Thankfulness - Day 196

Today is Thanksgiving Day.

Today is the Day
the Lord has made
Let us rejoice
and be glad in it

Today was yesterday
Today is tomorrow
Everyday is the Day
the Lord has made
Let us give thanks
Let us be grateful
Let us look forward
toward the Lord
Keep us always aware
of Him who will guide us
along the path
He has for us.
(c) Cathy Orrick Luders
11.26.2015

Among requests in this morning's prayer time was that Jim would stop getting smaller. He doesn't think he is losing weight, however, his waist size is decreasing and he doesn't want to "waste away to nothing." Before his surgery, he wore 33 x 36 pants and large sweaters; now he wears 32 x 36 or 32 x 34, and depending on the cut, sometimes 31 x 34, and medium sweaters.

Jim still has occasional episodes of dizziness and shortness of breath, but nothing like it was.

Last night, Wednesday, we had Thanksgiving Eve services at Wilton Baptist. It was a good drive down even though the traffic was quite heavy on I-380 and I-80. There was and is much to be thankful for.

Jim has been working on his Christmas sermons. This coming Lord's Day, he will begin advent messages. The first message, on Nov. 29, has to do with prophecies. We enjoy our ministry with Wilton Baptist and hope the Lord will allow us to continue there, at the very minimum, through Christmas.

In a short while, we will travel to Waterloo and have Thanksgiving dinner with Jim's sister, Dianne, who lives in Ankeny, and their aunt, Effie, who lives at Friendship Village. We are looking forward to the visit and hope to play a game of Scrabble before returning home.

Since last writing, we've had our first run-in with snow. Jim got gas for the snow blower and it actually started after a few tries. The heavy wet snow began Friday night, Nov. 20, and stopped late morning on Saturday. He used the snowblower and the shovel on Saturday and was overly tired afterward.

Saturday night we had our family over - Rocky, Christina, Austin and James, for a Thanksgiving gathering - turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, scalloped corn, pumpkin pie, homemade potato rolls. All good. All filling.

Sunday morning, Nov. 22, the roads here were good. The roads and sidewalks in Wilton were not cleared, so ice was in many places. I had the day off from work, so we had lunch with Eric and Kathy in Wilton. It was good food -  Jim ate everything he ordered and even a piece of cherry pie - and a good visit.
 

Set Back - Day 28

I woke at 6 this morning. Jim called at 7 - he had an x-ray of his abdomen at 5:30, which still shows some blockage. The doctor will compare today's x-ray  with yesterday's and go from there.

I called Kenway Service and Drain Cleaning at 8 and they will squeeze me in to check out our sewer issue.

From one blockage to another blockage.

Plumber just called - 8:15 ... they're coming now! Thank you Lord!

8:50 a.m. - the line is open! Just everyday stuff clogged in the drain. And the price was reasonable! Now to turn on the air and get some bleach to get rid of the smell.

Thank you so much Don and Carol, Lorraine and Bob and so many more.

I didn't get up to see Jim until 2 this afternoon. Dr. Yerkes never came back after this morning's visit - believe he was in surgery most of the day. The only order that came in was to re-insert the foley catheter. He apparently hasn't been able to void on his own since Monday morning and I guess it was decided might as well put the foley in rather than doing a straight cath.

Bile has stopped coming out of the NG tube, his stomach doesn't cramp as much, he doesn't need the anti-nausea or pain medicine as often. It looks like things are improving, but .... he will more than likely have another x-ray tomorrow of his abdomen.

I am working tomorrow, so won't get up to see him until closer to 7 p.m. I will try to update when we visit via phone.

Recovery At Home - Day 18

Praise the Lord! Jim and I both slept 7 hours straight through, from 10:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., when he needed pain meds.

Fed-Ex delivered the Amiodorne liquid at 9 a.m., so now we have enough Afib meds to last through the weekend and into the following week.

Devotional thought from the Scriptures:

"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving."
~ Colossians 2:6-7

"Make me understand the way of Your precepts, so shall I meditate on Your wonderful works." ~ Psalm 119:27

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." ~ 2 Chronicles 16: 9

I write:

His Presence

we have
within us
as believers
within our hearts
but if we only
let that presence lie
without so much
as a how you do
we miss
ALL He is
ALL He can do
ALL He can be
in every aspect
of our lives.
If / When we
do not start the day
with His leading
nor end the day
with praise and thanksgiving,
the minutes and hours in between
are fruitless
dismal
disoriented.
God wants to equip us
for the day ahead,
but we need to come to Him,
into His Presence
daily
to grow spiritually
in Him, with Him.

(c) CMOL 

Thankfulness

Thank Him
for where you are
what you have
today
tomorrow
Look to Him
and go
where He directs
do
what He instructs

We seek
opportunities
not considering
the moments
for development
and growth
that exist in
surgical procedures
and long periods
of recovery

He is there in the midst
but our fears
often take precedence
and we fail
to recognize
Everything HE IS

Thank Him
for showing us
how to pray
and enabling us
to do so for all
day in, day out,
continually.

Thank Him
for the pain
from which
we receive
blessings

Thank Him
for friends and family
who come alongside us
and give support
in whatever way they can

Thank Him
for every reminder
keeping us
close and closer
to Him.

Thank Him
for moments
of rest,
however brief,
that renews
our stamina
as we press on.

"Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the way of God, in Christ Jesus for you" ~ I Thessalonians 5:18