Friday Foto Friends-Only Believe

 I've got more things to share with you from the past few days.  I thought I'd opened all my special gifts from our ladies' Christmas party the other day, but then I remembered that I'd forgotten to open one special little package.

It came in this little 2" x 3" plastic package that was kind of hard to open, so I had put it aside and planned to open it when I got home. I had no clue what was inside, and it was a gift that each lady received by reaching into a bag and pulling out one of these little packages at random.  More about this in a few minutes...

Well, yesterday, as many of you knew and were praying for me, thank you very much indeed, I had my six week post-op check up with the neurosurgeon who did my cervical spinal fusion. My biggest concern has been that my right arm continues to hurt and has not gotten any better since the surgery. It had been diagnosed with "cervical radiculopathy", which was caused by nerve impingement due to the ruptured disc in my neck, which was surgically repaired and should have released any impinged nerves.

So, upon examination yesterday, the two neurosurgeons who had done my surgery carefully examined my arm and x-rays, and said that they did not feel that this continued pain was due to any further nerve impingement, but that I most likely have a frozen shoulder, and they are referring me to an Orthopedic Surgeon and also to Physical Therapy.

That is not the news I was hoping to hear. I was hoping they'd say that my arm was still just healing and that it would be better in time with some therapy and not to worry, etc., etc., etc.  The possibility that it might require further surgery was not an option that I was willing to consider.

To say that I was disappointed would be a great understatement.

I left there feeling a bit overwhelmed and somewhat depressed, which for me is an unusual state. But this pain has been wearing me down for quite a while, since way before the surgery, and I certainly thought that by now it would be so much better. It is something that affects my every day life in one way or another, but then again, it is not totally debilitating, just aggravating and frustrating and painful. I do count my blessings and am so very thankful that it is just my arm and not my whole body. God has been very merciful and kind to me, and I am very very cognizant of that fact and give Him praise.

That being said, still, I am human, and I was not happy.

However, also being human, and the fact that it was almost lunch time and we were hungry, we stopped at a new to us BBQ restaurant on the way home for lunch. Some BBQ pork, sweet potato fries, coleslaw and a cup of hot tea because I was chilled and needed something to warm my innards seemed like a good way to brighten my mood.

And then we got home and I took a nice long nap.

Now, you are still wondering about that little package that I had not opened, aren't you? Okay...let's move on:

I opened it up and this is what I found inside:

What?  My "One Word" for 2021, "Believe" was staring at me from this tiny little package that I'd forgotten to open until right that very moment when I needed it most.

Coincidence? No...with God there is no such thing as "coincidence".  There are special God appointments, timely messages, words of hope and encouragement at just the right time...but never just a coincidence. God knows what we need, when we need it, and how to provide exactly the right thing right on time.  This was certainly one of those moments.

Then I called the friend who had provided that bag full of these little packages for everyone to choose at random and asked her if everyone got the same thing. She said, "No, each one was different, and these were left over from last year and I didn't know what to do with them so I thought this would be a good way to share them with others."  So I told her my little story about my "One Word" for 2021 being "Believe", and that right then at that very moment I needed to be reminded to believe that God was in control, and that He had me covered, and that "With God all things are possible"...

We both praised God together that He had provided this little bit of encouragement at just the right moment. Wow!  What a joy and blessing!

Oh, there's one more thing. Another dear friend had given me this journal in a package at the party...another one of those God gifts I would say, wouldn't you?

When I showed my hubby the wristband and told him about how it all came together right at that moment, he started singing this old hymn that we both know and love:

Refrain:

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe;

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe.

Fear not, little flock, from the cross to the throne,

From death into life He went for His own;

All power in earth, all power above,

Is given to Him for the flock of His love.

Refrain:

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe;

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe.

Fear not, little flock, He goeth ahead,

Your Shepherd selecteth the path you must tread;

The waters of Marah He’ll sweeten for thee,

He drank all the bitter in Gethsemane.

Refrain:

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe;

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe.

Fear not, little flock, whatever your lot,

He enters all rooms, “the doors being shut,”

He never forsakes; He never is gone,

So count on His presence in darkness and dawn.

Refrain:

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe;

Only believe, only believe;

All things are possible, only believe.

Okay, friends, that's for today's blessings and Friday fotos!  Thank you again for your prayers. I will be contacting the physical therapists today to set up my appointments for therapy, and I will wait to hear from the Orthopedic Surgeon to hear what he recommends, and I will keep believing that God has this under control, no matter what.  God is good, all the time, God is good.

Have a blessed and beautiful day and weekend.