So there is a saying about God's answers to prayer...
Sometimes He answers YES.
Sometimes He answers NO.
Sometimes He answers WAIT.
And sometimes He answers NOT NOW.
I am not sure what God is saying to us regarding Walter's health challenge. Our prayer is to know what is going on with Walter's reaction to eating and for wisdom to know what to do about it! It isn't really a YES or NO prayer. The blood work results showed NO for diabetes or thyroid issues. But apart from some trial and error with food, we don't know what is happening nor are we sure of how to treat or avoid reactions.
Fortunately, if Walter sticks to protein and vegetables, he feels pretty good. He has been low carb for over a year and found some success in weight loss and freedom from heartburn. Now, he's wondering if he is having some reaction to gluten or sugars after cutting way back.
Walter says with this forced diet, he is destined to lose weight!
My challenge is to cook for us both. I like desserts. Sometimes I feel hungry when we don't have bread or some form of carbohydrate in a meal! But I am trying to support my husband by preparing meals and providing snacks that will comply with his needs. Lord, help me be disciplined and creative!
In the meantime, Walter is waiting for a call from an internal medicine specialist as referred by his family doctor. We will carry on with life and travel and ministry. This will just be another area that we know we need to rely on the Lord. On Sunday we will be sharing about our ministry to the congregation at Balgonie Baptist Church. Monday we drive up to Prince Albert for a few days of meetings and office work. The Lord is our strength!
Friday 21 February 2020
Monday 17 February 2020
You would think I'd have a handle on patience. I've raised three children (all born within three years of each other, so there's that!). I have also had to wait for things: buses, airplanes, at doctor's offices and ER's...but I am NOT that patient when it comes to waiting for...medical test results!
Walter has been having odd symptoms for the past couple of months so he was able to get in to see his doctor on Friday. But being a long weekend, he got the tests done but now the clinic is closed today, which is Family Day. Sigh. So our plans for the coming week are on hold until we hear if something has shown up in the bloodwork.
Patience.
Do I pack our suitcases?
Do I prepare meal plans and gather supplies?
I have battled worry all day. It's not about the immediate plans; it's about the implications of Walter's health concerns on him, life and future! But if I were to be telling someone else in this situation how to handle it, I'd say "Take a deep breath and pray! God knows. And He can be trusted to take care of you and your family." And that's exactly what my mom texted me when I was lamenting. Good advice!
So we wait another day at home. In the meantime, our son, Daniel spent the evening at our place Sunday and came over again to do some car stuff. Then he stuck around and helped us finish putting baseboards around where we had replaced flooring over Christmas. A wonderful Family Day!
"This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!" (Scripture in Psalms and a chorus). Maybe this day isn't turning out as I envisioned. But the Lord has made this day and I can rejoice at His good plans and blessings!
Maybe tomorrow I will wake up and be that patient person I long to be!
Walter has been having odd symptoms for the past couple of months so he was able to get in to see his doctor on Friday. But being a long weekend, he got the tests done but now the clinic is closed today, which is Family Day. Sigh. So our plans for the coming week are on hold until we hear if something has shown up in the bloodwork.
Patience.
Do I pack our suitcases?
Do I prepare meal plans and gather supplies?
I have battled worry all day. It's not about the immediate plans; it's about the implications of Walter's health concerns on him, life and future! But if I were to be telling someone else in this situation how to handle it, I'd say "Take a deep breath and pray! God knows. And He can be trusted to take care of you and your family." And that's exactly what my mom texted me when I was lamenting. Good advice!
So we wait another day at home. In the meantime, our son, Daniel spent the evening at our place Sunday and came over again to do some car stuff. Then he stuck around and helped us finish putting baseboards around where we had replaced flooring over Christmas. A wonderful Family Day!
"This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!" (Scripture in Psalms and a chorus). Maybe this day isn't turning out as I envisioned. But the Lord has made this day and I can rejoice at His good plans and blessings!
Maybe tomorrow I will wake up and be that patient person I long to be!
Friday 14 February 2020
Valentine's Day Musings
Today is the the 33rd Valentine's Day I have celebrated with my dear, sweet husband! He has never forgotten a birthday, Mother's Day or this special occasion in all that time. He brought me roses today...on his way back from a doctor's appointment. Even in our old age, Walter is a real romantic!
This coming weekend marks 4 years since our daughter in law's younger brother Matthew, passed away suddenly from a virus that went septic. He would have been 15 a month later, so that means he would turn 19 next month. Such a difficult anniversary to remember. Thus Valentine's Day isn't very special to Amy, as it is so close to this sad time of year.
For others who have lost spouses, it is a tough day. The one who held that special place and would give flowers or some other romantic gift, is gone. The loneliness can become more pronounced. Memories can cause smiles and tears. I am thinking of those who need that extra expression of love today!
For single folks who are not in romantic relationships, some feel a sharp pang on a day like today. When Hallmark and flower shops do one of their highest income profit days, others are feeling alone and frustrated with all the emphasis on dating and love and marriage. Why all the fuss? Valentine's Day wasn't even originally about that kind of love, anyways.
The original festival in Roman times was "Lupercalia...which celebrated the coming of spring, including fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery." (www.britannica.com) According to one source, this pagan festival was replaced by Pope Gelasius to honour two martyrs of the faith, both named Valentine (killed by Emperor Claudius II). In the 14th and 15th centuries, it became associated with love and romance and "lovebirds" in early spring. by the 18th century, England had adopted this occasion for gift-giving, cards and candies.
I am blessed to be showered with love and gifts throughout the year, and especially to be honoured on Valentine's Day as my husband's sweetheart!
And to bask in the love of God my Father, who loves me with an everlasting love.
That's what I wish and pray for my family and friends today!
Today is the the 33rd Valentine's Day I have celebrated with my dear, sweet husband! He has never forgotten a birthday, Mother's Day or this special occasion in all that time. He brought me roses today...on his way back from a doctor's appointment. Even in our old age, Walter is a real romantic!
This coming weekend marks 4 years since our daughter in law's younger brother Matthew, passed away suddenly from a virus that went septic. He would have been 15 a month later, so that means he would turn 19 next month. Such a difficult anniversary to remember. Thus Valentine's Day isn't very special to Amy, as it is so close to this sad time of year.
For others who have lost spouses, it is a tough day. The one who held that special place and would give flowers or some other romantic gift, is gone. The loneliness can become more pronounced. Memories can cause smiles and tears. I am thinking of those who need that extra expression of love today!
For single folks who are not in romantic relationships, some feel a sharp pang on a day like today. When Hallmark and flower shops do one of their highest income profit days, others are feeling alone and frustrated with all the emphasis on dating and love and marriage. Why all the fuss? Valentine's Day wasn't even originally about that kind of love, anyways.
The original festival in Roman times was "Lupercalia...which celebrated the coming of spring, including fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery." (www.britannica.com) According to one source, this pagan festival was replaced by Pope Gelasius to honour two martyrs of the faith, both named Valentine (killed by Emperor Claudius II). In the 14th and 15th centuries, it became associated with love and romance and "lovebirds" in early spring. by the 18th century, England had adopted this occasion for gift-giving, cards and candies.
I am blessed to be showered with love and gifts throughout the year, and especially to be honoured on Valentine's Day as my husband's sweetheart!
And to bask in the love of God my Father, who loves me with an everlasting love.
That's what I wish and pray for my family and friends today!
Wednesday 12 February 2020
It was a roller coaster of emotions! The joy of being in the arena in Melville, the pleasure of seeing our son on the ice among some top-notch curlers and the nervousness of the competition.
We, the fans of Daniel Selke and Team Howard, sat in the same section and made plenty of noise when cheering. Our family was well-represented. My step-mom, Dinah, stayed with us for the three days. Mark drove from Gladstone; Caylea drove from Nipawin; Walter's brother Ed was watching on line and I was texting updates to my sister and Mom. (Paula surprised us by showing up for Saturday morning.) It was an exciting few days!
The guys curled their hearts out! Daniel had a great event and missed very few shots. They won three games and lost three games...so with the triple knock-out system, after the third loss, they were done. But the fact that they made it to Saturday morning was a huge victory in their first appearance as a team at the provincial Tankard!
So proud of the team. And so exhausted after the emotional ups and downs!
We had a couple days at home to prepare for our next adventure - Phoenix!
For the past three years, we have flown to Phoenix to meet as an Executive Team from NCEM. This year, we had Dan and Deanna Woodard as facilitators, helping us learn more about ourselves and each other and God. The focus was on Crucial Conversations, Crucial Accountability and Core Values. The last day we discussed some of our current challenges and brainstormed some possible approaches for solutions. It was encouraging to find we are on the same page in many ways. God has brought unity and understanding over the past three years of serving together.
Thursday evening, the Phoenix Coyotes played hockey and it was "Riderville Night"! We wore our Rider jerseys and saw lots of other Saskatchewan fans in the arena. Fun game.
We went to the Heard Museum on Saturday, to watch the Native American Hoop Dancing competition and check out the Native displays. Great! Then at 5 pm we went to listen to the "Liberty Quartet", a Gospel group. Wonderful music. But we who are considered middle-aged, brought the average age of the crowd at that church down to 70 years old!!! It was an enjoyable evening. As the concert closed, I leaned over to suggest "Let's eat at Cracker Barrel", and just then Jason said he was thinking the same thing! Southern Gospel music...southern home-cooking! Perfect.
Sunday morning, we attended the morning worship service at Siloam Baptist Church on the Gila River Reservation. The Southwest Indian Ministry Center where we stay and hold our workshops, are part of a mission with staff who serve as missionaries around the world. This center has missionary/pastors on reservations in the U.S. So it was special to experience the similarities to the First Nations churches we have attended. Some of the folks remembered us from two years ago. The pastor preached an awesome message on Revival leading up to their special meetings this weekend. 2 Chronicles 7:14 - "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." Powerful scripture that I remember from my first year serving at Morning Star Ministries teaching Sunday School. We still need God's healing; we still need to humble ourselves and pray and seek the face of the Lord!
Monday morning, our teammates were flying back to Saskatoon. So Walter and I relaxed and cleaned up the lounge and kitchen we had used. At coffee time, we went to say our good-byes to the SIMC staff before heading to Hobby Lobby. Yes, we enjoy shopping at the craft and hobby shop! Then we headed to Costco to replace Walter's carry-on luggage. It had developed a significant hole and was not going to make it back home intact!
Finally, we still had the whole afternoon so we found a Zoo & Aquarium to hang out at. It was a warm day, cloudy but so perfect. We enjoyed the various monkey/gibbon/lemur section, many birds including macaws and parrots. We also saw some lions and tigers, but they are lazy and not too interesting to watch. There was an indoor section of reptiles and a nursery of mammals. Just as we came near a shelter, the heavens opened. It actually rained in the desert! So we ducked in and after about ten minutes, the rain shower passed by. We decided to grab some lunch. Near the restaurant was the aquarium section, so we wandered by the tanks of tropical fish, sharks and seahorses. It was a delightful way to end our time in Phoenix.
By the time we drove to the car rental return, grabbed the shuttle back to the airport and got ourselves through security, we had about an hour to spare. The final leg of the journey was a direct flight home. We watched the inflight TV and napped a bit. Landing at YQR at midnight, we retrieved our carry-on bags and texted for an Uber. Home and in bed before 1 am.
And that's how it's done!
We, the fans of Daniel Selke and Team Howard, sat in the same section and made plenty of noise when cheering. Our family was well-represented. My step-mom, Dinah, stayed with us for the three days. Mark drove from Gladstone; Caylea drove from Nipawin; Walter's brother Ed was watching on line and I was texting updates to my sister and Mom. (Paula surprised us by showing up for Saturday morning.) It was an exciting few days!
The guys curled their hearts out! Daniel had a great event and missed very few shots. They won three games and lost three games...so with the triple knock-out system, after the third loss, they were done. But the fact that they made it to Saturday morning was a huge victory in their first appearance as a team at the provincial Tankard!
So proud of the team. And so exhausted after the emotional ups and downs!
We had a couple days at home to prepare for our next adventure - Phoenix!
For the past three years, we have flown to Phoenix to meet as an Executive Team from NCEM. This year, we had Dan and Deanna Woodard as facilitators, helping us learn more about ourselves and each other and God. The focus was on Crucial Conversations, Crucial Accountability and Core Values. The last day we discussed some of our current challenges and brainstormed some possible approaches for solutions. It was encouraging to find we are on the same page in many ways. God has brought unity and understanding over the past three years of serving together.
Thursday evening, the Phoenix Coyotes played hockey and it was "Riderville Night"! We wore our Rider jerseys and saw lots of other Saskatchewan fans in the arena. Fun game.
We went to the Heard Museum on Saturday, to watch the Native American Hoop Dancing competition and check out the Native displays. Great! Then at 5 pm we went to listen to the "Liberty Quartet", a Gospel group. Wonderful music. But we who are considered middle-aged, brought the average age of the crowd at that church down to 70 years old!!! It was an enjoyable evening. As the concert closed, I leaned over to suggest "Let's eat at Cracker Barrel", and just then Jason said he was thinking the same thing! Southern Gospel music...southern home-cooking! Perfect.
Sunday morning, we attended the morning worship service at Siloam Baptist Church on the Gila River Reservation. The Southwest Indian Ministry Center where we stay and hold our workshops, are part of a mission with staff who serve as missionaries around the world. This center has missionary/pastors on reservations in the U.S. So it was special to experience the similarities to the First Nations churches we have attended. Some of the folks remembered us from two years ago. The pastor preached an awesome message on Revival leading up to their special meetings this weekend. 2 Chronicles 7:14 - "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." Powerful scripture that I remember from my first year serving at Morning Star Ministries teaching Sunday School. We still need God's healing; we still need to humble ourselves and pray and seek the face of the Lord!
Monday morning, our teammates were flying back to Saskatoon. So Walter and I relaxed and cleaned up the lounge and kitchen we had used. At coffee time, we went to say our good-byes to the SIMC staff before heading to Hobby Lobby. Yes, we enjoy shopping at the craft and hobby shop! Then we headed to Costco to replace Walter's carry-on luggage. It had developed a significant hole and was not going to make it back home intact!
Finally, we still had the whole afternoon so we found a Zoo & Aquarium to hang out at. It was a warm day, cloudy but so perfect. We enjoyed the various monkey/gibbon/lemur section, many birds including macaws and parrots. We also saw some lions and tigers, but they are lazy and not too interesting to watch. There was an indoor section of reptiles and a nursery of mammals. Just as we came near a shelter, the heavens opened. It actually rained in the desert! So we ducked in and after about ten minutes, the rain shower passed by. We decided to grab some lunch. Near the restaurant was the aquarium section, so we wandered by the tanks of tropical fish, sharks and seahorses. It was a delightful way to end our time in Phoenix.
By the time we drove to the car rental return, grabbed the shuttle back to the airport and got ourselves through security, we had about an hour to spare. The final leg of the journey was a direct flight home. We watched the inflight TV and napped a bit. Landing at YQR at midnight, we retrieved our carry-on bags and texted for an Uber. Home and in bed before 1 am.
And that's how it's done!
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