MS WEEK

Today marks the first day of MS Awareness Week!

If I told you I was excited, that'd be a lie. I'm not excited in the least. Why? Because I'm mad at 'it.' I hate acknowledging it and someone just gave it a whole week. Yes, I know my thinking doesn't make sense, but it does to my scar filled brain.

Lately, I've been scared. I do not know what the future holds for me.
I worry one or more of my kids will develop this disease.
I worry I won't get to play with them as they get older.
I worry I will not be able to walk.
I worry about being an inadequate wife, mother, daughter, friend...
I worry this will defeat me.
I worry.............
I worry.......

If I let myself continue on this path, this path where my thoughts bounce around like a four year old telling you what they did yesterday, I will become sick to my stomach. The thoughts, the fears, they are nauseating. They are super powerful.

When I'm finally able to harness those destructive thoughts, this little verse always comes to mind.

"Why, you don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:14

My time on this Earth could end tomorrow and it could have nothing to do with multiple sclerosis. (I don't capitalize it because I feel it gives it unnecessary power.) I have to remember to do what I can with this body while I can.

I'm hoping this week you will join me on my journey to defeat the fears, to overcome, to remember Jesus reigns.

Lately...

I've been trying to think of something to write about and although I've got ideas, it's the time to put them here that I lack. I'm squeezing a few minutes now before Colbie wakes up ready to eat.

Since I don't want to go into some philosophical rant or book review, I did finish another book called A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, but it's deep and not for today. Anyways, I thought I'd do a 'what's been happenin' lately' post. I print these posts, so if this sounds very repetitive because we talk or you read my twitter feed, sorry. I want these memories for later.

I'm right on with my reading schedule for the year. I call it 26in52 My health is good. Today it's ok, but most days it's good, so if we were in middle school math and the teacher said take the median average, it would be gook. HA! I'm in the process of getting my medicine. So back to stabbing myself with a needle! I haven't had to do that in over a year, kind of stinks to go back, really stinks. I'm really not looking forward to it, but it is what it is.

Chloe is becoming such a little lady. She wears a dress nearly 24/7. She wants to play in the mud while wearing a dress. She told me today that "When I growed up, I want to be a princess." I told her that was awesome and asked if she wanted to get married and be a mommy like me. She said, "Well, I feel like I do." Was sweet.

Cooper is a wild man. He recently helped Matt change a tire. His hands were covered in black grime and Cooper was super excited about it. He came up to me with his palms showing, "LOOK MOM!" Then he headed over to the gas tank area, opened the door and said, "I'm working on Dad's truck." He is a train loving builder/fixer.

Colbie is three months old. She loves to cuddle. If you hold her chest to chest, she grips you like a little koala bear or something, maybe a monkey or chimpanzee. She is a fun little girl.

Things are good.

Book Review: Heaven Is For Real

"What do you think heaven is like?"

I asked my four year old this question to see what she would say,

"Umm, I don't know... God?"

I would assume that's your basic four year old answer. If you were to catch your average four year old on a good day, after a nap, eating a snack, you might get a more elaborate answer. Perhaps, they would say they think there are snacks in heaven or unicorns or trains. Think of something completely random and that's probably what a four year old would say about heaven. Of course if you are Colton Burpo, then you have an answer for what heaven is like.

I was a little skeptical when I bought this book. Not because I don't believe in heaven. That is so far from the truth. I believe in heaven and hell and I know I'm going to heaven because I believe Jesus died for my sins, rose three days later and is coming again. If you don't believe that, you won't be seeing what this little boy saw.

But I digress.

I don't really know why I was so hesitant to read this book. I think because there was so much chatter about it. I didn't know if the chatter was sincere or just people pushing a book with a cute little boy on the front.

I decided I would succumb to the chatter and buy it, plus it was cheap, so if it was a snore, I wouldn't be out much.

Enter the part where I get all excited and you think I've lost it.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!

A story told through the eyes of a child is always a fun story.

Now have a four year old, who has seen heaven, tell you what heaven is like through their eyes. AMAZING!

Colton, the little boy on the front of the book, was in heaven for a few minutes, the book says but I'm not going to divulge details, and through out the book we get to see what little Colton saw.

I really want to tell you everything this little boy saw because it's so cool, for lack of a better adjective, but I don't want to say too much because if I get started talking about content, I will spoil the fun of reading it.

So I will leave you with this. I don't need to visit heaven to believe in it's existence. I don't need to be like Thomas and see the marks in his hands to believe he died on the cross. I didn't need to be at the tomb when the stone was rolled away to believe he was not there. Why? One word my friends-

FAITH.

(I read this book as part of my goal in 2011 of reading 26 books in 52 weeks.)

Squirrel

Ever wondered what a squirrel looks like in 2 feet of snow? Now you can find out.

Second Round

This round of snow began exactly a week later and was the nail in the coffin so to speak. The ground was still covered when we got dumped on again. The weather guys predicted Bartlesville to receive around 2"-4" of snow.

15" or so later, I'd say they were not completely correct.

It's possible some Oklahoma records were broken on Thursday for cold temps. We were -28 and the South Pole was -23. Just a few miles from here in Nowata, they were -31.

But in Oymyakon, Russia on Thursday as of 3pm it was -70! The had the worldwide lowest temperature. I wonder when people freeze instantly? My guess is around -70 degrees Fahrenheit.

I want to know who the person was that drew the short straw that has to live in Oymyakon, Russia. Poor dude.

First Round

I know everyone is talking about the Blizzard of 2011, Snowpocalypse, Snowmaggedon. I am going to be one of those people. I have to document it because I plan on turning this into a book. I printed 2008, yes I'm way behind it takes a long time to edit, and I plan on doing the same for all years.

The first round of snow hit on February 1. We were warned ahead of time that this storm might pack a punch. When I went to bed on the 31st, the snow had not begun. I started thinking the weather guys were wrong.

Matt woke on the 1st, came back to bed and said, I'm not going to make it to work today. (There was well over a foot of snow.) Which was fine by me! Any day I get him home is a great day in my books. That morning, Cooper sleepily walked into our room. When he saw that his daddy was home, he crawled up in bed purring, and laid with Matt. Yes Cooper purrs.

On the second day, we were still stuck. Highway 75 south was closed and it didn't open until midday on the 3rd. I guess there were cars and semis littering the road, blocking all thru traffic.



The temperature was too cold to play. But by the weekend, it had warmed up and Matt took the kids out until Cooper's face was beet red. He only ate the snow. Chloe rolled around in it like a cat does in the dirt. She was so happy to be out of the house. The kids and I weren't able to go anywhere until the 5th day!

Glitter

After God emptied His storehouses of snow on Oklahoma (Job 38:22a) something magnificent happened.

When He closed the heavens, and let go of the sun. Its ray bounced and leaped off the perfectly white snow that had been laid on my yard, a white fluffy blanket. I looked into the air and saw something; glitter.

I'm pretty sure God and His children in Heaven played with glitter today. If you look closely you will see it sparkle in the sun.