Leaning on Christ

You are never really certain of how much you trust Jesus until you enter a time of crisis. It is in the moments of first learning of your dilemma that you either trust that Christ will give you the strength to make it to the other side or you crumble and fall in your own failing human strength.

I am not what I would call a "prayer warrior." I reserve that term for mentors who have been seeking God much longer than I have been living. I do, however, seek to speak with God on a daily basis, try to read His word at least a few times per week (I ever reach for the goal of daily reading), and I find that I call out to Him more and more as situations arise.

Today was another test. A phone call came and I had a choice to make. Trust God or weep and wail at the "what ifs" that are sailing around me.

I had my first mammogram on Monday. No big deal. Honestly, nursing three newborn babies was much more painful. I was advised that I would get the results in a few days. My doctor's office called earlier today. I missed the nurse, she asked me to call her back. I left a message. Then I missed her when she called again. Then I had to leave another message. I was beginning to get suspicious as to why they had not left the results with Chad, who is authorized to talk with them. Finally, I spoke with the nurse. And I got a message I was not expecting.

There is a calcification cluster on my right breast. Since this was my first test, they have no baseline to compare it to. So they have to get a better look. I return on Monday for magnification views and an ultrasound.

I won't lie. I teared up after I hung up. A few tears still fall when I ponder too long on the unknown. Your prayers are very much coveted. Please pray that I will stay in the arms of my comforting Savior. Pray that the results come back negative for cancer. Above all, pray that God is glorified no matter the outcome.

"May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant." Psalm 119:76

Zach's Appointment

I finally got to take Zach in today for his 4 year appointment. My cousin's daughter, Annie, got the pleasure of attending the appointment with our motley crew. Poor little thing probably needs a vacation now after all the chaos she experienced!

Zach was a little under the weather. He has apparently contracted the random virus that the girls had, but he is faring well despite the 100.3 degree fever he had this morning.

He got a finger prick, four shots, eyes checked, and ears checked. Eyes and ears passed. He didn't even flinch on the finger prick. The four shots, well, that was a different matter. The only thing that helped end the tears were the two tokens he received that he traded in for awesome bouncy balls. Here are his stats:

Weight: 35 lbs (38%)
Height: 40.75" (56%)

I'm still evaluating his speech. If I am still not pleased with what I suspect to be a slight speech impediment, he will have more speech therapy in the school system this fall. Otherwise, he is doing fantastic!

Mama's Got a New Hat

Chad asked me last week what I wanted for my birthday. I had a short list, but one of them really puzzled him. I asked if he would let me mow the other side with the riding mower. I think he thought I was nuts. It's something I have asked about for a few years, but he always hemmed and hawed over it. Well, he started fussing about it lately because his time is so limited and it takes a few hours just to make one pass over the other side, not even counting other kinds of maintenance this beautiful place requires.

So I saw my opportunity. This chore has always looked appealing to me because it is a few hours to be completely by myself. Plus it allows me to get a closer look at the other half of our property, which I have hardly gotten to see in the nearly four years we've lived here.

Many obligations delayed us, but I finally got to mow for about an hour today. I am sore, have a blister on my left thumb (got to remember gloves next time) and my hands tingled for about 30 minutes after I got off the mower. But I have such a huge feeling of accomplishment.

I asked Chad to go over with me to inspect and to clarify things with him. He said I did a good job ( I soooo love verbal praise!) and he confirmed that yes, we have some evil trees with enormous thorns!

So now I have a new hat in my collection - assistant groundskeeper. :)

How Long Did It Take for Noah to Build the Ark? - Answers in Genesis

How Long Did It Take for Noah to Build the Ark? - Answers in Genesis

Cool little article that talks about the time leading up to the Flood and explains a few verses that have always puzzled me.