Five Minute Friday-In Between

Five Minute Friday----Want to join or just want to know what Five Minute Friday is all about? Head over to Lisa Jo’s blog and find out And while you’re there, be sure to visit & leave some comment love (no lurking!) for the other bloggers who linked up!

Today’s Prompt: In Between

Today I am in between where my illness has took me and where I would like to be.  I was diagnosed finally with sarcoidosis a few months ago and am in the middle of another bad attack.  Don't worry until I was diagnosed I had never heard of it either.  It is an autoimmune disease that basically your body attacks itself and your immune system is very low.  Right now mine is attacking my lungs and breathing the hardest.  My Dr says that stress is one of the worst things on this disease and so I need to learn to be less stressed.  Now she wants me to stress less right as she is also putting me on strong steroids and taking away caffeine so no chocolate, no Dr Pepper and no stress.  Yeah, I am not feeling it yet so I am in between where she wants me to be and where I am.  Day 1 so we shall see how it all goes.  Where are you in between today?  Go make your post, link up with above link and go see where others are today too.

God bless,

Pat  

The Journey From Hurt and Hate to Hope and Healing!

     Last night I could not sleep and God gave this blog post to me.  I know this is so true and I hope it might help someone. This is not just a blog post, I have lived each step of this personally. it has taken me a long time but I finally think I am at healed but sometimes lip back to hope but that is okay as long as I keep climbing forward.
     Whether you have been through child abuse, domestic violence or whatever your pain may have come through, if you don't deal with it, it will grow and get bigger.  You can get bitter or get better.  These may not be your exact steps but it is what is helping and has helped me and I hope it will help some of you.
     Step 1---Accept what happened. You say, I know what happened.  Ok but have you accepted it.  For a long time I was like, why did it happen, what if it hadn't, what did I do wrong, what could I have done different? As long as you are here you can't get healed.  Accept that this was a part of your life, it happened, it shouldn't have but it did.  It will always be a part of you but you can let it be the stone that holds you down and drowns you or you can use it as a stepping stone to rise above it.
     Step 2---Forgive them.  I know why should you forgive them?  They were the one who did wrong and they may have never apologized and may never apologize.  Even if they do, why should you forgive them?  You should forgive them because forgiveness is for you not them.  Once you forgive them, you can move on and climb up one stepping stone higher.  They have to live with what they did but you can climb above it.  So forgive them and keep climbing.
     Step 3---Now this step is for hope.  Look around you and see if you can help someone.  Maybe you can be the one to listen to the child no one is listening to.  Maybe you can be the one who watches the kids where Moma can get a break.  Maybe you can be the shoulder for the abused one to lean on.  Use what happened to you and climb on the next stone up and help someone.  Maybe you can be the one to help them to step 1.
     Step 4---Last step is healing.  Once you climb all the way to this step, you realize you went through what you did but it is not who you are.  Move forward and live the life you have now.  You are now ready to go out and make a difference and live the life God had for you all along. You have accepted it, forgiven, helped others and now you have also let God help you.
     Sometimes we might slip a step but don't stay there, climb back up and go again and pretty soon you will be on that mountaintop.  If you would like me to pray or help you in any way I can to reach that last step or any step feel free to contact me here or email me at bbcmoma@yahoo.com. My greatest hope would be to help someone else to heal.
God bless,
Pat

Rescuing Hope, A Story of Sex Trafficing in America

     Every two minutes, evil strips innocence from a child and sells her into slavery. For sex. Not in a third world country, but in America. Before you take another breath, the next victim will be taken or tricked from her family by a profit-hungry criminal. She could be a neighbor. A friend. Your sister. Your daughter. This is the description of a book I was given the chance to read.  I was thinking this happens in big cities, in other countries but this does not happen in small town America where I live, but I was wrong.  Hope could be your daughter, your granddaughter, your friend, the little girl next door.
     Susan tells the fictional story of "Hope," an all-American girl who gets sucked into the horrible world of sex trafficking. Unfortunately sex trafficking is a big business in America, taking the young lives of teenage girls. As I was reading this book, I was picturing a young lady in my past and going this could be.......and it broke my heart. 
     I challenge you to take a chance and read this book.  Don't just read this book but let this book change you and your life.  I pray that it changes you cause it changed me and if enough of us let it change us, maybe we can change the lives of some of these young girls.

God bless,
Pat

I did receive a copy of this book free to review but was in no way influenced to post a review of any kind.  All opinions are my own.

My Treasures-4 week Mini Bible Study (A Review)

I was given a chance to get this book and to do a review on it.  It came at the perfect time for us I thought.  Billy had recently gone back to work and we needed to work on getting our money back on a budget.  This book is not about that though. My Treasures is not about how to budget or spend your money but really more about your attitude toward the money God has given you. It taught me that God will provide for our needs and he did all those months Billy was unemployed but this book also taught me money is not important in itself.  God and things of heaven should be what we are working for not money and more money to buy things.

The book is

My Treasures - Four Week Mini Bible Study (Becoming Press Mini Bible Studies) by

Heather Bixler and is available from Amazon.com  It is affordable and will teach you so much.

Each week's study includes the following:
Scripture
Lesson
Life Application
Memory Verse with application steps for all 7 days
Discussion Questions

It takes you step by step to teach you and it is truly not what I expected but was so much more.  I give it 5 stars and totally recommend it to ya'll. 

God bless,
Pat
PS I did receive this book for free for my review but was asked to give an honest review which I did

New Computer and I am back!

     My computer died so was off the computer for awhile, but then hubby bought me a new laptop so I am back online.  While I was offline I thought about of I wanted to start blogging again.  I am not sure if anybody reads this or even cares but then I thought I care.  I started this as sort of a place to capture memories so I am back and I am here.  I am not sure what I will post about, it might be a meme, a review or just how life is going with The Loves but you are welcome to join in and read along if you want.

God bless,
Pat



Blessings, do you see them?

    We all have blessings in our lives, sometimes the blessings are big and those are nice but sometimes they might be little blessings we miss because we are too busy to see them, or are so focused on the negative that we can't see the positive.  

     Sometimes the blessing might be a redbird right when I feel like I want to give up, a hug or I love you from a grandchild.  It might be someone bringing supper after I had surgery, a card, flowers from online friends, or a surprise package from a friend just to brighten my day.  It might be a picture a friend posted on my facebook wall, a rainbow on a rainy day, a phone call from a long ago friend. These are some of the blessings I have had recently.

     What are your blessings?  I don't know, do you?  Are you so focused on what you need or what you want; what someone did or didn't do;how things are going or not going?  For me redbirds are a sign from God for me that He is there, that He cares, that someones loves me, that I can make it through the storm or whatever I am facing. Look for the signs in your life, it might not stop the bad but it might remind you that no matter what is going on, it won't last forever.  

     Also while you are looking for your blessings, maybe you can be the answer to someone else who is looking for theirs. Remember God says give and it shall be given unto you, so what are you giving out?

Blessings,

Pat

Jeremiah 29:11

   

Why I love my hubby Part 2

     Last month Istarted  a new series on the blog and linking it up with Happy Wives Club.  The second Thursday of each month I'll be listing 10 reasons why I love my hubby.  If you would like be a part of this series,  head over to Happy Wives Club and get all the details.
     I am doing this early as I am having surgery and not sure how I will feel so here is part 2.....

Why I love Billy-Reasons 11-20

11) He is going with me to my biopsy on my lungs and told me no matter what is shows we will get through 

       it together and he will help me whatever I face.

12) He wants to spend time with me

13) He likes to find little ways to make me happy, like making me a glass of tea or Dr Pepper

14) He listens to me even when he could care less what I am talking about

15) He lets me vent

16) He always takes up for me

17) He likes to watch Dr Quinn Medicine Woman with me

18) He likes us to eat together as a family

19) He teases me about Uncle Si but knows that he is my number 1

20) He wants to grow old with me

     As I was thinking on this post, I read something on facebook and thought it was perfect to add to this and also was very timely especially as we do not know what my future holds as we face this health battle.  I am going to share it with ya'll too. If you only had 5 minutes left to say all you wanted to to your hubby what would you say?

     CHALLENGE: Set your timer for 5 minutes, write down all you'd want to say to your husband in those final moments, and then give it to your husband.I am linking to the blog where I found this so you can read it for yourself..... http://www.happywivesclub.com/daily-blog-happy-wives-club/the-5-minute-exercise-every-couple-should-do.html 

God bless,

Pat

Jeremiah 29:11