2012 was not the year I expected. I had many plans of outrageous fun and activities with my boys and husband. However, in November of 2011 I hurt my back during a workout. I didn't feel the full affects until the week of Christmas. I was in so much pain. Fast forward to January of last year I found out I herniated my disc and my nerve was pinched. I spent 11 months going through therapy at 2 different times, cortisone injections, rest, and lots of medications. So, in September I had a myomectomy surgery, this was just the cherry on top of everything else. In November, I had my first back surgery to remove the disc herniation that was pressing on my nerve. Three weeks later I had to have the same surgery, because my disc re-herniated post op. Most likely it re-herniated either being moved after surgery or throwing up for 12 hours post op. yuck!
I'm not blogging to complain, just a simple update. So, my recovery has been slow since my 3rd surgery in December. On January 1st I got a spinal fluid leak. I've never heard of anything like that, but my neuro surgeons office knew what was up. Cure, bed rest for a week......no improvement. On Friday I had a epidural blood patch which seemed to help a lot. A spinal fluid leak gives you a headache from the pits of hell. No joke.
Going through all of this I have had many ups and downs. Sad because I haven't been able to be the mom I want to be. Thankful that Ethan loves to climb, because I haven't been able to lift him. Truth is whenever any one of us goes through awful valleys we always need to keep our focus on King Jesus. I was listening to a message on Sunday from Bill Johnson and he said, "No giant looks big in the glory". That is so true!!! It is always about focus. Despite all these things, I count it all joy. That is the position that I am taking.
I know I have a long recovery road a head of me. I am standing for a full healing and complete recovery. God is always for me.... And you!
About Me
- Sarah
- I am a daughter, a wife, and a mommy to 2 amazing boys. I have been married for 15 years to my hubs! I love Jesus with all my being. I appreciate a good cup of strong coffee, chocolate, yellow flowers, and my toes in the sand on a sunny FL. day. "What lies Behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us" Emerson.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
God Bless America
Yes, I am posting about the election, but read on. Please.
Yesterday, I went to the polls with my family to vote. Dave and I thought it was important for Aiden to vote with us. Did I vote for President Obama? No. But, that doesn't matter this morning. I stayed up late last night and watched as the results of the American voters unfolded. Once Ohio was called, I went to bed.
I got up this morning, check the happenings on Facebook and Twitter and as I was doing that I heard a question from God rise up in my Spirit. I clearly heard him ask, "What are you going to do?" Good question. I've never been a person to really bash the President for some of his decisions. Do I support some of the decisions? No. Is America doomed? I don't think so.
So, as I do when God asks me a question, I answered him. I said, "God, this is what I'm going to do. First, I put ALL of my trust in you. Second, You are love and that is what will pour out of me. I will pray for our President, the House, the Congress, our Senator, and the Judicial system. That is what I am going to do."
My friends, don't be discourage (good topic for our Pastor to talk about last night). History is filled with change that came from the perseverance of prayer. Remember the fall of the Berlin wall. I'm not going to go into a history lesson, but here is an excerpt from the man that started the weekly prayer meetings. In 1982 the Nikolai Kirche started weekly prayer meetings, that went on unbroken for seven years, until the Wall fell. When discouragement kicked in, they reminded each other of Jesus’ words that when two or three gather, He is in their midst. “We realized that if we would stop praying, there would be no hope for change in Germany.” In 1988, even with some opposition, the prayer group grew to 2,000 and in 1989 60,000 people were praying.
Another thing that the Lord reminded me of this morning, is that I did not pray enough for our government over the last four years. Today, that changes.
My point to all this rambling, is that if we profess our faith in Christ, then we are commanded to love. If we want to see change.....pray.
Yesterday, I went to the polls with my family to vote. Dave and I thought it was important for Aiden to vote with us. Did I vote for President Obama? No. But, that doesn't matter this morning. I stayed up late last night and watched as the results of the American voters unfolded. Once Ohio was called, I went to bed.
I got up this morning, check the happenings on Facebook and Twitter and as I was doing that I heard a question from God rise up in my Spirit. I clearly heard him ask, "What are you going to do?" Good question. I've never been a person to really bash the President for some of his decisions. Do I support some of the decisions? No. Is America doomed? I don't think so.
So, as I do when God asks me a question, I answered him. I said, "God, this is what I'm going to do. First, I put ALL of my trust in you. Second, You are love and that is what will pour out of me. I will pray for our President, the House, the Congress, our Senator, and the Judicial system. That is what I am going to do."
My friends, don't be discourage (good topic for our Pastor to talk about last night). History is filled with change that came from the perseverance of prayer. Remember the fall of the Berlin wall. I'm not going to go into a history lesson, but here is an excerpt from the man that started the weekly prayer meetings. In 1982 the Nikolai Kirche started weekly prayer meetings, that went on unbroken for seven years, until the Wall fell. When discouragement kicked in, they reminded each other of Jesus’ words that when two or three gather, He is in their midst. “We realized that if we would stop praying, there would be no hope for change in Germany.” In 1988, even with some opposition, the prayer group grew to 2,000 and in 1989 60,000 people were praying.
Another thing that the Lord reminded me of this morning, is that I did not pray enough for our government over the last four years. Today, that changes.
My point to all this rambling, is that if we profess our faith in Christ, then we are commanded to love. If we want to see change.....pray.
Monday, August 27, 2012
God's Goodness
2 years ago on August 24th, Dave and I started our journey home from Texas with our first son, Aiden Jonathan, he was 5 1/2 years old. The last 2 years have been life changing. 8 months after Aiden came home, we flew to Taiwan to meet our 2nd son, Ethan Matthew. God's sweet love for us is extravagant and I know without a doubt He hears us. He hears all of us.
On Friday, we celebrated Aiden's "Gotcha Day". What God has done in 2 years is amazing! When Aiden came home he spoke almost like a 2 or 3 year old, he definitely had limited vocabulary. Not to mention major trust issues. All Dave and I could do was trust the Lord and look to Holy Spirit for guidance. So, when I heard, the words last week, "you are the best mommy in the World," from my Aiden. My heart melted at that very moment. Aiden just recently is becoming less guarding with me. He is relaxing, he is trusting. He has excelled with speech therapy. God has done a marvelous work in my Aiden.
.........We had many things to celebrate!!
We celebrated with a picnic and snorkeling at the beach! Of course, I had to bake something delicious for my little man. I asked Aiden what he wanted. He asked for cupcakes, brownies, cheesecake, and maybe a few other things. So, I met him in the middle and made a brownie cheesecake. Not to boast, but it was decadent. YUM!
My husband and I are continually cultivating the life style of "stopping for the one." The one person that is in front of us at any particular moment that needs to encounter the love and goodness of our Father God through us. In May of 2010, we stopped for the one in front of us. The one looked like a little Chinese 5 year old boy from Texas. I am thankful for our friends, Mike & Deena for feeling the nudge to ask us about being this little guys parents.
My Aiden.......I love you with every ounce of my being.
On Friday, we celebrated Aiden's "Gotcha Day". What God has done in 2 years is amazing! When Aiden came home he spoke almost like a 2 or 3 year old, he definitely had limited vocabulary. Not to mention major trust issues. All Dave and I could do was trust the Lord and look to Holy Spirit for guidance. So, when I heard, the words last week, "you are the best mommy in the World," from my Aiden. My heart melted at that very moment. Aiden just recently is becoming less guarding with me. He is relaxing, he is trusting. He has excelled with speech therapy. God has done a marvelous work in my Aiden.
.........We had many things to celebrate!!
We celebrated with a picnic and snorkeling at the beach! Of course, I had to bake something delicious for my little man. I asked Aiden what he wanted. He asked for cupcakes, brownies, cheesecake, and maybe a few other things. So, I met him in the middle and made a brownie cheesecake. Not to boast, but it was decadent. YUM!
My husband and I are continually cultivating the life style of "stopping for the one." The one person that is in front of us at any particular moment that needs to encounter the love and goodness of our Father God through us. In May of 2010, we stopped for the one in front of us. The one looked like a little Chinese 5 year old boy from Texas. I am thankful for our friends, Mike & Deena for feeling the nudge to ask us about being this little guys parents.
My Aiden.......I love you with every ounce of my being.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Turning 33
I turned 33 nearly two weeks ago. I love birthdays, I love to celebrate people having a birthday and I will confess, I like to celebrate mine as well. Three years ago when I was approaching the big 'ole 30, I was terrified. Terrified of what? I don't remember. It was just society working me up telling me that I am getting old. Now, at the young age of 33, I have no idea why 30 was such a big deal. I am a youngin'. Now, that I've digressed about turning 30, let's move on.
My cutie pie of a husband had a man event at church the night of my birthday. So, I got to spend the evening with my handsome and adorable little men. Aiden had been asking me for days to watch Iron Giant (an old movie, I think), so we watch it that night. I had Ethan on my lap snuggled up to me with his thumb in his mouth and his monkey jammed near his face. Oh, how I love that boy of mine. Aiden was somewhat close to me (we're still working on snuggling). Anyhow, about 20 minutes into the movie, I thought how very blessed I am. I mean beyond blessed, I was filled with such an emotional that I couldn't and still can't put words to it. I am a mommy. I am a mommy of two little boys. A mommy who for over six years, prayed, cried, prayed more, faithfully trusted God, had heart aches and devastation, but trusted God through it all. Snuggled up to me on the night of my 33rd birthday were my two gifts from God. At that moment I was fully satisfied with my life. I felt like things were just right.
Does that mean there's nothing left to fight for? Oh, no, everyday we have a fight. Every day set before us, the Bible states we have a choice, "life or death, blessing or cursing." The Word of God also talks about a fight of faith. But in the fight we can rest is God's sweet presence. I would say I'm a fighter. I have fought for a lot of things in my life. My husband and I fought for our boys. In adoption you are your child's advocate. Agency's will help you get your child home, but, I believe, ultimately it's up to how hard we fight. Because, we will get pushed down and sometimes trampled on during an adoption process. There will be news that your child is being placed with relatives or the country has closed down temporarily. All kinds of crazy things. But, keep the faith, because if you are going through the process right now, soon you'll be sitting on the couch snuggling with your "gift". One day you can tell them just how hard you fought for them.
Oh, and to top my birthday off, I had an amazing day out on the following Sunday with my hubby. He got me a pedi at a glorious spa and then we had lunch. Nothing fancy, but I did have the best onion rings EVER!! My parents got me a few gift cards, one to one of my favorite stores!! On my bday, a fabulous friend made lunch for me!! Life is good!!
My cutie pie of a husband had a man event at church the night of my birthday. So, I got to spend the evening with my handsome and adorable little men. Aiden had been asking me for days to watch Iron Giant (an old movie, I think), so we watch it that night. I had Ethan on my lap snuggled up to me with his thumb in his mouth and his monkey jammed near his face. Oh, how I love that boy of mine. Aiden was somewhat close to me (we're still working on snuggling). Anyhow, about 20 minutes into the movie, I thought how very blessed I am. I mean beyond blessed, I was filled with such an emotional that I couldn't and still can't put words to it. I am a mommy. I am a mommy of two little boys. A mommy who for over six years, prayed, cried, prayed more, faithfully trusted God, had heart aches and devastation, but trusted God through it all. Snuggled up to me on the night of my 33rd birthday were my two gifts from God. At that moment I was fully satisfied with my life. I felt like things were just right.
Does that mean there's nothing left to fight for? Oh, no, everyday we have a fight. Every day set before us, the Bible states we have a choice, "life or death, blessing or cursing." The Word of God also talks about a fight of faith. But in the fight we can rest is God's sweet presence. I would say I'm a fighter. I have fought for a lot of things in my life. My husband and I fought for our boys. In adoption you are your child's advocate. Agency's will help you get your child home, but, I believe, ultimately it's up to how hard we fight. Because, we will get pushed down and sometimes trampled on during an adoption process. There will be news that your child is being placed with relatives or the country has closed down temporarily. All kinds of crazy things. But, keep the faith, because if you are going through the process right now, soon you'll be sitting on the couch snuggling with your "gift". One day you can tell them just how hard you fought for them.
Oh, and to top my birthday off, I had an amazing day out on the following Sunday with my hubby. He got me a pedi at a glorious spa and then we had lunch. Nothing fancy, but I did have the best onion rings EVER!! My parents got me a few gift cards, one to one of my favorite stores!! On my bday, a fabulous friend made lunch for me!! Life is good!!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Summer Time!
Aahh.... School is out and summer is upon us. It's time for the beach, playground, library, Grandma's house and all sorts of fun things! However, as a stay at home Momma I kept getting the question, "so, what are you doing with the boys this summer?" Now, every time I went to answer it I sidetracked and diverted the question. Why? Honestly, I felt awkward saying, "Well, I am going to do nothing but seize this time in my children's life and have as much fun as we can." I felt awkward, because shouldn't I be doing something more important or more responsible. Come on, I am going to play with my kids...? Yes, that's the plan.
I haven't had my boys for very long. This is Aiden's 2nd summer with us and I want to cherish this amazing time God has blessed me with and focus on my kids. Of course, I will be doing some work during the week, cleaning the house, and working with Aiden on some school work over the summer. But, I want to make time for memory making fun. I really think that God would like us to do more of this in our lives. Sometimes I think He's trying to tell us, "Hey, why don't you go have some fun with your husband and go on a date," or "save the emails for later and go play a board game and eat ice cream with your family." This applies to some personalities that don't know how to relax and always feel the need to be doing something. And, that is totally me. Sometimes I lay on the couch to take a break, then feel bad that the dishes need to be washed. Crazy, right? On the other hand, God may be telling other more relaxed personalities to kick it up a bit. Everything in balance.
So for all you stay at home mommas and even those that work, throw your hair in a pony tail and go swing with your kids. Let them see the Jesus in you and love them unconditionally. One fun thing that I am working on is creating a summer bucket list. It doesn't have to be 2o things, you can create one with 5 or 6 activities that you want to do before summer is over.
Be creative and have fun!
Because it’s summer and the memories are just waiting to happen.
Unknown
I haven't had my boys for very long. This is Aiden's 2nd summer with us and I want to cherish this amazing time God has blessed me with and focus on my kids. Of course, I will be doing some work during the week, cleaning the house, and working with Aiden on some school work over the summer. But, I want to make time for memory making fun. I really think that God would like us to do more of this in our lives. Sometimes I think He's trying to tell us, "Hey, why don't you go have some fun with your husband and go on a date," or "save the emails for later and go play a board game and eat ice cream with your family." This applies to some personalities that don't know how to relax and always feel the need to be doing something. And, that is totally me. Sometimes I lay on the couch to take a break, then feel bad that the dishes need to be washed. Crazy, right? On the other hand, God may be telling other more relaxed personalities to kick it up a bit. Everything in balance.
So for all you stay at home mommas and even those that work, throw your hair in a pony tail and go swing with your kids. Let them see the Jesus in you and love them unconditionally. One fun thing that I am working on is creating a summer bucket list. It doesn't have to be 2o things, you can create one with 5 or 6 activities that you want to do before summer is over.
Be creative and have fun!
Because it’s summer and the memories are just waiting to happen.
Unknown
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