Make sure your shoes are shined...or at least a match!

   I gotta laugh at myself.  I go from one adventure to another.  One dream to another.  My good friend, Donna was asked to put together a seminar about Professionalism in the work place. That includes Attire, Speech and Attitude.  She asked me to help her and right away I was on the internet finding points we should make.  Every article said there were two things that must be clean and neat for your appearance to be above reproach.  Your shirt and shoes!
   That isn't like a breakthrough concept for me, but I don't always look at my shoes as needing polished or shined every time I wear them.  This may be a downfall for me and after my recent doctors visit, I may never leave the house again without at least looking down at them.
   There was no need for me to rush, even though I had a long drive (one and a half hours) to see Dr. E., and so I just enjoyed the beautiful sunny day taking in all the sights as I drove to Chapel Hill.  My microphone was in my hand and everytime I would think of something pertaining to the seminar I would save it for later reference. 
   I arrived at the office early and was called in right away.  Paula, the nurse, came in and took all my vitals and asked me questions.   She said Dr. E. would be in shortly and left the room with a great bug smile on her face.  She is so nice and amiable. No problem..  I crossed my legs and started reading the magazine about hearing loss.  All was good until I looked down at my shoe that was on my left foot as I was swinging it back and forth.  I thought it strange that I had on my black shoe with the tassle.  I thought for sure I put on my blackish brown shoes with the buckle.  There are times when I do forget things, so I must have put on the wrong shoes.  No problem, my outfit could handle black shoes.  Except...I looked down at my right foot and...Oh NO!  I had on my blackish brown shoe with the buckle.  I uncrossed my legs and took a long hard look as if they would magically match.  But I did manage to laugh instead of cry, as my two different shoes hugged my feet.  The more I laughed the hotter I became and sweat was starting to form on my brow.
My face was getting red and I could feel the heat running down to my neck.  I started to fan myself and guess who entered the room?  Yep!  Dr. E.  He extended his hand to shake mine and I gave him the magazine; he smiled, took the magazine and placed it on the stand.  Then he shook my hand with a grin on his face. 
   I figured I would just not say anything and crossed my legs at the ankles, trying to hide my left foot with my right foot.  I know what you're thinking.  Yes, he could still see that I had on two different pairs of shoes but I knew if I didn't say anything, he wouldn't.  And he didn't.  As soon as he finished checking out my sinuses, I almost ran out of his office.
   I had planned on shopping while I was in the Raleigh area but I sure couldn't do that with 2 unmatching shoes.  Sometimes I think God has such a sense of humor.  Here I was planning what I was going to say to people about dressing professionally for work.  I even talked into my microphone as I drove and thought I was going to be on top of things.  Well....I guess the joke was on me.  Now I have a story to tell during the seminar of how important it is to check out your shoes before going to work and especially before a job interview or meeting. 
   I wonder if Paula and Dr. E had a good laugh after I left...with all the people in the waiting room!

Wrightsville Beach, Shell Island Resort, December 27, 2009

 

Ron and I took a walk on the beach this afternoon. The sun was shining and even though it was 48° it wasn't warm to me. I wore my jacket with a hood lined in fur. Yes, I did get some looks as if I came from the tropics and this was very cold to me. In the ocean you could see men dressed in wet suits trying to catch a wave as they rode their surf boards. The waves were not huge by any stretch of the imagination but they seemed to be enjoying themselves. They were using paddles as they stood on their boards; something I have not seen before.

 

The beach is so white that it looks like the dessert or in some places as snow. The seagulls swim close to the green water in a line as if they are surfing the waves too. Off in the distance the water is blue and you can barely tell where the ocean ends and the sky begins. The white clouds fill the sky and look like cotton candy …it is absolutely beautiful. We were able to walk on an area of the sound where there is normally water but for some reason the water had receded and made designs in the sand. I know people probably wondered why I was taking pictures of the sand, but nature has a way of making the most intricate designs that man can only imitate.

 

When the ocean waters covered the sand, I looked at that as being the most beautiful sight. Sand is pretty but it doesn't compare to the water. But then when the water was taken away, it is like God says, "look under the cover and see that beauty is also there. Beauty is not just on the surface but under the surface. Maybe even more so.

God convicts even through movies!

Life sure is happening all around me. Loved ones going through difficult times and yet growing into in their compassion and love for others. Isn't that how it works? We think we want absolutely no suffering in our lives but it is through our suffering we see the truth about the life here on earth. The Lord did not say we would not suffer but He said He would be with us as we suffered.

Last night Ron and I saw the movie, "Blind Side" , and it was awesome! I tried to hold back the tears because there was only one other couple in the theatre. Two couples, one white, one black, in this big room. The story line is a white upper class couple takes in a young black man who has never had his own bed and helps him get an education and football scholarship but most importantly they give him love. It's amazing what love, genuine love, can do for a child. Love as a verb; an action that produces fruit.

I say I love my children and grandchildren. Do my actions, say that also? I love my husband. Do I put his needs and their needs before my own? In the story about Michael Oar (a true story) his mother loved him, but she was unable or unwilling to give up her drugs and show him how much she loved him.

Do we as parents understand just how much we change the lives of our children if we withhold affection? Little girls need their dads to be active in their lives just like little boys do. Even if their parents are divorced, children need to have both parents active in their lives. You don't feel like a princess if the King in your life makes you feel like a peasant. That is why it is so crucial to tell young ladies that the real King, Jesus, has made them princesses.

If part of your holiday tradition is going to the movies...like ours is...don't miss Blind Side. Very rarely do I purchase a movie, but this is one that I would not only buy, but one that I would watch over and over and show it to my grandchildren.

We can make a difference in the lives of others. I can make a difference....if I weren't so selfish. That is why I wanted to cry at the end. What do I do to help others? There are so many hurting. I guess it is to help one person at a time. As the song goes..each one reaching one.

The signet ring.

Haggai 2:23 "On that day,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'I will take you my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,' declares the LORD, 'and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,' declares the LORD Almighty."

Life Application Bible has a footnote that reads...

A signet ring was used to guarantee the authority and authenticity of a letter. It served as a signature when pressed in soft wax on a written document. God was reaffirming and guaranteeing his promise of a Messiah through David's line. (Matthew 1:12)

God closed his message to Zerubbabel with this tremendous affirmation: "I have chosen you." Such a proclamation is ours as well- each of us has been chosen by God (Ephesians 1:4). This truth should make us see our values in God's eyes and motivate us to work for Him. When you feel down, remind yourself, "God has chosen me!"

Haggai's message to the people sought to get their priorities straight, help them quit worrying, and motivate them to rebuild the temple. Like them, we often place a higher priority on our personal comfort than on God's work and true worship. But God is pleased and promises strength and guidance when we give Him first place in our lives.

I love to cross reference, so I went to Ephesians 1:4, "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will..."

My Interpretation: Praise God!! I so love Him. We are not to be the frozen chosen but actively participate in the work He has for us. He has chosen us and predestined a work for us. He has a plan for each of our lives. It has taken me so long to understand my calling and yet I still have times when I am not sure I have heard Him correctly. But the Holy Spirit in me is the signet ring that seals this love letter.

Fordham Manor Reformed Church...here I come!

What a beautiful day it is! The sun is shining and yet the air is so crisp and cool. This is my favorite time of the year. The beauty of the leaves changing color excites my senses. I even enjoy raking the leaves in my yard. How weird is that?

I have been preparing for my trip north to the Bronx. My costume is ready and I have packed my suitcase with the supplies I will need to pamper them at a mini Spiritual Spa. I have been emailing back and forth with Millie and I was able to talk to her on Monday. What a blessing! I could hear the love of Christ in her voice and I am so excited about meeting her.

Donna and I will first visit her friends in Piscataway, NJ, and then we go on to the Bronx. On Friday night we will join Fordham Manor Reforemed Church for a meal and then the service. We will start with worship and then the drama of the Samaritan woman, followed with my testimony and a message about worshipping the Father in spirit and in truth. The next day, we will have our mini-spa. Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit will move among us and we will stand in awe of His marvelous love.

Please keep us in your prayers as our desire is to glorify the Lord in all we do and say. He is so amazing, isn't He? AMEN!

Shoes....why so many kinds?

I love this weather! It is drizzling a little rain but...we need the rain. It makes me want to sit on the couch bundled up with a blanket and watch "Dancing With The Stars." The guys in my house say they hate it and would rather watch a ball game. There was a time when my hubby and I loved to dance. I used to dance with my little guys in the kitchen when disco was in; now they are 36 and 34. When I was dancing I was in much better shape than I am right now. Maybe that is what I need to do; join a dance class.

My granddaughter, the Princess, takes dancing lessons. Sometimes she likes it...sometimes she doesn't. She is just at that age where she is involved in everything like she is trying on a pair of shoes and seeing which ones she likes best. Tap shoes do well. Ballerina shoes are ok. Soccer shoes are fantastic! But probably play shoes are her favorites. She is also practicing for the Christmas musical and she wears whatever shoes she has on at that moemnt. Last week it was her soccer shoes. She didn't have time to change after her game. Busy, busy!

I like high heeled shoes, but I have noticed that my feet are screaming for some shorter heels. My back starts hurting and I want to kick off my shoes... not dance in them. Then of course I have my tennis shoes and my flats and my sandals. I like them all but they are so hard to keep them nice and neat in my closet.

One of my pet peeves is the clutter of the shoes in my laundry room. TD has soccer shoes, football shoes, basketball shoes and "mowing the grass" shoes and they are thrown in the laundry room as if that is his closet. His regular tennis shoes are in his bedroom along with his only pair of black dress shoes.

Do shoes tell us anything about how we live and what we think about? In Haiti the children pray for a pair of walking shoes (tennis shoes). That is for survival as they walk miles to go to school over rugged terrain. Our shoes seem to be for entertainment or sports. I am not saying that is a bad thing, it's just that do we really need all those shoes?

Sinus Surgery...Dr. Ebert at UNC is the best!

The night before surgery my hubby and I stayed at my son's house in Raleigh, which meant we would not have to get up so early on Wednesday morning. My surgery was first scheduled earlier and we had to be there at 7:00 am. Then it was changed to 10:00 and we had to be there at 9:00. I was thankful for the extra time especially when we were maneuvering on I-40. What a mess of traffic! I wouldn't want to drive that every day.

I have had several groups of ladies pray over me and for me. The Spa TECHs have been for praying for several months as they saw how the headaches were affecting me when we had the spas over the summer. My Tuesday group, "Women on Purpose" have been praying and anointed me with oil. And then on Tuesday night I received a phone call from our elders. They put me on speaker phone and Bane prayed for me. I was very touched that this group of godly men who spiritually guide our church, would take time during their meeting to call me. Granted I know that they would have done so if I asked them, but I have felt God set this surgery up, but to have them call showed how they care about their flock.

My surgery was at the UNC Ambulatory Care Unit in Chapel Hill. From the time I arrived until I left, I felt pampered...as much as you can be while having needles stuck in you. Their kindness and assurance that all would be well, had a calming affect. Even my blood pressure wasn't as high as it gets when I go for a doctor's visit!

Each nurse and doctor came in and asked me what I was having done. I guess this was their way of making sure we are all on the same page. At first I wondered how necessary it was to repeat it several times, but then I overhead the older lady in the next bed tell her doctor that they were repairing her eye to see far away, but her surgery was for her to see close up. After several minutes or repeating what she wanted the result to be, her friend was able to get both doctor and patient on the same page. After that my doctor came in and put a little star on my right check, so they would know which maxillary sinus was to be operated on. I was relieved.

I remember the nurse telling me she was putting something in my IV that would put me out and I told her, "It's not working." She smiled and said it takes some people a few minutes and others go out as soon as they lay their head down. The next thing I knew I was opening my eyes and seeing my husband's smile. A nurse was sitting beside me and within what seemed minutes I was getting dressed and being wheeled out the door. The ride home was a blur.

Of course, I wasn't feeling any pain because of the anesthesia, and I had no bandages. Everything was done on the inside of my nose. To look at me you would not have even known I had surgery. My nose and sinuses felt stuffy and there was pressure, but there was no pain. All the horror stories of the packing and the severe pain, was not present. I am so thankful Steve B. called me and told me about this new procedure and the doctors at UNC. For ten years I have feared this procedure. Now it is up to me to cleanse my sinuses out three times a day with 4 large syringes filled with a salt solution. This will keep me from scarring and I know how that is so important.

Dr. Ebert was fantastic and even called me yesterday to see how I was doing. He placed a splint inside my nose where he removed a small bone in my sinuses. It was as if he removed a wall in a hallway, enlarging the passageway into the sinus. This splint will have to be removed next week at my first post-op visit. I will have to go in weekly for the next 3 weeks and then at the 5th week and 8th week. Already I can breathe better, but the whole purpose is to have my sinuses to drain better so the yucky stuff doesn't stay in the cavity and become infected.

If you have to have sinus surgery, check out Dr. Ebert at UNC ENT, and ask about the FESS procedure. Even though it is only day 2 after surgery, I feel good enough to clean and get back to my routine. I do know my limits and so I will not allow myself to get too tired. My throat still hurts where they put the tubes in to help me breathe during surgery and I would love to blow my nose, but I know that's a no no.

God is so good to give us such smart people who can come up with new procedures and doctors and nurses who are so skillful. Most important He gives us caring friends who pray and bring us food! We all need each other.