I am getting this ready for everyone on Wednesday evening since I know I’m going to be moving slowly in the morning and won’t have time to sit down and get it going. After I posted yesterday, and struggled in a HUGE way to walk at all, I called my parents to see if they still had the set of crutches they used to have for when my Mom needed them. Yep, they did. And a walker. They both jumped in the car and came right over, Mom helped me get ready and they hauled me in to see the doctor. X-rays showed no break, but I did smash my bursa on my patella, which in turn caused really bad swelling and bruising. I’m telling you this HURTS, but I am grateful that it isn’t broken and definitely grateful for my parents! It is my hope that I will be able to get myself around for work in the morning, which shouldn’t be a huge deal, and that I am able to get myself into the car, which WILL be a huge deal! I can take a pillow to work and keep my leg elevated at my desk, but getting into and out of the car will definitely be a challenge. I could use some prayers of strength and for reduced swelling please!
Verse of the Day
May 10, 2018
If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
The right thing is so hard to do sometimes. It seems so much easier to gossip about someone who has wronged us, or to mention them in a group prayer as needing help, or to pass around an innuendo when talking about struggling Christians. But, only one thing is the right thing when we have been wounded by the action of another brother or sister in Christ! Go to the person who has wronged you, try to keep the damage contained to just the two of you, and work on being reconciled. This is God’s desire, and should be our goal as his children.
Food for Thought
I had so many family members and friends leave me positive comments and prayers for my injury – and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for every single one of them. I feel so loved! My parents are so amazing too – my gratitude is boundless. They didn’t question or hesitate yesterday. They dropped what they were doing and came right when I needed them, and I know that is what family does for each other, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be grateful and so humbled to be blessed with the parents that was given. Give your parents a hug. I’m sure they would do anything for you too.
Clean Up Your Room Day – This one brings back memories, both of my own childhood, and of my own children. I’d like to think that if we had known there was a day such as this that, at least once a year, I could have been guaranteed that their rooms would be clean. Sadly, I must admit it likely wouldn’t have made a difference. This is a day though, if the kids know about it, that they very probably dread. Growing up, as long as we could close the door to our rooms, there wasn’t dirty laundry hanging out in there, and there weren’t any dishes taken in there that would begin to grow science experiments, Mom didn’t make us keep our rooms pristine. I think it is safe to say that we had more clutter issues than anything. My own kids? Well, I tried to pass along that whole relaxed attitude my Mom did with me and my brother, but it sort of backfired. Their rooms were a vast wasteland of horror – the conditions enough to make me run and hide. Every conceivable corner, nook or cranny was stuffed to capacity with the hoard of toys, clothes, junk and general debris that could only happen in the rooms of children who have 2 sets of Grandparents who weren’t afraid to bring gifts at all times of the year. Once in awhile I’d have a meltdown . . . literally . . . no seriously, a complete falling apart at the seams, nagging at top volume, threatening the very safety of every item in those rooms, whirling dervish of hurricane force anger at the mountain of debris that was my children’s bedrooms. This was following days of orders to clean it, followed by days of orders to clean it combined with punishments that grew more harsh and dreaded by the day. Nothing worked. Finally, as the top blew off of the volcano of my limited stores of dubious patience, I would lose it and banish the kids to separate corners to contemplate the spot where the walls joined up, close and personal, while I began to clean their rooms. The journey to the corners was made with pleading, tears and begging for me to give them ONE MORE CHANCE!!!!! WE’LL CLEAN IT UP! (insert sound effects of sobs, hysteria and the sight of big blue eyes, filled and overflowing with more waterworks than Niagara Falls) Then the cleaning would commence. HOURS it took to put everything they owned – except clothing and their Bibles – into garbage bags and haul them to the garage to wait it out until the day came when, one at a time, they could be earned back. By the time I was finished you’d think these children didn’t own one single item by looking at their rooms. And that was OK by me. I’d finish, exhausted, as angry at myself as I was at them . . . and more so at their dad for mysteriously disappearing from the premises during these emotion-filled days . . . determined that it would never happen again. It always did. Somehow though, they grew up and moved out, and now my son is nearly fanatical about keeping his house clean (wish I could say that about his teen years when we had to put up a HAZARDOUS WASTE symbol sign on his bathroom door), and my daughter has turned into a minimalist who tosses everything not nailed down if she doesn’t use it at least once in a couple months. What happened to the kids that had me in tears at least once every few months while I disposed of their belongings? I must have done something right, and now I pass the torch to them. My son and his wife just built and moved into their new house and I know that they face the challenges of convincing Miss B and E to keep their rooms clean. My daughter has discovered how much stuff babies need! Babies come with a LOT of stuff and you can’t just toss it because it’s all needed! She’s now facing some clutter in her life in the form of toys, clothes and all the stuff that goes along with babies. God is a good God. He rewards all mothers for their hard work for passing on the torch to the kids. CLEAN UP YOUR ROOM! Yep, it’s been awhile since I’ve had to say that.
National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day – When exposed to a traumatic event, children as young as 18 months old can have serious and emotional and behavioral problems later on in life and in their adulthood. More than 35% of children exposed to a single traumatic event will develop serious mental health problems – according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Learning about this issue, and recognizing the impact, can perhaps help us to help a child, or understand our children better if they’ve experienced something traumatic at some point in their childhood. According to SAMHSA, young children exposed to five or more significant adversities in the first three years of childhood face a 76% likelihood of having one or more delays in their cognitive, language or emotional development. In addition, as the number of traumatic events experienced during childhood increases, the following health problems in adulthood increases:
Depression
Alcoholism
Drug abuse
Suicide attempts
Heart, liver and pulmonary diseases
Fetal death during pregnancy
High stress
Uncontrollable anger
Family, financial and job problems
Finally, studies on the brain show that physical, emotional or sexual abuse in childhood can:
Cause permanent damage
Reduce the size of parts of the brain
Impact the way a child’s brain copes with daily stress
Result in enduring behavioral health problems such as depression, anxiety, aggression, impulsiveness, delinquency, hyperactivity and substance abuse
Fortunately, according to SAMHSA, research has shown that caregivers can buffer the impact of trauma and promote better outcomes for children even in stressful times when the following factors are present:
Parental resilience Social connections Knowledge of parenting and child development Concrete support in times of need Social and emotional competence of children
It stands to reason that children are fragile, but they are also quite resilient. With prayer, support, lots of love and encouragement they can overcome a LOT, and deal better with the issues that are imposed upon them through no choice of their own.
World Lupus Day – The Lupus Foundation of America estimates that there are 1.5 million women in the U.S living with lupus. While it’s unknown what exactly causes the disease, experts say that it is more common in women than men, and mostly in women ages 15-40. What exactly is lupus though? I know that I’ve heard the name many times, but didn’t have any idea what it was. Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that attacks the body’s own healthy tissues and organs. It can damage the joints, skin, kidneys and other parts of the body. There are three types of lupus: Systemic Lupus erythematosus: The most serious form of lupus. This type harms the skin, mouth, kidneys, brain, lungs and heart. Discoid lupus: Lupus that mainly affects the skin. Drug-induced lupus: This type of Lupus is caused by medications, but goes away when you stop taking your prescribed medication.
Lupus symptoms are not always the same in every person, but here are some common symptoms:
Joint pain and stiffness, with or without swelling; muscle aches and pains; fever with no known cause; feeling very tired; skin rashes; anemia; trouble thinking, memory problems; confusion; kidney problems with no known cause; chest pain when taking a deep breath; butterfly-shaped rash across the nose and cheeks; sun or light sensitivity; hair loss.
It’s important to note that in some cases lupus can go into remission, and in other cases the disease flares up. There are different forms of treatment for lupus, yet which treatment you take depends on your symptoms and its severity of the disease. There is some good news though. If you do have lupus, there are some steps that you can take to lessen the incidence of flare-ups. Mayo Clinic suggests: Get adequate rest because with lupus comes extreme fatigue. Take naps often and get plenty of rest. Use sunscreen and cover up your skin, because ultraviolet light can trigger a flare-up. Exercise regularly because it can help you recover from a flare-up. Stop smoking because smoking can worsen the effects of lupus on your heart and blood vessels. Eat a healthy diet with more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
This Day in History –
1969 – The first color pictures of Earth from space are sent back from Apollo 10.
1994 – Nelson Mandela becomes South Africa’s first black president.
Food Celebration of the Day –
National Shrimp Day – Americans eat more shrimp than any other seafood, beating out even salmon and canned tuna in popularity.
- Summer Shrimp Cocktail
- Thai-Style Tomato-Shrimp Salad
- Shrimp Bisque
- Abruzzi Shrimp Pasta Sauce
- Shrimp Creole
- Coconut Shrimp
- Yaam Goong (Thai Spicy Shrimp Salad)
I am hoping and praying that by the time this auto-posts that I will already be at work and getting my day started. I’ll let you know tomorrow. God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow!
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