1.  Kids home from school

2.  Higher grocery bill because of #1

3.  Pool time!!!

4.  Flowers

5.  Mowing yard

6.  Air conditioner

7.  The smell of suntan lotion

8.  The smell and feel of cold aloe vera gel when we don’t use enough #7

9.  Watermelon

10.  Garden (in-laws and parents) and fresh veggies

11.  Grilling

12.  Flies…ugggh

13.  Washing towels all the time because of #3

14.  Going to the beach (my happy place)

15.  Kids going to church camp (hope Grace doesn’t break anything this time)

16.  VBS

17.  Not getting dark until after 8:00

18.  American Idol is over 😦

19.  America’s Got Talent begins

20.  Schedule Free!!!!

Wow…this post is “untitled” because, well, because I just can’t come up with a title that will do it justice.  Before I get into the run down of how this TGIF went, I must give a little background info.

  A couple of weeks ago, my dear friend Jenny shared some A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. news with me.  She had received a call saying that she was a bone marrow match for someone!  What?????  I didn’t even know you were on the donor list.  When? How? What? You have got to be kidding!?!? Yep, it’s true…she was a perfect match for a 15 year old boy who is fighting leukemia.  She was going to have to make a trip to Vandy to have tests, blood work, pre-op stuff, meet with doctor and fill out paperwork.  Being the supportive friend I am, I said, “If you need someone to go with you, I am your girl.”  Well…today was the day. 

As I was getting ready this morning (we had to leave EARLY), I decided to put a small notebook in my purse just in case I decided I wanted to write something down.  I am really not a journal keeping kind of person but for whatever reason, I took the notebook.  Honestly, I really didn’t expect to write anything in it because I had purchased 3 new magazines to look through while waiting…one being People and I knew after I read through it, I would want to work the crossword puzzle (they are my favorites ).  Let me just say…I didn’t even make it through the People magazine.  The following is what I wrote in my notebook today…

Friday, May 27th, 2011…

Father,

I am sitting in a waiting area at Vanderbilt Clinic in Nashville (of course, you already know that) while Jenny is doing her thing.  I am so honored and humbled to be with her today.  It absolutely blows my mind that she is willing to give of herself to save a stranger’s life but of course, it is the way you want things to be, the way you designed us to be; willing to help and love others with the love of Christ.  I am just blessed beyond words to be a part of her support system. Please continue to show me ways to be Your hands and feet to Jenny and her family as she is being the same to this 15 year old boy and his family.  WOW…it really does come full circle; Your perfect circle of love and grace.

So, J has had an EKG, chest xray and has just been called back for blood work in the Hematology Stem Cell Transplant Clinic.  A young couple just walked into the waiting room; I assume husband and wife.  She has beautiful, shoulder length brown curly hair and a mask over her mouth/nose. 

 Another woman sitting close by with a cap on her head and a visible port on the right side of her chest.  It is obvious she is bald…I assume from treatments to fight off those stinkin’ cancer cells. 

 Also, another man who looks healthy (compared to those around him) and appears to know all the staff that walks by.  He was just greeted with a hug from a nurse who exclaimed, “Look at you!”  I imagine he is on the tail end of the fight of his life and the physical transformation from sickness to health is what has sparked such excitement.

Another man ( I say man but he probably wasn’t much older than 20) sitting in a wheelchair, oxygen in his nose, obviously sick and weak…his hands shaking.  His mom (at least I imagine it is his mom) by his side.

Another woman told she can’t receive part of her treatment today because some level is too low; she must come back next week.

Lord, I am overwhelmed right now.  My heart aches for these precious people; Your precious children.  The selfish part of me can’t help but think, “that could have been me” and I thank you with all that I am that it wasn’t (but as crazy as it sounds, I feel somewhat guilty that it wasn’t).  I have thought of the “could have beens” so many times but coming face to face with the reality of it makes me want to lay flat on my face and thank you and  praise you and ask for HEALING for all of these people.

Holy cow…another couple; this time the wife in a wheelchair…Lord Jesus, be with her.

I don’t even know how to process all of this.  I wonder if Jenny even fully comprehends what YOU are doing through her???

Another couple just walked out.  Very tall man, a cap covering his baldness and a mask over his face to hopefully keep the germs away.  His shoulders slumped exposing the weakness in his body.  He doesn’t feel good, you can tell.

Jenny is sitting right outside the waiting room with the donor coordinator, Linda.  They are talking about details and going over paperwork.  I know J must be overwhelmed so please give her peace and assurance right now.

Yet another couple…older this time…no doubt wonderful parents and grandparents to a lucky family.  She is a small, petite woman…her baldness covered by a super cute brown cap.  She is holding a mask in her hands along with something yummy from Starbucks.  Thank you Father for those simple pleasures.

I continue to fight back tears (I admit that more than a few have streamed down my face).  If I allowed myself, I could just sit here and bawl.

Jenny just popped in to tell me they took 14 vials of blood!!!  Linda had to step away for a minute and will be right back.

Still a steady stream of people…another woman just came in, somewhat frail but with the prettiest lipstick on.  She has brought her favorite pillow (with a burnt orange pillowcase) and is resting her head back on it.  Her daughter, who looks to be about the same age as me, is with her; taking care of her…the tables are turned…a child caring for a sick parent.  Bless them Father, bless them all.

Jenny just came back in…the doctor she needs to see has been tied up so we have been told to go get a bite to eat.  We had a light lunch in the cafe area then returned to the waiting area just in time for Linda to come out.  She tells us the dr. can’t get away from the Children’s hospital to come over and meet with Jenny so we are going to him.  Linda walks us over to the Vandy Children’s hospital to meet with him. 

So, here I sit in the waiting room of the pediatric cancer center (those words just shouldn’t go together).  I have only been sitting here about 5 minutes and have already seen 3 young children come out.  One little boy, who looked to be about 5 years old, instantly stole my heart.  I was watching him and Linda came out to sit by me.  I just simply said, “I love him…I just love him.” 

Linda shared several stories with me as we sat waiting for Jenny…amazing, heart wrenching stories.  She also told me that Rascal Flatts comes to the pediatric cancer center all the time to sing for the kids while they are getting their infusions.  I am thinking, I would freak out if they walked around the corner and thankfully, they didn’t because I am not really in a place where it would be appropriate to freak out.

Jenny comes out and Linda walks us back to where the parking garage is.  She anticipates no problems and will be in contact.  The only thing to wait on now is for this 15 year old boy to get over an infection he has picked up just this week.  As soon as he gets the all clear, the transplant date will be set.  It was originally set for June 17th but that is on hold.   I am hoping it will be sooner than later.  Lord, I ask you flush this infection from his system so this can happen.

I am completely blown away and forever changed.  Thank you for allowing me to be part of this.  I can’t even wrap my head around it but I do know that I am blessed, grateful, humbled, heart broken, excited and full of awe.  YOUR greatness is mind blowing!!!!  Bless Jenny and her family beyond anything they could imagine.  Heal this 15 year old boy and use it all to advance YOUR kingdom.  We give YOU all the honor, glory and praise…

AMEN!!!

MRI was completely normal!!!  I really had no reason to expect otherwise but…well, we won’t talk about that again today!  Thanks for your prayers and concern…ya’ll bless me.  I will ask for you to pray about this again in about a year so prepare yourself 🙂

K

After cancer, everything changes…or at least it did for me. 

1.  I have a new appreciation of life.  I want to take care of it.  I want to be healthy and I want my family to be healthy…in shape.  I want everything in my life to bring praise to God.  I fail miserably at times (more often than I really want to admit) but that is really what I want deep in my heart.  Great is the Lord and Greatly to be Praised…in everything, all the time.

2.  I have such a desire to pursue the Living Word of God…more than ever.  I love my Bible.  I love searching out scripture.  I love the way the pages feel and sound when I am flipping through them.  Is that weird?  I don’t really care if it is…this is my new normal. 

3.  I love to exercise.  Yes, I said it and I don’t want anyone to remind me of that.  I feel better when I do it.  More energy, mind clearer, sleep better, stress less, smile more…it really does work and at this point in time in my life, I enjoy it.

4.  Doctor bills and insurance statements take up way to much of my time and money…this is my new normal.

5.  Doctor appointments take up way too much of my time and money…again, new normal.

6.  I am now somewhat of a hypochondriac.  Every ache and pain sends my mind straight to the worse case scenario.  I am thankful for great doctors God has placed in my life that don’t mind my insanity.  This is my new normal…and they know that.

7.  I pray (a lot) that my girls and possible future grandchildren will never, ever be told they have breast cancer.  I pray that God let me go through it because He knew I could handle it and so that my girls won’t have to travel that path.  Please Lord, let it just be me.

8.  Today…this afternoon…I have to have a breast mri.  Most women get to have a yearly mammogram but not me.  My new normal is a mri.  One and a half hours of laying on my stomach with my arms stretched out like superman.  I am not looking forward to it…at all.  Beside the physical discomfort of laying still, in that position, for that long…my mind goes to the worst case scenario (see #6 above).  This is my new normal. (by the way, I would appreciate your prayers this afternoon around 3…that’s my appointment time but you can pray at any time you like…just do it, pray…please and thank you)

9.  I fear at times that my friends get tired of hearing about all of this but I can’t help it…this is me and this is my new normal.

10.  I don’t really have a #10 but I have to end on an even number.

Before I end this post, I would also like to ask that you join me in prayer today for a sweet lady I met recently.  I am not going to share her name because I don’t really know how much she has shared with others.  God knows who she is.  Anyway…she will be having a mastectomy this afternoon.  She is scared and nervous.  Please pray for her.

Blessings – K

#1…1/21/11

Hit around 5:30.

Breakfast was peanut butter and strawberry jelly on toast with about 3 cups of coffee

Lunch was Tombstone peperonni pizza w/glass of sweet tea

Supper…Fixed G some Progressive chicken noodle soup…took one bite…took her food to her and then headache.  So…”No soup for me!”

#2…1/24/11

Hit around 2:00 pm.

Had a bacon, egg and cheese bagel and iced tea

Took Allegra D

Ate at Ollive Garden for lunch…salad w/lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, onions, italian dressing, parm cheese; one breadstick; eggplant parm w/spaghetti; ice tea w/lemon to drink; andes mint

No supper…too sick

Another dr. appointment tomorrow.

I’m getting tired of this.

The End

My thoughts are all over the place right now and I figured it was time to get them down because I want to remember them.  There is no rhyme or reason…just thoughts.

1.  Trying to figure out what my goals will be for 2011.  Thinking back to 2010, I get the feeling the things I accomplished were definitely not for my own gain but rather preparation for God’s bigger and better plans for me.  As I spend more and more time in prayer about what the year may have in store for me, there is one word and one word only that God keeps placing in my mind.  I am not at a place I want to share that word yet because to be honest…I am having an ongoing arguement conversation with God about this and keep asking him, “Are you sure?”.  He hasn’t changed His answer…and I don’t think He is going to.  Last year…actually the past 3 years…God has taught me a lot about endurance, perseverance, strength, love, kindness.  This year He wants to put those lessons to some good use.  I am nervous, scared, excited, unsure…expecting great things in spite of myself.

2.  My health…overall good as far as I know.  A few little things that need attention that I keep putting off.  I am working on that.  I am probably in the best shape I have ever been in (consistent exercise will do that) and that feels great!!!  I am very encouraged by the fact that I made it through 2009 and 2010 without any surgery!!!!  I had enough in 07 and 08 to last a lifetime.  Hoping to carry that over into this year.

3.  Kids…where do I start???  Oldest is 13 and is amazingly the smartest person on the planet.  Youngest is 10 (will be 11 in April).  The two of them just really don’t like each other most of the time and their fighting just sucks the life right out of me.  My two main stress relievers at the moment are shopping and consistent exercise.  Don’t hold me to this but the exercise thing probably works better than the shopping and is overall better for me BUT…I am not going to stop shopping 🙂  So back to the kids….they really are good girls and both love the Lord.  They love to go to church and are my biggest fans (along with hubby).  M (the oldest) has taken up golfing and is a member of the high school golf team.  Now, I don’t know much about golf but she is pretty darn good to be starting out.  It seems to come naturally for her.  She has even gotten me out on the course a few times.

4.  The hubby…works his tail off so I can be a stay at home mommy.  I swear, I don’t know how I did it all when I was still working.  If you ever get the opportunity to stay home with your kids, DO IT!!!  I wish I could have been home when they were younger…I missed out on so much.  Even though they drive me CRAZY at times, I am so greatful to be home with them.  Oops…back to the hubby…he is starting the year off with a bang…being ordained as a deacon of our amazing church this evening.  To say I am proud is an understatement…God has great things in store for him and I am so thankful to be his wife!  I guess I will have to straighten up and fly right since I will be a deacons wife now 🙂

5.  Bible study…doing the read through the New Testament in a year with my church and keeping track of my God Sightings.  What are God Sightings(my mom calls them “God Winks”) you ask?  Well, it is recognizing how God works in every single detail of your life every single day.  We have been encouraged to write them down somewhere…like a prayer journal.  I have already noticed that most (if not all) of my God Sightings are direct answers to prayers that are so easy to overlook or explain away as “good luck”.   I am actually keeping track of mine on some blank pages in the back of my bible…for me, I could think of no better place to record them.  I am also a part of a small group of ladies who meet weekly for bible study, prayer, encouragement, accountability…I believe we are getting ready to start a study on the book of Jonah and am so looking forward to it.

6.  I really don’t have a number 6 right now but had to end on an even number.  I am becoming quite OCD in my old age 🙂

Blessings…K

I believe I had my first migraine when I was about 14 or 15.  It woke me up in the middle of the night…intense pain…and vomiting.  I remember getting up and going to tell my mom that I had a really bad headache.  At that time, I had never even heard of a migraine.  I can remember my dad having “sick headaches” when I was growing up and laying on the couch while mom rubbed his head with this really stinky cream.  Looking back now, I really believe he was having migraines.

Anyway…I can remember getting a few more migraines while in college…again, with them waking me up at night.  I had my first one while awake during a date.  We were at a restaurant called Garfields in the mall at Bowling Green and my eyes started doing this really weird thing.  I had no idea what was going on but I couldn’t see the menu very well.  Then the pain hit…my poor date didn’t know what to do.

There never has been a pattern to my headaches…I could go for months without having one and then have it hit me out of the blue. As a matter of fact, I believe I went for almost a year without having a migraine but this year I have had several.  I used to take imitrex but that stopped working.  Most recently, I have had success with Maxalt.  If I can take one when I start having the aura and go lay down, I usually feel better within a couple of hours…not great…just better.  The next day, I have what I call a “migraine hangover”.  I feel like I have been hit by a truck.  My back hurts, my neck hurts, I am tired and feel like I am recovering from the flu or something.

As I said…I have had several headaches this year and more recently, more often than I ever have.  About a month ago, I had one hit me at church.  I tried to stay…didn’t want to miss a class I was in.  The pain was so intense, I ended up getting sick.  I should have went home when my aura began.  Then the night before Christmas Eve, at a family gathering…bam, another headache.  This time, I had hubby take me home, took meds, went to bed and was able to rejoin family about 3 hours later.  Less than a week later, standing in Walmart (no wonder), another one hits.  Thankfully, again, I was able to get home, take meds and avoid the whole throwing up thing.

The aura I experience prior to a headache is fairly easy to describe.  It is very sudden…one second I am fine and the next, I am not.  The best way to describe it is the sensation of a strobe light going off inside my eyes.  My vision is impaired while this is happening…kinda like blind spots.  I am very sensitive to lights and sound and just want to close my eyes.  When I do close my eyes, the strobe light effect does not go away and usually lasts for about 20 minutes.  I have noticed recently that I also see zig zag lines when I close my eyes.  The strobe light/zig zags usually only affect one eye and when it stops, the actual pain is almost always on the opposite side as whatever eye was affected.

I have also noticed with the last several headaches, my fingers tingle some.  Also have noticed my nose running more…especially the next day.  I also sneeze quite a bit the next day.  Another thing I have noticed is that the day after, I have to pee a lot…could be related to the medicine.  The most recent headache, I was very very thirsty with it.  Never noticed that before. 

The last 2 headaches, I can remember being chilled prior to the onset with my hands being very cold.  Not sure if there is any relation or not.  I have tried to come up with something I am doing differently to trigger them and the only thing I can think of is that I am working out on a regular basis.  That should not make a person have a migraine!  I’ve had several people tell me to limit my cheese and chocolate intake and that makes me sad.  I love cheese and sometimes a girl just needs her cholocate…know what I mean?

Here is a brief food diary for my last 3 headaches…

#1…don’t remember breakfast and lunch but had chili and pimento cheese for supper

#2…probably a poptart for breakfast and coffee, no lunch, headache hit before I could eat supper

#3…poptart for breakfast and coffee, some cheese ball and crackers and a bowl of fruit salad for lunch with sweet tea, cheeseburger, fries, jr frosty and unsweet tea for supper.

I really hope I don’t have another one for a long time but just in case, I am trying to record everything I can.  For anyone out there that has frequent migraines…I don’t know how you do it.   For those of you who don’t have migraines and you made it to the end of this post…say a prayer for those of us who do.

Thanks for reading…K

Trying something a little different to see if I like it.  I am wanting to get thoughts on different topics that I may or may not use in helping teach my kids (and myself) some lessons.  Who knows…we may all learn a little along the way. 

So, the first topic is that of bullying.  It has become a major focus in our school systems even though it is as old as dirt.  There is a “no tolerance” policy in the schools for bullying even though I am not really sure what that has accomplished because it is still a HUGE problem.  I hear stories all the time about kids being bullied, made fun of, picked on, etc even though there is supposed to be no tolerance.

After a quick internet search, here are the 5 essential bullying stats every parent should know … according to http://urbandojo.com/2010/06/09/how-to-prevent-bullying-part-1-bullying-statistics/

1.  Nearly 1 in 3 students are involved in bullying (either as the giver or receiver)

2.  While school violence as a whole has declined, bullying behaviors have increased by 5% (again, even though there is a no tolerance policy…I don’t understand)

3.  Kids who are obese, gay or have disabilities are up to 63% more likely to be bullied than other children

4.  Boys are more likely than girls to bully others (not sure about this one…girls can be meeeeaaaaan)

5.  Boys and girls get bullied in different ways.

According to www.education.com here are some signs your child may be a victim of bullying…

The pain and embarrassment of being bullied often causes victims to hide what is going on. But, there are a variety of ways to tell if your child is being bullied. Symptoms include:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Safety concerns
• Sadness
• Aggression
• Academic issues
• Low self-esteem
• Deficits in peer relations
• Substance use

Other possible warning signs may include:

• Numerous lost belongings
• Frequent injuries or damage to clothes or property
• Spends time primarily with younger students (may indicate a problem with peers)
• Avoids recess (i.e., playground) before, during and/or after school
• Arrives to school late or just at the starting bell
• Appears to be alone most of the time at school
• Obtains an excessive or insufficient amount of sleep
• Somatic complaints (i.e., headaches, stomachaches, etc.)

From the same site, here are some signs your child may be bullying someone else…

• Children who bully tend to have¹:
  • Average or above average self-esteem.
  • Impulsive personalities.
  • Lack of empathy.
  • Difficulty conforming to rules.
  • Positive attitudes toward violence.
• Some bullies are quite popular, enjoying high status and esteem from their peers, and even teachers. These are called “Hidden bullies” – popular children who exhibit aggression (persistent arguing, fighting, getting in trouble).²

  

This is just the tip of the iceberg on the information that is available out there.  I just don’t know why kids have to be so mean to each other.  Are we making it too easy for them?  Are there really consequences for those who are doing this?  What would you do or what have you done if your child is being bullied?  Anyone out there willing to share a story about their child being the bully?  How do we approach this situation in a way that shows the love of Christ? 

 

What are your thoughts?

Kind of a silly title for a blog post but I really don’t have anything better at the moment.  It has been forever since I have put anything on here.  There are really no particular reasons other than 1) I just haven’t taken the time to do it, and 2) there is this little thing called facebook that takes up WAY too much of my time.  For some strange reason, I decided to check out my “stats” on here and it totally cracks me up that just about every day at least one person checks out my blog.  My most popular post is “Are you smarter than a 5th grade Christian?”  It gets about one view a day…..that totally makes me laugh.

Not really sure I want to continue with this blog thing.  I just don’t feel like I have anything of great importance to say.  I think I need some direction…some inspiration…a reason.  Facebook just isn’t cutting it for me but I will probably keep up with that because it has become (for some strange reason) a major source of communication.  How many times have you heard someone (or yourself) say, “Send me a message on facebook.”  People don’t even email much anymore…even though if you send a message on facebook, it is essentially an email, right?  I do enjoy being able to post and/or respond to prayer requests and such on there but do people really want to know what I am eating for supper or what my grocery list is or what is on my to do list for the day?  Are we “up in each other’s business” a tab bit too much?  And what about the games and such on there…thankfully I haven’t gotten into that.  A couple of Easter seasons ago, I touched the surface of collecting some kind of eggs and it just about drove me nuts!!! 

What about twitter?  I do have a twitter account but thankfully haven’t really gotten into it.  I just don’t understand the difference between twitter and facebook.  Is one better than the other?  Do we really have time to do twitter and facebook updates throughout the day?  I would be ashamed to know how much time I spend on facebook every day getting “caught” up on all the status updates of my 420 friends, many of whom I don’t even know. 

What is the point of this post?  I have no idea…just sharing some thoughts with all ONE of you!!!

K

Gosh…I wasn’t going to speak of this but it has really got me thinking about something so here goes. 

Today, I fell…hard.  I even have the skinned up knee, sore hand and sore ankle to prove it.  It has been a long time since I skinned my knee and let me tell ya…it hurts.  After lunch today, we decided to have some family time and loaded up the girls bicycles and headed to the walking trail.  The plan was for the girls to ride and Jeff and I to run.  I am still very determined to tackle this running thing and I believe it is going well…for someone who has never ran before.  Now, being determined can be coupled with some discouragement and this week I have been somewhat discouraged.  I did really well on Monday but haven’t been able to top my time for that day.  Well…I was determined to do a mile today so on the way to the trail, I prayed and asked God to give me perseverance during my run.  After my little talk with God, I was pumped…ready to face that trail head on.

So…off we go.  The girls riding their bikes and Jeff and I running.  Of course it didn’t take long for Jeff to get ahead of me but I was feeling good.  The girls were riding right behind me and I was jamming to some upbeat music.  I had just taken one of my earphones out so I could hear the girls if they needed me.  I had also just passed the 1/4 mile mark and knew I could make it to 1/2.  Then I knew if I could make it a half mile, I could make it 3/4 and so on.  You get the picture.  All was well in the world, everyone was having a good time…life was good.

Then it happened…

Grace kinda yelled out, and I ever so slightly turned to my left to see if she needed me.  She was fine and as I turned back, my ankle kinda twisted and I went SPLAT.  My left knee and hand took the brunt of the fall and there I laid…face down on the edge of the trail.  As I said earlier…Jeff was a little ahead of me jamming to his own music and had no idea this happened.  So the girls witnessed it all.  I was able to at least sit up but knew my knee was hurt as was my hand.  After all I have been through, I can tolerate pain pretty well so it didn’t take long for me to get MAD and disappointed that I didn’t reach my goal.  It was a matter of seconds and the tears started coming which completely freaked the girls out and Grace began to run towards Jeff and yell…at the same time, Jeff just so happened to turn around.  So, Jeff runs back to see the damage.  He offered to go get the car but I got myself together and finally got up.  To be honest, I was afraid I had really hurt my ankle so I gingerly (good word, huh?) put some weight on my foot and realized that it was probably ok.  My knee on the other hand was a mess.  Lila L.  was walking up about that time and gave me a tissue for my knee  (Thanks Lila!) and off we went back toward the car.  I even ran a little on the way back…I told you I was determined.  I am a little banged and bruised but I think I will quickly recover.

On the way home, this is the conversation Madison and Jeff had (they drove separately in the truck to haul the bikes)…

Madison:  You know Dad…the devil must really not want mom to do this running stuff.

Jeff:  Yeah, that must mean that God has something great in store for your Mom.

Madison:  Yeah…you’re right.

Jeff:  Or maybe she is just clumsy.

Thanks a lot sweetie…I hope you two got a good laugh out of that.

Anyway…after we got home, I got to thinking about this whole falling down thing.  Isn’t that the way our lives seem to happen…especially when we are trying to lead a Godly life.  We set our mind to something, make all our goals/plans and even know in our spirit we are doing God’s will for our lives.  Then…we fall…and sometimes it is a hard fall and we find ourselves face down in the dirt.  Disappointment and discouragement begin to swallow us up.  It is not a fun place to be and we begin to hear that lying voice of satan begin to say things like, “You should have know you wouldn’t succeed at this.  What were you thinking” and “I knew you couldn’t do it.  You are nothing but a failure.”

But the story doesn’t end there and satan does not have to win.  No matter how hard we fall or how many times we fall…God is always there to pick us up, dust us off and say “Don’t give up…don’t ever give up.”  Following God’s will is not always an easy process…we will get scrapes and bruises along the way but we can learn from our “falls” and persevere toward our goals.  Life is hard and bad things will happen and God will always want us to get up after we fall and “run the race”.  Even better than just wanting us to get up…He will equip us to do so and what a testimony we can be to those watching from the sidelines. 

On a little different note…when you see a brother or sister “fall” along the way, be the hands and feet of Christ and help them up, dust them off and give the love and encouragement to keep going on the path God has for them.  The bible tells us…God’s word tells us to encourage each other.  We are all on this journey together and we need each other.

So the next time you “fall”…call on God, let him help you up, bandage your wounds and help you refocus on the prize He has set before you.  He will not fail you…He will not leave you alone…He will supply all your needs and give you the strength to do all things!!!

God Bless – K