Time is Flying at Breakneck Speed

A full six months have raced by already this year -- only 5-1/2 months until Christmas. Whew! Just think about how slowly time went for us in our childhood when we said: "I can't wait until school is out for the summer". "How many more days until Christmas?" Or, when we were so in love and counted down the days until our wedding day and what about that nine long months for our baby to get here?

You know the saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun!” Well, I had a lot of fun as a kid and time sure didn’t fly for me. You remember the movie “Back to the Future” where a teenager (Michael J Fox) is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time machine invented by his friend? The reality is – we don’t get to hit a “reset button” or go back in a time machine, but here’s the really great thing…..we DO get to start each new day with the wisdom and knowledge we gained from the past.

Instead of watching fireworks on the 4th, we decided to stay in, have popcorn, chocolate shakes and enjoy a movie in my children's theater room. We selected the sci-fi movie, “Arrival” in which linguistics specialist Dr. Louise Banks is brought in to decipher and communicate with aliens that have landed on earth. The most impactful line in the film to me was in a closing scene when Dr. Banks utters “If you could see your whole life laid out in front of you, would you change things?”

That question made me think about how I might have done things differently if I had known how things would turn out in my life beforehand. I might have withheld things I just felt like I HAD to say or did. I might have been kinder, less judgmental, made different decisions or reacted entirely differently to such incidental and did-it-really-matter situations.

We can’t do anything about the past, but we can sure do things differently now and in the future. We can take life less seriously and enjoy the ride much more. We're the pilot on this flight and in many ways, IT IS like a RESET button. Each experience – good and bad, has equipped us to be better, do better and appreciate time more. It is the dawn of a new day, today. I know one thing for sure -- we can’t live in the past, and the future isn’t ours to predict. But, we can make moments, minutes, hours and days really count for what matters most.

I speak a lot about it, but I repeat: Treasure THIS day – make memories for yourself and someone else. Live as if there were no tomorrow. Spread sunshine. Give love and laughter and life to those who need an injection of fun, faith, and friendship.

The BAD news -- time flies, but the GOOD news, we're the pilot in the hands of the MASTER PILOT Who holds our future in the palm of His hands! And, I assure you, if indeed “time flies when you’re having fun”, then I must be having a blast!

It’s My 10 Years Anniversary

If you’re on Facebook or if, over the last few weeks, you watched the news about its co-founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, you'll be amused that my “word of the day” is “Facebook” (FB). FB is a popular free social networking website that allows registered users to create profiles, upload photos and video, send messages and keep in touch with friends and family.

These little photos popped up yesterday because 10 years ago on April 16th, 2008, I became a Facebook user. It was the newest and best tool to connect with friends and family that I hadn’t seen or heard from in years. Then I found it to be painfully ridiculous as I would read posts where people were complaining about their deadbeat husbands or their high energy children or their dog who had left their home in a shambles or were singing that “Somebody Done Me Wrong” song. I didn’t even want to check my page, so I went AWOL with FB.

Then fast forward two years, 2010, when we received my husband’s medical diagnosis of Stage 4 Kidney Cancer. We had been the ones who encouraged and prayed with many people who had serious illnesses. Now, we had to practice what we had preached “Trust God. Live with expectancy of something good getting ready to happen. Throw your hands up in the air and enjoy the ride.” This is when FB became a platform for me to share our faith journey, and in doing so, made sure we were living out what we believed in our hearts...."Nothing is impossible with God" so we expressed optimism, hope, and faith, even though it was the toughest battle we had ever faced in our lives.

Living life out loud on Facebook became a gift to me. I found sweet peace in writing. FB became a place of solace because it connected me to thousands of friends and family members. I needed that connection. I wrote about our faith journey -- conquering and winning through it all -- even his graduation to heaven and to my new world as a widow became a win.

Here's what I know for sure. All those things that seemed so important before, soon became so trivial. My priorities shifted to making moments count more than ever before. Now I know the stuff of life are those everyday precious moments that matter most. Now when I hear people complain about FB and other social media posts being the outlet for people to get depressed, I think “compared to what?” I loved the post of a friend who feels like I do about social media. Here are words she posted a few weeks ago:

“Before social media -- it was the radio and television that made people aware of war, communist threats, potential nuclear meltdown, race wars, starvation, political unrest and maybe one little feel good human interest story on the side. Pretty easy to feel good about yourself when the world is going to hell in a hand basket, right?! Enter the social media age. It is a constant presence in the lives of billions of people across the globe. Facebook alone boasts of nearly 1.8 billion users. A vast majority of people post the “highlight reel” of their lives. They post their cute dogs, their adorable babies, their sexy spouses, sunny vacations and wonderfully decorated living spaces. And it depresses some people? Really? 🛑Not me. I gravitate towards time on social media because I love to see the “happy” in people’s lives. I love their cute babies and dogs, their amazing spouses and homes, and especially those vacations. In fact, if you are a Debbie Downer or a continual Negative Nancy, you will find I have quietly unfriended, unfollowed or hidden your posts. 🙀 I choose to spend my time engaging with positive, uplifting, encouraging post-ers and I look forward to my nightly social media time to check in on the “wonderful” of people’s lives. (No, I don’t watch the news.) For me, posting a selfie that I feel good about is my way of staying positive about my self-image and saying “I think I like myself today.” Can we all please do a little more of that?! " 😘

So, happy 10 year FB anniversary to me. I daily give God thanks for the privilege of having friends like YOU who indulge me as I proclaim God’s good news in my FB posts. I sincerely believe God has me on assignment each day for these 6:00 am posts. Maybe FB annoys you when you see some of the shenanigans of people and some of the outrageous things they say. On the other hand, like me, maybe God is calling you to be a good news "bearer" that sees FB as a mission field where you can share God's love to a world that needs it so much. Maybe it's your light that will turn off the darkness in their world. So shine, Baby, shine!

"Then He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." (Mark 16:15) Thanks, FB, for helping to facilitate 10 years of spreading that "good news". I love living in this glass home where others can see my heart for God and His love for all of my FB friends and family AND me!

Temporarily Out of Order - Let It Go

A few days ago, I posted about taking on life, and its ups and downs and twists and turns like riding in a roller coaster – I said, “Just throw your hands up in the air and enjoy the ride.” But, a friend shared with me…. “Roller coaster rides make me want to throw up!” That put a big smile on my face. But, in reality, we ALL have days like that. Just when we think we're making progress, another "mechanical" difficulty causes our ride to come to a screeching halt and the "TEMPORARILY OUT OF ORDER" sign goes up. You know, those times when we want to go back to bed and pull the covers over our head, rather than face another disappointment, defeat or delay.

But, ultimately, if we believe that God is working everything we encounter for our good, and if we believe that He has an awesome Master Plan underway, then we’ll get re-energized, re-focused, re-stored, and re-connected to the ONE who is in control. We’ll listen for His voice, and we’ll re-engage and re-focus on His promises to us and we’ll gain back our composure and calm. And, once again, we’ll “fight the good fight of faith”.

But, WARNING – TAKE PRECAUTION – just in case the enemy shows up to throw a monkey wrench in the mechanical system of your roller coaster – just carry along with you – a barf bag – and "Let it go!" (as sung by Elsa from the Disney Movie, “Frozen”). Get rid of the yuck, and get back on the ride of determination and put on that never-give-up and more-than-a- conqueror attitude! Then -- throw your hands up in the air and ENJOY THE RIDE!

A Roller Coaster Ride is Great....But Sometimes You Just Want to Throw Up!

Early on in my blogging I described our faith journey as a roller coaster ride -- twists and turns, and ups and down, and throwing our hands up in the air and enjoying the ride!! But, as a friend shared with recently….roller coaster rides make her want to throw up! And, I'll admit..I've had days like that recently. Just when we thought we'd made some progress, another "mechanical" difficulty causes our ride to come to a screeching halt and the "TEMPORARILY OUT OF ORDER" sign is put on the gate.

The above photo is of Ron a few weeks ago enjoying a ride on the jump seat of a Gulf Stream Jet, which we enjoyed traveling on with our son and his team as we flew to New York City to be a part of his company going public on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Indeed, we were flying high…and now, here we are….updating our blog from his hospital room again.

It’s been another faith-challenged, but faith-filled, week. Whew!! Wednesday night I rushed Ron to the E.R. at the Tulsa Spine & Specialty Hospital at the instructions of his neuro surgeon. He was experiencing excruciating, debilitating pain in his back (comparing it to a knife). Immediately they administered IVs, did blood tests, MRIs, CT scans and x-rays. The pain was so extreme they had to give him sedatives that put him out, literally, until Friday evening. On Thursday night he began running a fever of 104 degrees, and had a high white blood cell count, plus other factors that showed inflammation in his body. Today, we received the confirmed report that he has a serious staph infection that will require weeks of antibiotics via I.V. They expect to keep him here in the hospital through the end of next week. That is the immediate course of action. And, then there’s the other factor – we were suppose to have started chemo on Thursday, but this current challenge prohibited that, and the infection doctor says that chemo needs to be stalled until the infection is cleared up. Then there’s the oncologist that says the cancer is so fast moving that he must start the chemo as soon as possible.

Early on in this journey, we, as a family, agreed that Ron would be the "Pilot of this jet ride" and agreed that the decisions God led him to make regarding his own health course of action, would be the direction we would take. Little did we realize there might be times when we had to step in as the co-pilots, to make serious decisions for him. I’ll admit my vulnerability in the natural – just seeing this strong, man of action and power being in such a place, but as I watch him sleep, I continue to stand in faith and believe that “God is making him lie down in green pastures, leading him beside still waters to restore his soul and body”. I ultimately believe that God is working this all for our good, that there is an awesome Master Plan going on. It was such a testimony of that plan as the Infectious Disease doctor heard Ron, today, tell the story of his Dad's healing from cancer and then Ron declared "God is no respecter of persons" -- He can do that for me." Daily I declare my favorite scripture these days -- Psalms 118:17 -- "He will live and not die and will declare the works of our God." Actually, I’m going to start looking for a renown publisher very soon, to be able to support our best selling book on “Peace in the Midst of the Storm; Walking on the Water; Do Not Fear – Only Believe; God is Faithful; etc. etc. etc.” Please continue to pray for us, specifically, that this infection must bow to the name of Jesus and that the intended purposes of the medications are successful and the side effects of any and all medications that he takes are rendered null and void; that the medical team we have is hearing God’s voice and acting on His wisdom and that we remain calm, focused on God’s unfailing promises and that we will be strong soldiers in this “good fight of faith”! Love you all so much! Donna