Where has the time gone?

My dear hubby and I recently celebrated our 5 year anniversary in Washington DC. What a fun trip. We went to the zoo, toured the museums had a wonderful anniversary dinner and visited family. All the while, we marveled at how time flies. We have experienced great times and challenging times. As we looked back, we could say, without a doubt, God has led! Praise His name!

Never say never.....

Those that know me well, will be shocked, maybe even speechless. Yes, me, the girl that loves pasta and all things Italian. Yes, I know, the one whose favorite restaurant revolves around cheesecake. Yes me. I can't believe it myself:

I bought a cookbook on raw cuisine.

Now before you go running out of the room screaming, let me explain. Or first, let me make a statement. The Lord is so good to me. He grows me one small step at a time. So slowly sometimes that when I really stop and look around, I can't believe how far I've come! If you were to tell me 5 years ago, well, not even that long ago, maybe 2 years ago that in the near future I would be interested enough in a raw diet to spend money on a cookbook, I would have looked around to see who you were addressing. That would never be me...or so I thought.

Little by little I have come to accept and even enjoy a healthier lifestyle. Who would have ever thought LeShel would give up chocolate, cheesecake, burgers and ice cream! Not me, that's for sure. And not only give them up, but enjoy vegetarian and then vegan substitutes for them. Wow! So now I am exploring a raw diet. I'm not at a point where I want to go all raw, but I want to explore how I can incorporate more raw dishes into my diet. Now I know I can just go grab a carrot and chomp down, or an apple and feel quite satisfied that I've added more raw foods into my diet, but I want more. I'm looking into how I can go beyond a salad or a single fruit or vegetable for a meal. It's a learning adventure and I'm excited to see what I find out. It helps that my dear hubby is all for any changes that promote better health. He found it quite amusing that I walked out of the book store saying, "who would've thought that me, LeShel, would be buying a book like this?"

The next thing I must say is this is a very personal journey. What I learn is for me. If someone asks, I'll be happy to share, but only if they want to know. I don't do well when others tell me that where they are in their journey, is where I should be also. I'm sure I'm not alone in that feeling. Like I said in the beginning, the Lord is growing me slowly, and I appreciate that. He knows my pace and what I can handle. The Lord knows your pace also, but I don't. I'll leave the work of growing you to Him.

So, here I go. I'm taking the first tentative steps in this new journey. Who knows where it will lead me? Only the Lord knows, and I'm okay with that.

No Problem!

Yesterday, a dear friend succumbed to Leukemia and went to sleep in Jesus. All who knew her are heartbroken at the loss.

Today I have spent much time thinking about Judy, smiling over some of her sayings, remembering the fun times we spent together and praying for her husband and adult children. I have also been thinking about what her husband said yesterday afternoon when we met with him for prayer and support. When they recognized that they had very little time left together, he wanted to know if she had any fears or worries or if she was resting in the assurance of God's love and salvation. He needed to know. He asked her if she was ready. Her answer to him was "No problem". She had wrestled and worked it out with the Lord. She had her time of trouble, and she came through with peace. There were no problems between her and the Lord. I want to reach that point. I want to be able to say, "No problem". So today, as I pray for the family, I pray for myself. I want to rest in God's love and salvation no matter what He allows to come my way. How about you? Can you say, "No problem"?

Get It Together!

What's my routine? What am I supposed to be doing?

I'm trying to get into a regular purposeful routine, but am having a bit of difficulty. Why? My husband is now back to work, and boy is he busy! For almost 2 years, he was with me during the day. While for some people, that would drive them crazy, I enjoyed the time we spent together. So not only is he back to work and busy, we are in a different town 7 hours from our family, community and church family. Don't get me wrong, I AM praising the Lord for the doors He has opened. We reside in a beautiful marsh/ocean view home, in a small coastal community, business at my husband's clinic is picking up and we have a new church family that is very friendly and welcoming. However, there are some challenges here. I'm without a garden to work in because this isn't our home (I'm pretty sure the wild hogs, raccoons and squirrels would dig up anything I planted anyway). When I go to the gym around the corner from our house, I most often work out by myself. I can easily spend the whole day without seeing a single soul until my husband returns home. I realize this isn't being community and evangelism minded, so I'm trying to find my niche. I enjoy my days, I just want them to be meaningful. At times I've found myself puttering around the house not using my time wisely, and then being remorseful upon reflection.

If you thought this post was going to have the answers already figured out... sorry! I'm working through this even as I post.

When I stand before my Father, I want Him to see that I have done my best to further His kingdom, in my tiny corner of the world and not spent the time indulging self. There are enough people out there doing that now; I don't want to join them.

"Father, help me to see today as a blessing from you. Once it's gone, it's gone. I don't have to rock the world, I just want my days to have meaning. I want to rightly represent You and to be satisfied in the end, knowing I've done my best."

Where in the world have you been?

Where have I been? Oh...it would take too long to tell. You know how when you stop doing something how it becomes harder and harder to start again? Oh, like exercising, or studying, or devotion time. Blogging has been the same way. I will say that I am going to try and start posting again!

God has been so good to me and my hubby. We have been going through a trial for over a year, and I think we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Praise the Lord! What have I learned through it all?

• God gives you little blessings along the way to let you know He hasn't forgotten you.
• We need to learn a LOT more patience than what we have already.
• Just when you think you have this trust thing worked out, something else comes along to really get you to review your trust in the Lord.
• Praying for others going through similar trial makes you feel like you are not alone in this.
• Just when you think you can't hang on any longer, He gives you that extra strength you need, or the light at the end of the tunnel is right around the corner.

When I look back on all this, I wouldn't have it any other way. My faith has increased and my love for Him has too. But also, I see more the areas in my life that need serious prayer and attention. I may have never seen them without the trials.

Where have I been? On a long hard road with my Father right by my side. Praise God!

It's official!!

We are celebrating and praising the Lord. My dear hubby passed his board re-certification test. Yesterday was my birthday, and today we have this great news. I couldn't have received a better present.
As some of you may know, we have been through this process three times in the past year and a half. The first two times we were quite disappointed with the failing scores. But we now see that the Lord was working with us to let go of all control and let Him handle it. That is so hard to do! With this test, we were finally able to say, "okay Lord, whatever you decide to do, we will praise you anyway." We determined to praise Him even if it was a failing score. What a trial it was to get to that point! The trial is over, and we both admit seeing spiritual growth through it all. Growth is painful, I see that now! But oh what joy when we overcome in Jesus!

We won't even go there...

I'm not even going to touch the fact that I haven't blogged in oh....forever! I have good intentions but...anyway, no excuses. On to my post.

I was very blessed last week. I went to Atlanta and stayed at the Winn-Dixie Hope Lodge with a friend. This is a lodge run by the American Cancer Society. My friend Judy has leukemia and had a stem cell transplant. She stays at the lodge because she has to go to the hospital every other day for treatments. Since her immune system is so suppressed, she needs a caregiver to stay with her and support her in every day activities. That's where I came in. Last week was my turn.

There are so many guests at the lodge who are facing such enormous challenges, yet they are always smiling and caring. I can't tell you how many times someone came to me to ask how Judy was doing if they didn't see her with me. They have genuine concern for each other. They check on others after doctor's appointments, they encourage each other when going through severe pain, and they rejoice together when milestones are reached in their recovery. We all celebrated together when one couple "graduated". The husband's treatments were done, he was doing well, and they were allowed to return home. It was a great moment.

There are some there who are very discouraged, scared and down. Others come to stay at the lodge alone, because they have no one to support then in their illness. Other guests are quick to rally around them, include them and encourage them.

Throughout the week, I praised the Lord for my health, and also thanked Him for the lessons learned in caring, compassion and encouragement.

I was only there one week, but it was a week I will never forget. It was such a privilege to care for Judy and meet each of the guests there and learn a little about them. I wouldn't trade that week for anything!

I pray daily for Judy and her husband. Now I have new friends to pray for and I am grateful.