love to paint

Everyone deals with sickness differently. Some people want to be left alone and never asked about it. Some don't. Some people think that medicine is bad. Some people will push for medicine thinking it will make everything better. Some people think that things will go away if you don't go to the doctor. Some people go searching for health issues when there aren't any. Last year, when I visited my mother's hematologist with her, she told me to only search as far as I had to--and then to stop.  I was given the same advice by a rheumatologist. We live in a complicated time.  Women are getting double mastectomies because they have a certain gene.  In a time when people think that doctors want to prescribe everything and do every procedure they can--that is not what I have experienced. What I've experienced is: + One specialist telling me that I'm not sick, but that I do need to take Vitamin D (blood test showed it was low and it's very important to ...

Recently, I was talking with two friends about a YA book I had recommended.  Neither of them connected with the book, though they had enjoyed other books I'd recommended before in the past.  I couldn't explain exactly what I had liked about the book because it had been several years since I'd read it.  So, I headed for the library to check it out. The book was Hope Was Here , but Joan Bauer.  The book is recommended for ages 12 and up (7th grade).  I have found with other books by Ms. Bauer that I usually think the recommended age should be two years above what it is.  The story is about a teenage girl named Hope.  The story begins with her traveling to Minnesota with her Aunt Addie, who is essentially her mom.  They are leaving their restaurant where her aunt was cook and she was a waitress.  Addie's partner stole their money and they were forced to close up shop.  The story follows Hope's journey in this new place.  Much of the ...

Yesterday, I shared a devotion at our church's women's brunch.  I thought I would post it here.  These are thoughts that have been on my mind this week, because it was such a crazy, busy, over the top stressful week for me.  But, it is done now.  The next week portends to be a stressful one as well, but it is Christmastime!  I want to focus on the Lord and remember Christ's birth, but it can be challenging when life is crowding in.  These were the thoughts I wrote down when I sorted through it all... What are you dwelling on? Who? What? When? Where? Why? And How? Yesterday, I was struck that these are amazingly simple questions that have enormous relevance to our lives. I'm going to tackle these questions today in a round about way and how they apply to Christmas and our lives. The Who is the easy part of the picture—us. Then we can move on to the WHAT: What are you dwelling on? The Past? The Present? Or the Future? ...