This morning's snow brought a white-on-gray pallette to mind. Praise the Lord for the beauty of winter and that He has washed my heart, whiter than the snow!
Softly; falling gently to touch down on the limb.
Quietly; not a sound; as I stand amongst the drifting
flakes resting softly on my shoulders and hair.
Winterbirds; hear their calls sweetly sing
to the symphony of snowdrops, falling,
now drifting swiftly through chill air.
Each gray twig, now encased in white
Stand silhouetted 'gainst a canvas of gray
sky; steely and looming as if holding back the tide.
Misty, winter-white fingers reach out, as a flight
of bright blue jays streak through the trees
to rest, to peck beneath the snow, to fruitlessly hide.
The blue of the jay calls out to my eye;
Snow is more brilliant now; branches alive
with the indigo ornaments which bob and flit;
For a seed or a twig hidden below, they vie
while snowdrops cover their tiny tracks
once left in the white, mounted carpet.
More fervent now; winds furiously gust;
Hiding the distant gray backdrop
of this masterpiece, so gloriously displayed;
The realization, a most wise choice, I trust;
to step in where the shelter of window and wood
brings warmth where once chill snowdrops laid.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
One More Update
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed" James 1:5,6
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee."
Isaiah 26:3
We are thanking the Lord for his watch-care over Syd. Thanks, all who are praying and sent notes. He's resting (not comfortably yet). His high hopes of going to work today have been dashed, as we all expected he'd feel pretty bad. The stents are very painful, but we're thanking the Lord for medication at this time.
The area I am asking the Lord for wisdom in is that of what to FEED him. Most of the medical professionals say that it makes little difference, but I do not believe that for a minute! We have a healthy diet at home. Syd gets green salads in his lunch every day, much homemade soup, drinks LOTS of water and only eats whole grains (but mostly wheat). He doesn't drink soda (even Moxie, which is his favorite) except about 1 per month, at fellowship dinner. In reading on-line, many of these "healthy" habits (green leafy vegs, whole wheat flour,almonds and seeds...) contribute to the formation of stones in people who have a family history of them, which he does.
I stopped and bought Millett and Spelt flours last night and made the artisan bread with these, as they do NOT contribute to stones (yay!!). The loaf last night didn't rise as well, but I also did not let it rest long enough. It's delicious, though flatter. At least it's something he can eat today while he's home. I feel like, everytime I go to cook something, I'll have to go to the computer first and google it (which I really won't mind doing till I learn what's right). Syd googled "onions and kidney stones" today, called me and said, "I can eat onions!" (yay!!) However, one cannot live on Spelt bread and onions alone! I'm laughing now, because I know that the Lord is going to open up understanding on this- He promises that He will, as we ask for wisdom, asking in faith. Please know, all our friends, the eating habits will be followed only at home or out to eat - do NOT worry about using wheat or whatever if we're eating at your house. We just want his everyday diet to not contribute to ill health as he doesn't really want to go through this again. Guess what? we also found that by staying away from wheat (which is a mucous-forming agent) he might not suffer from his chronic sinuses anymore. That would be a miracle, as he's been in "headache mode" a few days per week for years now. Truly, I don't know how he can be such a pleasant person to live around with the pain he's in much of the time, except for the Lord's strength. He is a joy to be with and I thank the Lord for him more and more all the time.
Well, this was mostly an update post. Thanks, those of you who are praying and remembering us here on the Hill. We thank the Lord for trials that come; as "tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience and experience hope; and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Rom. 5:3-5
We are in for a "big" snow in our area, they say. Have enjoyed a mild winter so far; the Lord only knows what March will bring!
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee."
Isaiah 26:3
We are thanking the Lord for his watch-care over Syd. Thanks, all who are praying and sent notes. He's resting (not comfortably yet). His high hopes of going to work today have been dashed, as we all expected he'd feel pretty bad. The stents are very painful, but we're thanking the Lord for medication at this time.
The area I am asking the Lord for wisdom in is that of what to FEED him. Most of the medical professionals say that it makes little difference, but I do not believe that for a minute! We have a healthy diet at home. Syd gets green salads in his lunch every day, much homemade soup, drinks LOTS of water and only eats whole grains (but mostly wheat). He doesn't drink soda (even Moxie, which is his favorite) except about 1 per month, at fellowship dinner. In reading on-line, many of these "healthy" habits (green leafy vegs, whole wheat flour,almonds and seeds...) contribute to the formation of stones in people who have a family history of them, which he does.
I stopped and bought Millett and Spelt flours last night and made the artisan bread with these, as they do NOT contribute to stones (yay!!). The loaf last night didn't rise as well, but I also did not let it rest long enough. It's delicious, though flatter. At least it's something he can eat today while he's home. I feel like, everytime I go to cook something, I'll have to go to the computer first and google it (which I really won't mind doing till I learn what's right). Syd googled "onions and kidney stones" today, called me and said, "I can eat onions!" (yay!!) However, one cannot live on Spelt bread and onions alone! I'm laughing now, because I know that the Lord is going to open up understanding on this- He promises that He will, as we ask for wisdom, asking in faith. Please know, all our friends, the eating habits will be followed only at home or out to eat - do NOT worry about using wheat or whatever if we're eating at your house. We just want his everyday diet to not contribute to ill health as he doesn't really want to go through this again. Guess what? we also found that by staying away from wheat (which is a mucous-forming agent) he might not suffer from his chronic sinuses anymore. That would be a miracle, as he's been in "headache mode" a few days per week for years now. Truly, I don't know how he can be such a pleasant person to live around with the pain he's in much of the time, except for the Lord's strength. He is a joy to be with and I thank the Lord for him more and more all the time.
We are in for a "big" snow in our area, they say. Have enjoyed a mild winter so far; the Lord only knows what March will bring!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
A Hubby Update
Hello all,
Syd is in same day surgery as I'm writing this. We are hoping that it is truly about a 30 minute surgery, but we'll see. He'll have two stents (one in each kidney) to allow flow again. The right one is backed up due to a kidney stone too large and is quite swollen, poor guy. He was in alot of pain while we waited and was 2 hours late getting into surgery. While we were in waiting room something "moved" and he was even more uncomfortable. We hope to have him up and walking within a short time after he gets out and won't go home until we know everything's o.k. These stents will have to stay in for 2 or 3 weeks while they schedule surgery and decide exactly which surgery to pursue. The doctor said that there are at least 10 stones in there! No wonder he had so much pain. Some people experience infection following this surgery as their body does not like the stent material. They have no idea how each person will react. We'll pray that there will be no infections. I have been on the computer all morning looking up kidney stones and foods to avoid, etc. Certainly alot of conflicting stories out there!They will be sending the stones to the lab once they're out (in a few weeks), to determine what they are made of, this will help us determine a better diet.Thanks for all of you who are remembering Syd today.
It's a beautiful, sunny day out there. No doubt, Ruger is sitting in his window just waiting for our return; wishing he and Sturm could be out in the yard. Just lately we've been letting Sturm run free (in short spurts) but he's a real "runner" and acts as if he'll just take off and never come back. In early March we'll be getting a microchip inserted. After that (and warmer weather) I'll feel better about letting him just run off into the woods some. At this time, we tell Ruger, "go get Sturm" and he does pretty well retreiving him. Well, he's a Retriever!
We hope you have a wonderful day. Thanks, those of you who are praying for Syd. Thanks for stopping by The Hill today too.
Syd is in same day surgery as I'm writing this. We are hoping that it is truly about a 30 minute surgery, but we'll see. He'll have two stents (one in each kidney) to allow flow again. The right one is backed up due to a kidney stone too large and is quite swollen, poor guy. He was in alot of pain while we waited and was 2 hours late getting into surgery. While we were in waiting room something "moved" and he was even more uncomfortable. We hope to have him up and walking within a short time after he gets out and won't go home until we know everything's o.k. These stents will have to stay in for 2 or 3 weeks while they schedule surgery and decide exactly which surgery to pursue. The doctor said that there are at least 10 stones in there! No wonder he had so much pain. Some people experience infection following this surgery as their body does not like the stent material. They have no idea how each person will react. We'll pray that there will be no infections. I have been on the computer all morning looking up kidney stones and foods to avoid, etc. Certainly alot of conflicting stories out there!They will be sending the stones to the lab once they're out (in a few weeks), to determine what they are made of, this will help us determine a better diet.Thanks for all of you who are remembering Syd today.
It's a beautiful, sunny day out there. No doubt, Ruger is sitting in his window just waiting for our return; wishing he and Sturm could be out in the yard. Just lately we've been letting Sturm run free (in short spurts) but he's a real "runner" and acts as if he'll just take off and never come back. In early March we'll be getting a microchip inserted. After that (and warmer weather) I'll feel better about letting him just run off into the woods some. At this time, we tell Ruger, "go get Sturm" and he does pretty well retreiving him. Well, he's a Retriever!
We hope you have a wonderful day. Thanks, those of you who are praying for Syd. Thanks for stopping by The Hill today too.
Monday, February 27, 2012
83 Wonderful Years
We celebrated Mom's birthday on Sunday afternoon. The R family from church came and also some close friends from CT. Two of my brothers and families were there. We had a great time. My hubby, Syd, made the beautiful cake above. He has taken to baking lately, as he enjoys watching cooking shows. This was on The Cook's Kitchen on Saturday. He made it with cherries, but will be trying one with raspberries soon. I told him to try one for my upcoming birthday - hee, hee!
Here's Mom with our friend Barbara
...guy talk
My sis-in-law giving Mom her famous back massage. I can almost NEVER get a picture of her! As you can see my other sis-in-law was "on the move" behind her, so I couldn't get a clear pic (kidding, she didn't even know I was taking one)
The two Mrs Rs sharing a laugh
My brother, giving a speech - actually I have NO idea what he was saying, probably telling a story!
Some of the men...more "guy talk"
I loved these pictures of Pastor with little Mercy. Emma's reading them a story in this one.
Happy Birthday, dear Mo--o-mmm! Happy Birthday to YOU!
This party was put together quite at the last minute and we really had not thought about how many people we were going to invite - nor did we really have any FOOD (bad idea). When my brother, Kim, showed up, they had brought all kinds of fruit and sourdough rolls, veggies for dipping. We ended up with plenty of food for all. Thank you, Kim, and thank the Lord for this bounty!
A fun time was had by all.
A little Update on Syd
Thanks to all who have been praying (those of you who knew). Syd suffered from pain all weekend and thought he may be having a bladder infection. He agreed to go to the doctor today and they took him straight in, put him on a drip and scheduled him for tests. He has "several" large kidney stones in his bladder, waiting to pass out, but they're too big to do so. They will have to be surgically removed or blasted, whichever is best. There are also some IN his kidneys which appear quite large. The worst problem is that there is a large one in his right kidney, obstructing the way for urine to pass, which "is a major problem", they said. Originally he was to undergo surgery today, but there is no space for him to be operated on today so they are sending him home and he I will take him down tomorrow for surgery. We were not given a time yet, so if you would please pray for guidance. I am especially praying that the right kidney is not deprived too long and does not shut down, as this could happen. We want to leave this all in the Lord's hands. Once we know how everything turned out, I'll give an update. Thanks for remembering Syd!
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