Able to Stand

On Sunday, I stood in worship as long as my body would let me.  When I sat, I maintained an attitude of worship, but I longed to stand.  I did notice a few other people sitting throughout the sanctuary.  Most of them elderly, probably with worn out knees or hips.  And there are those who are not able to attend a worship service at all because of illness, whether mental or physical.

However, I am not discouraged because I believe we will stand in heaven, not because we are commanded, but because we are able.

God's word says we will stand in Revelation 7:9, "After this, I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb."

We will all be able to stand because we will be healed as God promises in Revelation 21:4, "He will wipe every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

If you have any physical limitations and you long to stand before the Lord in worship, God knows your heart and feels your pain.  It may last for your time on earth, but it will not last forever, because forever we will be with our Lord in heaven.  Until then, hold fast with me to the truth of Hebrews 10:23, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."



Ginger - Rest in Peace

GINGER

(2004-2016)

 

 

Tuesday, August 9, 2016, was one of the saddest days for our family. 

 

We found our sweet, precious collie, Ginger, dead in the pool that morning.  I let her out at 5 am and found her around 7am when I went to let her back in.  We can only speculate about what happened.  Did she have a heart attack or a seizure and fall in? Did her hips give out and she slipped and fell in? Was she trying to get around the chairs that were too close to the pool?  We will never know what happened to Ginger in her last few moments of life.  But, we will remember what a wonderful dog she  was.  She had the sweetest disposition of any dog I have ever known.

 

On April 4, 2006, I woke up with a nagging urge to go to the dog pound-- or city animal services as it's now called.  The feeling stayed with me all day.  Christopher was 3 months shy of turning 2 and Adam was 8, in the 2nd grade. I had never been to Lubbock's city animal services before, but when I picked Adam up from school we went straight out there.

 

We had discussed getting a dog since our 11 year old golden retriever, Hope, died about a year and a half prior.  When we got to the pound, it seemed like every cage was occupied by a dog needing a home.  We asked to see 3 or 4 dogs.  We took each one to a small fenced off section of grass.  I observed their disposition around the boys.  We played fetch and tried basic sit and stay commands.  We weren't really making a connection with any of the dogs and we were getting ready to leave.  I remember walking among the cages with deafening sounds of dogs barking.  I looked down and saw the sweetest face of the only dog not barking.  The tag on her cage read: GINGER.  I turned to the employee assisting us and said, "What about this one"?  We took her out to the play area and immediately fell in love.  I called my husband at work and we all begged him to let us come home with this sweet girl.  She was surrendered by her owner and her time was going to expire the next day.  He couldn't say No, of course.  So, Ginger came home with us that day and became part of our family.

 

Shortly after coming to live with us, we discovered Ginger has seizures.  They normally occurred when she was startled awake.  We worked with the veterinarian for months to get the proper medication to control the seizures without making her lethargic during the day.  We were able to get the seizures under control, then had to deal with urinary incontinence.  Once again the vet worked with us on getting her medication at the proper dose, so she could have a normal dog life.

 

Ginger loved everyone she came in contact with.  She was in the car with me one day and we were stopped at a red light.  There was a man in a pickup truck next to us, not paying any attention to Ginger.  She kept looking at him, wagging her tail and whining because she wanted to greet him and show him affection.  That was the moment when I thought she would be a wonderful therapy dog.

 

I don't remember exactly how I found out about the free therapy dog training we attended, but God put everything in place.  We went through 10 weeks of training and passed the tests.  Ginger was certified by Therapy Dogs International and we served in Lubbock at University Medical Center, Covenant Hospital, several nursing homes and in a reading program at an elementary school.  Ginger was exceptionally good with children cancer patients.  I am so very thankful for the time I was able to spend with her as a therapy dog. 

 

When we moved to Colleyville 4 years ago, we had so many changes and adjustments that I did not renew her therapy dog certification.  However, she was great therapy for me while the boys were at school.  A few months after we moved her hips started giving out and she could no longer go up and down the stairs.  We added glucosamine and a pain killer to her daily meds.

 

Ginger truly had the sweetest disposition.  If she accidentally got locked in a bathroom or closet, she never barked or whined to get out.  She would patiently wait until she was found. 

 

Ginger was afraid of thunder, Nerf guns, and balloons.  The only thing she did not like and would bark at was the vacuum cleaner.

 

Ginger was dearly loved and gave love in return.

 

Ginger will be forever in our hearts. 

 

Rest in Peace sweet girl.

 

 

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalms 34:18



Beauty in Death

It is January  2016 and I have said "Good Riddance" to 2015!

On New Year's Day, 2015, my mother in law was hospitalized, where she remained for the next twelve days. Her medications were altered and adjusted over the next few months and she did fairly well, until she was found unresponsive one day in April.  

She was admitted to ICU for several days and subsequently transferred to another hospital for about a month.  She was home in time for Mother's Day.

She continued seeing her many doctors and lived life simply with her husband, who was also her care giver.

In late June she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  This news was hard to digest for the entire family.  She opted out of chemotherapy and was placed on Hospice care July 14, 2015. 

A port was placed in her abdomen to drain the excess fluid from her body produced by the cancer.  We drained fluid every other day until October 27, 2015.

My mother-in-law was given 4 months of life to live after her cancer diagnosis.  Miraculously, she was without pain and had more mental clarity than any time I had seen during my 24 years in her family.

The beautiful part of this story, the end of her life here on earth, is she is no longer tormented in her mind and no longer limited by a body filled with disease.  She has a new body with a clear mind and eternal life with King Jesus. 

I will admit it is very hard to see any beauty in death when faced with the shock and reality that your loved one is gone.

But somehow, somewhere in this very dark place, in this sea of dispair, love bubbles up in the form of family and friends who drop everything, who pause their lives for a moment--for you.

It begins with a neighbor, then two or three more who show up with food; a knock at the door.  A delivery of fresh flowers from a long lost friend, who can't be there in person, but sends a prayer with Amen.

It's the emails, the texts, the flowers the food, the phone calls, the cards, the friends who show up that carry you through.

Without our family and friends this would have been much harder.  Without Jesus, it would have been unbearable.