Goodbye 2008

so it is time again to bid farewell to another year gone.

People are stocking their bars, and planning their resolutions as we speak.

New Years is a time to begin again and start fresh on a clean slate. It's a time when, at least here, there is white pure snow on the ground to symbolize our fresh start.

New Years is also a time for countdowns and so here is mine from the year 2008 in random order and random thought process, from my own random life and the world...... because....well....I'm RANDOM!

I always start with the bad news because it reminds me that I end up happy :)

5 bad things of 2008 according to moi

- the Lakeland "revival" - I am personally so glad it's over, I mean that much heresy in one state should be illegal even in our crazy world. well that and I got tired of people telling me to go there to get healed, did you ever notice that people are happy to tell you where  to go get healed but they don't give you the money  to do it. So I am supposed to combine the "miracle" of extra cash to throw around with the "miracle" of hedonistic prayer "revivals"...........oh I am getting so sick just thinking about it.......I think my lunch just made a revival.

- the brutal murder of Brent Martin, a man with a developmental disability who was killed in the UK by three teens who just wanted to "practise" and show off their newly learned boxing skills. I'd like to "practise" shooting them out of a cannon.

- my chronic pain got worse and ....well.....chronic. I learned much about the uncaring, unprofessional, unintellegent medical profession and their incompetencies

- Robert Latimer, a man who killed his daughter who had Cerebral Palsy was released from jail after only serving partial sentencing for the 1993 crime, I wonder if he would have recieved so short a sentence if he had murdered a "normal" child...oh and the wonderful icing on the cake is that he now lives in my province!! too close! too close! run away Robby, buh and bye! 

- my dear sweet friend Bernie passed away in the spring, she was as much a mystery in life as her death was. I miss you Bernie Balogna

5 good things of 2008 according to moi

- people are still having babies with downs syndrome, at the beginning of this year all signs pointed to an annihilation of people with Downs through genetically creating designer babies, but it didn't happen and that signifies hope for me that somehow, somewhere, people are getting the message that life is precious and so is difference.

- I started to read the bible more fervently and actually bought my very first study bible!! wow I feel so growned up!!

- I won a contest, for a video I entered, at a chronic illness community website  that I belong to and I was in several radio shows speaking about the important topic of patient advocacy

- the disability world came together to support protests about the horrible language and degredation of people with developmental disabilities in the movie tropic thunder, it was a huge movement and it was very exciting to see so many mobilized.

- I spoke at a national convention in Chicago in July and I was even payed to be there! It was very exciting for me to speak with other parents who have little children diagnosed with the same thing I have.

All together it has been a great year and I can see many ways that the Father is drawing me closer to Him. God is good!

It is my sincere hope that your new year is filled with joy, happiness and a little hardship to help you appreciate the good times that much more.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Censored

I hate being censored.

I find a lot of people with disabilities are censored.

I find a lot of wemen in pain are censored, told it's hysteria.

I am a generally positive person but occassionally when life gets the best of me and I can't take it anymore, I say how I am feeling.

A problem arose this week when my status in the social networking site called facebook said " _____ is in a lot of pain tonight :("

one of my friends (I will not say who, she is a friend I met on the internet and maybe doesn't know me very well) sent me a message saying I could complain about ANYTHING other than disability or pain related. I know she was just trying to help me be positive but sometimes people need to be allowed to feel bad. sometimes people just need to be able to cry and have someone hold their hand, whether physically or cyberly.

So the next time that someone tells you they are feeling bad, even if they have been feeling bad for a long time, just trust them and sympathise and ask if there is anything that you can do for them.

We all know the message of Job and how harsh his friends and wife were.

don't be like them

I am sure I will have more to say about this but that is all I wanna say at the moment.

Soli Deo Gloria

Regret

"Bitterness and regret are habitual disabilities that reinforce themselves, they take moments and twist them into horrible shapes, they take expectations and form them into threats, they feed on fear and feast on terror."

This is from a favorite blog that I read called Chewing the Fat by David Hingsburger that I wanted to share.

I have been facing some of my own regrets myself this week and although they were not made by anyone but me, it is very disabling to not be able to move out of fear of more regrets.

SO I am disabled in more ways than one, but at least this one I can do something about.

I intend to pray and read my bible and grow as a person from this week and it's upsets (again made by me) and to see all the beautiful things that are around me.

There are so many great things happening in my life, I am dating a wonderful guy that I totally do not deserve. I can only say that it was God that brought us together and nothing that we did or deserve! Praise God!

I had 2 hours pain free on Christmas day as well, that was a beautiful present. You know how you get a gift that is really precious and maybe down the road it breaks or gets misplaced or stolen, you still have the memory of it and that is how I feel about my good moments, they are treasures from God.

I have such good and understanding friends and I am a very thankful girl, I try to be always and I hope it shows.

Soli Deo Gloria

Christmas is alive!

I meant to write this earlier and didn't.

I wasn't going to because Christmas is "over" (well not really in my opinion)

but then I keep thinking about it, so maybe it is my push to write it. Sometimes I need a big push but God is faithful.

Seasons Greetings, Happy Holidays, Merry Festivus, Happy day-off-work.

Sometimes I think Christmas is not alive in our secular world, it is alive in my heart and in the hearts of many of our lives but not "out there".

but maybe I am wrong..........

In the past week leading up to Christmas, I have seen signs in major stores saying "Merry Christmas", I have heard cashiers say "Merry Christmas" as I leave. I have heard "Merry Christmas" from other shoppers if I happen to bump into them or vice versa (I am not very graceful walking at times) even radio announcers have been heard to say "Merry Christmas".

not Seasons Greetings, Happy Holidays, Merry Festivus, Happy day-off-work.

Christmas is alive in my town. Is it in yours?

Soli Deo Gloria

Unexpected blessings

I got a wonderful unexpected gift yesterday.

As many of you will know, I have chronic pain, well yesterday I was going around the corner in my town from my friends house to my own because I had forgotten something.

As a person with chronic pain, I can sometimes semi-tune out my pain, it's still there but it isn't the forefront of my mind, but it's always there and I always feel it.

Yesterday I was going back to my home to get a Christmas music CD I wanted to share, then as I got to my door I noticed my gift.

I had no pain.

NONE! 

WOW! Praise God for that wonderful Christmas gift!! I was pain free for almost 2 hours, I dunno why, but I don't need to know. It was not an anonamous gift.

I think the memory of those 2 hours of unrestricted movement and playing with my friend's children will stay with me for sometime.

I am not upset to be in pain again as you might think. With a small break, I can endure and perservere, as long as God is by my side, I will never fear.

I hope you had a blessed and wonderful Christmas time with friends and family.

Merry Christmas!

Soli Deo Gloria

Merry CHRISTmas!

Merry Christmas! I hope the wonder of the infant saviour's birth fills you with joy!

I have been taking a blog holiday but hope to be back posting daily soon.

Warmest wishes to you and your family.

Soli Deo Gloria

I will be away this weekend.

I didn't want any of my friends who read this blog to worry that I was laying in a ditch somewhere! :)

Just a quick note:

I am astounded by the grace upon grace that is pouring into my life from God. Yes, I am still sick. Yes, I am still disabled. I have just been experiencing something that could only be planned by God.

I will try to write while I am away and maybe I will be able to post multiple entries upon my return.

Have a blessed weekend!

Soli Deo Gloria