Vacation Time

We will be flying out of Phoenix on Thursday to begin our vacation.  We will be in Ohio for our class reunions and to visit our families.

Keep us in prayer.  Often times we need a vacation after the vacation to recouperate!

Hugs,
Tamara

Surgical Success

We are home from Phoenix.  It's a long and tiring trip.

My Mother (Dolores) did quite well with the surgery yesterday.  She was obviously groggy from the sedation and slept most of the afternoon.  Her only complaint was "cold feet" and we found the blankets and wrapped them up nicely.

Today, she appeared to be her chipper self!  There was some pain associated with movement, but she was up and using the lavatory and ambulating.  She was doing so well they sent her home this afternoon.  She was told that when she's awake to do a "walk about" every hour or so.  Blood clots, you know.  When I spoke with her, she said she slept when they first got in, but is up and about now, but feeling more pain.  I told her not to be shy about using the pain medication and not to let it go to long before taking it.  The daughter telling the mother to follow the directions!  Isn't that a hoot.

As any of us who have ever had surgery know, tomorrow will be the day of pain.

Thank you all so much for your prayers.  The trip was long, tiring but uneventful.  And I am amazed at how well my Mom did!  I know I should never be amazed when the Lord answers prayer, but I am always delightfully amazed!

Blessings to all,

Tamara

Coveting Your Prayer

It's 5:30 a.m. here in Arizona and we're preparing to leave for Phoenix - a 3 hour trip. 

My Mother will be having a mastectomy today and I do covet your prayers for her.  Her name is Dolores.  Pray also for our trip - it's long and sometimes the traffic in the Phoenix area is more than awful!

Hugs to you all,

Tamara

Grandma's Hands

Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench.. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.

When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. 'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she said in a clear strong voice.

'I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I explained to her.

'Have you ever looked at your hands,' she asked. 'I mean really looked at your hands?'

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making..

Grandma smiled and related this story:

'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.

'They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor.

They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war.

'They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.

They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.

'They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.

They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.

'These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life.

But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of God.'

I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.

 
Thank you for sharing this Jessica.  It is lovely and worthy of sharing.

Prayer Requests

Hello All,

I just got off the phone with my Mother.  She will be having a mastectomy next Thursday, June 10th.  It's her second bout with breast cancer in a year and rather than have another lumpectomy and face this again, she's opted for the mastectomy and no reconstruction.  She said it's ridiculous at her age.

Please keep her in your prayers.  I am going to take some FMLA time and stay with her for awhile and then the Hubs and I are flying to Ohio on the 17th.

I also have my one year check-up with the cardiologist this Friday.  I'm sure he will want to have a stress test (doesn't he know how stressful that is?).  I plan on asking him to wait until our return from vacation in July.

Hugs to you all,

Tamara

Hello Again

It's not that I'm back, it's just that... I'm back!  So I can keep in touch with you and your blogs.  I so miss reading and commenting.

I won't be doing any devotionals only because my work consumes my time, but perhaps when I retire?  Who knows, but the Lord.