Friday Foto Friends: It's All About The Heart

 Well Friends, this certainly was a week full of surprises! If you are a Facebook Friend, you probably already know what my week has been all about...but there's so much more to the story. So you might as well fix yourself a cup of tea or coffee and find a comfy seat, because this may take a while.

Let's just jump right in at the beginning, shall we?  Early early Wednesday morning, around 5:00 a.m., I was sleeping comfortably in my bed. But suddenly I started having a very disturbing and frightening dream. 

In my dream, I saw this chest of drawers (above), which originally belonged to my maternal grandmother's mother, but it now resides in my bedroom, and it is very very heavy.  In my dream, this chest of drawers was literally tipping over and on top of me, right onto my chest. I could actually feel it crushing my chest as it fell.  I woke up in a panic and in pain...my chest felt like that chest of drawers was on top of it, and my left arm felt weak, as well as my left leg. When I tried to stand up I felt dizzy and nauseous.  I immediately tried to awaken my hubby, who was sound asleep. Finally I managed to arouse him and awaken him to the reality that something was very wrong and I needed to go to the hospital. Somehow we managed to throw some clothes on and decided to just drive there (about 15 minutes away) rather than wait for an ambulance. Probably not the best idea, but that is what we decided to do. Thankfully, at that hour of the morning there was no traffic and also thankfully, when we arrived at the hospital emergency room, it was empty and I was taken in immediately as soon as I said "I think I've had a heart attack!".  

Thankfully the emergency room staff sprung into action and began checking my vitals and did an EKG. I never lost consciousness or anything like that, but it sure felt like a textbook case,especially for a woman having a heart attack. I remember the doctor saying he wasn't sure if I was having a heart attack, but he didn't like how high my blood pressure was. Anyway, they did all the normal things that should be done.  (I assume...I've never had this happen before, but it felt right to me).  

After a while they seemed to agree that I wasn't having a heart attack, but according to a chest x-ray, I apparently had pneumonia.  That, along with the other symptoms I was having, was enough reason for them to decide to go ahead and admit me for further observation. They also ordered a CT Scan of the chest and also the head.  

With each new event, I found that I was floating along in a bed, being carried here and there and back again, but I was in perfect peace.  When they wheeled me out of the room where the CT Scan took place, I saw a little white gauzy looking figure perched above the door. I asked the attendant what that was, and he said, "Oh, that's Jesus!"  We have Him around in all kinds of places.  Even though I knew it was just a piece of gauze bandage made into a little figure, somehow it was comforting to know that these people wanted something to represent Jesus in that place. I said, "Well, I know Jesus is here with me, but I guess I just didn't expect to see Him perched above that door wrapped in gauze, but I like that."  

I don't think I saw anymore little gauzy "Jesus" figures in the hospital, but I did see Jesus in many real people...there was a woman Chaplain who showed up in my room when I got back there, and she just kind of pushed around the nurses and attendants and stuck her head out and said, "Do you mind if I pray with you?"  Of course I said "Please do!".  She showed up again the next day to pray once more, and then said she was on her way to have an MRI done on her head and neck, and I said that I would be praying for her, and I did and I have. I hope everything went okay and that she is going to be fine.

I saw Jesus in the nurses and aides and even the lady who came to clean my room. I felt His presence with me all the time, and it was very comforting.

I finally got some food for supper, after not eating all day long. It was surprisingly good for hospital food, and I was SO thankful to finally be fed!

This was the view from my window.

I'm glad it was good food, because I was not allowed to eat anything again after midnight, as they had scheduled a nuclear stress test for me the next morning. Oh, and they also did an ultrasound/echocardiagram, which was interesting to see.  I wish I could've taken a picture of my heart beating. It would remind you of an ultrasound of a baby in utero, the way it moved around. The nurse doing the test assured me there was no baby in my heart when I told her I thought it looked like there was. (They might have been thinking I was a little cuckoo by now).  

For the Stress test, they had to inject radioactive stuff in my veins and then take me to radiology for the test. I know now why they call it a "stress test"!   Yes, it was stressful, but while waiting for me to drink my Pepsi after the test (because the caffeine counteracts the stress medicines in your body! Who knew?), the fella who did the test stood at a distance from me (because of the radiation) and we chatted about the Lord. He was a wonderful Christian young man, and we enjoyed sharing our faith with one another. Then he took me back to my room and told me not to snuggle up with anyone for about 18 hours so the radiation could go away. I called my hubby and told him he couldn't come and hug me for another day or so.  Our 56th anniversary is tomorrow, and thankfully I should no longer be able to glow in the dark by then. LOL.  

Philippians 4:13 NKJV became my mantra throughout these tests...

13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Thankfully when I got back to the room, this lunch was waiting for me: Another very good meal! I ate every bite.  Oh, and that pink "blanket" you see is actually my pink bathrobe. Hubby brought me my things from home, and he decided at that last minute to grab this big pink fleecy bathrobe. I never wore it as a bathrobe, but it stayed on my bed as a cover on top of the blue blanket,  and I snuggled up in it all day and night.  It felt so warm and comforting. What a sweet hubby to think of that!!!

There's the sky outside my window:

This picture was hanging on the wall in my room, reminding me of my own Still Waters Pond...

"He leadeth me beside the still waters...He restoreth my soul..."

Supper was Turkey and dressing...another good meal!  

And this was the sunset outside my window, while I was talking to my sister on the phone and she was telling me about the sunset outside HER window!  It was nice to talk to my sister, (who lives about 2 hours away) and also my brother called me from North Carolina to check on me!

So that brings us up to this morning. They had scheduled an MRI of my brain, to make sure that I had not had a TIA (or light stroke).    Again, Philippians 4:13 rang through my mind as I prayed my way through that tight spot in the machine.   

During this whole time, I had posted my situation on Facebook, and so many people were praying for me, I was totally amazed.  Also people from our church were praying, and I knew that God was working through all the prayers and all the wonderful people who were serving God with their talents for healing.  I kept seeing these different verses and quotes on Facebook, and they gave me comfort:

Especially meaningful were these verses about "the Heart"

Psalm 139:23-24  NKJV

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.

Finally, after all the tests were done and the results were compared, it was determined that I had not had a heart attack or a stroke, but they did discover that I have the beginnings of a heart condition called Diastolic Heart Failure. "What is diastolic heart failure?

Diastolic heart failure, also known as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), is a condition in which your heart’s main pumping chamber (left ventricle) becomes stiff and unable to fill properly."   Thankfully, "With the right treatment, you can effectively manage the symptoms of diastolic heart failure."  

So I will be getting referred to a cardiologist, who will help me navigate this new situation in my life.

Why did I have that crazy dream and feel like I was having a heart attack? Well, perhaps that was God's way of giving me a literal "wake up call" to discover this condition before it became worse.  Whatever it was, it certainly got my attention, and I thank God for His love and concern for me, and also for putting me where there were His people to help bring about healing in me.  Oh, and they gave me antibiotics for the pneumonia, which really seems to be rather elusive...no cough, no other symptoms, but it was enough to make them keep me in the hospital long enough to figure out this puzzle. And so I give glory to God for His intervention on my behalf. And now I have to learn how to properly take care of myself so things like this don't happen again! 

As I said in one of my posts on Facebook, don't put off saying "I love you" to your loved ones and friends...don't think you've always got tomorrow to get things done...tomorrow may never come. We need to always be ready to go home to meet Jesus.  One of my high school friends actually passed away this week, which was a shock to all of us. But I know he knew the Lord and he is with him today. Still, I know it is very hard for his family, and they are in my thoughts and prayers.  It could've been me...and my family who would be left alone. Life is short...make sure you are ready to meet Jesus face to face. 

If you made it this far in reading this post, thank you for sticking with me. Thank you all for being such wonderful friends.  Now go tell someone you love them.  

Oh, and one more thing...don't put off washing your hair...I had planned on washing it that morning, because I was too tired the night before.  So I ended up with dirty hair for a couple more days! Guess what was the first thing I did when I got home today??? Yep, I took a shower, washed my hair and shaved my legs! And then I took a much needed nap! LOL.  Oh, and the Kids brought over tacos for supper so I didn't have to cook!

That's all Folks! Good Night!

Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends

 Since it it late in the day on Thursday I might as well combine this post with tomorrow's post and share my photos as well as "be thankful".  

1.  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

2. The earth was without form, and void; 

and darkness was on the face of the deep. 

And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

Genesis 1:1-2

It was quite chilly this morning, and actually there was a frost on the ground, but I didn't notice it as I was too busy looking at the steam rising from the face of Still Waters Pond. It made me think of that verse in Genesis above..."And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters..."  What a beautiful thought to start our day.

And then I was pleasantly surprised to see Mr. Bluebird show up! He doesn't usually come around that early in the morning, at least I haven't seen him that early in a while. They haven't taken up residence yet in the birdhouse...they still seem to be just passing through or checking it out for future reference when they are ready to start building their nest. But according to what I've read, they could start building their nest anytime now...so I will definitely be watching! What a joy and blessing to witness their daily lives once things get going!!

Speaking of daily lives...This morning I had to go have some routine 

(fasting) lab work done, which of course is an occasion for going out to eat breakfast afterwards as my reward!

We've been to this little place several times before..."Colee's".  It's pretty doggone good and makes getting jabbed a more pleasant occasion.

After breakfast we went to The Dollar Tree and The Dollar General, looking for some Valentine decorations. Obviously, when you wait until a few days before the big day, it will be "slim pickin's".

I still can't find what I had last year. They are hiding somewhere in our shed I think. Our son "organized" my containers of seasonal decorations and actually did a great job, but for some reason the Valentine decorations are not in the bin where I thought they were, and I just cannot find them anywhere. I'm thinking they've slipped behind something somewhere and they will probably show up next fall...so anyway, this is what I managed to find today:

I realize that looks kind of stupid...but it is a heart shaped wreath with a garland attached to give it more color.  I may have to make it a bit more decorative than that...

This table runner I actually bought at Walmart a few weeks ago...

And this little heart wreath looks kind of pathetic...but it is what is is. 

Happy Valentine's Day! 

It's the thought that counts, right?

After we got back from eating and shopping we decided to go for a walk as it was such a gorgeous morning!  After several days of very cold,  damp, rainy, dreary weather earlier this week, we felt like kids let out of school to be able to get out and walk and enjoy the sunshine again! Praise God!

I saw this wild plum tree blooming in another section of the woods where I had not noticed it before,  and of course I had to get up close and personal with it! It was just so gorgeous, and they don't last for long, so we need to celebrate and delight in its beauty while it lasts, don't you agree?

It's funny, there are so many pine needles hanging in this tree that it looks kind of like a Christmas tree with those icicles hanging in it...remember them?

But when you get up close...well, what can I say?  I just love these little wild blossoms so much!

And would you look at that blue sky? Now tell me there isn't a God Who created all this for us to enjoy...I dare you!!

When we got back home I noticed we had quite a large flock of geese swimming around on Still Waters Pond:

At first I only saw six, but then after looking closer I realized there were actually seven geese!

Once I stepped out on the porch to take their picture, they started honking and eventually turned around

And flew away! Oh well, I enjoyed watching them while they lasted. My camera battery died when they all took off flying, so I didn't get a picture of that, of course! LOL.

So this afternoon it was SO beautiful I spent some time sitting on the swing in the garden, just soaking in the sun and enjoying the blessings of what God has provided so abundantly.

You've seen this mug before that says:

"Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God"

Job 37:14

And so that is just what I did.

I needed that.  You know sometimes we get too caught up in the world and all the world's problems and we find ourselves getting tense and frustrated and even bordering on depressed.

Then I saw this post on Facebook today, by "Susie Larson Blessings".  https://www.facebook.com/susielarsonauthor

This really spoke to me:

"Morning Blessing: May you refuse to procrastinate on the things God has clearly asked of you. May you deal with the issues of your heart that block your view of God’s goodness, holiness, and love. Daily love, forgive, obey, and pray because there’s a God in heaven who knows your name! When you take seriously the things that settle into your heart, God takes seriously the prayers that come out of your mouth. Rise up with a bold faith and a humble heart, and speak life over your life, starting today. Speak to your mountains and tell them to move in Jesus’ Name! Speak to your fears and tell them that Jesus’ love is perfect is greater still. Speak to your soul and remind yourself that God is always good. Speak to any obstacle that blocks your view of the Son and His radiance, and tell it to be tossed into the sea! May your faith combined with God’s goodness move you to a place of grace and peace. And every which way you turn, may you see evidence that God is at work an involved in your life. Have a faith-filled, powerful day. #SusieLarsonBlessings"

Mark 11:22-25 NLT ~ "Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too."

I don't know about you, but I needed to hear this today. Sometimes little things creep up on us, like little hurts and feelings of inadequacy or being misunderstood by people we care about, and if we aren't careful we can let those things build walls between us and others, and then ultimately, between us and God.  We may find ourselves wanting to retreat into a corner or run away rather than deal with the issues, but that is what the devil wants us to do.  I, for one, do not EVER want to do what the devil wants me to do. I cannot give in to his lies and doubts and fears, because once I let him get a toehold in my mind or a quenching of my spirit, it doesn't take much to take me to a place where I should never be...a place of self-pity, doubt, anxiety, or wanting to give up and run away. I don't normally have these kinds of feelings...that is actually kind of foreign to me...but it happens when I give in to those whispers of doubt.  So it is so important to "daily love, forgive, obey and pray because there's a God in heaven who knows your name!" (Susie Larson, see above). 

And so it is a good idea to daily take stock of our own hearts and spirits, and seek God's face first of all...and pray:

"23. Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 139:23-24

Okay,  I think this is a good place to stop for today.  I pray this has been encouraging and helpful to you as it has been to me as well.  I am so thankful for our God, Who listens and hears our prayers and gives us encouragement just when we need it most, aren't you?  Have a blessed and wonderful rest of your day today and a Happy Friday tomorrow!!!

,

Friday Foto Friends:Daily Renewal

"Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.  

And in Your book they all were written, 

the days fashioned for me, 

when as yet there were none of them."  

Psalm 139:16

What have you been doing this week? Did you ever stop to think that God already knew what your days would be, long before you ever were born?  According to this passage, He had already written about you and me in His book, and He was preparing a place for us to be before we were even a twinkle in our parents' eyes!  This is a thought that is perhaps too big for any of us to fathom.  But it should cause us to treasure our days here and realize that we are precious in God's eyes...and that every day has a purpose.  

With all of that in mind, here are some pictures from my past week...some not so exciting, and some just random events...but apparently important enough that God has already written about them in His book...that is mind boggling...would He really care about all of this?  I often think that God has quite the sense of humor if He really wrote about all my days...

For instance:  We celebrated our new flannel sheets last night when the temperatures dipped down to the 20's here in our neck of the woods in Florida...

Aren't these little owls the cutest?  They make me smile...

We also received a very nice Christmas gift of this new bear bedspread ensemble.  I believe it was intended for our master bedroom, but our guest bedroom was already designated as the "Bear Crossing B&B", so it just seemed to fit here much better.  I hope the gift giver won't mind...

 This inspired me to get busy and clean out the closet in this guest room (long overdue), and I discovered this brown furry/and buffalo plaid  flannel lined blanket that my mother had actually made for our youngest son many years ago...and it truly completed this bed perfectly. Now it is really ready for company!  I wish my mother was here to see this. I'm missing her this week especially as her birthday is coming up on Saturday, January 6th.  She would have been 101 years old!!  Maybe she is smiling from heaven...

Another Christmas gift was the sign below "Christmas At The Cabin...where memories are made"

Our son (Ben's Wood Signs) made this for us to replace the original one that he had made and sold! 

I like to display the sign under the little log cabin replica that he made. (Click Here for the original story about that)

Our home isn't really a cabin, but I like to pretend that it is sometimes...

Another great Christmas gift was this jigsaw puzzle, entitled "Time Away"  (looks like my dream cabin...)

 And here I am puzzling over this puzzle...a great chilly, rainy day activity...

This morning we woke up to frost everywhere... (outside my kitchen window)

 Yes, that is frost on the ground...

And we braved the cold to take a walk to the neighborhood pond just in time to see that Blue Heron fly away...

 And to see all those little ducks (some kind of wild water ducks) land on the pond way over there on the other side...can you see them?

I took down the Christmas tree, but just can't quite put away the Nativity Scene just yet...after all Epiphany isn't until January 6th, when we celebrate the day the Wise Men came...

Here is another new Christmas sign from my son:

This is just a sampling of the week...there was much, much more...interaction with special people, visitors here, visits to others, a trip to the library, a haircut...

(oops, you caught me in my pj's!)

Yes,  God has also been busy at my daily renewal...(that will continue to be a work in progress...not just this year, but all the rest of my days that God has already written about...)

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

and see if there is any wicked way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 139:23-24

Amen.

So, I still wonder how all of you have been this week?  Let's skip over to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and see what our other Friday Foto Friends have been doing.  I pray you have a blessed and wonderful weekend...and just think about how God has already written about your days...kind of makes you want to do something special, huh?  

Here is the new image for Friday Foto Friends from Deb!  Isn't it cute?  We love Owlies!!!

P.S.  Here is a link to some info on "Epiphany", in response to one of my reader's comments:https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/epiphany

I should probably not have inferred that I celebrate Epiphany...it is more of a recognition of this event.  Many churches, mostly the more liturgical churches do recognize Epiphany, or "Twelfth Night".  In my home growing up we never took down our Christmas tree until Jan. 6th, which was also my mother's birthday.  I always assumed it was because that was her birthday, and that is what they did in her home as she was growing up.  It wasn't until later years that I understood that Jan. 6th was "Epiphany", and many traditional churches recognize the visit of the Magi (The Wise Men) on that day. That doesn't necessarily mean that was the date they actually visited the baby Jesus. There are many discussions on that, mostly that it was anywhere from several months up to a year or more before the Wise Men actually arrived to present their gifts.  We just know that it wasn't on Christmas day.  They had followed the Star from their lands starting on the day Christ was born, and it led them to the Christ Child (read Matthew chapter 2).  So whether or not you or your particular church recognize Epiphany as an actual event is not the most important aspect of this.  It's just another beautiful way to close out the Christmas/Advent season and recognize the significance of the gifts of the Magi...Gifts that actually may have helped the "Holy Family" to make their escape to Egypt when King Herod ordered all the baby boys two years old and younger to be slaughtered...just some things to ponder as you put away your Christmas things and your Nativity Scene...