Nov12

Good morning!

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Good morning from snowy Minnesota!  I’m so excited to see our first snow this year!  It’s more like a dusting, but it’s beautiful!  I can hardly believe it’s been so long since my last post.  I try to write every few days, but I’m not sure I’m going to be able to keep up that pace over the next few weeks.  I know it’s a busy time of year for everyone, but we are especially busy this year – my daughter’s 18th birthday is next week, Thanksgiving a couple of days later, our church’s Ladies’ Holiday Tea on Dec 1 that I’m co-hosting with a friend , all of the pre-holiday  and pre-company cleaning,  decorating, cooking, shopping, organizing and planning, plus the first of our family arriving for the holidays/wedding around Dec. 20th,  our son’s 21st birthday on Dec. 23,  Christmas, and then our daughter’s wedding on Dec. 29!!!  Whew!  So much to look forward to and enjoy, but I think you can understand why I might find it difficult to keep up with the blog every few days!  I will try! 🙂

I’m so thankful that I am still feeling pretty well and the side effects are not too difficult to deal with these days.  That could change at any time, but I’m enjoying feeling good now and being able to do all I need to get done!  Thanks for the prayers!!!  God answered “yes”! 🙂  I’m having some problems with my hearing aids and feedback.   I may have to consider getting some new ones.  These are working at the maximum capacity they are capable of, and I’m wondering if that is the reason the quality of what I’m hearing is pretty intermittent and there is so much feedback.  I don’t really want to have to spend money on new ones right now, but it might be the best option.  We’ll see.  I think my hearing has been fairly stable.  There have been a couple of questionable moments when it seemed intermittent, but it’s very hard to say if it’s actually my ears or more of an equipment problem.  I’ve experienced both scenarios recently, so it could go either way.  Next doctor’s appointment is Nov. 28.

Last night in our flock groups, we talked about some of the Psalms – specifically ones regarding thankfulness.  I know that this is a time of year when many people are spending time counting their blessings and giving God thanks for them.  I was thinking about the relationship between trials and our spiritual lives.  I think that there are so many things we take for granted and sometimes there’s really no way for us to recognize that or realize it unless it’s taken away from us or from someone we know. I feel that way about what’s happened with my hearing.  During the worst part of that time, my eyes were opened to so many things I’d never even considered.  I found (and find) myself grateful for so much that I had always taken for granted.  Our perspective changes.  It reminds me of this scripture:

Ecclesiastes 7:2-4:

It is better to go to a house of mourning
Than to go to a house of feasting,
Because that is the end of every man,
And the living takes it to heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter,
For when a face is sad a heart may be happy.  
The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,
While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
I think the principle is the same.  When you are mourning the loss of a loved one, it is crystal clear what is important and what is not.  You are very focused on spiritual matters, the meaning of life, the example good or bad that the person you’ve lost has set, and the thoughts turn inward – what do I need to differently?  What do I really believe?  Is there a relationship I need to fix?  Is there a sin I need to repent of?  Do I need to change my priorities?  This scripture is so very true….don’t we tend to get “busy” and distracted by our daily lives and all that we choose to do and sometimes lose sight of the things that matter most?  When things are going along nicely, it’s so easy for that to happen.  I think the same idea applies to going through struggles and trials.  They force us to stop all of the things we normally do, and focus on how to handle the situation.  That means focusing on the things that really matter.  Getting our priorities straight.  Evaluating where we are and what we need to do.  Sometimes it means taking an honest look at our spiritual health and seeing if we are actually “sicker” spiritually than we thought.  Maybe it means humbling ourselves and asking for help even though we find that difficult sometimes.  All of these things are not just beneficial, but I believe they are critical to our spiritual growth and well-being.  I know that it has done me a world of good to have my eyes opened during the last few months and to realize how many blessings I have and to remember who they came from.  I’m thankful for the good that comes from trials and struggles and loss.  I’m thankful we have a God who knows exactly what we need.  In some ways for me, this situation is still going on.  I’m still making some adjustments and undergoing treatment.  In actuality, it’s been nearly 6 months since the initial episode and in some ways, things have settled into my new “normal.”  It’s easy for the thoughts and insights that came from the most difficult time in this to move to a little deeper into my memory and not always be at the front of my mind.  I don’t want to forget the things I’ve learned and the things I’ve realized during this time.  I’m thanking God for his infinite wisdom and the way He gives us what we need even if it’s not what we want or think we need and that He gives us the strength and tools to get through and be molded and shaped more closely into what He wants us to be.

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