and the work she is doing as a patient advocate, so I bought her book, Living Well with Hypothyroidism.  It is an excellent book full of wonderful information.  I learned about the disease process – how the thyroid works and what it does to the body when it doesn’t work properly.  I learned how important it is to take my medication at the same time and when the optimal time for me to take mine.  I learned I’m not going to get better in a short period of time. It took years for me to get as sick as I was and that just because I now have a diagnosis and medication, I’m not all better. Sometimes I push myself too hard, and then it takes days for me to recuperate. It’s now a part of my life and something I have to plan for, even though I hate it! I’m thankful, that the longer I’m on my medicine, the less time it will take to recover – I look forward to that!

Now back to the beginning where I mention being exhausted. I work 4 days this week: 7am to 3 pm on Monday and Tuesday, then 3 pm to 11 pm on Thursday and Friday for more orientation.  On Sunday the 17^th, I start my 3 pm to 7 pm shifts and will do the same on that Monday.  So I’m working 6 days out of the next 8.  I’m sure to be extremely fatigued during that time.  I’m asking for your prayers to help me through.  I know I can do it with God’s help, as He says in Philippians 4:13“ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  What a blessing that we can call on Him for help and KNOW that He will help. It’s not a case of if he remembers but it is a guarantee!  Haw many guarantees do we get these days!

Til next time!

Linda

This Past Weeks Menu Plan.

Well, I didn't do very well with the menu plan.  My reason (or excuse, if you prefer) is that I started orientation for my new job and spent Weds. and Thurs. in a classroom for 8 hours each day learning about the new facility.  Now you have to realize that I am not use to working for a solid 8 hours and was very tired and achy after the first day.  It didn't help that I had difficulty sleeping the night before and then again on Weds night.   By Thursday night I was pretty much exhausted but feeling good about the upcoming opportunity at the new job!  For the next two weeks, I will be working 7am to 3:30 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, then 3:00 pm to 11:30 pm on Thursdays and Fridays.  It is going to be rough physically but I am praying for God's help.  The worst will be my knees as I don't know how much standing I will have to do. If I can sit more than stand then it won't be so bad.

Back to the menu plan; I was so tired that I didn't do the cooking I had planned.  I am working on my plan for the next two weeks and trying to cook some food ahead to make it a little easier. I need to plan packable lunches so that I'm not tempted to spend money for them and plan to have an easy supper too. I should be posting that schedule tomorrow.

I'll accept any prayers that you offer on my behalf; they are always appreciated!

Til next time!
Linda<3

Citation –Withdrawn! Answers to Prayer!

This past Wednesday, hubby and I had to go to a hearing at district court for the citation received in August for driving a vehicle with a suspended registration.  You can read about that dilemma here and here.  The fine for this is close to $300 and since we were never without insurance, we decided to fight the citation.

The officer involved met us there and we were able to show him the information proving we were never without the insurance and he decided to withdraw the citation; we didn’t have to go before the district justice!  What a wonderful answer to prayer!

Today we had another answer to prayer.  Financially the past several months have been a struggle and I have been looking for a job and even though I had placed several applications, nothing came through.  I know that is because the job God had planned for me wasn’t available yet.  This past Tuesday I had an interview and today they called and offered me the job!  An answer to pray!

If I didn’t trust that God has my future planned, I would have become very discouraged by all the applications I had placed and not hearing anything from them.  I thank God for His love and concern for me, especially knowing that I do not deserve any of it.  I’m thankful that I am a sinner saved by grace!

Til next time!

Linda

Day 3 - Back to Blogging

This week SITS is hosting a Back to Blogging campaign to get everyone back in a blogging and commenting routine. I've not really been in a routine so I'm going to use this as a starting point for a routine.  Today we are to share a post of which we are especially fond of the title.  I chose this one because the title is short, sweet, and to the point.  I believe it draws the reader in to find out about the timing.  Here it is....

It' All in the Timing!
My Pastor preached on John 11 this past Sunday morning; the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead.  It was a powerful sermon and very timely for me.

In case you do not know the story of Lazarus, I will give a short synopsis here.  Lazarus was ill and his sisters, Mary and Martha sent for Jesus to come.  Jesus did not go right away and Lazarus died.  They believed that if Jesus had been there Lazarus would not have died; what they did not understand was that Jesus had a plan.
Why did Jesus wait and why didn’t he heal Lazarus?  He could have done so from where he was, he did not have to be where Lazarus was to do that.  What we need to remember is that God does things in HIS TIME not ours.  What is wonderful about that is God often does better than what was asked for!  PRAISE THE LORD FOR THAT!

You see, Mary and Martha had wanted Jesus to come and heal Lazarus but Jesus did even better – He raised Lazarus from the dead giving him a new body.
Times of trials and testing provide a time for God’s glory to shine.  It is not important that we are comfortable.  Why does God deal with us like this…SO THAT HE MIGHT BE GLORIFIED AND THAT OUR FAITH MIGHT GROW!

Last week I was disappointed because I did not receive a job that I wanted.  I know God’s timing is perfect and so knew he did not want that job for me, at least not at this time but hearing this sermon reinforced that thinking in my head!  I needed that.

There are other situations that I am praying about and I need to remember that His timing is perfect and wait on Him for an answer.  The waiting part is hard for me; I want things to happen now so I frequently get frustrated while waiting for God but if I remember that He gives in His timing and that He gives even better than what we have asked for…well, I just need to keep trusting Him.

Till next time…
Linda <3

Thanks to the SITS girls for this challenge this week and thanks to the SITS Back to Blogging sponsors: Standards of Excellence, Westar Kitchen and Bath, and Florida Builder Appliances.

Mobile Once Again!

Praise the Lord, for He is good!  Last Tuesday we finally got new plates for our van and once again are mobile!  It feels so good to be able to go to the store when I want/need to. We certainly are blessed with family who were willing and able to help us during this trial. I don’t know what we would have done without them!

When things happen I have a tendency to try and figure out what the Lord is trying to show/teach me-is this good or bad, I’m not sure!  So I’ve decided to make a list of what happened because of all this trouble.

1. I am blessed by having family to help.  The time I spent in the car with my sister-in-law; niece and aunt was precious, quality time.  I’ve reconnected with each and that has been a true blessing.
2. To complete tasks in a timely manner and keep record of those tasks.  This is something I have a problem with.  I tend to procrastinate – not a good quality.  As for keeping records, sometimes I do and other times I do not.  I need to be more consistent in this area.
3. I reconnected with a friend from high school.  Emily and I “found” each other on face book this past year and have “talked” a little but when I mentioned our predicament, she came up with the idea of contacting our state representative for help.  We then had the opportunity to discuss God and prayer.  What a joy!  She now lives fairly close and since I’m mobile I plan to visit and nurture this renewed friendship!  I’ll be in touch Emily!
4. God is in control and asks that we allow Him to be.  God promises to supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19)– not our wants but our needs and he does, we just have to trust him to do so.  We had food to eat, water to drink, and hubby had a way to and from work!  God is good and does supply our needs.  Too many times we think our wants are needs and we must be reminded of the difference.

Those are four of the things I’ve learned during this time, I’m sure there are more, if I really think about it but I know God allows things to happen to us for a purpose.  Our response can bring us down or build us up.  Which are you going to allow to happen to you?

Til next time!
Linda <3

Still no plates...

Well, here it is Saturday and still no plates for the van.  I really thought they would be here by now after everything from last week and earlier this week.

Today we received 2 letters from Jerry Stern’s (our state representative) office and I was a little disappointed when I opened the first one.  In that envelope were the application for registration, my check for payment, and a letter requesting more information about the car insurance.  They wanted info to prove we had the insurance and there was no lapse. Before I allowed myself to get upset, I opened the second envelope to find another letter from Penn DOT telling us the registration suspension has been removed from our record.  I think that means we can renew the registration but that would mean another week to ten days before getting the plates.  We have decided to just get a new registration and plates but it will be Monday – 2 full weeks – before we are able to do so.

When things like this happen, it makes one think about how dependent we are on vehicles, especially where we live.  There isn’t any other form of transportation available here.  If we lived in the city, we would have buses and cabs available.  Hubby has been able to walk to the store a couple of times but with my knee problems that has not been an option for me.  Fortunately, we were fairly well stocked with groceries, needing only to get bread, milk, and a few other things.  Things could have been much, much more inconvenient.

I have been able to be dependent on my God for His help throughout all of this.  Prayer is so important, it’s my chance to talk to God and ask for his help and guidance.  Reading my Bible is one way God talks to me but I also believe he speaks through others, many times we just have to slow down and listen.  That tends to be my problem in this age of instant gratification, people, including me wants results right away.  I need to keep working on this area of my life.

Til next time,

I Am Truly Blessed - (long)

This past week my faith was tested.  I experienced a trial – was I going to trust God to take care of the situation or was I going to try and fix it myself.

It goes back to November 2009 when we changed car insurance companies; apparently when you drop car insurance that company has to notify the Dept of Transportation making them aware of the situation.  We received a letter from the DOT requiring proof of insurance or we were to mail the license plate to them.

Fast forward to last Monday when the hubby was stopped by the police on his way to work for an expired registration sticker.  When hubby told me this, my first thought was that we had not received a notice of renewal for the registration.  He agreed then went on to say the police actually took the plates off the van because we didn’t have insurance.  Right away I knew this was related to the changing of the insurance last fall.  I also realized that is why we did not receive a notice for renewing the registration…according to PENN DOT the registration was suspended!  Apparently they never received the proof of insurance from the November change.  Our van was sitting in a church parking lot without plates and we were unable to drive it at all!

As soon as I hung up the phone, I started praying for God to help me with this situation.  It is amazing the peace I felt after saying that prayer.  That evening I prayed about the situation many times.
It took until Thursday late afternoon to get the insurance straightened out.  I had to take proof of insurance to the state representative’s office and they called PENN DOT.  They also helped me complete the new registration form and mailed it for me.  The new plates should be here in a week (this Wednesday prayerfully).
I praised God for His help and guidance and also for my sister-in-law who chauffeured me to the office, the store, and back home after a full day of work.  Thursday evening I publicly thanked the Lord for answered prayer by posting on facebook.

Friday the mail brought citations related to the incident – a total of almost $450.00 in fines.  When hubby told me by first reaction was to pray.  The largest fine was for “operation following suspension of Registration”.  I asked God for guidance because I certainly do not think we should have to pay this because there was no lapse in insurance coverage.  I called the state reps office and they said to bring the letter in.  Now this office is 8 miles from home and I have no plates so can’t drive my van to get there.  We are a one car family, so what to do.

Long story short - (is that possible at this point?!) – my aunt is going to take me this afternoon.  My sis-in-law would have a total of 32 miles involved for her to take me.  My aunt lives in the same town as me, so less travelling to do.

Please say a prayer we will be able to get this straightened out so we don’t have such a huge fine to pay.
All of this got me thinking, what kind of person am I?  Am I someone others could call and ask help of?  I haven’t always been the person I want to be so am going to be working on that.

So as for the question – how did I do?  Well, it’s a split answer, although I prayed for God to take care of this and I trusted him to do so, I also allowed it to get me down some.  I missed church on Wednesday when I am sure I could have made arrangements to get there but felt kinda sorry for myself instead.

So why am I blessed?  Because I have people in my life that are willing to help without judging me; what more could a person ask for?

Til next time,
Linda

Effexor XR Withdrawal Update and Miracles

It’s been awhile since I updated regarding my plan to get off the Effexor XR, so I thought I would do that today.

I have been off of it for 2½ weeks.  I know, I know, the plan was to take much longer weaning the dosage down but I ran out of them and decided I did not want to take the money to get it refilled.  I felt poorly for about a week with hot flashes and achiness as though I was getting the flu, along with being very emotional and a little irritable.  I was pleased that the irritability was not as severe as previously.  About a week into it, I noticed that physically I wasn’t feeling as bad as before.  The achiness was gone!  Yea!  This was a big improvement from other attempts to get off of it!

I am still emotional and tend to cry easily but overall, I am pleased with my progress.  The irritability still exists but it’s not as severe and I think I have been able to keep it in check pretty good. (Don’t ask hubby, he may not agree!)

The knee and joint pains have not been as bad as before and in fact I am not taking as much ibuprofen now.  This is an unexpected benefit of getting off the Effexor XR - maybe I won't need my cane one of these days soon!

I give God the glory for helping me to get through this; I could never do it on my own.  He is so gracious to help us and all we have to do is ask!  Others tell me they are praying for me and that is such a blessing (here come the tears again!). Yesterday we received a card in the mail from a couple at church, just to let us know they are praying for us, God’s people are so good!  Thank-you to all who are praying; those prayers are felt and much appreciated.

Maybe as I recover from the Effexor XR, my thyroid just might straighten out some!  That would be wonderful!

I am going to remember all those who prayed for us and pay it forward by praying for others and encouraging them as they move through their journey of life.

Til next time!
Linda <3

PS Discussion: My son and daughter-in-law had a wonderful experience with Earthly Angels, you can read about it here.   I have experienced miracles before and know God still performs them.  Have you experienced a miracle or the gift of an earthly angel?  Comment below and share it with us!

Depending on God

Had a great time Saturday; went to a family reunion and a grad party for my niece.  She just graduated from Slippery Rock University.  Congrats Beth!  We love you!

The family reunion was for my mom’s side of the family.  It was so good to see aunts, uncles and cousins that I haven’t seen in a few years.  (We hadn’t been to a reunion in a few years due to one reason or another.)  I was fortunate to have some great conversations with some cousins.

One was especially meaningful to me.  My cousin J was telling me how he came about getting his current job.
He had placed an application with one company and really wanted the job.  It was a better job, more money and better hours.  He had prayed about it but didn’t get the job.  This made him angry with God and he told God he was upset.  God then turned it around so that J could see it from God’s point of view (I’m paraphrasing here).  All of this made J realize he needed to keep trusting and depending on God to provide what J needed.  A year or so later, J applied for the same job with a different company.  He had an interview and was told he would hear something by Friday.  Monday came and he still hadn’t heard anything yet.   He said he had made up his mind to trust God and if God didn’t want this job for him, that was okay with him.
Turns out he got the job… he said he felt God was testing him to see if he would really trust God.  He also stated if he had gotten the original job, he would have been out of a job a year later.  God knows what is best for us.

This got me to thinking about my situation; no job even though I have applied and had interviews.  Maybe God wants me to learn to wait on Him and depend fully on Him.  He does promise in Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  Sometimes what we consider a need is really a want and that is why we never get it.

I’m going to work hard on depending on God for my needs.  It’s not going to be easy; I tend to be too independent-as my hubby puts it-I give things to the Lord then take them back. I need to break the habit
I have an Aunt who once told me that she prays about everything – even something as simple as what to have for lunch and super each day.  That is total trust and faith in God.  I pray to reach that point one day; I’m going to start now…won’t you come along on my journey?

Til next time!
Linda

P.S. Discussion time: Do you depend on God for your needs? Comment below…

Pray Without Ceasing

I’m having a rough day today.  Financial things are getting to me, even though I keep praying for God to help me.  It’s not His fault because I keep taking back the problems after giving them to Him.  Why is it that we do that?  I guess it’s part of human nature but it frustrates me also.  That is probably human nature too.

I pray asking for His help and guidance in what I should do.  Then in a little bit, I’m on line looking for work and it’s hard to know what isn’t a scam and that results in more frustration.  How do I get past this frustration?  I guess it means I need to be praying more.  I Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “Pray without ceasing.”  that’s what I need to do and I really don’t know why it’s so hard.  Is it a lack of faith?  Anyone know?

God promises to help us and just wants us to ask for His help.  The Isaacs sing a song called “In God’s Hands” that speaks of placing our problems in His hands and He will take care of us.  I believe this and will continue praying and giving my problems to Him and each time I take it back, I will turn around and give it back to Him.

What is the thing that you give to God and then take back?  Let me know in the comments and I will pray for you too.

Til next time!
Linda <3

Stewardship and gifts

I came across an article on stewardship while surfing the web one day and it really struck a chord with me.  I’m unable to remember where it was so please if it seems familiar to you let me know so I can give proper credit.

When I mention stewardship, most people think of tithing but it is actually more than that. It involves money but also material things and talents that God has given us.  One definition is “the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially, the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.”  Who has entrusted us with the things we have whether it be money, a home, a car, or a talent?  All these things come from God.  He entrusts us with them and in turn we are to take care of them and use them for His honor and glory.

I have not been a good steward of the things God has given me for many years.  I am not proud of this and only share it because God has laid it upon my heart to do so.  During the past 16 months, I have had to rely on God for many things.  Oh in the past I would pray and trust Him and have even served Him but then that would slip to the wayside.  I have never given up on Him and He has never given up on me.  Like the parable of the prodigal son, he takes me back into the fold and not only that but rejoices that I have returned.  Oh praise His holy name for that!  During these months when I have not been working and therefore not bringing in any money, God had been good.

he has shown me how I wasted what He entrusted me with.  I am ashamed of that and am praying for His guidance in being a good steward of what he is now giving us.  We have less money, but my faith has grown and as they say that is priceless.  I still struggle but remember to pray and place it in His hands, sometimes I take it back and have to pray again giving it back to him over and over again.  He is faithful and waits for me to come to Him.  He wants us to depend on Him; He has promised to supply all our needs.  What a great God we serve!  Please pray with me as I work o this are of my life.  Thanks!

Til next time!
Linda <3

I like my Sleep but this is Ridiculous!

I cannot remember the last time I felt rested after 8 hours of sleep.  I currently sleep about 12 hours a “night” and do not feel rested when I get up.  It’s not every night anymore but still more than I would like.  One of my goals of hypothyroidism treatment is to get awake in the morning after 8 hours of sleep and have energy to get work done.

I have a difficult time dealing with the sleeping thing; before my hysterectomy, I slept 6 hours a night and felt good when I got up.  I actually long for those days!  Now I spend more time sleeping than doing anything else and it seems like such a waste.

My doctor wants to do a sleep study to see if I have sleep apnea but I don’t want to do that yet.  I want to get off the Effexor XR and get the thyroid levels to where I have some energy and then if I am still sleeping so much I’ll do the sleep study.  I think he’s a little perturbed with me but I really don’t care at this time.

I’ve been reading Mary Shomon’s book the thyroid diet and am starting to think I need to change my diet not so much to lose weight but to see if there are certain foods that enhance the effect of the hypothyroidism.  A little back, I started drinking spring water to see if the fluoride in the tap water may be affecting me negatively, I continue to do that and have noticed a little increase in energy so will continue to do that.

I get frustrated with how I feel physically and need to do two things frequently; 1.  Remember that hypothyroidism isn’t a condition that is going to go away; I will have to live with it the rest of my life and 2. Pray for God’s help and guidance in dealing with it.

Til next time!
Linda <3

A New Body!

As I was lying in bed early this morning, awake because my knees were aching and the ibuprofen and Tylenol were not helping the discomfort, I was listening to the Isaacs.  One of their songs talks about heaven, the streets of gold and the mansion we will each have, all the wonderful things we will have.  These things God is going to give us, but the “only thing that matters” is seeing Jesus’ face and falling on our knees to praise Him!  When I am there I will be able to fall on my knees because they will no longer hurt!  Praise the Lord!  He can and will take away the pain – I will have a new body!

Til next time!
Linda <3

So Far, So Good!

Hi Everyone!  Sorry for the lack of posts recently; I have had to spend extra time on my schoolwork because of an inability to concentrate; more about that later.

In my last post, I told you that I was starting the every other day dosing of Effexor XR and I have.  It hasn’t been as bad as previously when I went off of it all together which I am grateful for.  It has been two weeks now and these are the symptoms I am having: 1. Inability to concentrate but not as severe, I just have to work a little harder at my schoolwork and take short frequent breaks. 2.  The knee/joint pains that I experienced before are present but once again, not as severe.  I am actually able to walk without my cane for short distances and not have pain in my knees, just a little discomfort.  I have also started doing some very simple exercise to strengthen my knees and as long as I only do them 3 times a week, the discomfort is tolerable.  3.  The emotional mood swings and crying are minimal compared to before.  I do find I am teary eyed at times; the irritability has not been present this time.

Overall I am pleased with how things are going, and am eager to get off the medication.  I don’t plan another decrease until I’ve been taking this dose for at least a month, that’s the plan right now anyway.  Thanks for the prayers that have gone up on my behalf; I appreciate each and every one of them.

Til next time!
Linda <3

Withdrawal Update

I have posted previously about my withdrawal from the anti-depressant Effexor XR and the symptoms I was having.  I saw my family doctor on April 27^th and discussed the withdrawal with him.  We decided I would go back on the lowest dose and take even longer to wean off of it.  At the time, we decided I would take 6 months, two months on that dose daily, then two months at every other day and finally two months at every third day.  I hated the idea of going back on it but I was having difficulty concentrating on my school projects so much so that I was late with a couple of projects.  I can’t have that and so here I am taking the Effexor XR again.

Once again I was amazed at how I felt so much better after only two doses.  This stuff is powerful and I really want to get rid of it so hopefully this time weaning off more slowly will work.

As of today I have decided to start the every other day dosing of the Effexor and see how it goes.  I’m hopeful that I won’t be able to tell a difference with this change.  Time will tell – tomorrow will be the first skipped day.  Prayer helps so I will accept all prayers that are offered up on my behalf.

Til next time!
Linda <3

How was your Mother's Day?

Mine was great! Hubby took me out to dinner, something we do not do very often these days.  It was a good time with good food that I didn’t have to prepare.

My son called from Florida and we had a nice conversation and I got to “talk” to my grandson briefly, he’s only 13 ½ months old so isn’t really into the talking thing much yet.  I found out how they celebrated the day to make his wife feel special.

The best part of the day was being in church.  We have not been attending faithfully for quite some time.  When I was working, I spent much of the weekend sleeping and well, that has continued since being off. I know I’ve missed many blessings by not being there and I cannot change that but I can go o from here.  It was such a blessing to hear Pastor preach about Hannah and her son Samuel.

Hannah was a godly mother and raised Samuel to fear and love the Lord God.  Pastor pointed out how Samuel came to be a godly man even though he lived most of his life in a home where much ungodliness was happening.  You see Hannah promised God that if He gave her a child she would give that child back to Him. She only raised Samuel to the age of 4 or 5 then he lived in the temple with the priest whose sons were wicked.  How did Samuel become so godly in this ungodly environment?  It was because of his upbringing and the things in him by his mother in those few short years; read I Samuel chapters 1 & 2.

What can we take away from this?  Those first years of a child’s life are so important and impact their entire future.  As Moms we need to be sure we are teaching them the ways of God during that time.  The Bible tells us in Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”  Pastor did point out that if we did not do this then we need to start now.

I am thankful that even though we have not been faithfully attending church now, when Jacob was little we did go and he was trained in the things of the Lord.

Til next time,

Linda <3

Mother's Day Memories II

As I was thinking about my previous post on Mother’s Day Memories, I realized that I don’t recall doing anything special for my Mom on Mother’s Day as I was growing up.  I remember celebrating after I was through college and working on my own but not before that.

I realize Mother’s Day has become much more commercialized in the last 30 some years but when was it first celebrated?  I decided to do an internet search and here’s what I found…

Apparently it was first celebrated in ancient Greece and in the 17^th century “Mothering Sunday” was celebrated in England.

Julia Ward Howe suggested it in 1872 in the U.S.  She wrote the words for the Battle Hymn of the Republic, but the first known observance was in Michigan in 1877 on the second Sunday in May.
In 1914 it was declared a national holiday by President Woodrow Wilson.  There is a lot more interesting history that you can read here if you would like, but for my purposes this is what I wanted to know.
When I was growing up people ate at home, in fact businesses were closed on Sundays ( Sunday Blue laws), so there was no taking Mom out to eat after church.  This meant Mom cooked her own celebration meal in our house.

I guess what matters most is that I love and respect my Mom.  One of my fondest memories of her is that of her sitting at the back of the living room with her Bible open on her lap.  She is a godly woman of great faith and one day I hope to have as great a faith.  She saw to it that my siblings and I got to Sunday school and church each week.  I am sure it is because of her and her faith that I found Christ as my Lord and Savior.

What better legacy can a person have?  She is always available when I need something and helps me as much today as she did when I was growing up.

I love you Mom!

Linda <3

It's All In The Timing

My Pastor preached on John 11 this past Sunday morning; the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead.  It was a powerful sermon and very timely for me.

In case you do not know the story of Lazarus, I will give a short synopsis here.  Lazarus was ill and his sisters, Mary and Martha sent for Jesus to come.  Jesus did not go right away and Lazarus died.  They believed that if Jesus had been there Lazarus would not have died; what they did not understand was that Jesus had a plan.
Why did Jesus wait and why didn’t he heal Lazarus?  He could have done so from where he was, he did not have to be where Lazarus was to do that.  What we need to remember is that God does things in HIS TIME not ours.  What is wonderful about that is God often does better than what was asked for!  PRAISE THE LORD FOR THAT!

You see, Mary and Martha had wanted Jesus to come and heal Lazarus but Jesus did even better – He raised Lazarus from the dead giving him a new body.

Times of trials and testing provide a time for God’s glory to shine.  It is not important that we are comfortable.  Why does God deal with us like this…SO THAT HE MIGHT BE GLORIFIED AND THAT OUR FAITH MIGHT GROW!

Last week I was disappointed because I did not receive a job that I wanted.  I know God’s timing is perfect and so knew he did not want that job for me, at least not at this time but hearing this sermon reinforced that thinking in my head!  I needed that.

There are other situations that I am praying about and I need to remember that His timing is perfect and wait on Him for an answer.  The waiting part is hard for me; I want things to happen now so I frequently get frustrated while waiting for God but if I remember that He gives in His timing and that He gives even better than what we have asked for…well, I just need to keep trusting Him.

Till next time…
Linda <3

Withdrawal

During the years of my treatment for depression, I have been on 4 different antidepressants.  In May/June of 2009, I decided to wean off of my Welbutrin and did so without difficulty as I was still taking Effexor XR.  I did not notice any changes in how I felt and was pleased.


In November 2009, I decided to also wean off the Effexor XR and weaned the dose down to 75mg and then took that every other day for a couple of weeks then stopped.  It was only a couple of days until I started experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Those included…irritability, moodiness, crying for any reason at all, inability to concentrate, muscle aches, joint pains, hot flashes, and just felt miserable all over.  I did some investigation on the internet and was somewhat surprised to learn that all these things were reported withdrawal symptoms for the Effexor XR.  I stayed off of it for 2 weeks, thinking these things would get better but they kept getting worse and so I gave in and went back on the Effexor at a dose of 150 mg daily.  I was amazed that the withdrawal symptoms went away after only two doses of the Effexor XR.

This got me to thinking how people on narcotics and illegal drugs must feel when they need a fix; it must be similar to what I was feeling.  I do not like being physically dependent on any medication that affects me emotionally, mentally, and physically.  It is scary that one medication can do this to a person.

With the advice of some wonderful family members, I talked to my doctor about getting off the Effexor XR and so started weaning the dosage down much slower than before.  I stayed on the 150mg daily for 2 months, and then decreased to 75mg daily for a month and lastly 37.5mg daily for another month.  I completed the month at 37.5 mg on Thursday, April 8^th but by Tuesday, April 13^th I was having all the withdrawal symptoms again.  It is so frustrating and a part of me wants to go back on it just to stop the withdrawal pain but so far I have refrained from doing that. I hope to see my doctor soon and get his ideas on how I can get through this.

All prayers are appreciated!

Till next time!
Linda <3