A Time to Give......

 Christmas is my favorite time of the year, not just because we celebrate Jesus birth, but its time with family and giving! Sometimes we get caught up on traditions and  customs and not realize whats going on in the outside world.

  As I said in my previous blog, God showed me things while I was in the hospital. One of the things is about being blessed that I got out of the hospital in 9 days, but there are children that basically live in the hospital.The children don't get to go over families house's for Thanksgiving or don't get to go out and see the Christmas lights and all the decorations during Christmas . So as I was praying and crying, I asked God what He wanted me to do. Well..... when I went home from the hospital and I rested so I could enjoy Christmas, I got things to make the kids Christmas cards. I wanted to take them to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and deliver them.

  When I was a baby I stayed in Vanderbilt for 3 months and I was taken care of by many sweet nurses and doctors. I've always wanted to give back but just really never had the time. Ok... that's my point, we think we are too busy  for other people. I know that's one of the reasons I had to Be Still and sit in the hospital bed. We do things for people all the time, but I get so focused on my traditions that I don't think of other things. God will do what ever He has to do to get our attention.  So I made Christmas cards for the children, and one of my very best friends , she is my sister in Christ , offered to go with me to deliver them. I got excited and couldn't wait to go in to TN and deliver them. We set the date, for a girl day and take the cards to the children Monday 23rd . I wasn't thinking about the hospital procedures and everything you have to go through  to see the children, which is a great thing but I just couldn't hand deliver them. I got to talk to the volunteer  resource lady, and she asked me the story behind the cards, and me. So I told her and she cried and hugged me, she then gave me and Jess a list of the most needed things and I can ship things to them and they will take it to the children and their family. God is so amazing!!! We left that day feeling so fulfilled and over joyed!!!

  

   I'm not writing this to boast , I'm writing this to share what God is doing in my life and what He is telling me to do, This is all Him , and I'm truly blessed that He is using me and teaching me things through this. As you go through your daily routine , stop and ask God what He wants your to do for other people, or if there is something you are going through ask Him what He wants you to learn from it and what you can do for Him. Its amazing when we just sit and be quiet and listen to our sweet father. 

"But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness." Galatians 5:22

SO THANKFUL!!

  Having pneumonia , in the hospital for 9 days, couldnt go home to TN for Thanksgiving......So very thankful!


    Yes I know that sounds strange, being thankful to be in the hospital during Thanksgiving and not seeing our family. I really missed not being with them and doing all the traditions that we do every year together, but God shown me so much being in the hospital. Some times we get caught up in all the traditions and that we forget to actually stop and think about it all.

  I was actually shocked to find out when I went to the drs Friday Nov 22 and they did breathing treatments , IV antibiotics and chest X Ray . They saw pneumonia in both lungs and admitted me that day to the hospital. I know the dr thought I was insane when I looked at her and said " But I cant go to the hospital, we are taking our youth tomorrow to see Catching Fire, I can't go." She brought another dr in and he said " This is really severe , you have to go in for at least 3 days, maybe more" then I realized how serious it was. I had been sick for a while and gotten better, I just though it was sinuses, and it would go away. We went home and packed and went to the hospital, I already had a sweet friend there waiting to see me. They hooked me up to IVs, breathing treatments and a bunch of nurses that were super sweet. Through the next few days I got showered with love from Church family, friends and family. From visitors,  food, balloons, letters, posters, snap chat from my girls, text, facebook messages and phone calls we were truly blessed. We missed being with our family, but God showed us we have a lot of family here and all over the united states. We were prayed for all over in churches, homes and people who we didn't know. I said three years ago when I got sick with a pseudo tumor in my brain, Prayer is a small word but it does HUGE things! God and Prayer got us through it all!

I had my dr, a lung specialist, and infection and disease dr for that whole 9 days. I hadn't been feeling well for a few months, and they found a staph bacteria on my lungs plus double pneumonia on both lungs. The lung specialist actually looked at me and said the chest x ray looked like someone took a baseball bat and beat my lungs with it. All the nurses, x ray techs and drs said this is the worse case of pneumonia in someone my age. So God has had His hand on me for a while, because looking back I don't know how I did any of it . I was really sick the week I went to the hospital. I couldn't walk, I was coughing and at one point I was so scared I couldn't breath. I have asthma, so it made everything worse. So knowing all this, laying in the hospital bed with oxygen on because my levels were so low, made me realize how serious it is and I am blessed God took care of me.  


 Our pastor came by a few times and visited and prayed with us, Knowing we have a home church here with family that loves us means so much. My girls came and visited me, and knowing are youth Aftershock and their families were praying made us feel even more blessed. We were able to skype with our  family on Thanksgiving, and of course I cried. We had family bring us Thanksgiving dinner, and I think I ate it in 8 minutes! Hospital food is good, BUT since I have to have gluten free food, I was safe with grilled chicken, green beans, and mash potatoes. So after 6 days I was ready for something else. Chad and I had a great Thanksgiving together , and I really enjoyed that. He slept in a recliner chair all 8 days! Boy does he love me!

  Two days before Thanksgiving, I was praying and just seeking God and what He wanted me to learn through all this. I started crying and Chad looked at me thinking something was wrong. I begin to tell Him something that God shown me and its forever made me thankful for being in there. I get to go home, not sure when but I do , but there are children and other people out there in the world that don't, they stay there for a very long period or for their whole lives. Specially children in the cancer center. So knowing I get to go home, even though I spent Thanksgiving in the hospital, I'm truly blessed.

 Almost every card, or someone telling me, Be Still, and Know That I am God was like the theme for my stay in the hospital . So I guess I have been so busy lately that God wanted me still and quiet , and yes I couldn't talk much. So God will do ANYTHING to get us to be still and listen more to Him.

I went to see the infection and disease dr yesterday for a follow up, and he said my chest x ray looked better, I have scars on both lungs but he said he thought I would because the pneumonia was so bad. My coughing has gotten worse and I was concern, but he told me I would have it up to 6 more weeks. BUMMER!! And these lovely antibiotics have given me a rash ALL over my body so he gave me a shot and cream for that. I am just focusing on i'm improving, and God is healing me. Both drs said it is going to be a slow process . It could take two more months to get back to normal activities, but I know God has me and I will be healed. I also get to go home to TN for Christmas, the dr told me as long as I keep improving and no set backs I can go, so I'm a happy little pumpkin!!

Thank you all for prayers, love, support and just being our family!!! We couldn't do it without any of yall!! God is amazing and just remember it doesn't matter what has happened or what you are going through God has you and will get you through it. It is all a learning experience!

"So do not fear I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthening you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10 

.