Resolve to Rejoice

I have been trying really hard this week to focus on positive things and appreciate my abundance of blessings. I have felt better and the blood pressure is staying pretty normal most of the time. The headaches have not been too bad since Tuesday and I've worked the last two days. It seems that the Lord has lifted my spirits this week and allowed me to breathe easier. I hope this continues and Randy and I can keep this resolution to be healthier and thankful.

I got news today that my first grader, Elijah, has beat his cancer a second time. His scans were clear. He is such a sweet boy and has been through such a tough battle. This is his second time to fight neuroblastoma and win. His family has a reprieve for a while now. It has been a struggle for his mom, dad and sister as well as Elijah. Praise be to God. Our prayers have been answered. I've included a picture of Elijah wearing his "beads of courage". Say a prayer of thanks with me.

Saint Theresa's Prayer

Saint Theresa's Prayer
May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

Thinking Good Thoughts

"Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise...Then the God of peace will be with you."

Philippians 4:8-9

I've tried all day to think of the qualities of my son and my life that are worthy of thankfulness. God has been good to our family and we've prospered in His loving care. I believe with all of my heart that God will lead us through these dark times into a light that exceeds anything we could imagine. We love you, Lord, and praise you for your gracious gifts and love for your children. We only need to keep our eyes focused on You and we'll triumph according to Your will. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." John 1:5

Message from Trav

Today I received an e-mail from Laura's mom, Tina. She told me that she'd visited a clairvoyant in Jonesboro. Tina explained that her daughter was a runner and that she'd been running more since her boyfriend's death. Laura had recently had a dream. She was very upset when she shared the dream with her mom. Travis was trying to show her that he was okay and peaceful and that he will continue to come until she finds peace even if it upsets her. What is done can't be changed and when the time is right, God will send her a loving person to be with. Travis doesn't want her to be so sad and knows she can't understand that control is not in the hands of humans but in the energy of God and that it was his time to go. She also told Tina that the place of the shooting was a family business. He said to tell his mom and dad that he was okay and that he had come to see you. "It isn't a dream of me, I am there when you see me asleep, I love you all." He said that he'd been trying to send signs that he was okay. Tina said that she did not tell her anything about the death or the location. She was adamant about Tina passing the message on to us.

I did have a very real dream of Travis after his death. He came to me and I said, "Don't you know that you're dead?" He replied, "I know Mama, but it's okay. I love you." He gave me my hugs and kisses. When I awoke the next morning, I was extremely upset that he was gone, but very happy that I'd seen him and heard his voice. I could feel his hugs. It was so real! I know that all of this sounds hard to believe, but I truly had an awesome experience. That was interesting that she referred to that visit. I felt like I needed to share this with all of you.

Thanks for the Prayers

Your prayers really helped! I was at work every day except Thursday this week. I completed all of my classes by Friday morning and felt like I had accomplished a lot. The Dr. has adjusted my meds and the blood pressure is remaining pretty normal, but I keep having a headache. I don't know if the meds are causing this or my stress.

Randy and I spent the day driving around and running errands. I always enjoy our time together. I'm looking forward to going to Maumelle tomorrow to make more measurements for things that we need. We've had pretty good luck with the free ads in the newspaper. We've sold bedroom furniture and the Teeter Hangups gadget I bought for my back and never used. We need to look around and find some more stuff that's just collecting dust.

A Good Day at Work

Thanks, everyone, for your prayers and support. I was able to work today and actually accomplished a lot. It felt good to be there and stay busy. I know my coworker is always happy to see me when she arrives. It gets pretty crazy around the counseling office during the school day. I tried to reach the nurse practitioner at the cardiologist office today to give her my readings, but had to leave a voicemail. Maybe I'll hear back from her tomorrow. My blood pressure is still running high and I don't understand what in the world could be causing such a thing. :) It was good to visit with Laura Gentry today. She came by after work and brought me a couple of books to read. Her mom stopped by last weekend and brought a cherry tart while it was still warm. Yum! I posted a picture of the flowers Randy and I placed on Trav's crypt in case some of you haven't had a chance to make it to the cemetery lately. I guess at the end of this month we'll put in a new arrangement for the spring. It's such a little thing, but somehow I feel like I'm doing something to honor my son. He deserves so much more. You're the best, Trav.

We Took the Plunge

No, we didn't go swimming. Today we met with the agent at Maumelle and made our final deposit on building our patio/townhome. He expects that the building should begin in a few weeks and that it will be finished by the end of the summer. All of you start praying really hard that our home sells for a fair price within that time frame and we are able to finish all of the little repairs by the end of February. We need to get it listed by the first of March, I'm sure. Our offer for painting practice still stands. We've got two bathrooms and our bedroom to get painted. Randy's been working for 4 days on removing the wallpaper in the front bathroom. It's been a tedious job and he's finally coming close to the end of that phase. I imagine by next weekend he'll be ready to start painting. There's a ball tournament the last weekend in March, so I'd love for him to finish before then. I've been having some problems with my blood pressure and the cardiologist has me monitoring my bp each am and pm before my medicine. After I call in the results this week, they'll make a decision about necessary changes. Pray that I can stay well for the remainder of the school year. I'm sick of my paycheck being docked every time. We have standardized testing coming up and middle school registration. I need to be at work. Pray, Pray, Pray, please.