The Fear of Sitting Down and Little Tricks for Bringing Happy Back

What is she talking about, “the fear of sitting down??” Well, if you have it, then you know, and if you don’t, I’m sure you have your own problems. Ha! No, I just mean that I found this video that explains well what we are doing for my hip pain. (I do live in fear of sitting. Sitting hurts.) I still have to do one more MRI to check for inflammation in my SI joint, but for now, we’re going […]

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Life gets really fun once you get over yourself.

Life is so much more fun when you quit worrying about what others think of you. It’s not about “me” anyway. The other week I sang a solo at church. It used to make me ridiculously nervous. Why does it make us nervous to do something we love in front of other people? Because there are people! And they are watching! And what if your hair is messed up, or there’s lipstick on your teeth, or you miss a note? […]

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You can have the gluten, but you’ll never get the chocolate!

You can have the gluten, but you'll never get the chocolate!

Have you ever tried to be gluten-free? Before you roll your eyes, let me assure you that I’m not about to try to convince you to join me on this. I’m trying this, at the recommendation of my cardiologist, in order to feel better. Can I get a tee-shirt that contains that explanation because I feel like such a trendy hippie or diet-nut at parties now. “Are these gluten-free?” I don’t want to be that guy. Maybe I should just […]

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When Trusting God with Your Heart Gets Very Real

A couple of weeks ago something strange happened. Four mornings in a row I woke up at 4am with my heart pounding and my chest all tight and uncomfortable. “What. Weird. Why can’t I go back to sleep?” I thought, as I stared at the clock. 4am. That’s a time I usually only see if we make foolish airplane travel plans. April does not do early. Pound.Pound.Pound.Pound.Pound. Well, I can’t possibly go to sleep like this! I felt more like […]

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Update on my Pain Battle: Things are getting better!

      Today I went to my very first cardiology appointment ever. It was both helpful and confusing at the same time. My cardiologist thinks all of my pain and heart issues are probably related. Structurally, my heart looks superb, but the beat and the blood pressure are too high. She thinks this may be autoimmune in nature. And then she said two things I would rather have not heard. Don’t worry, it’s actually kind of funny: “No exercise […]

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Learning to Suffer Well, or at Least Find the Balance

Learning how to suffer well looks like the theme of my life lately.  Have you ever been through something hard that you knew could not be walked around? Life is a muddy puddle for me right now, but there’s no way around it. It must be walked through. Do you know what I mean? We all have our things that we go through. My chosen theme for 2016 was to fix my SI/hip/back/leg pain. That’s the goal. Instead, 2016 has […]

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The Power of Far-away Friends

Did everyone have a great Martin Luther King, Jr. Day? We did! I mean, we just went to school, but that’s fun for us because we get to see and talk to people there. We love people. No, I mean we truly love people. I’ve had hermit phases that were incredibly sad, when I forgot how much I need others. My children and my husband are the same as me. We thrive off of social interaction. Home school families sometimes […]

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“My flesh also will rest in hope.” Psalm 16:9

This morning I struggled with my precious but incredibly clingy two-year-old. The problems of life that I cannot get off my mind swirled around in my brain. I found comfort in these promises from God’s Word. “Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.”   Psalm 16:1 “My flesh also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me […]

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Mother Teresa and the Man Covered in Worms

Today I want to share a story that has inspired me to no end. I can’t forget this story. I love Mother Teresa. She is one of my heroes, and it’s because she lived such a selfless life for Jesus. I am a far cry from that. I also noticed, in reading about her, that she had some of the same struggles I have: heart troubles and shoulder problems. If you see footage of her, her shoulders were all hunched […]

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My Chronic Pain Battle Part III: The Cat Came Back the Very Next Day

My Battle with Chronic Pain Part III: The Pain Returns It reminds me of that song: “The cat came back the very next day; it just couldn’t stay away.” Life was going well, and I was on cloud NINE, being finished with my very first year of home schooling! Wahoo! Summer! I made big plans. But why wouldn’t I? I was young and healthy. I should be able to handle a cross-country flight and a few short road trips. Right? […]

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