The innocence of a real man...

 

 

 

I hope they always retain this. I hope life does not harden them and steal this away. I hope they always remain committed to Jesus and stay REAL men.

God and His Masterpiece painting....

Coming home from work yesterday at my favorite bend in the road.....

 

Absolutely STUNNING! Thanks for the beautiful show Father God!



The upside of snow...

The New Year blew in snow....

I woke up New Years Day to this scene...

 

And this...

 

 

Scarlett and Rhett were not sure if we were in Arizona or Colorado!

 

 

After an initial checking the scene out...

 

 

The fun begins!!!!!

 

 

 

 

Where DID that ground go???

 

We LOVE snow!!!!!

 

 

Thanks for the snow, Mom!!!!!

 

 

I didn't have the heart to tell them I didn't ask for snow. Look at those faces? Could you?

 

Happy New Year, my friend. I hope you find the joy these guys found in the snow!







Welcome to a new year.............

Yesterday, it snowed. A LOT. In Arizona!

I came home early yesterday, as I got in early to work anticipating a heavy patient case load. Lo and behold, an extra therapist showed up so that left me 2 patients less to see, so like.........YAYNESS!!!

But coming home in blizzard conditions and feeding horses in the snow, brought back bad memories. As I trudged back and forth, getting blankets on the old girls, hauling hot water for soaking the pellets, dragging the wheel barrow instead of pushing it through the ever mounting snow........



I guess it was inevitable that I would dream those dreams when I fell into bed last night. It is 5 pm on New Years Day and the sadness and icky feelings are still with me.

I have never spoken too much about the reasons the marriage did not work. I don't think it is at all classy to do such a thing and I have seen so many people trash the other involved when a relationship comes to an end........so very sad. There is always 2 sides to every story and how can anyone be certain of what another's' reasoning was when they did what they did and what their motives were?



I don't think anyone but God can know those things. But what I do know, is that the breakup left me feeling used and worthless, sad and at times, angry. Angry because I moved all the way to Colorado and put everything I had into a relationship that had obviously so little value to the other party involved. Sad, because I trusted and proved my trust by changing my entire life for this relationship and for what? Everyone, including God Almighty says, forgive and forget. But it isn't that easy and forgiveness is something that happens every day in my world. Forgetting is even more difficult because memories happen every day.

That last year in Colorado was bad. The whole situation left me in a position where over 1/2 of my paycheck was paying for health insurance that wasn't my own, resulting in having little left to support myself. I found myself a small and VERY rustic home. It wasn't insulated, it had no central heat, no stove or refridge, no gas and no running water. It hadn't been occupied for a good 4 years and was rat and mouse infested, it needed cleaning up or rather, mucking out before I could even THINK about moving in. I spent a MONTH cleaning with a face mask on for fear of contracting hantavirus, which had already claimed the life of a Denver man earlier in the year. What it DID have was electricity and a wood burning stove, (not hooked up) and 40 acres of dead pine trees for firewood that the owners were more than happy to have me cut and use. I skipped eating for a week and bought the stuff to hook that wood burning stove up, and thanks to Ace Hardware guys and their advice, I had a working wood burning stove.

I have always been a pretty independent person, so it was a humbling experience when friends pitched in and helped me out. Beth and Kevin hooked up the water situation to a reservoir tank, so that although I would have to haul water to the tank, I would have water for the house. Kevin did plumbing work to enable me to have running water, although I did not have a water heater and would have to heat water. Annemarie, Tony and Richard helped me move horse panels, horses and what household items I had. Beverly helped me clean. And clean. AND CLEAN. Kevin and Gary cut wood for me. Not once. But TWICE. Cords and cords of it.



It snowed a LOT beginning in October and lasting until March. It was COLD. I moved all my dogs, cats and birds into the one room with the wood burning stove and I slept in my big club chair, taped off the windows with black plastic to keep the cold air from coming in. I heated water on the wood burning stove and cooked on my little electric hotplate. I hauled water in my pickup for 10 horses, 3 dogs, 3 cats, Noah and Stimpy and myself. I trudged through snow that was at times 2 feet deep to feed and water twice a day. Luckily for me, the facility I worked at offered employees lunch for a buck a day. Each payday, I bought a ten dollar ticket and ate my biggest meal a day there. I shopped strictly at The Dollar Tree and lived on beans and rice. I washed clothes in the sink and when I could afford to, at the laundry mat. I determined to move BACK to a warmer climate and prayed. I put in one application and before I could put in another, I had a job waiting for me in Kingman, Arizona.

My little family and I live in Kingman, Arizona now. We have heat and running water. We have a stove and a fridge. We have dog food and cat food and hay and people food too. I have a job I LOVE going to and friends across the street.

It rarely snows here. So maybe I won't have to remember.

Welcome to a new year and a new life.

A Rehabilitation Christmas....

I am a Christmas Addict.

I admit it! No one is safe from my Holly Jolly Christmas spirit! Not even at my work place!!! But you see.....................the Christmas spirit is meant to be shared!

You cannot even imagine how difficult it is to be recovering from a broken hip or a broken shoulder, recovering from a total knee replacement or struggling to recover from a stroke or other illness and be STUCK in an unfamiliar and seemingly cold place as a Rehabilitation Center during Christmas time.

So I make it my rehab business to cheer everyone up and get them involved in decorating for the season. I use each project within the scope of their rehab, what they need to recover to be able to go home, such as balance and fine motor skills needed for dressing or cooking. Rehab work does not always have to be just lifting weights and exercise! It becomes such fun to get well in this way and takes their minds off of the pain and the problems and brings back memories of childhood Christmas past.

So I thought I would share these photos with you and with myself also, so that they can be looked at and remembered in the months and the year to come..............

We started with painting and glittering snowy pinecones...

 

then we added strings of popcorn and cranberries and made snowballs...

 

Next we made fan ornaments with sheet music, toilet paper rolls and bits of shiny garland...

 

We added spicy gumdrops, hot glued to a Styrofoam ball and hung them from ribbons...

 

 Poinsettias made from...would you believe? Toilet paper rolls, red paint and glitter!

 

Tiny stars, bells and crosses made from applesauce and cinnamon dough. They made our rehab gym smell amazing!

 

A festive garland of peppermints made from small paper plates, red and green paint and lots of glitter...covered in cellophane and tied with curly ribbon, dressed up the sliding door to the outside patio.

 

Even the clock above the mat table got dressed in huge candies made from plastic containers covered with wrapping paper and tied with curly ribbon!

 

The completed tree. Every single ornament was hand made by one of my patients! Isn't it beautiful?

 

I won't soon forget this Christmas season. It sparkled and glowed, not just with ornaments, but smiles and giggles and laughter.

 

Thank you, my wonderful residents! For making my Christmas one to remember! Our rehab gym looks bare and empty now. But my heart, and hopefully yours too, is full of memories.

THAT is what Christmas is all about...

 

 

 

 

It is so simple. People make it SO complicated. The truth is? Jesus was a gift from God. It is up to you whether you will accept this gift. It is THAT simple. His gift. YOUR choice.

 

Merry Christmas, my friend.

Happy Birthday, my Jesus.

 

 

 



Christmas Blessings...

I was expecting a different sort of Christmas this year.

When it did not happen as I had expected it to, I began to feel sorry for myself. But God stepped in and showed me differently.

I have SO much to be thankful for this year. This time last year? It was all about survival. Keeping my family warm. Keeping my family fed. Hoping there would be enough and that I could make it through to spring and the warm weather.

Thank You, Father. For what You have blessed me with.

I am home in Arizona with my life.
A GREAT job.
Enough to share with others without worry for the future.
A beautiful, warm home.
A family, (albeit animal),  who loves me beyond anything I have ever known before.
Food in the fridge and in the cabinets.
Hay in the barn.
A GOOD and reliable vehicle.
Friends.
Good health.
My Bible and being able to read it any time I need.
A relationship with You that is real and vital and growing. Your love and forgiveness, Your mercy and grace...

I am grateful, Father. But I have one more request to ask of You.

My children, Father. Please. Whatever it may take. Bring them to the foot of the cross and into relationship with You. Love them for me. Where ever they are. Whatever they are doing. Draw them to You and keep them in the palm of Your hand. Now. And forever.