Today was a wonderful day… a few of you dropped by and it was fun to spend time visiting!
God is awesome! I was blessed with a profit of over $500; I’m not sure how that happened as my backyard is still full of items; these items will slowly be repacked throughout the week for next time. As a neighborhood there were about 13 families participating… it was so successful that we will be doing this again toward the end of October.
My little Nicholas left Thursday for Mammoth… he has gone with grandpa, grandma, aunts and uncles… He was so excited when getting ready to leave; he is getting to spend more time with his seven week old uncle and five year old aunt. He is going fishing for the first time and if I do say so myself, he was quite adorable as he left with his fishing pole in one hand and tackle box in the other.
The house has been so quiet since Thursday… I have had much time to sit and think about the many things that are going on... As I sat around Thursday night enjoying my first quiet evening in many months my mind began to wonder… then worry and anxiety sat in…
On Tuesday of this past week, my son (Ricky – 22 years old) had a stress test on his heart. When he went in for this I fully expected the test to come back normal, instead we were told that he has a mitral valve prolapse.
Now for many people this is something that will never bother them. There are several reasons why this may be more serious for Rick. My father had this same valve rupture about 10 years ago and at this point it is believed that Rick’s heart problem is hereditary. Additionally Rick is continuing to suffer rather severe chest pains, a continued rapid heart rate, and is extremely tired (all the time).
Rick was supposed to immediately be put on a heart monitor; however, with what I believe was a bit of denial on his part combined with the lack of follow up from the cardiologist staff this didn’t happen. Next week he will have his heart monitored for a period of at least 24 hours and we will hopefully have the results soon thereafter.
At this point we aren’t sure what the treatment will be, the choices are actually quite simple; medication or open heart surgery.
Now, as the mother of what was a relatively healthy young man a few months ago this news has been a bit difficult to deal with.
Some of you may find this hard to believe, but I still trust that my Lord is in control of what is happening. When I wake in the morning the first thing I do is speak with my Lord and spend time in His Word, but at this time I find myself needing more than that. In discussing this with PR (Pastor Ron) he suggested that I set aside several times throughout the day to pray and meditate on the Word of God. In this I can purpose to keep my mind set on Him and not on the worries that seem to be surrounding me at this point. That is exactly what I have started to do… once again I have been filled with the peace and joy that only Christ can give.
Don’t get me wrong, I still have my times of extreme worry and anxiety; especially when he is at my house and I see how tired he is. I now sleep with the phone next to my bed and wake with alarm every time the phone rings.
This is certainly a learning curve for me; I’ve learned to release situations that deal with my health and finances to God. However, releasing situations that concern my children have been a bit more difficult. This is when faith comes in… my God already knows the outcome of this and my worrying about it isn’t going to change a thing.
Philippians 4:6, 7
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus
With this and just being busy with everything else (like making sure I have insurance) I still haven’t made an appointment with my doctor. I will do that Tuesday; I realized this evening that I’m not doing anyone a favor if I suffer a stroke or pass on myself.
And in closing, please keep the folks in the Gulf of Mexico in your prayers (this includes my parents). It doesn’t appear that Gustav is headed toward my parents but this horrific storm is headed somewhere and wherever that is they certainly need our prayers.
Much love to you all,
Diana
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
August 8, 2008 ~ Weekly Update #38
Sit down and take a breath… this is all happening so quickly!
How great is my God!
Just moments ago my mail was delivered… in the mail was my retro check!!!
Remember that I was told this would take 7 – 10 working days. This check arrived in just three short days.
This money is already spent as I owe so much too so many. In fact it will still be some time before everyone (including medical bills) will be paid off.
However, the one thing you must know is that the first of this money will go to my Lord… The reason for my giving to God is certainly not because I have money left over; it is because before anything else this money belongs to God.
Leviticus 27:32
And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD.
Malachi 3:10
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.
The verse in Malachi does not mean that God will fill your bank account to overflowing… there are many ways to be blessed by God.
Whether or not you choose to believe it; I have been blessed in so many ways that there is not enough room for me to receive it all.
God has so filled me with so much joy and peace that everything else is a blessing. It’s hard to put this into words… this is something that one must experience to understand.
I will be receiving approximately $1,330.00 every month for the rest of my life (I am now making to much money to qualify for state or government aid of any kind). If one was to look at the dollar amount in itself one would know that this is certainly not the overwhelming blessing that is mentioned in Malachi 3:10.
However, that is what I have to budget and live on and I am blessed to know that I can count on it every month. The blessing will come when God continues to cover me with His mercy and grace… I already know that every need will be met; maybe not in the way that I think it should be, but as I shared before, it will be met in the way that God has ordained it to be.
For those of you who would say you fall under the umbrella of calling yourselves a Christian then please continue to read on. If you don’t consider yourself a Christian then there is no need to worry yourself with the following.
If you attend a place of worship and you are not tithing then you are losing out. If you are not attending a place of worship then you should be… the Bible calls us to fellowship with other believers. Back to if you are attending without giving… then you are missing out on the joy one receives when giving to our Lord. You are missing out on being a part of what the Lord can do thru your giving both within your church family and your community.
If you are attending GHCC (the church I attend) and you are not tithing then I know you are missing out. (FYI… I have no idea who tithes and who doesn’t at GHCC.) You all have watched my life and how God has and continues to provide for me. You have heard from others in our church who have been blessed by giving to our Lord. Think for just a moment about how much more our Lord could do in our church family and in our community if everyone at GHCC started to give regularly?
You can continue to sit in the bleachers and watch how God blesses me or you can get up to bat and start experiencing how God will bless you.
For those of you who will continue to make the choice of not giving to God then my heart breaks for you… you are sorely missing out on our Saviors blessings.
To all of you, please take a moment to once again give thanks to my Lord for what happened today.
Hugs,
Diana
How great is my God!
Just moments ago my mail was delivered… in the mail was my retro check!!!
Remember that I was told this would take 7 – 10 working days. This check arrived in just three short days.
This money is already spent as I owe so much too so many. In fact it will still be some time before everyone (including medical bills) will be paid off.
However, the one thing you must know is that the first of this money will go to my Lord… The reason for my giving to God is certainly not because I have money left over; it is because before anything else this money belongs to God.
Leviticus 27:32
And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD.
Malachi 3:10
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.
The verse in Malachi does not mean that God will fill your bank account to overflowing… there are many ways to be blessed by God.
Whether or not you choose to believe it; I have been blessed in so many ways that there is not enough room for me to receive it all.
God has so filled me with so much joy and peace that everything else is a blessing. It’s hard to put this into words… this is something that one must experience to understand.
I will be receiving approximately $1,330.00 every month for the rest of my life (I am now making to much money to qualify for state or government aid of any kind). If one was to look at the dollar amount in itself one would know that this is certainly not the overwhelming blessing that is mentioned in Malachi 3:10.
However, that is what I have to budget and live on and I am blessed to know that I can count on it every month. The blessing will come when God continues to cover me with His mercy and grace… I already know that every need will be met; maybe not in the way that I think it should be, but as I shared before, it will be met in the way that God has ordained it to be.
For those of you who would say you fall under the umbrella of calling yourselves a Christian then please continue to read on. If you don’t consider yourself a Christian then there is no need to worry yourself with the following.
If you attend a place of worship and you are not tithing then you are losing out. If you are not attending a place of worship then you should be… the Bible calls us to fellowship with other believers. Back to if you are attending without giving… then you are missing out on the joy one receives when giving to our Lord. You are missing out on being a part of what the Lord can do thru your giving both within your church family and your community.
If you are attending GHCC (the church I attend) and you are not tithing then I know you are missing out. (FYI… I have no idea who tithes and who doesn’t at GHCC.) You all have watched my life and how God has and continues to provide for me. You have heard from others in our church who have been blessed by giving to our Lord. Think for just a moment about how much more our Lord could do in our church family and in our community if everyone at GHCC started to give regularly?
You can continue to sit in the bleachers and watch how God blesses me or you can get up to bat and start experiencing how God will bless you.
For those of you who will continue to make the choice of not giving to God then my heart breaks for you… you are sorely missing out on our Saviors blessings.
To all of you, please take a moment to once again give thanks to my Lord for what happened today.
Hugs,
Diana
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
August 5, 2008 ~ Weekly Update #37
Great is the Lord and worthy of glory……..
Great is the Lord and worthy of praise…….
Last night shortly after 5:00pm I received a phone call from the office of Social Security. The call was coming in from the supervisor; of the manager; of my case worker.
She had just gotten off the phone with a supervisor at the Federal Reserve. She informed me that my case had been taken out of review and that she would call me Tuesday as soon as she received additional information.
This morning (Tuesday) I received another phone call from her… this time it was to tell me that I will be receiving two checks within the next 7 – 10 days. One check with the correct monthly amount (approximately) $1,340 and the second check being retro pay.
I immediately began praising my Lord for answering this prayer and for providing for me over the last 3 ½ years.
There were many times that God would allow me to fall out of the nest and I would flail about while I was trying to figure out where we would get food to eat or how the rent or utilities would be paid. Sometimes God would let me thrash around for awhile (sometimes days)…
God never went anywhere; I simply elected to try to figure it out on my own; once I released my hold on the situation and gave it back to God I was immediately filled with His peace.
The problems were never solved the way I would have done it; they were solved the way God designed for them to be…
With God being in complete control of my life I am still living in this gorgeous three bedroom home with plenty of food to eat and wanting for nothing.
God provided thru so many of you… the yard sale last year, one couple handed me a check for $1,000; other’s (many of you) loaned me money; others gave me money as much and as often as you could.
Others of you continue to bring food to my home; you have continued to bring things over that can be sold either on eBay or in another yard sale. (By the way we are doing a yard sale at my house on Saturday, August 30th – more details to follow).
Even this week; two different families are separately giving us two bedroom sets; this is something that have been in need of; one for Nicholas and one for my daughter.
Then there were the great folks at Children’s Hunger Fund… saying thank you to them just isn’t enough. There were many days that we would have gone without eating a decent meal if it weren’t for them. http://www.childrenshungerfund.org/
This past Christmas so many of you went above and beyond in being generous; this included our own West Valley Division Police Department. We had more presents under the tree this past year then we have ever had before.
And then there were those of you who simply prayed for me daily… that meant more to me then you will ever know.
So please take a moment out of your busy day and give God thanks for all that He has done and for all that He is continuing to do.
As a side note… for those of you who will… please pray for my son Rick (22 years old)… Rick is finally getting in to see a cardiologist tomorrow (Wednesday) at 4:00pm.
Please pray that God will give his doctor wisdom above and beyond his years and education. That the proper tests will be ordered and the correct diagnosis will be made.
With much praise to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ...
Diana
Great is the Lord and worthy of praise…….
Last night shortly after 5:00pm I received a phone call from the office of Social Security. The call was coming in from the supervisor; of the manager; of my case worker.
She had just gotten off the phone with a supervisor at the Federal Reserve. She informed me that my case had been taken out of review and that she would call me Tuesday as soon as she received additional information.
This morning (Tuesday) I received another phone call from her… this time it was to tell me that I will be receiving two checks within the next 7 – 10 days. One check with the correct monthly amount (approximately) $1,340 and the second check being retro pay.
I immediately began praising my Lord for answering this prayer and for providing for me over the last 3 ½ years.
There were many times that God would allow me to fall out of the nest and I would flail about while I was trying to figure out where we would get food to eat or how the rent or utilities would be paid. Sometimes God would let me thrash around for awhile (sometimes days)…
God never went anywhere; I simply elected to try to figure it out on my own; once I released my hold on the situation and gave it back to God I was immediately filled with His peace.
The problems were never solved the way I would have done it; they were solved the way God designed for them to be…
With God being in complete control of my life I am still living in this gorgeous three bedroom home with plenty of food to eat and wanting for nothing.
God provided thru so many of you… the yard sale last year, one couple handed me a check for $1,000; other’s (many of you) loaned me money; others gave me money as much and as often as you could.
Others of you continue to bring food to my home; you have continued to bring things over that can be sold either on eBay or in another yard sale. (By the way we are doing a yard sale at my house on Saturday, August 30th – more details to follow).
Even this week; two different families are separately giving us two bedroom sets; this is something that have been in need of; one for Nicholas and one for my daughter.
Then there were the great folks at Children’s Hunger Fund… saying thank you to them just isn’t enough. There were many days that we would have gone without eating a decent meal if it weren’t for them. http://www.childrenshungerfund.org/
This past Christmas so many of you went above and beyond in being generous; this included our own West Valley Division Police Department. We had more presents under the tree this past year then we have ever had before.
And then there were those of you who simply prayed for me daily… that meant more to me then you will ever know.
So please take a moment out of your busy day and give God thanks for all that He has done and for all that He is continuing to do.
As a side note… for those of you who will… please pray for my son Rick (22 years old)… Rick is finally getting in to see a cardiologist tomorrow (Wednesday) at 4:00pm.
Please pray that God will give his doctor wisdom above and beyond his years and education. That the proper tests will be ordered and the correct diagnosis will be made.
With much praise to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ...
Diana
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
July 30, 2008 ~ Weekly Update #36
Are you prepared?
We experienced a moderate earthquake here in California on Tuesday. Jeralynn and I were just sitting down to spend time together praying. I immediately tried to drag her under the doorway as my mind instantly raced back to the quake of 1994.
At that time we lived only about one mile away from the epicenter and let me tell you that I don’t ever want to go thru that again. My family certainly wasn’t prepared for the 7.6 earthquake of ’94 and the little earthquake that we experienced this week was a reminder to always be prepared.
You can never be too prepared but here is a short list to get you started:
Seven-day supply non-perishable food & water, one gallon water per person, per day
Portable, battery-powered radio or television and extra batteries
Flashlight / lanterns and extra batteries / propane
First aid kit and manual
Sanitation and hygiene items (moist towelettes and toilet paper)
Matches and waterproof container
Extra clothing
Kitchen accessories and cooking utensils, including a manual can opener and Ziploc bags
Barbeque with either extra propane or charcoal
Tent and sleeping bags / blankets
Minimum $100 cash and a photo copy of your drivers license or id
Bible
Prescription medications, eye glasses, contact lens solutions, hearing aid batteries
Items for infants, such as formula, diapers, bottles, and pacifiers
Maintain a full tank of gas in your car
Pet food
Keep canned foods in a dry place where the temperature is cool
Store boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers to protect from pests and to extend its shelf life
Rotate food and items with fresh supplies every six month; mark them w/ dates
Keep items in one or two easy-to-carry containers, such as unused trashcans
Instant coffee :)
Some of you will choose to not read beyond this point… some of you may get angry with me for what you are about to read. However, this is so very heavy on my heart and I feel an urgency to share it with you.
The above information I provided was because I care deeply about both yours and your family’s physical and mental well being both during and after a disaster. The following information is for a different kind of preparation and I am giving you this information because I truly love and care so deeply about each of you.
I have often heard the following statement… At the very last minute, just before you die you will have time to ask Christ to forgive you of your sins and then you can go to heaven. Let me tell you that the very last thing that crossed my mind in the middle of this earthquake was thinking about where I was going to be spending eternity.
If this had been the ‘big one’ do you know where you would spend eternity?
It’s not that far off… think back to the major natural disasters that have occurred this year alone not to mention the Indian tsunami in 2004 killing over 225,000 people; China earthquake in 2008 over 32,000 dead; the Burma cyclone in 2008 at least 50,000 dead. Trust me when I tell you; at the time of these disasters occurring none of those who are now dead were thinking about where they were going to be spending eternity.
Do you believe that there is a place called heaven and a place called hell? I know there is… why? Because it is written in the Word of God, the Holy Bible.
There are many who will read what I am writing and there are just as many thoughts on this matter…
Some of you don’t believe in God; neither do you believe in heaven nor hell.
Some have consciously made a choice not to follow my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Others have told me I’m just not ready to make a commitment like that.
Some will even go so far as to say “I said a sinner’s prayer; I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins”.
Or you might even sit in a church week after week proclaiming that you are a Christian.
I want to share something with all of you; Hell is a real place… and unless you have received the free gift of salvation and repented (ran as fast as you could) from your sins you will not go heaven.
In the Bible, in Revelation 20:15 it reads, ‘And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (hell)’.
For those of you who are not ready… I don’t want you to make a commitment to Christ just because you want me to shut up about all this or that you want to make me or somebody else happy. If your commitment to Christ is not sincere… if it’s not something that you truly want then don’t do it… its meaningless and it certainly won’t get you into heaven.
Some of you may have even been in a church service or had a one on one conversation with someone. The emotion was so great you couldn’t help yourself but to walk down to the front of the church or raise your hand or just say the sinner’s prayer.
You do need to speak with God and let Him know that yes, you want to be His and that you want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt where you will spend eternity. That however is not where it stops; a simple one time conversation with God does not in itself provide a free ride into heaven.
Then there are those of you who will say I am a Christian... I can prove it to you ~ I’m in church every Sunday ~ I pass around all those emails that say something about God or Jesus. If someone asks if I am a Christian then I stand up and acknowledge that fact. And I certainly don’t do anything really bad… I haven’t killed anyone, I don’t steal, I’m not having an affair, and I even try not to lie.
We were all born sinners… all of us… we all have a sin nature. Look at the Ten Commandments…
Commandment #3 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.' ~ Have you ever used God’s name as a swear word?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ‘vain’ as in an irreverent or blasphemous manner
Commandment #6 'You shall not murder.' – Have you ever hated someone?
The Bible says in 1 John 3:15 whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
Commandment #7 ‘You shall not commit adultery.' ~ Have you ever looked at someone with a lustful thought?
The Bible says in Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, that whosoever looks on a woman (or man) to lust after her (or him) hath committed adultery with her (or him) already in his heart.
Commandment #10 ‘You shall not covet your neighbor's house… nor anything that is your neighbor's.' ~ Have you seen something your neighbor has and wished it was yours?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ‘covet’ as to feel inordinate desire for what belongs to another.
If you have done any of these; even once; then you have sinned against God.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Because we are all sinners we all deserve to go to hell… But God did something wonderful; He sent His one, His only Son to earth as a baby. His son, Jesus Christ walked this earth; He grew into a man and then died on the cross for our sins.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God is a Holy God… Heaven is a place filled with God’s Holiness… Sin will not be tolerated in heaven ~ sin of any kind. If God won’t tolerate sin in heaven what should make us believe that He would tolerate it on earth in those who claim to be His children.
When I get to heaven I won’t be busy looking around to see who is there with me; I won’t be concerned with who isn’t there. God promises that there will be no suffering, no sorrow, and all former things will be gone in heaven.
Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Do you consider yourself a Christian? Do you get excited, look forward to and enjoy spending time with God, do you seek after His will for your life minute to minute, do you daily praise and worship Him for all that He has done… If not then you will be sorely miserable once you get to heaven.
The Bible says that once we get to heaven we will spend our time worshiping Him…
Revelation 22:3 … the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and His servants (Christians) will worship Him.
There will be no more darkness and we will reign with Him forever…
Revelation 22:5 and there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light: and they (Christians) shall reign for ever and ever.
The God I serve is a loving God but He is also a fair God…
Please know that what I am about to say is only because I love you; because I care about you; my desire is that none of you go to hell. God loves you and cares about you more than I ever could. If your choice is to continue to live your life for yourself and if you continue to sin against God then you will go to Hell.
2 Peter 3:9 … He (God) is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but that everyone to come to repentance.
Because God is a fair God it would only be right that some spend eternity in Hell… would it be fair that Hitler or Manson go to heaven? Of course not… Even though none of us are not like either of these men, sin is still sin in God’s eyes.
I will pick just one example of sin to explain a little more; this is an example that everyone can relate to – sexual sin. In the Bible God is very specific when He says that sex is to be between one man and one woman who have been joined together in the eyes of God and by the law of the land.
Any other type of sex is sin… whether thru pornography, having sex with someone to whom you are not married both in the eyes of the law and thru the eyes of God, or as the Bible says lying down with the same sex (homosexuality). No one sex sin is greater or worse then the next. No matter how you try to justify what someone is doing… unless this act of love remains between one man and one woman who are joined together both thru Christ and the law of the land this is a sin.
Does that mean that I am perfect, absolutely not, but I daily strive to be Christ-like; I am daily seeking God’s will and direction for my life.
It’s not easy being a Christian… the choices that Christ would have me make are usually more difficult than if I made the decision on my own. However, following the path that Christ would have me follow is far more rewarding then the path I would make on my own.
There will come a day when each of us will stand before God and will be accountable for our own life. To some He will say enter…
Matthew 25:23 Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
To others He will say depart…
Matthew 7:21-23
21 Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven…
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
I have been witness to so many that have passed on in death and shamefully I must admit that I haven’t shared God’s gift of salvation with most of them. Some are in heaven but many are in hell, why do I know this; because the Bible says that few will make it to heaven…
Matthew 7:13-14
13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction (hell), and many enter through it.
14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life (heaven) and only a few find it.
The Bible says that hell is a furnace of fire and a place of great suffering.
Matthew 13: 41, 42
41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
For those who are in hell right now; if you could hear them they would be screaming, yelling, and begging you to give your heart and life to Christ. They don’t want you to suffer the torment they are suffering from day after day, night after night.
Luke 16:19 – 31
19 Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury.
20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores.
21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.
22 “Finally, the poor man (Lazarus) died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried,
23 and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.
24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’
25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish.
26 And besides, there is a great chasm (gap) separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’
27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home.
28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’
29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’
30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’
31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.'"
Some of you have known me for just a few years; some reading this have known me for over 30 years. For those of you who knew me when I was married and even for a period of time after my divorce, I want so desperately for you to know something. At that point in my life I was one of those who would have stood up and said that “yes” I know Jesus; I would have even gone so far as to have said that if I died I would have gone to heaven.
In all actuality I was someone who walked around doing whatever I wanted; with the sins I was daily committing I was actually spitting in the face of my Heavenly Father. The greatest concern in my life was what I could do to better the lives of myself and my children. I would pray, I would even occasionally read the Bible; I would go to church and even volunteer in church; regardless I remained in charge of my own life and made my own decisions about what was best for me.
To those of you who knew me then (before March 2005); especially to those of you with whom I misrepresented what being a Christian was all about and what a relationship with Jesus Christ meant… I most sincerely apologize to you and I beg you to forgive me for not sharing with you the gift that my Jesus has for you… the gift of salvation.
As I close I want you to remember that I love each and every one of you… If you would like to talk to me either because you are now angry with me or because you would like to know more about my Jesus I would love to hear from you.
Diana
Friday, July 18, 2008
July 18, 2008 ~ Weekly Update #35
I just had to let you know… I’m so excited and hope that you will join me in giving thanks to God for what I am about to share!
This morning I received a phone call from a new case worker at the Social Security office. Apparently my original case worker has gone on maternity leave.
He informed me that beginning with my August check his supervisor will hand cut the check so that I will receive the correct amount. He continued on saying that she is making every effort to cut me a separate check for the balance due to me for July’s payment.
Additionally he informed me that after speaking with his supervisor neither one of them had seen a claim with my circumstances being held up for so long. He said that this case is very cut and dry and that there should not have been a delay in receiving the back pay that is due to me.
This afternoon his supervisor is contacting a supervisor at the Federal Reserve (where my money is being held up). If she is not successful then the conversation will continue on Monday morning.
So… please join me in giving praise to my Lord for what He has allowed to happen so far. And then, continue to pray that communication is made and is successful in that the funds will be immediately released.
Love to all,
Diana
This morning I received a phone call from a new case worker at the Social Security office. Apparently my original case worker has gone on maternity leave.
He informed me that beginning with my August check his supervisor will hand cut the check so that I will receive the correct amount. He continued on saying that she is making every effort to cut me a separate check for the balance due to me for July’s payment.
Additionally he informed me that after speaking with his supervisor neither one of them had seen a claim with my circumstances being held up for so long. He said that this case is very cut and dry and that there should not have been a delay in receiving the back pay that is due to me.
This afternoon his supervisor is contacting a supervisor at the Federal Reserve (where my money is being held up). If she is not successful then the conversation will continue on Monday morning.
So… please join me in giving praise to my Lord for what He has allowed to happen so far. And then, continue to pray that communication is made and is successful in that the funds will be immediately released.
Love to all,
Diana
Thursday, July 17, 2008
July 17, 2008 ~ Weekly Update #34
Happy belated 4th of July to you all! I received an email from a friend (some of you may have also received this email; it’s from Nora – so please excuse the repetitiveness). When you have about 5 minutes please click on the link below.
The link is a video clip from Red Skelton’s television show on CBS dated January 14, 1969. If you are not familiar with him, Red Skelton was a movie and TV star; a funny man in his day.
Please listen to the entire clip, all the way thru to the end, please listen until the end. How was he to know then the relevance it would have today, some 40 years later?
Click on the link, and turn your sound on – you need sound – if you don’t have speakers then find someone who does.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfz2XDXaeqc
I am finally starting to do better… Praise The Lord. I’ve even made it to church the last two weeks; this past week I was even able to sit in the front row instead of in the very back of the church where I needed to be able to rest my neck.
I do believe that my Lord has started a healing in my body; whether this healing is temporary or permanent I am truly grateful for the work going on in my life. I remain on oxygen; however, I believe that God is using this as a way to bring a new life to my tired body.
I have learned a great deal being down for the last several weeks. God revealed His absolute and omnipotent power to me a few weeks ago.
He must be omnipotent in order to daily provide wisdom for each of His children, all around the world. Just imagine with me… My God is aware of every step Ryan (my friend’s son) is taking while touring Indonesia ~ He hears the prayers of my mother in Florida ~ He knows my concerns as I cry out to Him in California ~ whether you know it or not He is working in the lives of all of you as I pray for you individually.
I know that some who read this have not been saved by the Grace of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… you are always in my prayers… I pray that God will draw you close to Him and that you will have a desire to learn about my Jesus and what He has done for you.
So much has gone on over the last few weeks… This will be a short entry; my hope is to get back to doing this weekly instead of every couple months. Following are just two of the things that I was working thru and being frustrated by when I wrote the last entry on my blog.
I’m still not receiving the correct amount of money from SSDI… ugh!!! As most of you know I am currently receiving $650 each month; the amount I should be receiving is $1,440 each month. I actually just got off the phone with my worker at the Social Security office… the conversation was left at “we will speak again tomorrow”. As for now the money due to me remains in the ‘Social Security Payment Center’; for some unknown reason the funds have not yet been released.
It’s not just the correct amount of money each month that I am looking for; I also desperately need the back pay that is due to me. This money is also being held by the ‘payment center’.
For some of you who have known my quiet, extremely shy son, Rick the following will come as a complete shock to you.
My son Ricky moved out right around the time I sent out the last update. He still pops in to spend the night once or twice every couple of weeks but for the most part he has now left the nest. I didn’t want to admit it at the time it was happening but this was quite an adjustment for me. Yes, I still have Jen and Nicholas; but not having Rick here has been an adjustment.
I must tell you that I am very proud of the young man that I raised; he is still giving me about $1,000 each month to help with the rent and utilities. For a young man of only 22 years of age I take great pride in the fact that he is taking on the responsibility of making sure his mother is still being taken care of. This will not continue forever, but at least until I receive the full amount of money I am due each month from the government and then we can figure out what will happen next.
At this same time Ricky started having rather serious chest pains. He would have tightness and pain in his chest, his heart felt as if it was going to beat out of his chest, his arms would go numb, and he would break out in a sweat while at the same time feeling dizzy, nauseated and like he was going to pass out. Remember my Ricky is only 22 years old; this was about the same age that Matt was when he passed away of a sudden heart attack (Read More).
At first it was thought this was brought on because of too much caffeine; he was drinking 4 – 6 cups of coffee each day along with 3 – 4 energy drinks. After being off all caffeine for about three weeks he was still having these problems.
He was recently started on heart medication; this seems to have made only a minimal difference. Although he hasn’t had any more attacks the continued rapid heart beat remains a concern. His health insurance kicks in on August 1st at that point he will be able to see a cardiologist. We really won’t know any more until August when he is able to have some tests done.
It has been suggested that he may be experiencing pre-heart attack symptoms. Since Alan’s (my ex’s) father passed away at a relatively young age of a massive heart attack and my father has congestive heart failure I am very concerned about what all this means.
So now you know ‘some of the things’ that were going on at the time of writing the last update. Next week I will get another one out to you filling you in on a couple more things that have been and are continuing on.
Meanwhile, I have been working on trusting in God…
Philippians 4:4, 6-7
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
And now for some fun news…
Nicholas has a new uncle ~ yes, it’s true… Nick’s Grandpa Cesar and Grandma Alicia gave birth to a baby boy on Monday, July 7th. He weight in at 7lbs 12 oz and was 19” long. His name is Jeriah Kaden, but Nicholas has decided to just call him best buddy!
In this picture you will see Grandma Diana (that’s me) with Nicholas, and Nick's Auntie Mariah and Uncle Kaden. As you can see Nick and Auntie Mariah were getting ready to go swimming.
Love to you all,
Diana
If you would like to join me in prayer my requests are that God will make a way for these funds from Social Security to be released immediately and for Rick’s health.
The link is a video clip from Red Skelton’s television show on CBS dated January 14, 1969. If you are not familiar with him, Red Skelton was a movie and TV star; a funny man in his day.
Please listen to the entire clip, all the way thru to the end, please listen until the end. How was he to know then the relevance it would have today, some 40 years later?
Click on the link, and turn your sound on – you need sound – if you don’t have speakers then find someone who does.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfz2XDXaeqc
I am finally starting to do better… Praise The Lord. I’ve even made it to church the last two weeks; this past week I was even able to sit in the front row instead of in the very back of the church where I needed to be able to rest my neck.
I do believe that my Lord has started a healing in my body; whether this healing is temporary or permanent I am truly grateful for the work going on in my life. I remain on oxygen; however, I believe that God is using this as a way to bring a new life to my tired body.
I have learned a great deal being down for the last several weeks. God revealed His absolute and omnipotent power to me a few weeks ago.
He must be omnipotent in order to daily provide wisdom for each of His children, all around the world. Just imagine with me… My God is aware of every step Ryan (my friend’s son) is taking while touring Indonesia ~ He hears the prayers of my mother in Florida ~ He knows my concerns as I cry out to Him in California ~ whether you know it or not He is working in the lives of all of you as I pray for you individually.
I know that some who read this have not been saved by the Grace of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… you are always in my prayers… I pray that God will draw you close to Him and that you will have a desire to learn about my Jesus and what He has done for you.
So much has gone on over the last few weeks… This will be a short entry; my hope is to get back to doing this weekly instead of every couple months. Following are just two of the things that I was working thru and being frustrated by when I wrote the last entry on my blog.
I’m still not receiving the correct amount of money from SSDI… ugh!!! As most of you know I am currently receiving $650 each month; the amount I should be receiving is $1,440 each month. I actually just got off the phone with my worker at the Social Security office… the conversation was left at “we will speak again tomorrow”. As for now the money due to me remains in the ‘Social Security Payment Center’; for some unknown reason the funds have not yet been released.
It’s not just the correct amount of money each month that I am looking for; I also desperately need the back pay that is due to me. This money is also being held by the ‘payment center’.
For some of you who have known my quiet, extremely shy son, Rick the following will come as a complete shock to you.
My son Ricky moved out right around the time I sent out the last update. He still pops in to spend the night once or twice every couple of weeks but for the most part he has now left the nest. I didn’t want to admit it at the time it was happening but this was quite an adjustment for me. Yes, I still have Jen and Nicholas; but not having Rick here has been an adjustment.
I must tell you that I am very proud of the young man that I raised; he is still giving me about $1,000 each month to help with the rent and utilities. For a young man of only 22 years of age I take great pride in the fact that he is taking on the responsibility of making sure his mother is still being taken care of. This will not continue forever, but at least until I receive the full amount of money I am due each month from the government and then we can figure out what will happen next.
At this same time Ricky started having rather serious chest pains. He would have tightness and pain in his chest, his heart felt as if it was going to beat out of his chest, his arms would go numb, and he would break out in a sweat while at the same time feeling dizzy, nauseated and like he was going to pass out. Remember my Ricky is only 22 years old; this was about the same age that Matt was when he passed away of a sudden heart attack (Read More).
At first it was thought this was brought on because of too much caffeine; he was drinking 4 – 6 cups of coffee each day along with 3 – 4 energy drinks. After being off all caffeine for about three weeks he was still having these problems.
He was recently started on heart medication; this seems to have made only a minimal difference. Although he hasn’t had any more attacks the continued rapid heart beat remains a concern. His health insurance kicks in on August 1st at that point he will be able to see a cardiologist. We really won’t know any more until August when he is able to have some tests done.
It has been suggested that he may be experiencing pre-heart attack symptoms. Since Alan’s (my ex’s) father passed away at a relatively young age of a massive heart attack and my father has congestive heart failure I am very concerned about what all this means.
So now you know ‘some of the things’ that were going on at the time of writing the last update. Next week I will get another one out to you filling you in on a couple more things that have been and are continuing on.
Meanwhile, I have been working on trusting in God…
Philippians 4:4, 6-7
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
And now for some fun news…
Nicholas has a new uncle ~ yes, it’s true… Nick’s Grandpa Cesar and Grandma Alicia gave birth to a baby boy on Monday, July 7th. He weight in at 7lbs 12 oz and was 19” long. His name is Jeriah Kaden, but Nicholas has decided to just call him best buddy!
In this picture you will see Grandma Diana (that’s me) with Nicholas, and Nick's Auntie Mariah and Uncle Kaden. As you can see Nick and Auntie Mariah were getting ready to go swimming.
Love to you all,
Diana
If you would like to join me in prayer my requests are that God will make a way for these funds from Social Security to be released immediately and for Rick’s health.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
June 21, 2008 ~ Weekly Update #33
Well, what can I say… I’m tired! I’m tired of getting up every morning and facing questions that don’t seem to have answers, having the same responsibilities, and feeling like I’m fighting a losing battle day after day.
To be honest with you, over the past several weeks I haven’t been praying and reading the Bible everyday… Why? Because I was frustrated and felt like what is the point… Well, the point was that I have been the one on the losing end.
Not because I would have received answers to my questions, or that some of my responsibilities would have been taken away from me, or that I even would have won one of the many battles I have been facing over the last several weeks. But instead that I would have had joy and peace… the kind that only comes from having a relationship with Christ.
This week I am preaching to myself and I guess to anyone else who might care to listen. There are times when Christians are faced with what at the time seems to be insurmountable problems, as I have shared before; it is at those times that one needs to make a conscious choice to turn to our Lord.
I’ve received several emails over the last couple weeks; some of you knowing a great deal about what’s going on and some knowing nothing but still sending scriptures and encouragement. They have all meant a great deal.
I received one in particular from PR… He was kind enough to only give me a partial sermon (lecture), but it was certainly one that I needed to read. He shared with me a verse in Philippians but I am going to include a bit more.
Philippians 4:4-9
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Meditate on These Things
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Some of the things that I needed to review were to:
1 Rejoice in the Lord always
2 Be anxious for nothing
3 Let my requests be made known to God
4 To meditate on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of a good report
5 Also to meditate and give God thanks & praise for anything of virtue and everything worthy of praise
According to the above scripture, I could have received the peace of God had I not been so stubborn. God was always right there waiting to give me the peace He has to offer, but me in my stubbornness decided not to turn to Him. The peace of God, which doesn’t always make sense, was there for the receiving, it would have protected my heart and mind through Christ Jesus instead of my going it alone.
I know this to be true… Why, because in every other instance in my life when I have done what the scripture says God has provided this peace thru Christ Jesus. He has never failed me
I know that so many of you are suffering with things going on in your own lives. I’m embarrassed with the few problems of mine that seem to have overtaken me.
Friends in Iowa have either lost their own homes or at least know several if not many who have lost everything in the floods and tornados. If nothing else, simple trips that normally take 15 minutes have now turned into over an hour. Some of you are having problems with your children, family illness’ and so much more.
Please know that I am back to holding you up in prayer daily. I may not have the energy to communicate daily via email; and certainly haven’t been speaking with any of you on the phone… Many of you I owe returned phone calls and emails, (especially Victoria B). If you have spoken with me lately you would understand that it does zap my energy spending time on the phone; furthermore I can’t carry on a conversation with hacking and coughing up a lung.
I have been fighting pneumonia for the last several weeks; I thought I had it pretty much under control and now I feel like I am fighting off a relapse. I’m doing my daily breathing treatments and taking my regular meds… I’m holding off seeing if I can just shake it off before going back to the doctor.
Part of my recovery is due in part to my friend Marsha… she makes the very best homemade chicken soup you could ever imagine. Thank you Marsha, you have no idea how delicious that was! You really need to bottle this stuff and put it on the market.
The SCAN representative came out to see me on Monday… every thing looked and sounded excellent. She said that by Friday I should know if I had been approved. Wouldn’t you know, Tuesday afternoon I received a phone call saying that I didn’t qualify. Huh? Apparently I should have enrolled in a secondary insurance plan 30 – 90 prior to receiving Medicare. If you will think back with me, I didn’t even know that I had Medicare until about seven (7) days after receiving it. I have spent a good part of my week on the phone trying to find out what in the world is going on. This is one of those questions without answers battle.
Medicare is taking away the traveling oxygen for now. I need to have another test done and can’t do that right now until I am able to enroll in a secondary insurance.
I still haven’t received the balance of my SSI money… neither the back pay nor the correct monthly amount that I should now be receiving. About a month ago I was told that everything should be corrected and I should have all my back pay in hand by July 1st. Just this past week I was informed that my case had been taken out of the payment center and was sent back again for review.
So many other things are going on right now… too many to go into and with the quickness of the direction each is moving I would have to email you everyday to keep you posted. That is more than I can possibly do right now.
My Nicholas did have his birthday party last Saturday and I was able to sit and watch everything going on. (Nick is the one on the right) This perhaps has something to do with the possible pneumonia relapse. He did have so much fun and we were able to find out that some of his friends who he currently attends pre-school with will be going to the same kindergarten with him in September.
We also found out that his very best friend just lives around the corner. It’s actually pretty funny, his friend (Isaiah’s) Mom (her name is Jennie) and I talk a few times every month and had no idea Nick and Isaiah were friends. She takes her boys for a walk right around 5:00pm everyday, I see her and we exchange pleasantries. Nicholas always just misses them when he arrives home from school so the connection was never made.
We haven’t seen them the last couple days as nobody is walking around right now; just a little bit ago around 5:00pm it was about 107° outside. I’ve had the air running full blast all day and inside the house won’t cool down fewer than 80°… for all you in So Cal I’m just preaching to the choir.
We do have something to look forward to… Grandpa Cesar and Grandma Alicia will be giving Nicholas another auntie or uncle on July 7th. This little one is being stubborn and won’t allow anyone to know what he or she is. The last ultra-sound is scheduled for Friday and we are hoping beyond all hope to find out what this angel is, but as for now it looks as though this will be a surprise. All I can say to Grandpa (51) and Grandma (41) is more power to you! Auntie Mariah (5 years old) is very excited and can’t wait; she has finally given mommy permission to keep the baby if it is a boy.
I know this update had been all over the map and I do hope it makes sense. I’ve needed to get something out as I have received a few inquiries as to why no recent updates.
Much love to you all,
Diana
To be honest with you, over the past several weeks I haven’t been praying and reading the Bible everyday… Why? Because I was frustrated and felt like what is the point… Well, the point was that I have been the one on the losing end.
Not because I would have received answers to my questions, or that some of my responsibilities would have been taken away from me, or that I even would have won one of the many battles I have been facing over the last several weeks. But instead that I would have had joy and peace… the kind that only comes from having a relationship with Christ.
This week I am preaching to myself and I guess to anyone else who might care to listen. There are times when Christians are faced with what at the time seems to be insurmountable problems, as I have shared before; it is at those times that one needs to make a conscious choice to turn to our Lord.
I’ve received several emails over the last couple weeks; some of you knowing a great deal about what’s going on and some knowing nothing but still sending scriptures and encouragement. They have all meant a great deal.
I received one in particular from PR… He was kind enough to only give me a partial sermon (lecture), but it was certainly one that I needed to read. He shared with me a verse in Philippians but I am going to include a bit more.
Philippians 4:4-9
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Meditate on These Things
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Some of the things that I needed to review were to:
1 Rejoice in the Lord always
2 Be anxious for nothing
3 Let my requests be made known to God
4 To meditate on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of a good report
5 Also to meditate and give God thanks & praise for anything of virtue and everything worthy of praise
According to the above scripture, I could have received the peace of God had I not been so stubborn. God was always right there waiting to give me the peace He has to offer, but me in my stubbornness decided not to turn to Him. The peace of God, which doesn’t always make sense, was there for the receiving, it would have protected my heart and mind through Christ Jesus instead of my going it alone.
I know this to be true… Why, because in every other instance in my life when I have done what the scripture says God has provided this peace thru Christ Jesus. He has never failed me
I know that so many of you are suffering with things going on in your own lives. I’m embarrassed with the few problems of mine that seem to have overtaken me.
Friends in Iowa have either lost their own homes or at least know several if not many who have lost everything in the floods and tornados. If nothing else, simple trips that normally take 15 minutes have now turned into over an hour. Some of you are having problems with your children, family illness’ and so much more.
Please know that I am back to holding you up in prayer daily. I may not have the energy to communicate daily via email; and certainly haven’t been speaking with any of you on the phone… Many of you I owe returned phone calls and emails, (especially Victoria B). If you have spoken with me lately you would understand that it does zap my energy spending time on the phone; furthermore I can’t carry on a conversation with hacking and coughing up a lung.
I have been fighting pneumonia for the last several weeks; I thought I had it pretty much under control and now I feel like I am fighting off a relapse. I’m doing my daily breathing treatments and taking my regular meds… I’m holding off seeing if I can just shake it off before going back to the doctor.
Part of my recovery is due in part to my friend Marsha… she makes the very best homemade chicken soup you could ever imagine. Thank you Marsha, you have no idea how delicious that was! You really need to bottle this stuff and put it on the market.
The SCAN representative came out to see me on Monday… every thing looked and sounded excellent. She said that by Friday I should know if I had been approved. Wouldn’t you know, Tuesday afternoon I received a phone call saying that I didn’t qualify. Huh? Apparently I should have enrolled in a secondary insurance plan 30 – 90 prior to receiving Medicare. If you will think back with me, I didn’t even know that I had Medicare until about seven (7) days after receiving it. I have spent a good part of my week on the phone trying to find out what in the world is going on. This is one of those questions without answers battle.
Medicare is taking away the traveling oxygen for now. I need to have another test done and can’t do that right now until I am able to enroll in a secondary insurance.
I still haven’t received the balance of my SSI money… neither the back pay nor the correct monthly amount that I should now be receiving. About a month ago I was told that everything should be corrected and I should have all my back pay in hand by July 1st. Just this past week I was informed that my case had been taken out of the payment center and was sent back again for review.
So many other things are going on right now… too many to go into and with the quickness of the direction each is moving I would have to email you everyday to keep you posted. That is more than I can possibly do right now.
My Nicholas did have his birthday party last Saturday and I was able to sit and watch everything going on. (Nick is the one on the right) This perhaps has something to do with the possible pneumonia relapse. He did have so much fun and we were able to find out that some of his friends who he currently attends pre-school with will be going to the same kindergarten with him in September.We also found out that his very best friend just lives around the corner. It’s actually pretty funny, his friend (Isaiah’s) Mom (her name is Jennie) and I talk a few times every month and had no idea Nick and Isaiah were friends. She takes her boys for a walk right around 5:00pm everyday, I see her and we exchange pleasantries. Nicholas always just misses them when he arrives home from school so the connection was never made.
We haven’t seen them the last couple days as nobody is walking around right now; just a little bit ago around 5:00pm it was about 107° outside. I’ve had the air running full blast all day and inside the house won’t cool down fewer than 80°… for all you in So Cal I’m just preaching to the choir.
We do have something to look forward to… Grandpa Cesar and Grandma Alicia will be giving Nicholas another auntie or uncle on July 7th. This little one is being stubborn and won’t allow anyone to know what he or she is. The last ultra-sound is scheduled for Friday and we are hoping beyond all hope to find out what this angel is, but as for now it looks as though this will be a surprise. All I can say to Grandpa (51) and Grandma (41) is more power to you! Auntie Mariah (5 years old) is very excited and can’t wait; she has finally given mommy permission to keep the baby if it is a boy.
I know this update had been all over the map and I do hope it makes sense. I’ve needed to get something out as I have received a few inquiries as to why no recent updates.
Much love to you all,
Diana
Saturday, May 31, 2008
May 31, 2008 ~ Weekly Update #32
A few things I forgot…
First a very Happy Birthday to PR… Pastor Ron! Happy Birthday to someone who means so much too so many!
He celebrated his birthday this past week; at least I hope it was a celebration :) I know once you start getting as old as he is you really need to decide whether to celebrate the fact that you can still move around or mourn how painful it is to do the same things you were able to do a year ago. (hehehe)
My apologies for failing to mention the following in a timelier manor…
In memoriam of the four additional families who have suffered a loss in the last couple months:
A young bride at our church (Rebecca) lost her mother after battling cancer; her mother did make it to Rebecca’s wedding and for that there is much to be thankful for. Please remember her in your prayers as her husband is due to be sent to Iraq in the next couple weeks.
Another friend at church (Kathy) said goodbye to her father after a lengthy illness.
My friend Stephen, (Jeralynn’s husband) lost his mother; this after suffering a stroke three years ago.
And most recently, my friend Mary who walked into her daughter’s bedroom, only to find that she had passed on.
************
As for me it has been a long few weeks… I do believe that I had slipped into a bit of depression. My expectations over the last month were that I would feel 100% better, that hasn’t been my experience.
I have felt better… I’ve been able to get around much easier, much quicker, my thought process has continued to improve, I am able to hold my head up now for a couple hours at a time, and I’m only sleeping about 9 hours a day. I may not sleep 9 hours straight and it may not be during the hours in which I should be sleeping, but none the less it’s much better than the 12 – 15 hours I was sleeping every day.
The bit of depression that I was feeling was related to what my own expectations were versus reality. I was hoping that I would be able to get up in the morning, clean the house, work in the yard, go grocery shopping, play with Nicholas when he came home after school, and have dinner ready for the kids when they come home from work.
Reality has been that I can take a shower and make a meal every day… along with that I try to exercise a bit (go for a short walk), and do something small each day. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the improvement in which being on oxygen has given me. I was just expecting so much more.
After putting on paper how my life has improved over the last several weeks I now have a greater since of appreciation as to the small changes that have occurred.
I must say that after all these weeks I haven’t had any headaches, none that caused me to be bed ridden anyway. No headache that is until yesterday… the inside of my nostrils had been drying up from the constant use of oxygen so I took a bit of a break (about 24 hours). Just enough time to apply some cream and allow things to go back to normal. Well, wouldn’t you know it; I ended up with a headache that sent me straight to bed. It took about 12 hours of being back on oxygen, lying in a cold dark room with ice packs surrounding my head, and taking extra doses of migraine meds, but the headache finally went away.
I’m now certain that this added bit of oxygen has certainly helped my headaches ~ I am so very grateful for that!
There were no surprises at my doctor visit last week; it was just a quick visit in and out. I’ve been looking thru all the different secondary insurances that are offered. I thought that I had finally found one but it was going to cost me over $700 / month. My doctor told me to check out SCAN; I had forgotten to look into it, I believed it was only for those 65 yrs and older. I finally got around to calling yesterday and found out that I do indeed qualify. The great news is that it doesn’t sound like it will cost me a thing. I will be meeting with a representative from SCAN this coming week to find out the details.
I welcome any comments from those of you who are familiar with SCAN; be it positive or negative, I would love to hear what you have to say.
Regarding my income, I have found out that instead of the $650.00 per month that I am currently receiving from SSDI, I will instead be making a grand total of $1,300 per month. I’m still waiting to be reimbursed for a large amount of remaining back pay to which I am entitled (I need this to pay back money that I owe to individuals as well as bills that need to be paid). I hopefully will be seeing this money before the 1st of July.
I do hope that you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day! Mine was terrific, I was treated like a princess… the picture is what my Nicholas colored for me. I even made it to church, that was truly all that I wanted but everything about that day was wonderful.
We will finally be celebrating Nick’s birthday on June 14th. This will be the first birthday that he will have a “real” party to include his friends. With the last couple years being financially stretched so thin, Jennie really didn’t have the funds to have a party for him. Before that he was so little that it didn’t matter anyway.
He actually turned 5 on December 10th but with Thanksgiving just prior to his birthday and Christmas just a couple weeks after it’s an inconvenient time to throw a party. This year Jennie decided to start celebrating his birthday on the ½, well almost… May 10th is his actual half way mark, but that also happens to be the birthday of his auntie Mariah who herself just turned 5 years old this past May.
Just two days after his party on June 16th my precious little Nicholas will be graduating from pre-school. Nick missed starting kindergarten as his birth was just 5 days too late; this I think ended up being a blessing. He will now be entering kindergarten so much better prepared then he would have last year. I must say, he is a very smart, creative, and happy little boy; can you tell what a proud grandma I am? For those of you who knew me when Nick was born, can you believe how fast time goes by?
He loves riding his bike, skateboarding, riding his scooter, swimming, and climbing anything from ladders to trees to walls. He loves to figure out how things work… I think he gets some of that from watching his daddy and grandpa Cesar fixing things at both my house and grandpa’s house. If he’s left alone too long I will walk in on something that has been taken completely apart; he will tell me that it wasn’t working right and he needed to fix it.
Thank you to Children’s Hunger Fund as they gifted us with another wonderful delivery of delicious food. I am always amazed at the generosity of this wonderful organization. If you are ever looking to make a donation to a charitable organization who helps so many who are truly in need then please consider them. If you want to see what they are all about then take a moment and look at their site: http://www.childrenshungerfund.org/
Well that is enough for now, my plan (as it is every Saturday) is to try and rest so that I can make it to church tomorrow.
With love,
Diana
(Matthew 5:3-10
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.)
http://www.interviewwithgod.com/beatitudes/
First a very Happy Birthday to PR… Pastor Ron! Happy Birthday to someone who means so much too so many!
He celebrated his birthday this past week; at least I hope it was a celebration :) I know once you start getting as old as he is you really need to decide whether to celebrate the fact that you can still move around or mourn how painful it is to do the same things you were able to do a year ago. (hehehe)
My apologies for failing to mention the following in a timelier manor…
In memoriam of the four additional families who have suffered a loss in the last couple months:
A young bride at our church (Rebecca) lost her mother after battling cancer; her mother did make it to Rebecca’s wedding and for that there is much to be thankful for. Please remember her in your prayers as her husband is due to be sent to Iraq in the next couple weeks.
Another friend at church (Kathy) said goodbye to her father after a lengthy illness.
My friend Stephen, (Jeralynn’s husband) lost his mother; this after suffering a stroke three years ago.
And most recently, my friend Mary who walked into her daughter’s bedroom, only to find that she had passed on.
************
As for me it has been a long few weeks… I do believe that I had slipped into a bit of depression. My expectations over the last month were that I would feel 100% better, that hasn’t been my experience.
I have felt better… I’ve been able to get around much easier, much quicker, my thought process has continued to improve, I am able to hold my head up now for a couple hours at a time, and I’m only sleeping about 9 hours a day. I may not sleep 9 hours straight and it may not be during the hours in which I should be sleeping, but none the less it’s much better than the 12 – 15 hours I was sleeping every day.
The bit of depression that I was feeling was related to what my own expectations were versus reality. I was hoping that I would be able to get up in the morning, clean the house, work in the yard, go grocery shopping, play with Nicholas when he came home after school, and have dinner ready for the kids when they come home from work.
Reality has been that I can take a shower and make a meal every day… along with that I try to exercise a bit (go for a short walk), and do something small each day. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the improvement in which being on oxygen has given me. I was just expecting so much more.
After putting on paper how my life has improved over the last several weeks I now have a greater since of appreciation as to the small changes that have occurred.
I must say that after all these weeks I haven’t had any headaches, none that caused me to be bed ridden anyway. No headache that is until yesterday… the inside of my nostrils had been drying up from the constant use of oxygen so I took a bit of a break (about 24 hours). Just enough time to apply some cream and allow things to go back to normal. Well, wouldn’t you know it; I ended up with a headache that sent me straight to bed. It took about 12 hours of being back on oxygen, lying in a cold dark room with ice packs surrounding my head, and taking extra doses of migraine meds, but the headache finally went away.
I’m now certain that this added bit of oxygen has certainly helped my headaches ~ I am so very grateful for that!
There were no surprises at my doctor visit last week; it was just a quick visit in and out. I’ve been looking thru all the different secondary insurances that are offered. I thought that I had finally found one but it was going to cost me over $700 / month. My doctor told me to check out SCAN; I had forgotten to look into it, I believed it was only for those 65 yrs and older. I finally got around to calling yesterday and found out that I do indeed qualify. The great news is that it doesn’t sound like it will cost me a thing. I will be meeting with a representative from SCAN this coming week to find out the details.
I welcome any comments from those of you who are familiar with SCAN; be it positive or negative, I would love to hear what you have to say.
Regarding my income, I have found out that instead of the $650.00 per month that I am currently receiving from SSDI, I will instead be making a grand total of $1,300 per month. I’m still waiting to be reimbursed for a large amount of remaining back pay to which I am entitled (I need this to pay back money that I owe to individuals as well as bills that need to be paid). I hopefully will be seeing this money before the 1st of July.
I do hope that you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day! Mine was terrific, I was treated like a princess… the picture is what my Nicholas colored for me. I even made it to church, that was truly all that I wanted but everything about that day was wonderful.
We will finally be celebrating Nick’s birthday on June 14th. This will be the first birthday that he will have a “real” party to include his friends. With the last couple years being financially stretched so thin, Jennie really didn’t have the funds to have a party for him. Before that he was so little that it didn’t matter anyway.
He actually turned 5 on December 10th but with Thanksgiving just prior to his birthday and Christmas just a couple weeks after it’s an inconvenient time to throw a party. This year Jennie decided to start celebrating his birthday on the ½, well almost… May 10th is his actual half way mark, but that also happens to be the birthday of his auntie Mariah who herself just turned 5 years old this past May.
Just two days after his party on June 16th my precious little Nicholas will be graduating from pre-school. Nick missed starting kindergarten as his birth was just 5 days too late; this I think ended up being a blessing. He will now be entering kindergarten so much better prepared then he would have last year. I must say, he is a very smart, creative, and happy little boy; can you tell what a proud grandma I am? For those of you who knew me when Nick was born, can you believe how fast time goes by?
He loves riding his bike, skateboarding, riding his scooter, swimming, and climbing anything from ladders to trees to walls. He loves to figure out how things work… I think he gets some of that from watching his daddy and grandpa Cesar fixing things at both my house and grandpa’s house. If he’s left alone too long I will walk in on something that has been taken completely apart; he will tell me that it wasn’t working right and he needed to fix it.
Thank you to Children’s Hunger Fund as they gifted us with another wonderful delivery of delicious food. I am always amazed at the generosity of this wonderful organization. If you are ever looking to make a donation to a charitable organization who helps so many who are truly in need then please consider them. If you want to see what they are all about then take a moment and look at their site: http://www.childrenshungerfund.org/
Well that is enough for now, my plan (as it is every Saturday) is to try and rest so that I can make it to church tomorrow.
With love,
Diana
(Matthew 5:3-10
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.)
http://www.interviewwithgod.com/beatitudes/
Thursday, May 8, 2008
May 8, 2008 ~ Weekly Update #31
This has been an interesting week for me… My driver’s license expired last month and it was time to make a decision. Was I going to renew my license with the hope of someday driving again or had the time come to get a California ID.
I had stopped driving a couple years ago because my neurologist determined the spinal cord injuries interfered with my ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. Any attempt in correcting this would require a third surgery on my neck. Because of my current health problems surgery is not possible at this time.
So the decision was made… I opted for a California ID card.
Experiencing this has certainly allowed me to have empathy for the elderly who have what may be their last bit of freedom taken away from them, their ability to drive. It’s a strange feeling to know that even if I wanted to jump in the car and take off that legally I can no longer do that. It’s all good though… after not driving for the past couple years I’m not sure that I would want to get behind the wheel again, especially here in Los Angeles.
Oxygen results… it seems to have lifted some of the brain fog that I have been in but no other improvements. I had a follow up visit on Monday and it was decided that I will now be on oxygen 24/7. Some additional tanks will be delivered this week so that anytime I leave the house I will still be able to breathe in this additional air. If I didn’t already need help getting around this should be quite interesting… I can see it now, sometimes I just need a cane, but usually I have a walker or wheelchair and now will be dragging along a tank of oxygen. This should certainly be interesting if not entertaining. Still, I am actually quite excited to see what the outcome of this may be. My hope is that I will regain some of the energy that I have lost and that I can start going to church again.
Some days are really depressing, the days I that I must decide whether to use my energy taking a shower or to fix something to eat. Then I think of my friend Vicky… she is first of all my hero and secondly a quadriplegic who has been experiencing some difficult days lately. In my feeble attempts I try to follow her example that regardless of what lies behind or ahead of her; she has made the choice to keep her focus on Christ and to never give up.
(II Corinthians 4:16-18
16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.
17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.)
What became real to me is that when speaking with a friend I realized that regardless of our situations, as long as we are serving our Lord…
Now, I don’t want you to interpret serving my Lord as just saying that you believe there is a God or saying that yes, you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins. Instead I want you to know that serving my Lord means that you must truly give your life to Christ and daily serve Him with all that you have.
So… as long as we are serving our Lord then regardless of what you go thru you will have a peace and a joy that you will find no where else.
If you are daily serving our Lord then you will seek guidance and wisdom from Him with every choice you make, every sound you mutter, and with every thing that you do. If this is how you are living your life then you will be living as God would have you live. You will experience a kind of joy that only God can give. You will have the reassurance that what happens on this earth is only for a moment and that what counts is where you will spend eternity.
When I die I know where I will get to spend eternity… my eternity will be spent worshiping and praising the King of King’s and Lord of Lord’s, my Savior, Jesus Christ. What a glorious reward that will be!
On another note…
Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful mothers! If nobody is going to celebrate you then celebrate yourself… you are worth it. Buy yourself a bouquet of flowers, take yourself out to eat, get a pedicure, or just put your feet up for the day.
To all you husbands of mothers, make sure you celebrate your wife. She did after all raise your children, she carried each of them for nine months, and went thru endless hours of labor (or a very painful c-section) to provide you with those wonderful humans we affectionately call our children.
To those whose mothers are still alive, make sure you tell your mother that you love her. Even though we as mothers don’t always act like it, we love you more than you will ever know. As for my children, you are my pride and joy! I can’t put into words how much I love and care for you. And my Nicholas, what can I say except that you were an answer to prayer and now you are a blessing!
And now to my mother…
Thank you for being my mom; thank you for the endless hours that you have spent in prayer for me, my children, and grandson. Thank you for knowing when to give me space and knowing when to come in and scoop me up. Even though you may not think so, you are the greatest mother there ever was and I thank God for the privilege of allowing me to be your daughter.
I love you mom!
With much love to all,
Diana
P.S. Just in case you are not aware… the price of First Class postage is going up on May 12, 2008. I wanted to remind you all that the Post Office offers ‘Forever Stamps’. You may purchase as many of these stamps as you like at the current rate of .41 cents. These stamps will always be valid as First-Class postage on standard envelopes weighing one ounce or less, regardless of any subsequent increases in the First-Class rate. To purchase these stamps at the current rate of .41 cents each you must purchase them before May 12, 2008.
I had stopped driving a couple years ago because my neurologist determined the spinal cord injuries interfered with my ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. Any attempt in correcting this would require a third surgery on my neck. Because of my current health problems surgery is not possible at this time.
So the decision was made… I opted for a California ID card.
Experiencing this has certainly allowed me to have empathy for the elderly who have what may be their last bit of freedom taken away from them, their ability to drive. It’s a strange feeling to know that even if I wanted to jump in the car and take off that legally I can no longer do that. It’s all good though… after not driving for the past couple years I’m not sure that I would want to get behind the wheel again, especially here in Los Angeles.
Oxygen results… it seems to have lifted some of the brain fog that I have been in but no other improvements. I had a follow up visit on Monday and it was decided that I will now be on oxygen 24/7. Some additional tanks will be delivered this week so that anytime I leave the house I will still be able to breathe in this additional air. If I didn’t already need help getting around this should be quite interesting… I can see it now, sometimes I just need a cane, but usually I have a walker or wheelchair and now will be dragging along a tank of oxygen. This should certainly be interesting if not entertaining. Still, I am actually quite excited to see what the outcome of this may be. My hope is that I will regain some of the energy that I have lost and that I can start going to church again.
Some days are really depressing, the days I that I must decide whether to use my energy taking a shower or to fix something to eat. Then I think of my friend Vicky… she is first of all my hero and secondly a quadriplegic who has been experiencing some difficult days lately. In my feeble attempts I try to follow her example that regardless of what lies behind or ahead of her; she has made the choice to keep her focus on Christ and to never give up.
(II Corinthians 4:16-18
16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.
17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.)
What became real to me is that when speaking with a friend I realized that regardless of our situations, as long as we are serving our Lord…
Now, I don’t want you to interpret serving my Lord as just saying that you believe there is a God or saying that yes, you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins. Instead I want you to know that serving my Lord means that you must truly give your life to Christ and daily serve Him with all that you have.
So… as long as we are serving our Lord then regardless of what you go thru you will have a peace and a joy that you will find no where else.
If you are daily serving our Lord then you will seek guidance and wisdom from Him with every choice you make, every sound you mutter, and with every thing that you do. If this is how you are living your life then you will be living as God would have you live. You will experience a kind of joy that only God can give. You will have the reassurance that what happens on this earth is only for a moment and that what counts is where you will spend eternity.
When I die I know where I will get to spend eternity… my eternity will be spent worshiping and praising the King of King’s and Lord of Lord’s, my Savior, Jesus Christ. What a glorious reward that will be!
On another note…
Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful mothers! If nobody is going to celebrate you then celebrate yourself… you are worth it. Buy yourself a bouquet of flowers, take yourself out to eat, get a pedicure, or just put your feet up for the day.
To all you husbands of mothers, make sure you celebrate your wife. She did after all raise your children, she carried each of them for nine months, and went thru endless hours of labor (or a very painful c-section) to provide you with those wonderful humans we affectionately call our children.
To those whose mothers are still alive, make sure you tell your mother that you love her. Even though we as mothers don’t always act like it, we love you more than you will ever know. As for my children, you are my pride and joy! I can’t put into words how much I love and care for you. And my Nicholas, what can I say except that you were an answer to prayer and now you are a blessing!
And now to my mother…
Thank you for being my mom; thank you for the endless hours that you have spent in prayer for me, my children, and grandson. Thank you for knowing when to give me space and knowing when to come in and scoop me up. Even though you may not think so, you are the greatest mother there ever was and I thank God for the privilege of allowing me to be your daughter.
I love you mom!
With much love to all,
Diana
P.S. Just in case you are not aware… the price of First Class postage is going up on May 12, 2008. I wanted to remind you all that the Post Office offers ‘Forever Stamps’. You may purchase as many of these stamps as you like at the current rate of .41 cents. These stamps will always be valid as First-Class postage on standard envelopes weighing one ounce or less, regardless of any subsequent increases in the First-Class rate. To purchase these stamps at the current rate of .41 cents each you must purchase them before May 12, 2008.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
April 26, 2008 ~ Weekly Update #30
No More Excuses…
As of 8:00pm Wednesday I was started on oxygen. I have been informed by my children and a couple friends that I no longer have an excuse for the brain fog I have been in. It’s only been a couple days but I believe that I can think a little more clearly, only time will tell.
Because the sleep apnea I have is such a mild case it was determined that I won’t be using a CPAP machine and that instead I will be put on oxygen alone. I am to use oxygen while I sleep and throughout the day as needed.
After speaking with many oxygen companies I finally found one that offered a hardship program. This happens to be the same company that Alan (my ex-husband) works for. What a blessing that has turned out to be as everyone I have come in contact with have gone above and beyond in getting me set up. They have also been wonderful in getting me set up with the hardship program; this will cover whatever Medicare doesn’t cover.
Receiving this oxygen was nothing short of God allowing it to happen…
On Monday, April 21st I was informed that the sleep test results were only good for one month. If I didn’t have the oxygen by Wednesday, April 23rd then I would have to start over with the sleep test.
After spending most of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday on the phone I was finally told that I would have oxygen by the end of the day. At 5:00pm, with just seven hours before the day was up I received the news that I would receive the delivery before the day was over. At 8:00pm on Wednesday, just four hours before the day was over I was on oxygen.
With being put on oxygen I was hoping for an incredible turnaround in my health. I have seen some improvement but it certainly hasn’t been a night and day difference. As soon as I understand this Medicare “stuff” a little more clearly then I will be in to see my doctor. It still needs to be determined why my saturation levels are so low; we need to find out the cause and hopefully begin treatment on that.
As I continue to ask God to lead and direct my life He is allowing me to see His mighty hand at work. Things don’t always end up the way I think things should be but it’s always turns out for my good.
My God continues to allow me to have a perfect life; I wouldn’t change my life for anything. For the first time in my life these past three years have been full of joy… I am absolutely satisfied with the life Christ has given me.
When asking God to provide for my needs, for a healing, or for an answer on anything He always answers; it’s either Yes, No, Maybe or Something better than I could have ever imagined!
Isaiah 55:8-9
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Love to all,
Diana
As of 8:00pm Wednesday I was started on oxygen. I have been informed by my children and a couple friends that I no longer have an excuse for the brain fog I have been in. It’s only been a couple days but I believe that I can think a little more clearly, only time will tell.
Because the sleep apnea I have is such a mild case it was determined that I won’t be using a CPAP machine and that instead I will be put on oxygen alone. I am to use oxygen while I sleep and throughout the day as needed.
After speaking with many oxygen companies I finally found one that offered a hardship program. This happens to be the same company that Alan (my ex-husband) works for. What a blessing that has turned out to be as everyone I have come in contact with have gone above and beyond in getting me set up. They have also been wonderful in getting me set up with the hardship program; this will cover whatever Medicare doesn’t cover.
Receiving this oxygen was nothing short of God allowing it to happen…
On Monday, April 21st I was informed that the sleep test results were only good for one month. If I didn’t have the oxygen by Wednesday, April 23rd then I would have to start over with the sleep test.
After spending most of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday on the phone I was finally told that I would have oxygen by the end of the day. At 5:00pm, with just seven hours before the day was up I received the news that I would receive the delivery before the day was over. At 8:00pm on Wednesday, just four hours before the day was over I was on oxygen.
With being put on oxygen I was hoping for an incredible turnaround in my health. I have seen some improvement but it certainly hasn’t been a night and day difference. As soon as I understand this Medicare “stuff” a little more clearly then I will be in to see my doctor. It still needs to be determined why my saturation levels are so low; we need to find out the cause and hopefully begin treatment on that.
As I continue to ask God to lead and direct my life He is allowing me to see His mighty hand at work. Things don’t always end up the way I think things should be but it’s always turns out for my good.
My God continues to allow me to have a perfect life; I wouldn’t change my life for anything. For the first time in my life these past three years have been full of joy… I am absolutely satisfied with the life Christ has given me.
When asking God to provide for my needs, for a healing, or for an answer on anything He always answers; it’s either Yes, No, Maybe or Something better than I could have ever imagined!
Isaiah 55:8-9
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Love to all,
Diana
Friday, April 18, 2008
April 18, 2008 ~ Weekly Update #29
This past week around my house has been wonderful for the kids…
Why, because I’ve been silent or sleeping most of the time. There were a few exceptions, the times I was so uncomfortable that I would lash out at anyone and everything that crossed my path.
On April 4th I went in for a simple tooth extraction; this was for relief of the pain that I was in. This was to be my birthday present to myself… Over $400 and one week later, I was still in pain. Can you say dry socket? The past couple days I have finally started to feel some relief.
Yes, I suppose you can chalk this up to the fact that I didn’t exactly follow the post op directions I was given. The instructions said ice cream the first 24 hours and then liquid for the next 48 hours to be followed by a soft food diet for 1 week. Additionally there was to be bed rest for the first few days and no activity for 1 week. I thought, you’ve got to be kidding, this was a simple tooth extraction – this is the 8th tooth I’ve had pulled and I don’t ever remember being given all these instructions.
I figured that I knew best and even if I didn’t it was my birthday and I was just going to be defiant.
My friend Dawn called letting me know that she had made dinner for me as a birthday present. Since I was in no pain (hmmm… was that because I was still numb?) and I needed to have dinner anyway we decided to share this delicious meal together and have a couple hours of wonderful conversation. Saturday went well; I did take a couple pain pills throughout the day but figured of course I should be feeling some kind of discomfort. I skipped straight ahead to the soft food diet; still everything seemed fine; it wasn’t until the wee hours of Sunday morning that I knew I was in trouble. I tried rinsing out the socket as I was certain there was food in the hole. Nothing came out so I picked away with my toothbrush; finally after rinsing again something dislodged. I was good for a couple hours and then the pain set in. It ended up that the object (blood clot) that I dislodged was supposed to keep this from turning into a dry socket.
My daughter, son, Stephen, and Jeralynn have all been so kind thru this… they have very lovingly been telling me “I TOLD YOU SO”… I simply respond by saying that I am behaving this way because I need oxygen! This excuse is growing thinner by the minute!
Now, you think this would have caused me to drop a few pounds… hahahaha! I didn’t gain any weight, but certainly didn’t loose anything as I’m certain most of you would have.
Some good news; I received my first check on my birthday. Let me tell you, if that didn’t give me a reason to Praise my Lord then I’m not sure what would have.
Could it be that simple? Of course not, the check was for less than half of what I was expecting. Once again, can I just tell you of my love for our government!!! My flesh wants to shout out to you about every last thing that is on my mind. That however is not what my God would have me do. I have learned a great deal about how both our local and federal government works over the past few years. I’m very saddened by what I know; as I’m writing this I am beginning to feel that perhaps God has allowed me to experience this so that I will begin to pray for our government and the officials that are governing us. Believe me, that was much easier to write then it will be to work thru. This is something that God and I will be working on together; I will let you know how this progresses.
I’m certain that the calculation of money is simply a clerical error. However, at this point I still have no idea how much money I will be receiving.
To be honest with you I had already made plans on what I would like to do once I received some of the money. “My plan” was to replace a few of the items that I had to sell. Maybe to live life a little easier… (Like not needing to run out and grab a leaf off the tree when we run out of toilet paper… hehehe)
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining; I’m thrilled that I have something, anything coming in. For a moment I thought, “God, don’t you realize that I have been counting on a set amount of money coming in?” “How can anyone expect to live on $600 per month?” “My Lord, I have so many bills to pay, I need the money I was counting on!”
God already knew this was going to happen… This was certainly no surprise to Him and He already knows how this will end.
In the Bible it says to be anxious for nothing; the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word nothing as:
1. Not any thing: no thing (leaves nothing to the imagination)
2. No part
(Philippians 4:6
6 Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.)
This verse doesn’t give me permission to haphazardly start spending the money He has already given me, but it does tell me not to worry. He wants me to be wise and to seek counsel from Him with every penny I spend.
God needed to remind me that my life is in His hands; “my plan” no longer matters. While listening to PR’s message from Sunday the Lord made very real to me a scripture that I had forgotten. I am to be content with what I have, truly the only thing that should matter is that my Lord will never leave me nor forsake me. My Lord is my helper and He will provide for my every need.
(Hebrews 13:5 - 6
5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
6 So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”)
When receiving the gift of salvation, one’s desire becomes to seek after what God’s will is for your life. One’s true desire will be to honor God with everything you have and in all that you do.
My intention of sharing the following with you is because I want you to know that as a Christian, a Born Again Christian, I am to be obedient to God in everything I do. I am not to pick parts of the Bible that I choose to follow and obey, but to be obedient in everything. That said, regardless of how much or how little, the first of this money will be given to my Lord; the tithe that belongs to Him. God is not asking me to do this; it is a command that as a Christian I tithe so that the house of my God will not be neglected.
(Nehemiah 10:39
39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers are; and we will not neglect the house of our God. )
A little last minute good news… I received my MediCare card today, but still no oxygen. There is so much paperwork, so much red-tape… but again, I am certain that God won’t let me down.
As you read on you will see that I’m really looking forward to getting a little extra oxygen sent to my brain…
I was on the phone with my friend Bobbi the other day. We were chatting and chatting; all of a sudden I wanted to say something to her and I forgot who I was talking to. I had to stop and ask “what’s your name”. She thought I was continuing on with my story, I told her “no, listen to me; I don’t know your name”. She was very patient with me and told me who she was; we laughed… I told her that once I’m on oxygen this won’t happen anymore so enjoy it now.
Other times I’m having a wonderful conversation with one of my children; I will ask a question with much enthusiasm and excitement as I await the answer. Most often they turn to me and inform me that I’ve already asked this question several times and was given the answer each and every time. I promise them that if I’m given the answer just one more time then I won’t ask again… If your kids are anything like mine then you might understand that my kids aren’t finding this as amusing as my friends might.
I am looking forward to the day when this theory of added oxygen can actually be tested!
Everyday is a new day! I have no idea what will happen tomorrow and at this point I’m having problems remembering what happened yesterday… so you see, for me everyday really is a new day! Hehehe
Much love to you all,
Diana
Why, because I’ve been silent or sleeping most of the time. There were a few exceptions, the times I was so uncomfortable that I would lash out at anyone and everything that crossed my path.
On April 4th I went in for a simple tooth extraction; this was for relief of the pain that I was in. This was to be my birthday present to myself… Over $400 and one week later, I was still in pain. Can you say dry socket? The past couple days I have finally started to feel some relief.
Yes, I suppose you can chalk this up to the fact that I didn’t exactly follow the post op directions I was given. The instructions said ice cream the first 24 hours and then liquid for the next 48 hours to be followed by a soft food diet for 1 week. Additionally there was to be bed rest for the first few days and no activity for 1 week. I thought, you’ve got to be kidding, this was a simple tooth extraction – this is the 8th tooth I’ve had pulled and I don’t ever remember being given all these instructions.
I figured that I knew best and even if I didn’t it was my birthday and I was just going to be defiant.
My friend Dawn called letting me know that she had made dinner for me as a birthday present. Since I was in no pain (hmmm… was that because I was still numb?) and I needed to have dinner anyway we decided to share this delicious meal together and have a couple hours of wonderful conversation. Saturday went well; I did take a couple pain pills throughout the day but figured of course I should be feeling some kind of discomfort. I skipped straight ahead to the soft food diet; still everything seemed fine; it wasn’t until the wee hours of Sunday morning that I knew I was in trouble. I tried rinsing out the socket as I was certain there was food in the hole. Nothing came out so I picked away with my toothbrush; finally after rinsing again something dislodged. I was good for a couple hours and then the pain set in. It ended up that the object (blood clot) that I dislodged was supposed to keep this from turning into a dry socket.
My daughter, son, Stephen, and Jeralynn have all been so kind thru this… they have very lovingly been telling me “I TOLD YOU SO”… I simply respond by saying that I am behaving this way because I need oxygen! This excuse is growing thinner by the minute!
Now, you think this would have caused me to drop a few pounds… hahahaha! I didn’t gain any weight, but certainly didn’t loose anything as I’m certain most of you would have.
Some good news; I received my first check on my birthday. Let me tell you, if that didn’t give me a reason to Praise my Lord then I’m not sure what would have.
Could it be that simple? Of course not, the check was for less than half of what I was expecting. Once again, can I just tell you of my love for our government!!! My flesh wants to shout out to you about every last thing that is on my mind. That however is not what my God would have me do. I have learned a great deal about how both our local and federal government works over the past few years. I’m very saddened by what I know; as I’m writing this I am beginning to feel that perhaps God has allowed me to experience this so that I will begin to pray for our government and the officials that are governing us. Believe me, that was much easier to write then it will be to work thru. This is something that God and I will be working on together; I will let you know how this progresses.
I’m certain that the calculation of money is simply a clerical error. However, at this point I still have no idea how much money I will be receiving.
To be honest with you I had already made plans on what I would like to do once I received some of the money. “My plan” was to replace a few of the items that I had to sell. Maybe to live life a little easier… (Like not needing to run out and grab a leaf off the tree when we run out of toilet paper… hehehe)
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining; I’m thrilled that I have something, anything coming in. For a moment I thought, “God, don’t you realize that I have been counting on a set amount of money coming in?” “How can anyone expect to live on $600 per month?” “My Lord, I have so many bills to pay, I need the money I was counting on!”
God already knew this was going to happen… This was certainly no surprise to Him and He already knows how this will end.
In the Bible it says to be anxious for nothing; the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word nothing as:
1. Not any thing: no thing (leaves nothing to the imagination)
2. No part
(Philippians 4:6
6 Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.)
This verse doesn’t give me permission to haphazardly start spending the money He has already given me, but it does tell me not to worry. He wants me to be wise and to seek counsel from Him with every penny I spend.
God needed to remind me that my life is in His hands; “my plan” no longer matters. While listening to PR’s message from Sunday the Lord made very real to me a scripture that I had forgotten. I am to be content with what I have, truly the only thing that should matter is that my Lord will never leave me nor forsake me. My Lord is my helper and He will provide for my every need.
(Hebrews 13:5 - 6
5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
6 So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”)
When receiving the gift of salvation, one’s desire becomes to seek after what God’s will is for your life. One’s true desire will be to honor God with everything you have and in all that you do.
My intention of sharing the following with you is because I want you to know that as a Christian, a Born Again Christian, I am to be obedient to God in everything I do. I am not to pick parts of the Bible that I choose to follow and obey, but to be obedient in everything. That said, regardless of how much or how little, the first of this money will be given to my Lord; the tithe that belongs to Him. God is not asking me to do this; it is a command that as a Christian I tithe so that the house of my God will not be neglected.
(Nehemiah 10:39
39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers are; and we will not neglect the house of our God. )
A little last minute good news… I received my MediCare card today, but still no oxygen. There is so much paperwork, so much red-tape… but again, I am certain that God won’t let me down.
As you read on you will see that I’m really looking forward to getting a little extra oxygen sent to my brain…
I was on the phone with my friend Bobbi the other day. We were chatting and chatting; all of a sudden I wanted to say something to her and I forgot who I was talking to. I had to stop and ask “what’s your name”. She thought I was continuing on with my story, I told her “no, listen to me; I don’t know your name”. She was very patient with me and told me who she was; we laughed… I told her that once I’m on oxygen this won’t happen anymore so enjoy it now.
Other times I’m having a wonderful conversation with one of my children; I will ask a question with much enthusiasm and excitement as I await the answer. Most often they turn to me and inform me that I’ve already asked this question several times and was given the answer each and every time. I promise them that if I’m given the answer just one more time then I won’t ask again… If your kids are anything like mine then you might understand that my kids aren’t finding this as amusing as my friends might.
I am looking forward to the day when this theory of added oxygen can actually be tested!
Everyday is a new day! I have no idea what will happen tomorrow and at this point I’m having problems remembering what happened yesterday… so you see, for me everyday really is a new day! Hehehe
Much love to you all,
Diana
Friday, April 4, 2008
April 4, 2008 ~ Weekly Update #28
There is so much news to share with you; I’m not sure where to begin!
Finally… the reason behind at least some of my problems may have been discovered.
With God’s help my doctor was able to get me in for a sleep study test on Wednesday, March 26th. I say with God’s help because I saw my doctor on Friday, March 21st, by Monday morning I not only received insurance and medical group approval but also had an appointment for the sleep test.
The results… I have an extremely mild form of apnea, so mild as to be called borderline apnea.
However, my blood oxygen levels fell to 83% while I was sleeping; apparently this isn’t such a good thing. That said, once I’m able to start on oxygen I just might gain some of my life back.
It was determined that for now I will only need oxygen at night. The idea is that even though the apnea is mild I will still be put on a CPAP machine to take some of the strain off of my heart and lungs. The oxygen will be filtered in thru the CPAP machine throughout the night.
I am so excited… my doctor told me that this just might be the reason for my migraines, and is most probably the reason for my slurred speech, forgetfulness, fogginess, lack of concentration, memory loss, falling, & dizziness, etc.
However, can you imagine how wonderful this will be if I can gain some of my life back! I might actually be able to do something more than get up, go to the couch, and then back to bed. Hurrah!
I was given this news on Thursday, March 27th, that meant that I had Friday, March 28th, and Monday, March 31st to receive approval and delivery for the necessary equipment. In case you forgot, March 31st was the last day I was covered under my health insurance.
The authorizations didn’t come thru in time. Tuesday I began contacting oxygen companies inquiring as to hardship pricing for a CPAP machine and oxygen. The prices were all much more than I could ever afford. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. My prayers turned to asking God to take the situation, because it was more than I could handle. I asked my Heavenly Father to provide in a way that only He could.
Wednesday, April 2nd I decided to call my contact at SSA (Social Security Administration). I left a message letting her know that it had been determined that I now require oxygen. I requested help in expediting the Medi-Care benefits.
My wonderful neighbor and friend, Dawn had provided me with many avenues that I could explore. She has what seems to be an endless supply of knowledge and has been such a blessing for me in patiently helping to walk me step by step thru most of this paperwork. I had begun to explore some of the options that Dawn had provided but at this point I was beginning to grow very weary both mentally and physically.
At about 4:30 Wednesday afternoon my SSA contact returned my call.
She informed me that my Medi-Care had become effective as of April 1st, 2008. She continued on saying that they just hadn’t had a chance to get the paperwork out to me yet.
Now, in case you missed it, let me spell this out for you… my Cal-Cobra benefits were exhausted on March 31st, 2008. Without my knowledge, with only my Lord knowing, my Medi-Care benefits were activated as of April 1st, 2008.
PRAISE THE LORD! SHOUT HALLELUJAH! SING PRAISES TO THE KING!
Just in case you haven’t yet, I do hope that you will join me in dropping to your knees for a moment and giving thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for once again meeting my needs.
This truly has been a time of waiting upon the Lord and trusting with everything in me that He would not fail me. No matter what the circumstances, as a child of my Lord, my only job was to trust in Him. To have faith that He will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory!
(Philippians 4:19KJV
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.)
Shall we chat about Medi-Care for a moment? If anyone has information that you might like to share then please forward it to me. I was loaned a copy of the 2007 Medi-Care book (remember I haven’t received any paperwork yet), this is all so very confusing! Medi-Care A, B, C, and D? Is there a Medi-Care book for Dummies out there?
The money… it should be coming soon… it’s not the correct amount, but at least I know that a check is on its way. Jeralynn and I were at the SSA office this morning attempting to straighten out some of the confusion that I am now certain is all just a part of the process. Eventually I will receive the correct amount of money, but for now I am grateful for the swiftness in receiving anything.
Oh, and by the way… the review that may or may not have taken place… the one in which the courts decision could have been overturned without cause… that is now a thing of the past. PRAISE THE LORD!
And now for something that I wouldn’t normally share, but apparently most of you already know so here goes… Today, shesa my birthday!
I honestly believe that God allowed the timing for all of this to fall into place on a very special day for me. Today, April 4th, my birthday! Next to my God sending His Son to die on the cross for my sins; my Lord has blessed me with the greatest birthday gift I could be given. What seems to have been a very long chapter in my life is finally starting to come to a close, and with a happy ending at that.
It has been a very long road, rest assured it’s far from over and I’m certain it will continue to be an interesting journey. How wonderful to look back and see what God has done in the 45 years of my life.
A few friends treated me to lunch yesterday and presented me with a very loving gift. I was told the idea of this gift originated with my friend Bobbi (her and Stan are currently in Oregon and will be back in September – I think). I was told a couple others took over the job of completing this wonderful idea before it was given to me. (I was even told who you were but I don’t remember… I’m counting on the fact that once I’m on oxygen I will regain my memory! I really am counting on that!)
The gift… it was a scrapbook album given to me from my church family; it was filled with wonderful letters, encouraging notes, pictures, and special scriptures. I can’t believe all who took part in this, and it was all done without my knowledge, even our youth group took time out of their busy lives to write me notes. The emotion was overwhelming to me, I was absolutely speechless, I can’t put into words the gratitude I feel towards all who contributed to this wonderful book that I will always treasure.
After reading it over and over again, I felt as if I had been to my own funeral and received a ‘Year Book’ all in one. What a wonderful, humbling, experience!
Prayer requests:
God will grant wisdom and direction in making insurance decisions.
Once the oxygen treatment begins that my life will be improved.
Love to you all,
Diana
Finally… the reason behind at least some of my problems may have been discovered.
With God’s help my doctor was able to get me in for a sleep study test on Wednesday, March 26th. I say with God’s help because I saw my doctor on Friday, March 21st, by Monday morning I not only received insurance and medical group approval but also had an appointment for the sleep test.
The results… I have an extremely mild form of apnea, so mild as to be called borderline apnea.
However, my blood oxygen levels fell to 83% while I was sleeping; apparently this isn’t such a good thing. That said, once I’m able to start on oxygen I just might gain some of my life back.
It was determined that for now I will only need oxygen at night. The idea is that even though the apnea is mild I will still be put on a CPAP machine to take some of the strain off of my heart and lungs. The oxygen will be filtered in thru the CPAP machine throughout the night.
I am so excited… my doctor told me that this just might be the reason for my migraines, and is most probably the reason for my slurred speech, forgetfulness, fogginess, lack of concentration, memory loss, falling, & dizziness, etc.
However, can you imagine how wonderful this will be if I can gain some of my life back! I might actually be able to do something more than get up, go to the couch, and then back to bed. Hurrah!
I was given this news on Thursday, March 27th, that meant that I had Friday, March 28th, and Monday, March 31st to receive approval and delivery for the necessary equipment. In case you forgot, March 31st was the last day I was covered under my health insurance.
The authorizations didn’t come thru in time. Tuesday I began contacting oxygen companies inquiring as to hardship pricing for a CPAP machine and oxygen. The prices were all much more than I could ever afford. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. My prayers turned to asking God to take the situation, because it was more than I could handle. I asked my Heavenly Father to provide in a way that only He could.
Wednesday, April 2nd I decided to call my contact at SSA (Social Security Administration). I left a message letting her know that it had been determined that I now require oxygen. I requested help in expediting the Medi-Care benefits.
My wonderful neighbor and friend, Dawn had provided me with many avenues that I could explore. She has what seems to be an endless supply of knowledge and has been such a blessing for me in patiently helping to walk me step by step thru most of this paperwork. I had begun to explore some of the options that Dawn had provided but at this point I was beginning to grow very weary both mentally and physically.
At about 4:30 Wednesday afternoon my SSA contact returned my call.
She informed me that my Medi-Care had become effective as of April 1st, 2008. She continued on saying that they just hadn’t had a chance to get the paperwork out to me yet.
Now, in case you missed it, let me spell this out for you… my Cal-Cobra benefits were exhausted on March 31st, 2008. Without my knowledge, with only my Lord knowing, my Medi-Care benefits were activated as of April 1st, 2008.
PRAISE THE LORD! SHOUT HALLELUJAH! SING PRAISES TO THE KING!
Just in case you haven’t yet, I do hope that you will join me in dropping to your knees for a moment and giving thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for once again meeting my needs.
This truly has been a time of waiting upon the Lord and trusting with everything in me that He would not fail me. No matter what the circumstances, as a child of my Lord, my only job was to trust in Him. To have faith that He will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory!
(Philippians 4:19KJV
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.)
Shall we chat about Medi-Care for a moment? If anyone has information that you might like to share then please forward it to me. I was loaned a copy of the 2007 Medi-Care book (remember I haven’t received any paperwork yet), this is all so very confusing! Medi-Care A, B, C, and D? Is there a Medi-Care book for Dummies out there?
The money… it should be coming soon… it’s not the correct amount, but at least I know that a check is on its way. Jeralynn and I were at the SSA office this morning attempting to straighten out some of the confusion that I am now certain is all just a part of the process. Eventually I will receive the correct amount of money, but for now I am grateful for the swiftness in receiving anything.
Oh, and by the way… the review that may or may not have taken place… the one in which the courts decision could have been overturned without cause… that is now a thing of the past. PRAISE THE LORD!
And now for something that I wouldn’t normally share, but apparently most of you already know so here goes… Today, shesa my birthday!
I honestly believe that God allowed the timing for all of this to fall into place on a very special day for me. Today, April 4th, my birthday! Next to my God sending His Son to die on the cross for my sins; my Lord has blessed me with the greatest birthday gift I could be given. What seems to have been a very long chapter in my life is finally starting to come to a close, and with a happy ending at that.
It has been a very long road, rest assured it’s far from over and I’m certain it will continue to be an interesting journey. How wonderful to look back and see what God has done in the 45 years of my life.
A few friends treated me to lunch yesterday and presented me with a very loving gift. I was told the idea of this gift originated with my friend Bobbi (her and Stan are currently in Oregon and will be back in September – I think). I was told a couple others took over the job of completing this wonderful idea before it was given to me. (I was even told who you were but I don’t remember… I’m counting on the fact that once I’m on oxygen I will regain my memory! I really am counting on that!)
The gift… it was a scrapbook album given to me from my church family; it was filled with wonderful letters, encouraging notes, pictures, and special scriptures. I can’t believe all who took part in this, and it was all done without my knowledge, even our youth group took time out of their busy lives to write me notes. The emotion was overwhelming to me, I was absolutely speechless, I can’t put into words the gratitude I feel towards all who contributed to this wonderful book that I will always treasure.
After reading it over and over again, I felt as if I had been to my own funeral and received a ‘Year Book’ all in one. What a wonderful, humbling, experience!
Prayer requests:
God will grant wisdom and direction in making insurance decisions.
Once the oxygen treatment begins that my life will be improved.
Love to you all,
Diana
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
March 25, 2008 ~ Weekly Update #27
(Psalm 23:4
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.)
I am sending this email out to ask that you pray for our family. At the same time I want you to rejoice with me; you will see why as you read on.
For some of you part of this email will be a repeat of what I shared almost two years ago, for others of you this will be a new story.
I have grown to love and care very deeply for Robert’s (Nick’s – my grandson’s daddy) family over the past six years. We are together very much a family; I know that I can count on them for anything as they can count on me for anything.
Two years ago, back in July of 2006, Robert’s little brother Matthew (age 21) and his wife Nicole (age 20) were expecting their first baby, a little girl. Everyone was so excited, I remember Matt calling one day toward the end of June, I didn’t even stop to ask how he was, all I could ask was, “is she here yet?”
At the last minute this precious little angel decided to do a summersault and went into a breach position. This meant a cesarean delivery, because Matt’s birthday was on February 2nd, Nicole wanted to follow suite and have the delivery scheduled for July 7th (in case you don’t get it, 2/2 & 7 /7). Everything was put into place and we were all excited. She was given the beautiful name of Summer Nikki, the middle name of Nikki to be named after her beautiful mother, Nicole.
On the 4th of July, Robert’s little sister, Brittney was at Matt and Nicole’s home helping with last minute décor in the nursery. Matt mentioned to Britt and Nicole that he had started to not feel good, the girls decided to put just a few more items of clothing away and then would take him to the ER and have him checked out. Not more then a couple minutes had passed and Matt went down to the floor. Many hours were spent trying to revive Matt both at home and at the hospital but there was no success. The coroners ruled that he had passed away of a massive heart attack.
The funeral was delayed until the arrival of this beautiful angel who was to be born just three days later. During this time Summer’s name was changed, she was now to be named Summer Matti, to be named after her father, Matthew, who would have loved her with everything in him.
With a countless number of family members and friends in the waiting room the news came… Summer was not perfect as all the ultrasounds had shown. Instead, she was born with a cleft pallet, a dislocated hip, and several broken bones. Later we were to find out that she had been born with a rare gene that was going to cause her life to be a difficult one.
The following week was Matt’s funeral, it was a difficult time but as a family we were able to focus on the life Matt left behind, little Summer. Regardless of the fact that she would face many difficulties growing up, Summer would always be a part of Matthew’s life that we could celebrate.
Nicole, being a window at the young age of 20 and now a single mother of a very sick little baby was having a difficult time. She moved in with her parents and they became her rock. Between then and now little Summer has gone thru countless surgeries and procedures, she has grown by leaps and bounds. Maybe not like that of a healthy baby, but she has grown on a scale that only the mother of a special needs child could appreciate.
This morning, March 25th, Summer went in for yet another surgery. This surgery was for one on her hips, being 20 months old this surgery was hopefully going to aide her in being able to start crawling.
At 11:40 this morning I received the phone call that Summer went home to be with Jesus.
I would ask that you first celebrate the fact with me that Summer went straight to heaven to be with Jesus. The comfort that we have is that she has a new little body and is running around for the very first time in her little life. I can only imagine that she has already jumped up on Jesus’ lap and may now be sitting at His feet.
Then I will ask that you take a moment and pray for us, meaning the entire family. This will be a very difficult time; it has already been a very difficult day. There are many in the family who still do not know about Summer’s home-going. The reason for not informing everyone is that this news is going to be taken very hard by some in the family.
I would ask that you please say a special prayer for Nicole who at the age of 22 is not only a widow but within the next several days will be burying her only child.
Nicole does not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, please pray that thru this she will come to know the Lord in a very special way. At this point in her life the only peace she can find will be thru (for those who are Born Again) our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Diana
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.)
I am sending this email out to ask that you pray for our family. At the same time I want you to rejoice with me; you will see why as you read on.
For some of you part of this email will be a repeat of what I shared almost two years ago, for others of you this will be a new story.
I have grown to love and care very deeply for Robert’s (Nick’s – my grandson’s daddy) family over the past six years. We are together very much a family; I know that I can count on them for anything as they can count on me for anything.
Two years ago, back in July of 2006, Robert’s little brother Matthew (age 21) and his wife Nicole (age 20) were expecting their first baby, a little girl. Everyone was so excited, I remember Matt calling one day toward the end of June, I didn’t even stop to ask how he was, all I could ask was, “is she here yet?”
At the last minute this precious little angel decided to do a summersault and went into a breach position. This meant a cesarean delivery, because Matt’s birthday was on February 2nd, Nicole wanted to follow suite and have the delivery scheduled for July 7th (in case you don’t get it, 2/2 & 7 /7). Everything was put into place and we were all excited. She was given the beautiful name of Summer Nikki, the middle name of Nikki to be named after her beautiful mother, Nicole.
On the 4th of July, Robert’s little sister, Brittney was at Matt and Nicole’s home helping with last minute décor in the nursery. Matt mentioned to Britt and Nicole that he had started to not feel good, the girls decided to put just a few more items of clothing away and then would take him to the ER and have him checked out. Not more then a couple minutes had passed and Matt went down to the floor. Many hours were spent trying to revive Matt both at home and at the hospital but there was no success. The coroners ruled that he had passed away of a massive heart attack.
The funeral was delayed until the arrival of this beautiful angel who was to be born just three days later. During this time Summer’s name was changed, she was now to be named Summer Matti, to be named after her father, Matthew, who would have loved her with everything in him.
With a countless number of family members and friends in the waiting room the news came… Summer was not perfect as all the ultrasounds had shown. Instead, she was born with a cleft pallet, a dislocated hip, and several broken bones. Later we were to find out that she had been born with a rare gene that was going to cause her life to be a difficult one.
The following week was Matt’s funeral, it was a difficult time but as a family we were able to focus on the life Matt left behind, little Summer. Regardless of the fact that she would face many difficulties growing up, Summer would always be a part of Matthew’s life that we could celebrate.
Nicole, being a window at the young age of 20 and now a single mother of a very sick little baby was having a difficult time. She moved in with her parents and they became her rock. Between then and now little Summer has gone thru countless surgeries and procedures, she has grown by leaps and bounds. Maybe not like that of a healthy baby, but she has grown on a scale that only the mother of a special needs child could appreciate.
This morning, March 25th, Summer went in for yet another surgery. This surgery was for one on her hips, being 20 months old this surgery was hopefully going to aide her in being able to start crawling.
At 11:40 this morning I received the phone call that Summer went home to be with Jesus.
I would ask that you first celebrate the fact with me that Summer went straight to heaven to be with Jesus. The comfort that we have is that she has a new little body and is running around for the very first time in her little life. I can only imagine that she has already jumped up on Jesus’ lap and may now be sitting at His feet.
Then I will ask that you take a moment and pray for us, meaning the entire family. This will be a very difficult time; it has already been a very difficult day. There are many in the family who still do not know about Summer’s home-going. The reason for not informing everyone is that this news is going to be taken very hard by some in the family.
I would ask that you please say a special prayer for Nicole who at the age of 22 is not only a widow but within the next several days will be burying her only child.
Nicole does not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, please pray that thru this she will come to know the Lord in a very special way. At this point in her life the only peace she can find will be thru (for those who are Born Again) our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Diana
Sunday, March 23, 2008
March 23, 2008 ~ Weekly Update #26
Happy Easter!
(Mathew 28:5-7, 9KJV
5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
9 And as they went to tell His disciples behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.)
He Lives! He Lives! He is my reason for living!
Because He lives I can face tomorrow…
Because He lives all fear is gone…
Because He lives I can face uncertainty…
Because He lives I know He holds the future…
I’d really like you to watch this; make sure you have your speakers on!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL3yuD8gBZ8&feature=related
The video you just watched and listened to blessed me in many ways. I’ve also been thinking of my very dear friend Annette who is dealing with the death of her mother-in-law and the unexpected death of her father within the same week. Annette’s father, Fred, was a wonderful man who I was fortunate enough to have the pleasure of meeting a year ago and getting to know a little better over the past year.
PR (my pastor) sent an email to me yesterday including the above scripture and hymn; at the time of sending the email he had no idea what this was weeks update was to include or what his email was going to mean to me.
As you read on I want you to laugh with me… for the betterment of my physical body I can’t allow myself to get upset. So, I spend time in the Word of God and go to prayer! Please join me in both prayer and in laughter as you read thru this weeks update.
I did receive one piece of mail from the Social Security office this week… I thought, ‘yippee’! Don’t get so excited… it was asking me to confirm how much money I had received in the workers compensation settlement, huh? Yea, don’t I wish (nothing intended toward my old employers who are reading this)! There never was a workers compensation case, just a plain old disability case.
I just love our government and everything that goes along with it (my daughter works for our federal government so I will watch what I say). However, if you think they made a minor mistake on the fact that I was injured on the job instead of my body prematurely aging then just wait until you here what else I have to tell you.
As I begin this story see how long it takes you to figure out where it is going!
I’ve repeated myself enough times that you all know as of March 31st (my daughter Jennifer’s 25th birthday) I lose my health insurance. As I have also mentioned, because I don’t yet have MediCare I am applying for MediCal.
Well, do you remember back to that wonderful couple who loaned me money to see me thru until my Social Security money came thru? To make everything official they had the money wired into my checking account… sounds like a great idea so far, right.
Let’s go back to our wonderful government for a moment shall we? Even though this money is a loan, even though I can produce a promissory note, even though this couple will go to bat for me stating that this was strictly a loan; our government says that according to my bank records I make too much money to qualify for MediCal!
HAHAHAHAH…… HAHAHAHAHAHAH…… HAHAHAHA…
Okay, get up off the floor and stop laughing!
So that you know, I am going to fight this with everything in me! It may take everything in me, but I will fight it. I have worked since I was 14 years old, some years I would work two jobs at a time and I think at one small point in my life I even worked three jobs at one time. I don’t think I am asking for much, I really don’t understand!
Okay, let’s go back to the beginning of this update… Because He lives I can face uncertainty! You know what, my Jesus is alive, He has risen, and He already knows what my future holds.
My Jesus already knows how I am going to obtain my now very much needed prescriptions (approximately 30 different prescriptions). My Jesus knows how I will obtain the very best medical care if or when I need it. My Jesus already knows every step, every fall, every twist and every turn I will take between now and the time I receive medical insurance again.
I had mentioned that I had a small stockpile of med’s… those med’s have now been diminished. Why? On Friday I went to the doctor, he increased the dosage on all the med’s that I had stockpiled.
While at the doctor on Friday I learned a little more about some of my ‘conditions’.
The fatigue, not such a big deal, I don’t think anyway (?). My doctor believes that this may be sleep apnea; he is trying to get me in for a sleep study this coming week. I am not at all familiar with sleep apnea; Celia (a friend from church who took me to the doctor on Friday) was explaining what she knew about it to me. My mother explained what she knew about it. Besides that, I know nothing! I’m not even sure if that is what my problem is. I certainly don’t mean to belittle this if it is a serious condition that any of you or someone you know is suffering from. I just don’t know enough about it.
Another guess to the fatigue could be diabetes… the doctor said he ‘guesss’ because he only has 6 days to work with me on this. He said he is sticking with his first guess of my problem being sleep apnea.
The kidney ‘damage’ that was mentioned before is called nephrotic syndrome, it’s when protein leaks from one’s kidneys. The current treatment for this will be a continuing attempt to control my diabetes. However, this means that my diabetic medication has been greatly increased, taking up my reserve.
My feet… the doctor believes that there are several problems with my feet. Tarsal tunnel, achilles tendonitis, arthritis, along with the neuropathy increasing. The first three are educated guesses from initial x-rays and pain location; the neuropathy had been pre-diagnosed.
Oh, and the vitamin d level that my doctors nurse called me about. Well apparently my vitamin d level isn’t low, it’s nonexistent. I am to immediately start on 50,000 units of vitamin d for the next 6 weeks and then have another blood test. (Can you say cha ching) My doctors greatest concern with this is that the lack of vitamin d effects ones bones; because I tend to fall (more often than I should), I have a greater chance then most of breaking bones.
How shall I put this, after finding out that I only had 6 days of insurance left and that his staff hadn’t properly communicated with me in regards to getting me started on new med’s, my doctor wasn’t very happy.
I must say this doctor has been God sent… in saying our goodbyes, he told me to keep in touch with him, to email him (yes, I have his email address). He will keep an eye out for any samples that come in that will benefit me and will put them aside for me. I told him not to get too comfortable, that I’d be back… like it or not. Once I receive approval for MediCare I will be back to bother him again.
This doctor was truly my safety blanket… I’ve had him for over 6 years… I really feel as though I am lost.
Every time I feel as though I have given my Lord all my cares, all my worries, all my thoughts, all I have, He asks that I give Him just one more thing. I will once again turn my worries over to my Lord. As I have written before, I do trust that my Lord, my Jesus, wants the very best for me.
He also wants me to put all my faith in Him and that is exactly what I intend to do. Is it easy, absolutely not, it’s a daily effort. But I will tell you this; it’s worth ever ounce of effort.
If I honestly had to worry about what my future holds I would be a wreck right now.
I have no idea what my future holds, but I know that I have a risen Savior, One who died on the cross for my sins and for your sins. My Savior, Jesus Christ, cared so much for me and you that He came to this earth and gave His life so that you wouldn’t have to carry the burden that you are carrying right now.
He wants to take your burden, to take your pain, to walk with you and talk with you. He has a free gift of eternal life waiting for you; all you need to do is to receive His gift of salvation and turn from your sin.
Is it easy? You see my life, you decide! My life is truly different then it was three years ago… three years ago I had a job, home, car, the start of declining health and no relationship with Jesus Christ. Now I have a relationship with Jesus Christ and that’s all that matters to me. Would I change my life for anything? Not a chance. I love my Jesus and there is nothing that you could give me in exchange for Him.
When I get to heaven I will get a new body, free of pain and suffering! I will get to spend eternity with my Lord and for that I can’t wait. As for now, I will continue to rely upon my Lord holding my future.
I would love to talk with you more about my Lord and what He has to offer you.
I love you all,
Diana
(Mathew 28:5-7, 9KJV
5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
9 And as they went to tell His disciples behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.)
He Lives! He Lives! He is my reason for living!
Because He lives I can face tomorrow…
Because He lives all fear is gone…
Because He lives I can face uncertainty…
Because He lives I know He holds the future…
I’d really like you to watch this; make sure you have your speakers on!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL3yuD8gBZ8&feature=related
The video you just watched and listened to blessed me in many ways. I’ve also been thinking of my very dear friend Annette who is dealing with the death of her mother-in-law and the unexpected death of her father within the same week. Annette’s father, Fred, was a wonderful man who I was fortunate enough to have the pleasure of meeting a year ago and getting to know a little better over the past year.
PR (my pastor) sent an email to me yesterday including the above scripture and hymn; at the time of sending the email he had no idea what this was weeks update was to include or what his email was going to mean to me.
As you read on I want you to laugh with me… for the betterment of my physical body I can’t allow myself to get upset. So, I spend time in the Word of God and go to prayer! Please join me in both prayer and in laughter as you read thru this weeks update.
I did receive one piece of mail from the Social Security office this week… I thought, ‘yippee’! Don’t get so excited… it was asking me to confirm how much money I had received in the workers compensation settlement, huh? Yea, don’t I wish (nothing intended toward my old employers who are reading this)! There never was a workers compensation case, just a plain old disability case.
I just love our government and everything that goes along with it (my daughter works for our federal government so I will watch what I say). However, if you think they made a minor mistake on the fact that I was injured on the job instead of my body prematurely aging then just wait until you here what else I have to tell you.
As I begin this story see how long it takes you to figure out where it is going!
I’ve repeated myself enough times that you all know as of March 31st (my daughter Jennifer’s 25th birthday) I lose my health insurance. As I have also mentioned, because I don’t yet have MediCare I am applying for MediCal.
Well, do you remember back to that wonderful couple who loaned me money to see me thru until my Social Security money came thru? To make everything official they had the money wired into my checking account… sounds like a great idea so far, right.
Let’s go back to our wonderful government for a moment shall we? Even though this money is a loan, even though I can produce a promissory note, even though this couple will go to bat for me stating that this was strictly a loan; our government says that according to my bank records I make too much money to qualify for MediCal!
HAHAHAHAH…… HAHAHAHAHAHAH…… HAHAHAHA…
Okay, get up off the floor and stop laughing!
So that you know, I am going to fight this with everything in me! It may take everything in me, but I will fight it. I have worked since I was 14 years old, some years I would work two jobs at a time and I think at one small point in my life I even worked three jobs at one time. I don’t think I am asking for much, I really don’t understand!
Okay, let’s go back to the beginning of this update… Because He lives I can face uncertainty! You know what, my Jesus is alive, He has risen, and He already knows what my future holds.
My Jesus already knows how I am going to obtain my now very much needed prescriptions (approximately 30 different prescriptions). My Jesus knows how I will obtain the very best medical care if or when I need it. My Jesus already knows every step, every fall, every twist and every turn I will take between now and the time I receive medical insurance again.
I had mentioned that I had a small stockpile of med’s… those med’s have now been diminished. Why? On Friday I went to the doctor, he increased the dosage on all the med’s that I had stockpiled.
While at the doctor on Friday I learned a little more about some of my ‘conditions’.
The fatigue, not such a big deal, I don’t think anyway (?). My doctor believes that this may be sleep apnea; he is trying to get me in for a sleep study this coming week. I am not at all familiar with sleep apnea; Celia (a friend from church who took me to the doctor on Friday) was explaining what she knew about it to me. My mother explained what she knew about it. Besides that, I know nothing! I’m not even sure if that is what my problem is. I certainly don’t mean to belittle this if it is a serious condition that any of you or someone you know is suffering from. I just don’t know enough about it.
Another guess to the fatigue could be diabetes… the doctor said he ‘guesss’ because he only has 6 days to work with me on this. He said he is sticking with his first guess of my problem being sleep apnea.
The kidney ‘damage’ that was mentioned before is called nephrotic syndrome, it’s when protein leaks from one’s kidneys. The current treatment for this will be a continuing attempt to control my diabetes. However, this means that my diabetic medication has been greatly increased, taking up my reserve.
My feet… the doctor believes that there are several problems with my feet. Tarsal tunnel, achilles tendonitis, arthritis, along with the neuropathy increasing. The first three are educated guesses from initial x-rays and pain location; the neuropathy had been pre-diagnosed.
Oh, and the vitamin d level that my doctors nurse called me about. Well apparently my vitamin d level isn’t low, it’s nonexistent. I am to immediately start on 50,000 units of vitamin d for the next 6 weeks and then have another blood test. (Can you say cha ching) My doctors greatest concern with this is that the lack of vitamin d effects ones bones; because I tend to fall (more often than I should), I have a greater chance then most of breaking bones.
How shall I put this, after finding out that I only had 6 days of insurance left and that his staff hadn’t properly communicated with me in regards to getting me started on new med’s, my doctor wasn’t very happy.
I must say this doctor has been God sent… in saying our goodbyes, he told me to keep in touch with him, to email him (yes, I have his email address). He will keep an eye out for any samples that come in that will benefit me and will put them aside for me. I told him not to get too comfortable, that I’d be back… like it or not. Once I receive approval for MediCare I will be back to bother him again.
This doctor was truly my safety blanket… I’ve had him for over 6 years… I really feel as though I am lost.
Every time I feel as though I have given my Lord all my cares, all my worries, all my thoughts, all I have, He asks that I give Him just one more thing. I will once again turn my worries over to my Lord. As I have written before, I do trust that my Lord, my Jesus, wants the very best for me.
He also wants me to put all my faith in Him and that is exactly what I intend to do. Is it easy, absolutely not, it’s a daily effort. But I will tell you this; it’s worth ever ounce of effort.
If I honestly had to worry about what my future holds I would be a wreck right now.
I have no idea what my future holds, but I know that I have a risen Savior, One who died on the cross for my sins and for your sins. My Savior, Jesus Christ, cared so much for me and you that He came to this earth and gave His life so that you wouldn’t have to carry the burden that you are carrying right now.
He wants to take your burden, to take your pain, to walk with you and talk with you. He has a free gift of eternal life waiting for you; all you need to do is to receive His gift of salvation and turn from your sin.
Is it easy? You see my life, you decide! My life is truly different then it was three years ago… three years ago I had a job, home, car, the start of declining health and no relationship with Jesus Christ. Now I have a relationship with Jesus Christ and that’s all that matters to me. Would I change my life for anything? Not a chance. I love my Jesus and there is nothing that you could give me in exchange for Him.
When I get to heaven I will get a new body, free of pain and suffering! I will get to spend eternity with my Lord and for that I can’t wait. As for now, I will continue to rely upon my Lord holding my future.
I would love to talk with you more about my Lord and what He has to offer you.
I love you all,
Diana
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
March 18, 2008 ~ Weekly Update #25
This year continues to be filled with many loved ones passing on. I want to take a moment to express sympathy and prayers for my friend and our church secretary, Annette as she is grieving the loss of her mother-in-law.
Several of you have asked why I haven’t sent out a new update recently…
The answer is quite simple; I’m not feeling good. In addition to the headaches, I am extremely fatigued and my physical body has become very week. I am sleeping approximately 12 – 15 hours a day and still have no energy.
Someone mentioned that this could be a side effect of the Vitamin D deficiency; I suppose this could be a possibility.
I didn’t make it to my last doctor appointment because I was just too sick to make the drive. I’m trying to get another doctor appointment but am not sure if I will get one before I lose my insurance.
As most of you know by now, my health insurance will end on April 1st – when I first realized this I thought it was a cruel April Fools Day joke. However, as the time has drawn closer, I realize this isn’t so funny.
Back in February when I was initially told that I had won the Social Security case, I had figured that I would most certainly have MediCare by April 1st. Now that the case has not yet been finalized, I can no longer count on the fact that I will have coverage in time.
I have begun applying for MediCal and am also looking into a HIPPA plan. There are less than two weeks of health coverage left; I am anxiously waiting to see what my Lord will do. My personal attempts at stock piling prescriptions have been somewhat successful; I will probably have a 60 day supply of most of my meds by April 1st.
Still, I believe that God has a hold of my hand and will not let go. I have a firm faith that He has not brought me this far just to see me fall.
(Isaiah 41:13KJV
13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.)
As I was writing this update an old hymn came to mind; it’s ‘Precious Lord, Take My Hand’. It seems like day-to-day life is such a struggle right now… The smallest tasks take such energy to accomplish.
For those of you who feel worn down, be it either physically, mentally, or emotionally, I hope these words can be a prayer for you as they have been for me. The first verse of this beautiful hymn goes like this (read the remaining lyrics):
Precious Lord, take my hand,
Several of you have asked why I haven’t sent out a new update recently…
The answer is quite simple; I’m not feeling good. In addition to the headaches, I am extremely fatigued and my physical body has become very week. I am sleeping approximately 12 – 15 hours a day and still have no energy.
Someone mentioned that this could be a side effect of the Vitamin D deficiency; I suppose this could be a possibility.
I didn’t make it to my last doctor appointment because I was just too sick to make the drive. I’m trying to get another doctor appointment but am not sure if I will get one before I lose my insurance.
As most of you know by now, my health insurance will end on April 1st – when I first realized this I thought it was a cruel April Fools Day joke. However, as the time has drawn closer, I realize this isn’t so funny.
Back in February when I was initially told that I had won the Social Security case, I had figured that I would most certainly have MediCare by April 1st. Now that the case has not yet been finalized, I can no longer count on the fact that I will have coverage in time.
I have begun applying for MediCal and am also looking into a HIPPA plan. There are less than two weeks of health coverage left; I am anxiously waiting to see what my Lord will do. My personal attempts at stock piling prescriptions have been somewhat successful; I will probably have a 60 day supply of most of my meds by April 1st.
Still, I believe that God has a hold of my hand and will not let go. I have a firm faith that He has not brought me this far just to see me fall.
(Isaiah 41:13KJV
13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.)
As I was writing this update an old hymn came to mind; it’s ‘Precious Lord, Take My Hand’. It seems like day-to-day life is such a struggle right now… The smallest tasks take such energy to accomplish.
For those of you who feel worn down, be it either physically, mentally, or emotionally, I hope these words can be a prayer for you as they have been for me. The first verse of this beautiful hymn goes like this (read the remaining lyrics):
Precious Lord, take my hand,
Lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light:
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.
Remember Easter is this Sunday, March 23rd.
There are two things that I will make it a point to attend this week, first is the Good Friday service at church and the second is Easter Sunday at church.
If you don’t already have a church of your own, I would be honored to have you come to church with me for either one or both of the services this weekend. Either the Good Friday service at 7:00pm on Friday evening and / or the Easter service Sunday morning at 10:30am.
Let me know if you would like to take me up on this invitation ~ I would love to see you!
Remember Easter is this Sunday, March 23rd.
There are two things that I will make it a point to attend this week, first is the Good Friday service at church and the second is Easter Sunday at church.
If you don’t already have a church of your own, I would be honored to have you come to church with me for either one or both of the services this weekend. Either the Good Friday service at 7:00pm on Friday evening and / or the Easter service Sunday morning at 10:30am.
Let me know if you would like to take me up on this invitation ~ I would love to see you!
Either email me or call me...
Love to all,
Diana
Monday, March 3, 2008
March 3, 2008 ~ Weekly Update #24
Faith…
In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the definition of faith is ‘A firm belief in something for which there is no proof’.
In the Bible, in Hebrews 11:1 the definition of faith is ‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’.
You need to know that at this point all I have to hold on to is my faith in God. The faith that I have in my Lord and Savior that He will see me thru to the end.
Take a seat and prepare yourself for what you are about to read. What I call the roller coaster of life has just taken an unexpected turn.
Immediately after sending the update out on Saturday I went to get the mail. There was an envelope from the Social Security office, I was so excited thinking that this would provide the dollar amount of what I will be receiving and the date of when I will be able to expect the money.
Oh… how wrong I was… This letter was from the judge who heard my case; as expected, it states that the judge’s final decision was made in my favor. I was under the impression that this was the final decision, and there was to be no further discussion.
But then it continued on to read that whether or not I request it, an appeals court may review the decision within the next 60 days. This appeals court has the authority to either allow the decision to stand or to overturn the judge’s decision. Please keep in mind it only states that they may, (meaning they may or may not) review the case. If they are going to review the case they must notify me within the next 60 days.
The appeals court has the authority to overturn the decision without cause. If this is done then I will need to appeal the decision, and the journey will begin again.
I spoke with my attorney Sunday evening and she said that with the medical information I have, my case should not be overturned. She has not seen a ruling overturned for anyone with the documentation that I have. Regardless, the possibility of a review still remains.
Nobody warned me of this, the judge didn’t say anything after ruling in my favor, my lawyer never muttered a word; I had no idea this was coming. I immediately called Jeralynn; I asked her if she remembered anything being mentioned at the hearing, “not a word”, she said.
I’m losing my insurance on April 1st, this means no more medications. I am counting on this money and the fact that I will soon be receiving Medi-Care benefits.
As I have said before, my greatest wish is that you would all come to know my Lord and Savior as I do. I will be up front with you, when one chooses to receive the gift of eternal life thru Jesus Christ there is no guarantee of a perfect life. But you need to realize that Christ has not walked away from me; He is going thru this journey with me every step of the way, be it good or bad.
I want you to know that because I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that I am going to continue to trust in my Lord. I will hold on to the faith I have that that He will see me thru. My God has not brought me this far to watch me fall.
(Psalm 17:6-9NKJV
6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.7 Show Your marvelous loving kindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You from those who rise up against them.8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings,9 From the wicked who oppress me, from my deadly enemies who surround me.)
The God I serve is a loving, caring God; He is not causing this to happen. We live in a sinful world where wrong things happen, bad things happen, a world that is not perfect and where justice does not always prevail.
However, prayer is powerful and I know that God hears the prayers of the righteous.
(I Peter 3:12KJV
12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.)
I am sending this update out to specifically ask that you start praying.
~ Please join me over the next 60 days in praying that this decision be held up in court.
~ Pray that this decision will not be overturned.
~ Please pray that God will provide peace that surpasses all understanding.
(Philippians 4:7KJV
7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.)
With Love,
Diana
My relationship with Jesus is a true one; He is there for me day and night. You have witnessed that He is all that I hold onto. If you have any questions about my relationship with Jesus or how you can have a relationship with Him please let me know. I would love to have a conversation with you and introduce you to my Lord.
In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the definition of faith is ‘A firm belief in something for which there is no proof’.
In the Bible, in Hebrews 11:1 the definition of faith is ‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’.
You need to know that at this point all I have to hold on to is my faith in God. The faith that I have in my Lord and Savior that He will see me thru to the end.
Take a seat and prepare yourself for what you are about to read. What I call the roller coaster of life has just taken an unexpected turn.
Immediately after sending the update out on Saturday I went to get the mail. There was an envelope from the Social Security office, I was so excited thinking that this would provide the dollar amount of what I will be receiving and the date of when I will be able to expect the money.
Oh… how wrong I was… This letter was from the judge who heard my case; as expected, it states that the judge’s final decision was made in my favor. I was under the impression that this was the final decision, and there was to be no further discussion.
But then it continued on to read that whether or not I request it, an appeals court may review the decision within the next 60 days. This appeals court has the authority to either allow the decision to stand or to overturn the judge’s decision. Please keep in mind it only states that they may, (meaning they may or may not) review the case. If they are going to review the case they must notify me within the next 60 days.
The appeals court has the authority to overturn the decision without cause. If this is done then I will need to appeal the decision, and the journey will begin again.
I spoke with my attorney Sunday evening and she said that with the medical information I have, my case should not be overturned. She has not seen a ruling overturned for anyone with the documentation that I have. Regardless, the possibility of a review still remains.
Nobody warned me of this, the judge didn’t say anything after ruling in my favor, my lawyer never muttered a word; I had no idea this was coming. I immediately called Jeralynn; I asked her if she remembered anything being mentioned at the hearing, “not a word”, she said.
I’m losing my insurance on April 1st, this means no more medications. I am counting on this money and the fact that I will soon be receiving Medi-Care benefits.
As I have said before, my greatest wish is that you would all come to know my Lord and Savior as I do. I will be up front with you, when one chooses to receive the gift of eternal life thru Jesus Christ there is no guarantee of a perfect life. But you need to realize that Christ has not walked away from me; He is going thru this journey with me every step of the way, be it good or bad.
I want you to know that because I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that I am going to continue to trust in my Lord. I will hold on to the faith I have that that He will see me thru. My God has not brought me this far to watch me fall.
(Psalm 17:6-9NKJV
6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.7 Show Your marvelous loving kindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You from those who rise up against them.8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings,9 From the wicked who oppress me, from my deadly enemies who surround me.)
The God I serve is a loving, caring God; He is not causing this to happen. We live in a sinful world where wrong things happen, bad things happen, a world that is not perfect and where justice does not always prevail.
However, prayer is powerful and I know that God hears the prayers of the righteous.
(I Peter 3:12KJV
12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.)
I am sending this update out to specifically ask that you start praying.
~ Please join me over the next 60 days in praying that this decision be held up in court.
~ Pray that this decision will not be overturned.
~ Please pray that God will provide peace that surpasses all understanding.
(Philippians 4:7KJV
7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.)
With Love,
Diana
My relationship with Jesus is a true one; He is there for me day and night. You have witnessed that He is all that I hold onto. If you have any questions about my relationship with Jesus or how you can have a relationship with Him please let me know. I would love to have a conversation with you and introduce you to my Lord.
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