Thursday Thoughts…

My thoughts are all over the page this morning, what with all the miracles flying around my little office! Well, maybe not miracles to most, but they are ticking all the boxes on my list.

God has been ever faithful in slowing my weight loss, but let’s face it, I can’t keep this up forever. I didn’t want to ever seek medical care again, but God has other purposes. He desires that I participate in my own care, however he decides… not how I think it should go.

If this week hasn’t been a confirmation of that, I don’t know what is!

It began with a message to my new primary doctor, seeking an appointment for bloodwork and a weight check. I was dreading it! Honestly, I haven’t wanted to go back for medical care. My faith and trust in doctors has been flatlined, of late. But, if I don’t want to starve to death, it needs doing.

Not only did she message me back rather quickly, but before I could even ask anything she suggested we make a video apt for this Thursday, to discuss disability paperwork. What? Where did that come from?

That was Monday. Tuesday morning rolls around and I receive a phone call from the DSHS appeals administrator assigned to my case. She called to say that she’d gone through all our records and found a partial error, in regards to my benefits. While I still would be required to get a form from my doctor, stating I am unable to work, the denial of benefits was being immediately reversed and all benefits restored… as well as, removing all overpayment penalty charges… Hallelujah!

As of yesterday, which was Wednesday, three months of back benefits had been restored to my Snap card… I cried! For over six years we have fallen through every crack, in every system, one might call a helpful service to the public. Never in all that time have I ever had somebody call ME and say they’d made an error, nor have I ever seen such a complete and rapid response to a problem that might fall in my favor! That is, unless you count that time I was nearly crushed by that car, or that night on the highway in the Colorado mountains. Oh, yeah… there was that security guard just inside the building where I was being assaulted, or that night I nearly bled to death in that emergency room.

Oh, heavenly father, how many times have You been the hand that saves me… there are so many memories to recall, it would be far too long a list for just this day!

Now I’m crying again, doggone it!

Ok… let’s finish this out!

It’s now Thursday, and apparently, God’s not done!

We now come to this mornings doctor visit… remember that message?

My new doctor is a lovely young woman, with a wonderful bedside manner, as they say. She spent the time to ask pointed questions, making notes and referring to a number of notes in my medical chart, so I knew she’d previously read them. Long story short… I do indeed have Gastroparesis, on top of my IBS and hernia.

The good part in all this is that she’s attempting to restore my Pantaprazole with the insurance company, based on this new diagnosis. She also thoroughly discussed the new medication that will be needed to improve the delayed digestive issue, which also counters as an anti-nausea reliever… thank you Lord!

Not only did she fill out the disability form, which should reach DSHS by the end of the day, I’m being put into a program that will offer transportation to my visits… and, home delivery for my medications, if I need it. They also have a really good therapist, apparently, and she recommends I meet with them to discuss possible PTSD symptoms that are causing my IBS to rocket off the charts so often.

When all I ever do under pressure is buckle, God steps in every single time! And, he doesn’t just stop by, or pass through. I believe that He stays to complete his own work within my life.

I leave you with a beautiful passage from scripture, found in the book of Philippians chapter 1:5-6…

“because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.  And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

God is so good!

Hugs

Potholes…

Daily writing prompt
What experiences in life helped you grow the most?

There’s nothing more jarring and/or disconcerting than when your car tire hits a pothole, when you’re driving down the road at full speed!

You’re lucky to keep the car on the road, not to mention, trying to hold onto your coffee without wearing it… am I right?!

I suppose it’s nearly as jarring to hit a speed bump, but at least you get vaulted into the air, so you can keep going. Not a pothole, no no! Those will either stop you in your tracks, trying to catapult you through the windshield… or worse yet, you might just find yourself trying to stay out of oncoming traffic. If you’re lucky, the car’s tires will only rub the curb. I think we’ve all been there at one time, or another.

That’s kind of how life experiences tend to make us grow… by sheer force! Sink or swim, life or death! You have to think fast, choose wisely, and definitely know how to put out fires, stop the bleeding, as well as, knowing where the Band-Aids are hiding!

At least my car (life) comes with a stellar manufacturers warranty. My agent always fixes the damages, putting me back on the road, quickly. I will admit that my car usually ends up facing a new direction, but with a full tank of gas and new driving instructions.

Pothole experiences are where God does his best work, I think. He makes the best corrections, top notch repairs to all damages, and he even provides the most beautiful band-aids.

Cookies?

Hungry eyes…

Daily writing prompt
Who are your favorite people to be around?

At this present moment, my most favorite person to be around is my newest granddaughter, but I’m being partial, I realize.

Truthfully, though, I wouldn’t say that I necessarily have names of people on a list that I’d prefer to be around. I generally love to be around anyone desiring fellowship, needing encouragement, or especially those in need of prayer.

Society currently seems to be buried in their smart phones, completely oblivious to everyone and every thing around them. Nobody holds a door open, or even acknowledges when someone holds it for them. And, there’s little to no eye contact. Get in, get what you need, and get out! Don’t make any sudden movements, or hold eye contact for any length of time, with anyone!

I think the problem stems from many differing sources, and I’ve not the time nor energy to spell them all out. What I do know is that there are indeed those still out there, somewhere, in dire need of love, tenderness, forgiveness, human touch, and guidance.

If you’ve not noticed any hungry eyes near you, then maybe you’ve stopped looking.

I realize how much easier it would be to turn to familiar, and safe favorite people, but perhaps we’ve been called to do much more. What if that’s where the problem lies, deep in the heart of man. Our natural bent is toward self… self-preservation, self-esteem, self-love, and self, self, self! I’m not even off the hook, here.

Having a generous heart is taught, contrary to what some may believe. No one is born with a benevolent heart, even if I think my SugarPlum is perfect in every way! She’ll need to be shown, hopefully, by the village of family that surrounds her on every side.

Perhaps, if more of those villages start popping up, society might have a chance at becoming better than we are, thus far. Just sayin.

Don’t forget your cookie…

Thursday Thoughts…

How many of those receipt checkers at the grocery store, actually check the list and then compare it to what’s in your cart, item by item?

Why do dogs turn their noses up at certain foods, and yet they’ll happily go for an all-you-can-eat buffet at the litter box?

It’s too bad that people don’t tell lies as adults, like they did when they were children. It would be so much easier to find out the truth of a matter. Most children end up giving themselves away, just by the look on their faces.

Aren’t you glad that they came up with better thermometer’s than were used, back in the day. Could you imagine if adults still had to take their temperature with a baby booty thermometer? I think I’d rather deal with the fever!

Is it me, or are nearly half of our commercials these days made with either really bad actors, movie stars needing to make their mortgages, or simply ai generated ones? It’s like their not even trying to impress the viewer any more.

When asking Google about how many years it’s been since credit card spending became a thing, this was the response I was given…

AI Overview – It has been approximately 30 years since the very beginning of online credit card spending, which took off with the advent of secure, mainstream e-commerce in the mid-1990s. 

  • 1994–1995: The first “secure” online credit card transactions occurred around 1994 (with the introduction of SSL encryption and early browsers like Netscape). Amazon was founded in 1994/1995, marking the beginning of the e-commerce boom.
  • Late 1990s/Early 2000s: Online shopping became more than a novelty and gained momentum in the late 1990s as internet access became more common, with platforms like eBay (1995) and the founding of PayPal (1998) fueling the shift.
  • 2000s onwards: By the mid-2000s, online credit card payments had established themselves as a standard, secure payment method for consumers. 

While the first online transaction was made in 1994, it took several years for it to become truly “mainstream,” making the shift roughly 30 years ago from 2026. 

I never said that my Thursday Thoughts would be organized in any particular way. Most of the time, I simply sit drinking my tea while letting my mind wander over this and that. You might think it odd, or a worrisome habit of what might be called scatterbrain. No matter! I just happen to have a very imaginative and busy brain.

At my age, which is nearing 58, it’s vitally important to keep the brain engaged and actively learning. This is partly why I ask myself random questions and then go look em up on Google. Trying to exercise my brain with those silly phone apps only aggravates me. Anytime they put a timer on a game or activity, it’s no longer fun for this girl. I like to be challenged but not with a timer… too much stress.

Maybe there’s just too much old school in this brain, but if it ain’t broke… well then, don’t try fixing it!

Wednesday Words…

I think Eustace spent too much time on the tractor yesterday while we were gone. He was still working when we got home, and stayed out until after the sun went down. The camel looked positively exhausted when he came in for dinner.

I walked him out to the barn after dinner, just to tuck him in for the night. When I went out this morning to check on the camel, I didn’t have the heart to wake him. He looks so peaceful, doesn’t he? What ever would we do without this cheeky, yet, oh so loveable camel, I wonder. I’ll just be grateful for him being here.

I think we should all have someone like Eustace, don’t you? Someone that always thinks of us, of our health, and of our happiness. You’ll have to find your own, though, because this camel is taken!

Thursday Thoughts…

Can the body truly heal itself?

Can time really heal all wounds?

If there’s no pain, will there truly be no gain?

Does absence really make the heart grow fonder?

When it rains, does it always pour?

Should we always reap what we sow?

Do many hands always make light work?

If honesty is the best policy, why do so many not use it?

If we’re not to judge a book by its cover, why are we so quick to do so with people?

How often do we bite the hand that feeds us?

Man, oh man…

Daily writing prompt
If you had the power to change one law, what would it be and why?

Ahhhh, the laws of nature, the laws of Government, and yes, the laws of mankind, themselves. One might pick from any number of lists, in order to locate a law that seems in need of being changed. Would the change even remain, once enacted?

If we’ve learned anything at all regarding the law, it’s that if man is involved in it’s creation, modification, or even dissimilation… it won’t last!

After all these generations of humanity, we still struggle with racism, hate crimes, corporate greed and injustice, along with a completely inadequate educational system. Why is this still occurring? Human Nature, that’s why!

Until we learn that we never had any power in the first place, we’ll never stop making mistake after mistake after mistake!

I vote that instead of trying to find some law that we think we have the power to change, we start giving God the space to start making changes within our very hearts! Big, and very powerful changes are possible from the smallest of humble surrenders. I know who holds the power… and it’s neither you nor me, but God and God alone!

When I am weak, He is strong!

When I am lost, He makes a way!

When I am powerless, unseen, and discarded by a very broken and fallen world, He lifts me up, surrounds me, and covers me with His providence… and His Power! Since I never had the power to change the world on my own, in the first place, I never really lost anything of myself, aside from the fear, shame and self-loathing that usually comes with existence.

Since God’s the only one with any true power to change what needs changing, I choose to let Him do that which I cannot! That’s all I wish to focus on til I get home…

Cookie?

Wednesday Words…

Eustace is determined that I should get Valentines cookies that won’t hurt my stomach, so he spent the whole of yesterday baking dairy-free, Gluten-free, and low sugar/sodium cookies… Oh, Joy!

I didn’t have the heart to tell him that they looked and tasted kind of like Playdough.

Shhhhhhhh…..

I’ll try, but you know how dreams can be…

Daily writing prompt
Write about your dream home.

I’ve dreamt of my dream home…

I’ve even thought a great deal about my dream home…

But it’s not nearly as easy to write about a dream home, as things keep changing, the longer you’re awake!

Beautiful colors, and exquisite designs fill the rooms of this dream house, but each time I try to dream it again, the rooms have all changed…

What makes something dreamy, at all, really?

Is it the sights, the sounds, or the smell of a dream home that make it dreamy?

I’ve found that when you dream on a thing too much, you miss all the other dreams you could’ve been dreaming.

Truthfully, that saying about home is where your heart is, or the scriptures about storing up your treasures…

those are really good things to think on.

You can stuff your home with every manner of beautiful, and yes, dreamy things you wish. Hopefully, you’ll come to realize that it’s not what’s in a home that makes it a dream home… it’s what you do when you’re there!

Love changes the way everything looks and feels, making even the smallest of spaces quite beautiful and dreamy…

Just sayin.

Cookie?

I love making check-lists…

Daily writing prompt
Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time?

Let’s see now… activities or hobbies I’ve either outgrown or lost interest in… hmmmmmm.

Without a check-list we won’t know for sure, will we?

So, what with me being such an accommodating individual, I’ve put forth the effort to ensure that my answer to the prompt is an honest one.

I’ve made a list that will just about cover it all, I think…

Baking – Check!

    Reading books – Check!

    Dreaming – Check!!!!!

    I don’t outgrow things, though I do overcome them…

    I do not lose interest in things that I love, though sometimes I have to let them go…

    What I am is a child at heart, and I probably always will be…

    Here, take a cookie or two…

    I got excited and made too many cookies this morning, so take as many as you like.