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.
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