Today is the day that my great-grandmother has chosen to be with our Lord and Savior. Our angel on earth has received her Heavenly wings tonight. Grandma, While my heart is breaking, I am comforted to know that you are no longer hurting and that you are at peace. I know Grandpa is up there waiting on you, with a twinkle in his eye, ready with a couple of jokes for you and maybe a card game too. Uncles Butch, Rich and Gene and Aunts Betz and Sharon will all be there to greet you with open arms and big smiles on their faces. Be sure to get one of Uncle Gene's bear hugs and tell everyone that we love them and miss them terribly. I miss you so much already. I'm hoping that Amanda has a little girl so she can name her after you! You were our family matriarch and set the bar high for what the rest of us aspire to be. You were the most gentle, sincere, kind-hearted person I've ever known and definitely the person I try to emulate. We all love you so much, but know that we will meet again when it's our time to join you in Heaven. I love you, I love you, I love you and wish that just one more time I could give you another hug. 💔 While we have lost our angel here on earth, Heaven has gained her sweet soul. I love you G-G-Ma, always and forever, until we see each other again. I wish all so-called Christians understood this verse, instead of feeling like they are qualified to judge or call into question someone's faith. The only judgment that matters is when I meet Jesus. My beautiful, loving, intelligent, kind-hearted great-grandmother. I love you so much, my life is better because you are in it. You have been and always will be my source of inspiration. I have always told people that if I could be like anyone, it would be my great-grandma Dora. Always so kind and thoughtful, willing to help anyone out regardless of what else you may have had going on, I've never seen you angry, always quick to forgive others for their trespasses and see the best in everyone. I know our time on earth with you is very limited, and because of that, my heart is breaking. I pray for comfort for you, and strength and peace for our family. You have been the pillar of our family, strength for our family, your faith has never wavered. I love you so much! This is absolutely what my grandmother would say Aunt Betz, you are the epitome of a true warrior, you have been #strongandbrave during your battle with lung cancer. You have fought with amazing grace, courage and perseverance and I admire you, I have always looked up to you. Lord knows I picked up your cleaning habits from the many summers I spent with you!
I'll always remember our summer trip to Davenport, all of the lightening/heat lightening that we saw on the way there and how amazing that was. Do you remember "she da sistah?" I don't remember how it got started, but I do remember you, Debi and I laughing so hard about "she da sistah" that we were in tears and our stomachs hurt from laughing so hard! Or, the night that you were a little "upset" at how long I was taking in the shower after swimming in the Mississippi, when you needed to get in the shower too! I have the best memories of assisting with the planning and coordinating for the yearly Fourth of July bash, or assisting with the weigh-ins at the county fair. Or, if you want to go waaay back, all the times that we would use the CB to contact Uncle Rich or the guys out in the field and we each had our own handle. I don't remember what they were anymore, but I remember us having fun with the CBs! You always have a smile and a laugh, except maybe the time that Amanda called 9-1-1, I think that was the only time I saw you angry! We still giggle just a bit when we hear "my hand is empty"! I might have used it on my kids a time or two! I always felt so comfortable talking with you about almost anything and I feel like I still can. You are the most remarkable aunt and friend I could have hoped for. I did a lot of growing up those summers with you, and feel that I learned so much from you. I cherish the memories of my summers with you, I cherish you. I hope to be able to see you soon. In the meantime, I pray that God would ease the pain that you are experiencing, but also that He would envelope you in so much love and comfort. Please know that I love you, I love you, I love you! We all love you! “Do not look forward to what might happen tomorrow. The same everlasting Father who cared for you today will care for you tomorrow and every day. Either he will shield you from suffering or he will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations." -St. Francis de Sales My aunt has battled cancer for almost two years now. In December 2012, she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Through aggressive chemo and radiation, she has had more time with family, and enjoying life than we thought possible. But, in the last few months her health has started deteriorating rapidly and today the Drs have suggested hospice care. At this time, we are happy to spend the remaining days we have left with her. I simply ask for prayers of comfort to help her with pain and discomfort. Thank you all so much, my family really does appreciate all prayers! God bless you all. I know that everyday, people are fighting the war against ailments and disease. But today, I would like to ask you to pray for someone you've never met - my aunt. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in December 2012 and with treatment has been with us for much longer than doctors originally thought. She's fought the entire time with determination and a smile on her face, and isn't going to let this cancer get the best of her. This is truly how my Aunt has been living, and is a true inspiration in the face of adversity. She has refused to let cancer get her down, and has instead taken so many trips, created so many cherished memories, laughs every single day, and doesn't allow it to destroy her peace. I believe this has been her motto since the first day she was diagnosed.
However, just recently, it appears that the cancer has metastasized and appears to have moved to her lymph nodes. She is a brave woman with a big fight ahead and she, along with her immediate and extended family, would be so appreciative if you could say a quick prayer for healing, strength, and hope. Our Lord is truly wonderous and I pray that he will help heal my aunt and continue to provide her with hope, strength and courage as she fights this next battle.
Lately, I have been feeling more stressed and anxious than I remember being in a long time. I feel that I have so much going on, being pulled in all directions, my responsibilities as mom and wife, my responsbilities to my job and also my school, that I hardly have time to catch a breath or to know if I'm coming or going. It's starting to affect my sleep, my health, my ability to focus and get things done, to move forward and point-blank to relax and be able to enjoy things and life. That's hard to write. I'm sure most of it is self-imposed, trying to keep up with and manage everything, from the kids' school schedules and events, to my always-hectic schedule at work, to making sure that my family has everything that they need in my absence on the nights that I'm not home. Then feeling horrible because I'm missing these valuable moments with my family and friends, which turns into sadness which just adds to my stress and anxiety. My husband is my biggest supporter, as is my family, but sometimes it just feels like too much. I find myself turning to my faith more in times like these, to help me pray through what I'm feeling. After saying my prayers, I feel a renewed sense of peace envelop me, and even if just for a few hours or minutes, I feel calmer, better. I find myself praying a lot lately, and the two prayers below have been and continue to be huge for me.
-- Lord, I'm just having some trouble managing this stressful time in my life. The stress is just getting to be too much for me, and I need your strength to get me through. I know you are a pillar for me to lean on in tough times, and I pray that you will continue to provide me with ways to make my life a little less burdensome. Lord, I pray that You provide me your hand and walk me through the dark times. I ask that You reduce the burdens in my life or show me the path to get things done or rid myself of the things weighing me down. Thank you, Lord, for all You do in my life and how You will provide for me, even in these stressful times. -- Heavenly Father, I give You glory, honor, praise and thanksgiving. I thank You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made! I thank You that You have plans to prosper and not harm me. I thank You that You will never require more of me than I can give, or give me burdens more than I can handle. But Lord, I am feeling overwhelmed by daily responsibilities, by expectations of my family and job, by the demands on my time, by my physical tiredness, by the feeling that my burdens will overtake me, by financial hardships. Father, I have been dealing with these issues in my own strength and I know this is a sin. Father, I repent of this sin and turn to You for help. Father, You sent us the Holy Spirit to be a helper and a comforter. So, I am laying my burdens on your altar and submitting my will to You. I am placing my fears, my anxieties, my weariness, my anger, my stress, my burdens on the altar and leaving it all there for You to handle. Lord, I receive that You are already working situations out to my benefit. I thank You, Lord, that You are giving me spiritual strength, renewal and refreshment even now. I now that you are bringing people into my life that will help me, encourage me, to share and build my faith with and to add to the quality of my life. But above all, You are with me and that brings me great strength, assurance, comfort and joy. Thank You for providing me with everything that I need. Thank You for love me and caring for me. Thank You in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen. -- Like I was mentioning above, these two prayers have an especially calming effect for me. I've even worked in some meditation and breathing into the prayers when I'm saying them and the combined effect is really comforting. I hope that these prayers will also help you. © Cruzin' Thru | 2014 Today, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of the Lenten Season, or Lent.
What is Lent? Lent is the season of preparation for Easter. It starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter. We prepare for Easter by fasting and practicing spiritual discipline during this time - to reflect on His sacrifices. Basically, Lent is a time for "spring cleaning" our lives and spirit while giving thanks to God and strengthening our relationship with Him. It is important to us that our family understands the importance of this season, the true meaning and why we celebrate. I think that Lindsay at PassionateHomemaking has some really great, kid-friendly Lent activities that will help reinforce and help our kids understand the messages of this season. I've also found a few other sites that have been tremendous resources for us: SortaCrunchy: Resources for Lent and Easter PassionateHomemaking: Intentionally celebrating Lent and Easter Aslan's Library: Walking through Lent with Children ClassyChaos: How to explaine Lent to children & activities for Lent BibleGateway: Lent reading plan (walks you through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. I am using this daily, as well as my devotional) For me, I have made the decision to remove the following from my daily life during Lent, in order to cleanse myself and bring myself closer to God: * swearing - to cleanse my emotions (sometimes I can make a sailor blush) * fried foods - to cleanse my body What will you be giving up during Lent? What are some of the acitivities that you and your family do to celebrate the season? I would love to hear any ideas you have! © Cruzin' Thru | 2014 |
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