Urgent Prayer Request:

Just found out that my 86 year old Father-in-law Pa Bear, er, excuse me, Don Roth is in the hospital and has been in there for 6 days. It started out as a Bladder Infection and it has turned for the worse. He was supposed to have been transferred to a hospital in Yakima for Rehab. As soon as I can get my hubby awake and dressed we are on our way to see him in CCU.

He has had so much happen to him in such a short time. First he had open heart surgery to try a pig valve but it failed. Then he got a pacemaker put in. Then last year he had brain surgery to remove an 80ml blood clot. Then he had a foot of his intestine removed.

This is not the first Bladder infection he has had. But from what they say he is not doing well at all.

I know that at this point it seems that he has just given up on living. He has battled so hard.
I would love to see his suffering to end peacefully. There are mixed feelings in the family right now. This is especially hard on my mother-in-law Ma Bear, er, excuse me Dot Roth as she is still trying to adjust to living on her own in the next town over.

So could you please pray for us.

Computer Died.......Trying Earnestly to bounce back

Well, this was an unexpected problem.... Both my power supply and hard drive bit the computer dust and both have gone to computer heaven..... I do believe though that my dear sweet hubby Ben has ordered the parts I need as surprise early Christmas gifts. Bless his dear little heart! Oy Vay! Well I just wanted to quickly let everyone know this and the fact that I have finally received my diagnosis. I have a disease that most people cannot even pronounce "Ankylosing Spondylitis" and more people than not do not even know what it even is. So let me give you the quick version:

About Ankylosing Spondylitis

If you love me as you say you do, then please use this link to look up all the information and even read the patient stories as that is the real truth about this disease. Unfortunately, I do not have the money for the membership fee. Joining this Association would be a tremendous benefit to me as I do care for a developmentally disabled husband.

I have also learned that I have a bone tumor (Enchondroma) in my left hip. They think I have had it since I was a child but I am not thinking so because this is a very new pain that started shortly after my Thyroid problems started. They have said that if it is found in an adult that it can grow to become Bone Cancer. We are praying desperately that it does not become cancer.  So to be honest I am really frightened.

 I am going to get a too real for a moment: We are so poverty stricken that I am sleeping on a couple of worn out foam pads on the floor and my hubby is on an air mattress on top of our broken bed. This is so troubling to my dear hubby because he knows enough to know it is his job to provide for us and he cannot due to his disabilities.My body is in severe pain but that pain does not compare to the pain in my heart and my soul when considering my poor hubby's dilemma.

 While I am pleased that people do have warm comfortable furniture during this Christmas Season and warm, safe houses, I would like to encourage those who do have more than enough to please help those who are less fortunate than you. Because, Folks, Loving your neighbor as yourself really needs improving upon in our society today. We have folks right here in (Anytown, USA) that are doing without every day basic necessities because like myself they are too ill to work and the state will not help out enough. As I am saying this I am going without most of my medications as we just do not have the money to buy them and most of them are not available through Patient Assistance Programs.

Dear sweet Ruthi, We so love you so much because even though you have the least money in the family you have helped us the most. The others in our large family could learn a most needed lesson from you and we pray that they do. Thank you for showing us both that you truly do treasure our lives enough to be what we need you to be when we need you to be it.You have shown to us that life is more precious than things and vacations.That the human life is a very precious gift and should not be wasted. That it should be spent showing God's love to those who are with, for us, and around us. You have given out of your need and not out of your excess and God will truly bless you for it all. Thank You Dear Sis {{{hugz}}}

All this to say this, Family should be willing to aid the members of their families who are not doing well no matter how much it costs because that is what being a family means. You all stick together through the thick and thin of life.The Good, Bad and the Ugly. That is what being a family means. You love, treasure, support, comfort, and aid those you say you love. Because Folks that is what God's True Love is all about. If you are not doing this then God's Love does not reside within your heart. Because if you can help complete strangers but not your own flesh and blood (this includes through marriage), then God's Word states that all your giving amounts to nothing in His eyes. Because  true Charity begins at home in the family unit.

When Life Rains Down Persimmons.

Hey there Y'all! *waves and {{{hugz}}}*

So how to decide what to do when Life rains Down Persimmons....

Well, My Friends , You have one of 2 choices.....

Choice # 1 Milk it---> You can curl up in a ball ,weep, and isolate yourself from people period and let your health continue to get worse and worse because life has never been fair to you.

OR

Choice # 2 Juice it ----> You can buck up and put on your big kids undies, lose the Binky, the Blanky and lay all the garbage going on in your life at the precious feet of Jesus and His redeeming work on the Cross and pick up a much lighter burden of just resting in the Peace of God knowing that no matter what evil has befallen you  ( Every person has had one at one time or another in their life) that we have the (to quote my favorite song by @Chris Tomlin +) "King of Angel Armies by my side...I know who goes before and I know who goes behind....He is a Friend of mine" Just to quote my favorite parts of my all time Get-out-of-the-Funky-Pit song!  (Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)  from the Burning Lights CD). Thank you so much +Chris Tomlin The Christian Music Artist, +1 Fan here in lil Ol Ellensburg WA!

 While you may have more of an burden than the person beside you, but know something to now quote @Joel and Victoria Osteen +lakewood church , "Hurting people hurt people." ( This was such an invaluable lesson for me to learn myself ,  I thank you, Joel,  for your wonderful Insight and for just being Real {{{hugz}}} to you and your lovely wife Victoria! AND Your wonderful Mama!) 

So,  Peeps, before you get mad and take offense at people for dumping on you when you already have more than your share of wounds and hurts please take a moment to remember:

1. Every person has a Story to tell about their own Journey through this thing we call "Life".

2. The person hurting you is hurting themselves and are in need of help as well.

3. That not every person on the Earth is going to like you no matter how you may sacrifice and change for this person.  

Start looking for the Lesson (s) to be learned in amongst your pain, suffering, and sorrow and believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that God truly means only good for you...that while He may not remove you from your situation He can bring the whole thing about for your good and in the process blessing you doubly. God will replenish all the years that the Locusts have eaten. You may have to wait quite a while for it but know this IT WILL HAPPEN!!!!

I do not know which choice you will choose to make,  but I can assure you that I choose to JUICE IT!!!!

I choose to LIVE Abundantly and FREE. Life is Glorious and Beautiful when you clean off the Windshield of all the bug guts!

So until next time,

Karen

P.S. If ya would like to say a prayer for me,  these are the things:

1. Health for both the hubby and myself. Multiple major things going on all at once.

2.a comfortable mini-van (CV joints are getting ready to break and the van is too old to repair but we seriously do not have the money to replace the things we need to replace.

3. A bed-  our Box Springs are broken.