Thankful?

Well, the election has passed, the hug-bub is gradually ceasing, and yet we have many things we can still fret over, don't we? Ray and I continually take hits on our 401K, how about you? Has your stress level been elevated? It's difficult not to "go there," which means downhill in our thoughts. It is so easy to focus on all the negative, isn't it?

Having lived with unpredictable MS since 1977 has sort of prepared me for this time in our lives. I never completely have security about my health. I know I could become more disabled at any time no matter how much exercise, good eating habits, and MS drug treatments I adhere to.

I was telling a class of first graders about my symptoms of MS one time, when a precocious little guy raised his hand to ask, "Does anything in your body work right?" I laughed out loud! Of course many things in my body worked right, but this little guy thought the worst from my presentation.

Ever since then, whenever I go to a doctor and I hear something good--about my blood pressure, blood work, results of a test--I think (or say aloud) something in my body works right!

And I've applied this principle to my entire life. When the MS is bad, with symptoms crashing in on me, I can always find something for which to be thankful--I can see, I can speak, I can write. If one of those is gone at the time, I can be thankful for something different. Paul wrote the people in the church at Ephesus "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything" (Ephesians 5:20).

We can practice this in all of life. So our 401Ks are dwindling, do we have health to be thankful for? Our health is bad, do we have family (or just one person) who cares about us? Our children are angry with us? Do we have hope they will mature and we can be thankful for that?

Get my drift? There is always something for which we can be thankful. And thankfulness makes our problems less overwhelming. It can even take our mind off the situation that is bothering us for awhile.

I recommend we all begin looking for things we can be grateful for. Once we start, we'll soon have a growing list and life looks a lot better!

To being thankful!

Jo

Vote and Exclaim at the Beauty of Fall

I know you've heard this so many times you're tired of it, but I urge you to vote before or on Tuesday. No matter who you are voting for, don't believe pollsters. Your vote counts and matters!

Sorry you haven't heard from me in awhile. I've been balancing too many plates to write and thought I should prioritize to keep healthy and calm. Especially during this time of watching highly volatile campaigning and Stock Market swings.

Yes, like you, we have taken a huge hit to my husband's 401K--yikes!

We have so much to be grateful for though--our health, home, family and friends. And have you been watching fall explode like we have? I exclaim so often every day at God's amazing creation! This is a favorite time of year for me when the colors are unmatched by any painter's palate.

My speaking opportunity blessed me to no end with people telling me how touched they were by what I sensed God wanted me to share. I can't tell you what a blessing it is to be used as his instrument of change in the lives of others because of sharing God's Word--the Bible--and how it relates to our lives.

Anyway, I hope you're doing well, friend. More soon!

Have a great day!
Jo

Life in Limbo?

Sorry for being so long in posting. Life has been busy for me. How about you? Is it busy or do you feel like you're in limbo waiting for the government to decide what they're going to do with your hard-earned dollars? Waiting for your 401K to plummet farther down in value? Waiting to see if the economy can make it "at all" if we're to listen to the media doomsayers.

I am learning along with my husband Ray that all things are known by God and because we love him and are called according to his purposes he will work ALL, yes ALL things together for our good (Romans 8:28). It may not seem like it as we have lost so much of our 401K but he promises this and we've learned we can believe him.

We learned it when Ray was out of work six years ago and we didn't know what would happen. He was offered a job, we rented our new house here in Washington state near Portland, Oregon, and we were moved to Salt Lake City, Utah for 11 months. We weren't in limbo, we took life as it came and it turned into such an incredibly fun and interesting time for us, we wouldn't have traded the adventure for the peace he could have had otherwise.

We learned it when I tumbled head-first down an entire flight of stairs and couldn't feel a thing from my excruciatingly painful neck down. I cried out loud, "God help me!" and had searing pain down my arms and hands and tingling from the waist down. I could move my legs and knew I wasn't paralyzed by God's grace. I should have died or been a quadriplegic according to the doctors. Yes, I had a long recovery learning to stand and walk again only to have three MS attacks put me back in a wheelchair, but God was ever-present and so precious. I wasn't in limbo, I was growing in God's and Ray's love and sharing with people I would never have met if I hadn't fallen.

During this seemingly awful time of limbo, lets ask God what he'd like us to learn. Let's look at things that seem frightening and ask, "What can I do or think in order to be less insecure." As we remind ourselves that God loves us with an everlasting love we will be less likely to fret.

To living today instead of living in limbo!

Jo