"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." --- Isaian 41:10
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Man, I don't want to write what will probably sound more like Ramblings of An Old Woman. Yet, God isn't letting me skip on to something else, so here we go.
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A week ago Monday I could barely walk.
Wait. Let's back up.
Months ago here I mentioned a 'lady problem' and the good news? It's gone. Healed.
How?
The Holy Spirit led me to make online symptom searches, then with a name, a label, we zipped over to Youtube for videos about dietary changes and vitamins for making that problem vanish.
Then it's kinda shocking how much grace He gave me to release favorite foods. Usually diets and I have short term relationships. But this felt different, important, and like an ending. No longer can I eat haphazardly.
So using food and vitamins like medicine worked for me. Again. No meds needed.
Color me mega grateful.
Then came Monday. (Gee, isn't it annoying when you fix one thing, then another pops up?)
I stood up from the red couch, took a step and oh dear! My legs went all stiff and achy. The part above my knees (quadricepts?). My oh my, I hobbled all bent forward like a 120-year-old lady.
Gah.
Now, these past years, colder weather has affected my legs, but not that badly. Immediately I thought, "It's time to no longer steam water at the stove to keep us from getting dry air sinusitus."
Moist air is bad for arthritis. We can drink more water to keep the sinusitus at bay. (Actually, it felt freeing to toss that little stainless steel pan away. Too often I'd forget about it, it would smoke and I'd have to refill it when it cooled.) **
Then--again--I researched the symptoms, found they were common amongst us oldsters and could be worse--so be grateful they're not, I reminded myself. I've no consistent pain: it only begins with first steps, then I can walk it off.
But still.
So what if I'm all Linus-like with his consistent blanket? And so what if I sometimes use Tom's rollator? (I asked if it would scare him to see me walk with it. He said no, but I glimpsed in his eyes what I know exists in mine when I watch him without the rollator.)
What matters is that I keep this all in its correct perspective. With a touch of humor. This is certainly not earth shattering.
We jokingly discussed moving to Arizona for the warm, arid skies, but considering we can both barely walk around our own little house, well, that's not happening.
Besides, we love it here.
Anyway, this too shall pass! And what matters is that I battle against self-pity (yesterday was my final day to sit beside it). As Joyce Meyer quips, "You can be pitiful or powerful--but you cannot be both."
So moving forward from what was a pretty pathetic week, I'll--
---concentrate upon, even list, my many blessings.
---remind myself I can still do most things, just a bit slower (our days weren't meant to be by-the-minute races, anyway).
And may I remember that thousands of folks would love to have such a simple problem as this one. May I keep everything in a correct perspective. And may any problem nudge me toward a greater compassion for my fellow man--
-- and a heavier leaning upon God Almighty.
Finally, after 13 years, our oh so ugly dining area chandelier is gone. Whew. Now I can quit staring at it while trying to imagine it repainted and re-globed yet nothing improving it. (Larry the Painter Guy came over and removed it for us and did other 'Honey Do' jobs. Don't you just love progress?)
** Darn. Today we had to return to steaming water on the stove. This past week, Tom had dealt with head-cold-like symptoms, but today was the worst and in the past, it's always meant lack of air moisture. Oh well. I'll adapt.
** Next day update: Seriously. It's like a miracle how instantly Tom is healed. Oh my!
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Here's a nice customized tiny house. (Aren't these a million times better now than when they first appeared years ago?)
Last night we watched the 2004 version of The Twelve Days of Christmas Eve and we did enjoy it, though I preferred the Kelsey Grammer one a bit more. (May be free at Youtube.)
Have you ever watched the older tv series, Angels in Disguise? Very remarkable, those true stories. (May be free at Tubi.)
Dangerous Crossing. This was an old (1953) movie that both Tom and I enjoyed last week. Very well done. Free at Youtube.
I find cottage core videos like this one so relaxing.
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How comforting to know that always some way exists to turn the pages in our life. We just have to search sometimes.
Such a challenge to be a warm light in a cold world, yet with God, we can do this!
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"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15
