It’s a Brand New Day

Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come, but this day is the day we have an opportunity to practice recognizing God’s blessings in everything – even in the things we don’t especially like! It’s a big deal to wake up to a new day, because yesterday was the very last day on this earth for many.

It’s a brand new day with potential and possibilities! It’s also a brand new day to posture ourselves with a “can-do-anything, all-is-well” mindset. At the beginning of each day, we step into the world and, if we’re intentional, we’ll avoid the news and the bickering and the sensational soundbites. That will be a good thing. We can be on purpose in avoiding the yuck of this world so that we are clear-headed and clear-hearted.

It’s a brand new day. We are still here, and God has a reason for it! We keep reminding my almost 98-year-old mother-in-law of that when she says: "I'm done. Take me home, Lord!" We know there's a reason for her life AND yours and mine. Life is a matter of perspective. No blessing is too small or unimportant. And even if this day comes with some unwelcome surprises, we remember God has a master plan in place….and, if we’ll look, we’ll even see the blessings tucked in-between those surprises. We take the good with the bad, and God is gracious to give us both as a reminder that every good and perfect thing starts with Him. (James 1:17)

Take heart, my friends. It’s a brand new day and we can lift our hearts in praise and thanksgiving for it. All is well. Let’s take deep breaths…because we can. We aren’t on ventilators. We aren’t bed-fast. We aren’t in prison. We aren’t on a street begging for bread. We aren't a lost cause.

So what can we do well today? We can do our part. We can fight the good fight. We can work for justice and freedom. We can offer grace to those who need God’s grace and He can use us to give it to them. Let’s move about with mercy and understanding and even though folks can’t see us doing it through our masks – let’s SMILE. That smile radiates in our eyes that twinkle with God’s love. Folks will “eye” it. Let’s be kind. Let’s love.

It’s a brand new day. Clean slate. Let’s make new memories, celebrate life and all its many thrills – after all, this is the last day we have today.

Fighting the Good Fight of Faith

(This is one of my first ever blogs, June 12, 2010. I repost today because I thought, just maybe one of my FB friends could see how my Sweetheart and I "fought the good fight of faith" during his illness, 6 years ago. It blessed me then, it blesses me now -- NEVER stop fighting the good fight of faith!).

June 12, 2010: Our faith journey continues to keep us on our toes – endeavoring to be good soldiers with our combat boots on, armored with God’s Word, and completely surrendered to our Commander’s orders. We know there is tremendous value in “fighting cancer” with a good positive attitude and being nutrition-conscious! And we’re definitely doing that. But, most importantly, we are doing what St. Paul told young Timothy to do in 1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of FAITH!” We are convinced that God is using our “great adventure” to not only cause our faith to be strong and unwavering, but we have a lot of friends, family members, medical team and acquaintances taking this journey of faith with us who are also fighting this good fight of faith with and for us!

Ron successfully completed the 3-days of cyberknife treatments to kill the second tumor that was on his lumbar-2 vertabrae. We’re still working on the pain in his lower back to diminish, but he is a brave, courageous soldier. There are days when we think about how “routine” our lives once were…..waking up, getting dressed, having devotion, eating breakfast, going to work, etc. etc. And then, this “suddenly” happened that certainly caused a totally new life perspective. Rarely did we take the time to focus on how green the grass was, how blue the sky was, how bright the sun was, and how precious were the days when we were pain-free and strong. Now, each day is one to be cherished!

I’ll admit we’ve had our share of crises, but I don’t think we’ve ever come to realize the preciousness of life like we do now! For many years I received those little e-mails from friends that talked about appreciating life…..and now I get it! Holding my Honey’s hand, kissing his sweet lips, smelling his wonderful smell (btw -- “Fierce by Abercrombie” -- LOL!), hearing his laughter when he’s watching the grandchildren, hearing him tell me once again “I love you” – all those things that were once “routine” are now so precious and dear to me!

The next phase of our journey will take place on June 22nd when he is scheduled for the surgery to remove the kidney that has the primary tumor (the real culprit of this whole deal) in it. The urologist is expecting to do a laparoscopic nephrectomy (much less invasive than standard kidney removal), which means smaller incisions and less recovery time. Please pray with us for that to be exactly what happens, that Ron will recover quickly and do great with just one kidney (thank God for this back-up system), and that this will bring much relief and wholeness to his body! We look forward to planting our flag of VICTORY very soon! We appreciate your prayers and support so much!