Follow up from surgery is tomorrow.

I can't even believe that it has been nearly 2 weeks since I had the hysterectomy surgery done.  Time really has passed by quickly.  I thought, okay, I'm unable to do a bunch of stuff because of restrictions of lifting or pushing, and I really need to heal so I'll behave & take it easy & even be able to post a few updates on the blog."  Haha what a funny joke.  Even with my mom here to help out & so many friends dropping off meals for us (which was sooooooooo helpful, thank you from our happy bellies), I was unable to find the time to sit at my computer to share an update.  And I really am not a fan of trying to update via my phone so that was why you haven't heard much from me lately.  I am up & moving about quite nicely.  I still have to be careful with lifting anything too heavy or pushing things and bending (good thing my parents bought me a grabber nabber as Braly calls it to help me pick things off the floor without bending much.)  I showed it to you all months ago & it was sitting in the closet for awhile but has resurfaced for the time being.  Tomorrow Adam will take me to Green Bay for my 2 week check up and I am fully prepared to hear that I can drive again & that everything looks great.  I feel great.  I actually couldn't believe how tired I was for the first several days.  I mean, I would get up & help get the kids ready for school (that just really means that I woke them up most days & then bossed them around from my place on the couch & then kissed them good bye.)  I am feeling quite good right now & will keep this very short compared to most of my posts as I really am in need of some sleep in order to be ready to leave for GB on time tomorrow.

BTW, I am still doing pretty good with my daily Bible reading of the chronological plan.  Did you start a plan this year?  How's it going?  I'm so pleased that I'm only a few days behind but should be able to make that up tomorrow with 4 hours in the van.  It is amazing how God has used this time in my life to make good out of what was meant to be evil.  He is teaching me so much and I am learning something every day just by setting aside time to spend with Him.  And I am trying to encourage my children to do the same.  Being consistent can be hard so until something becomes a habit, you just have to start where you're at and do your best to go from there.  Keeping in mind that there will be slip-ups but no need to not get right back where you left off.  God is full of mercy & grace.  So give it a whirl!  Start with just 5 minutes if you feel you don't think you could possibly fit one more thing into your schedule and before you know it, you will be craving the time with God & reading his word.  At least that's how I've felt.  Just like I tell people when it comes to exercising, "Just press Play!"  Just open your Bible or your app (which you can set a reminder with) and read.  A few options are to start by reading the book of Luke.  Or you could start a plan of some sort. Like the chronological one I'm doing.  Buy maybe that seems overwhelming and reading just 1 chapter a day would be your cup of tea. Well then read 1 chapter of Proverbs, it's the book of wisdom.  Or the Psalms are great.  My friend Katie is going to be featuring a chapter of Psalms on her blog each day in June.  I'll share the link when she's got it up so you can check it out.  I actually

just read part of Joshua and wanted to share a verse that is stated several times in Joshua when the Israelites had crossed over the Jordan and were securing the land that the Lord had said he'd give to them.

Joshua 1:9 ►

New International Version Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Being Real...Good news...and 15th of the MONTH

Last night Adam came home late since he was on road training the seasonal help. He sounded terrible. Very hoarse, congested, and had a slight fever.  He showered, ate, took some meds, I prayed for him & then he went to sleep.  It wasn't much longer after he went to bed that the kids were in bed, then Sadie fell asleep, and then I climbed in bed since I couldn't keep my eyes open.  I thought, great, I will get lots of sleep. No alarm clock to go off in the am since the kids didn't have school for deer day.  My night consisted of waking up several times. Sometimes every hour with hot flashes. As I lay in bed praying for Adam, for my friend who had surgery, for the lady preparing for her bone marrow transplant & for others that asked for prayer, I figured there was no point being upset that I was awake, perhaps lots of people needed prayer & I was to intercede for them.  When I woke up for some reason, I thought that the breast tumor had grown in size and my mind started to get anxious & fearful.  I gathered my clothes for a shower but when I got into the bathroom I felt sort of sick. Shaky & weak.  I started thinking, what if the cancer is still growing at a super fast rate & what if the hormone treatment doesn't work fast enough or the right way.  Fear was creeping into my mind and all the what ifs were haunting me.  I started praying as I picked myself off the floor to shower & saying the name of Jesus over & over again.  As I dressed, my mind wandered again to the place of fear of the unknown.  I whistled for my kids to come help me. I wasn't sure whether I felt I would throw up or pass out or what so my kids touched me with their sweet, soft hands and that reminded me that God will take care of me.  I made my way down the stairs to sit on the couch but grabbed my cell phone first.  I had heard the text notification so I read the message from my friend. She was wishing me a better day today than yesterday with less pain and to be energized by God's love.  For a brief second I thought I could just deal with this on my own and then thought better of it. God has placed so many people in my life & my family's to help us through this hardship so I wrote back:

"Feeling shaky. Prayers needed to push back...actually remove all fear."

She replied back with a prayer for me:
"Dear Heavenly Father, I pray to you that you would take this fear and shaky feeling and bind it. Don't allow this to find its way into her mind. I pray your spirit and love would be felt upon Jeannette and guide her today, tomorrow, and each day through this. I lift this to you in your precious name. Amen

I was so thankful to have my children home with me because I handed the phone to one and asked them to lay hands on me and pray this prayer over me.  And then they hugged me with those soft, loving hands again.  I immediately picked up my devotion book another friend had sent me and found today's devotion.

Approach problems with a light touch. When your mind moves toward a problem area, you tend to focus on that situation so intensely that you lose sight of Me. You pit yourself against the difficulty as if you had to conquer it immediately. Your mind gears up for battle, and your body becomes tense and anxious. Unless you achieve total victory, you feel defeated.

There is a better way. When a problem starts to overshadow your thoughts, bring this matter to Me. Talk with Me about it and look at it in the Light of My Presence. This puts some much-needed space between you and your concern, enabling you to see from My perspective. You will be surprised at the results. Sometimes you may even laugh at yourself for being so serious about something so insignificant.

You will always face trouble in this life. But more importantly, you will always have Me with you, helping you to handle whatever you encounter. Approach problems with a light touch by viewing them in My revealing Light.

Psalm 89:15  Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.

John 16:33  I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

If you know me personally, you know that this made me cry. Tears of joy and tears of peace. God reminded me that He is in control. He provided me with the support and the strength to cast the fears out of my mind and put my eyes on him again.

I wanted to share this with you because I am not perfect. I do not always have it together. My eyes are not always fixed on Christ.  I am human & a sinful one. Thankfully the Holy Spirit dwells within me and God has put people around me to help me get through these moments no matter how short or long they may last.  Be encouraged friends. God loves you the same as me and if you allow him, he can do the same for you.

Some GOOD news!!!!

Hours after I read the devotion and received God's peace, I received a phone call from the geneticist to tell me that the panel for my special genetics testing was done and everything came back NEGATIVE!  

 Praise God

Just received a call from our insurance company to tell me that the specialist that was billed as out of network (so we would have to pay the full bill) was incorrectly billed. Praising God for more good news. They will re-bill it and go from there. :)

Prayers are being answered. Still requesting that more be lifted for us.  And a dear friend of mine was told her dr found a lump in her breast at her exam and she needs to have a mammogram done.  She is scared and needs prayer so please pray for her. Peace and comfort as she waits for results. And a report of excellent results too!

And finally for today.  It is the 15th of the month.  Today is the day that I change my contacts & also the day I have Adam put sulfur in the water pipes (if the right season to kill tree roots).

AND Today is the day that Ladies need to do a self exam of their breasts. Please don't put this off. I know they say to do it with your cycle but some ladies I know have long cycles. Some ladies are reaching menopause & don't have a cycle, and some have regular 28 day cycles.  Please, take the time today to do a self exam. PLEASE!!!!  If you don't know how, as your doctor for a handout or google the instructions.  No excuses.  Some insurances are starting to cover mammograms at the age of 35 for a baseline.  Schedule your appointment and go get squished!  And men, you should be doing self exams for yourself as well.  Sorry if this makes people feel uncomfortable but to me, if I can remind even one person, it's worth it!

Small Ann Arbor Update

Well, it's not much but it's something worth sharing. I got a call from a New Patient Advocate down in Ann Arbor that a friend had hooked me up with when she was there recently.  The new patient advocate called and was able to transfer me to the correct person working on my admission.  I left her a message and someone called me back a little later.  She emailed me the Records Release Form so I could sign it & email it back to her so they can get all my info in their hands & schedule my appointment so if more tests need to be done, they can happen soon.  While on the phone with the lady, that's when Sadie face planted on the floor (see the pic I posted on Facebook). I hope I didn't sound like a terrible mom as I scooped her up & calmed her down as quickly as possible. The lady asked if I wanted her to call me back later but I said, "If you would just hold on for a minute, I can get her settled down quickly."  In my mind I was thinking, NO WAY lady, don't hang up, I need to get this process moving forward and not just waiting some more.  In our conversation, she asked me if I have an appointment with my doctor soon and I said, yes, in 2 weeks but he was hoping that I'd been seen by you guys before I met back with him again.  Her response was, Oh, he wants things done ASAP?  I said, why yes, he does!  So as soon as my phone beeped & told me I had a new email message, I printed, signed, & then scanned & emailed back the form they needed. :)  I did my part. Now waiting for the next step to be done.  All in God's timing.  I'm praying for God to hook us up with the BEST team of doctors and nurses for ME and what's going on in my body.  Thank you for continued prayer.  And perhaps you are the kind of person that can't find the words.  Well, just tell that to God. He knows what's in your heart. You don't have to be what some might say is eloquent. You don't have to pray perfectly. He just asks for you to be you and share your heart with him.  Give it a try. Sincerity is a great start no matter the words.  Here's a song I love because it reminds me that God wants all of ME!