February 27, 2012

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN!!!!!!


Hey Ya'll!!!!!


No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, ya'll..... I've just been up to my eyeballs with so many things that my blogging just came to a stand still.  Seriously, my head has been spinning from the whirlwind I was caught up in for the last half of 2011! I began to wonder if I was ever gonna get my blogging grove back...... no blogging, no FB and no emailing which resulted in feeling so out of the loop it's ridiculous!!!!!  HOWEVER, things have begun to settle down (finally!!) and I've really had the urge to climb back in the saddle and get back on the blogging trail and see what you wonderful blogging buddies have been up to.  I've thought of you often and I pray that you are doing well and growing closer to the Lord everyday!  

First, I want to share that my sweet mama is still hanging in their but her journey is really tough.  My heart remains heavy as I see her grow weaker and more confused.  BUT, I know He holds her in the palm of His hand and will call her home in His time.  And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for her.  

Honestly, ya'll....months ago I reached the point of burnout, both physically and emotionally over my mama's decline.  The Lord, as well as her hospice workers, warned me that I was gonna "hit the wall" if I didn't pace myself and get my life back in order.  My husband saw it, my kids saw it and the Lord knew it......I was spending practically every daylight hour by mama's side at the nursing home and  consequently, being in such a sad daily environment  of people dying all around me and watching the heart break of loved ones on their "death watch" began to drag me down and I KNEW I had to make a change.  With the Lords help, I began to allot only several hours each day at mamma's side and was blessed to find a wonderful, loving care giver that would visit her when I couldn't (GOD THING, YA'LL!).  It came down to either collapsing or TRUSTING GOD!  I love my sweet mama with all my heart, but He knew I needed a change and a new perspective, so gradually I "allowed" myself (with His help) to slow down.  I chose to embark on a study of how Great and Faithful He is to His children.  I purposed to "see" His promises of His Faithfullness through "fresh eyes" and with an expectant heart of renewed faith I looked to Him to refresh and restore my spirit, soul and body.  I purposed to replace worry and concern about my mamma's care with the Peace of knowing He would take of care of her and me.   I still have my days where I feel guilty about not being with mama practically every waking moment, but I'm learning more and more about entering into and remaining in His rest and remind myself that He can handle it, there is nothing too difficult for Him! Glory to God!!!   Isn't it amazing how He lovingly guides us through lifes ups and downs if we let Him!!  What a wonder He is!!  Oh, and I was even able to take several wonderful trips to Florida to visit my daughter Katie and you better believe I enjoyed every minute of it!!! Oh yeah...laying on the beach, shopping the outlets and hanging out at Disney World was just what the Great Physician ordered!!!  And I hope to get back to FL again soon!!

Moving along here.....And I do mean moving!  You might remember that we sold our house (God thing!) and moved into a great rental but had to move (again!!) to another rental because the owner let it foreclose (soo bummmed!).  Well, OMG!!!!..my hubs territory suddenly changed to Phoenix and we had to up and MOVE AGAIN.......this makes five moves in five years....are you kidding me!!! I also had to find a new nursing home for mama and He directed me to a wonderful and loving facility near my house that had an immediate opening for her, PTL!   I told the Lord that I was beginning to feel like the children of Israel having to pick-up and move continuously.  I recall laughing at myself as I once again packed and loaded my kitchen into my jeep and wondered if the Israelite women had the same ponderings running through their mind as I did when they once again loaded their donkeys and moved again  in their journey to the Promise Land......"I mean, really Lord, are you serious..... move again, right now?"!!!  And His reply....Yes, daughter!"  And so, like the children of Israel, we loaded up "and followed the cloud" (U-Haul truck) to Phoenix...:)))!!!





Well, we got moved in record time and I'm slowly beginning to nest again, PTL!  But in the midst of the  move I managed to pull an abdominal muscle (yeeeouchhhh!) and subsequently threw my lower back out, OMG!!!  My docs told me it might take months to heal and I was to rest, not lift anything (duh! like I wanted to!) and take muscle relaxers and pain meds until things start to feel better. Over several months  my heating pad and ice pack have become my new BFF's, watched The Help (luv that movie) so many times that I can practically quote the entire script verbatim and just about OD'd on HGTV and DIY network.  But, however, I've gotten some really great decorating ideas for when I'm back to 100%, ya hoo!  I thank the Lord that I'm on the mend now and pray that the word MOVE is nowhere in my future anytime soon.  I may not be ready for Zumba just yet, but I'm getting there!  PTL!!


Oh, I left out one minor huge detail....I was scheduled to have a hysterectomy in December but put it off for a while.....I'm mean seriously, a hysterectomy on top of everything else....are you kidding me...I don't think so!!!  I'll keep you posted!


Well, that's what's been going on in my corner of the world -  another move, taking care of mama, recover from burn out and exhaustion, pulled abdominal muscle and back out of whack and impending hysterectomy, oh my!  But, it sure feels good to be back in the bloggin' saddle again and I'm sooo looking forward to  riding the bloggin' trail and visiting everyone again....You always bless my heart so....I've really missed ya'll!


Whoopi-ty-aya-oh
Bloggin' to and fro
Back in the saddle again!

Whoopi-ty-aya-oh
Where He leads me I will go
I'm back in the saddle again!  :)))

HE IS FAITHFUL!!!


The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you;
He will never leave you or forsake you;
Do not be afraid;
Do not be discouraged.
Deut. 31:8


Happy Trails Ya'll!!

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16 comments:

Debbie said...

Good morning Jackie! Welcome back!! WHEW!! Sounds like you have alot going on for sure. How I thank God for His faithfulness. He has shown Himself to be there for all of you for sure. Glad to hear you were able to slow down some during this season in your mama's life. I have wondered what had happened over there. Glad your back is doing better now. Oh, and a hysterectomy? Been there, done that, haha....It's not as bad as I had anticipated, and once I healed up, what a blessing to be done with all of that! Have a wonderful day! HUGS

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

I'm so glad to see you back! I've thought of you and wondered if 'life' had taken over!! :) So glad you have your balance back. You've had a real load. I think of your sweet mama and am praying for her right now.

Welcome back!

Saleslady371 said...

I'm so glad you are back in the saddle again, Jackie. I've missed you and thought of you and your mom. Your post touched my heart because my mom was in a nursing home for two weeks before she passed last month. It is difficult to visit and you are so doing the right thing by setting boundaries. Rest assured you and your mom are in my prayers. Prayers are what got us through such a difficult time and I am so eager to give back that love that was sent to us via prayer and cards. May you rest comfortably and heal quickly.

Love,
Mary

Sandy said...

Welcome back, dear friend!! I have thought of you so many times and really missed you. So glad to have you back. Pray you heal completely from head to toe and you and your little mama enjoy every precious moment you have together. Praying also for her strength.
Love,
Sandy

Jacquelyn Stager said...

Hi Jackie! I have thought of you often as I am still using that beautiful journal I won from you a year ago Thanksgiving! I use it for my sermon notes! I'm not blogging as often as I want to and not getting around to the blogs as much as I want to either...life has been overwhelming in my neck of the woods as well. But it was so good to hear from you and I hope we can stay in touch whenever possible!

Crown of Beauty said...

Welcome back to blogland, dear Jackie. Wow, what a comeback!

I can't believe all that I just read... and you"re still up and breathing. But surely rejoicing... and having the joy of the Lord as your strength.

What an encouraging post this is, dear Jackie. Thanks for letting me know you're back, or I would have missed reading this latest post of yours!

You have been missed, dear friend. But now that you're back, I am looking forward to hearing more of what God's been doing in your part of the world.

Love
Lidia

RCUBEs said...

Sister Jackie!!! You don't know how excited I was to read your comment and to see you posted the other day. Much to my disappointment because I don't know why I was having trouble accessing your post/site. (I tried many times!) But thanks be to God, I accessed it through the comment you had left and I'm so glad to hear from you. I guess the enemy got tired trying for us not to connect (as I read your comment from sister Lisa's site (Shaw) directed for me that you were having trouble leaving a comment for me when I was asking for prayers. Thank you for your prayers. I never forget you because I always pray for friends specially those in my blog roll.

I pray that you will get His healing in no time, not only physically but spiritually as I could understand the burden that comes along with our aging parents. But you also need to take care of yourself and health as it becomes harder to be a source of encouragement for your loving mother when you, yourself, is breaking down. I'm sorry for this long comment. But may the Lord's strength always be yours...May God bless you and protect you and always make your "momma" comfortable.

"Be strong in the Lord's mighty power" (Eph.6:10) is His first Word that He wanted me to etch in my heart. No wonder...Our daily battles are not ours. They require His weapons and strength.

Hugs to you sister...Thank you for your post...Man! I saw that picture of that donkey and what a heavy load! But that's not what I picture for you. I picture you with a heavy heart because it's overflowing with the Lord's love, grace, mercy and other richest blessings.

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

Mercy, I'm just exhausted from reading all of that, much less having to live it! Good to hear from you again. And if I were you, I'd keep those boxes packed a little while longer. You just might have another move down the road.

Blessings, sister.

peace~elaine

Sr. Ann Marie said...

Jackie, thanks for signing on to my blog. You have, indeed, had a difficult journey these past months. Know that I will keep your mother and you and your family in my prayers.

Nana Jul said...

So so good to have you back Jackie! We missed you! WOW sister...isn't any wonder you didn't have time. The donkey picture cracked me up! Take care of you, and always seek the LORD's strength..Let Him fill you up..and don't forget to stop and refuel!
Love ya sister chicky!
Keep us posted..and we'll keep you prayed up!
Jul

Debbie Petras said...

Jackie, I'm so glad you are back in the saddle again. That gave me a laugh. I was wondering what happened to you as I last heard that you were moving back to the valley from northern AZ.

So sorry to hear of all the upheaval in your life. You are a precious daughter. I love to hear of how kind and loving you are with her.

We are moving again too! I know a bit of how you feel. I am such a nester and this has been hard. Our next place is in Phoenix and I am happy about that. But it is so small; 860 square feet. Our home was almost 4,000 square feet! Simplify is the buzzword in my head.

One day we need to figure out how we can get together over a good cup of coffee or tea. I'm back to working full time so it's challenging but can be figured out.

Blessings and love and welcome back,
Debbie

Denise said...

You just blessed my heart today when I found your comment in my email. I have so missed the blog and I hit and miss at it right now.. I had such a terrible year last year and as you said, I hit the wall" and it was not pretty.. I am glad that you are taking time for yourself.. I did not do that and when I lost them both so close together I crashed.. I have tagged this year as the year for Denise....... I am so very glad that you found a place for your Mom close ........ What a blessing you are to her.......

I am going to get "back in the saddle" again myself....... soooooo I look forward to hearing from you and coming to see you here lots!

Love ya....

Anonymous said...

I understand what you are going through with your mama. I 've been there. Take care sister

Patrinas Pencil said...

Wow! I have missed your voice! You light up the air waves with your exuberance ...I love hearing of your faithwalk. He is always faithful, isn't he?

Praying for you. Remember, God is right there at your mama's side. Never ever will He leave her. Rest in this promise to those who love God.

Blessings
Patrina <")>><

Terri Tiffany said...

It was so good to hear from you!! Wow--you have been busy --and you moved too? How is it really going for you there--you see I'm in Austin now and missing Fl and familiarity but know that God intends us to be here.But I won't say it is easy learning a new place. Will be praying for you and your mom--oh my Dad died four weeks ago--first parent to go but so glad to know he is in heaven. Please keep in touch!

Deborah Ann said...

Well what do you know, the 'Jack' is back! So glad to hear you're upbeat and positive thanks to Jesus, even with the hardships you've had to face. We should get together again soon.

Love ya!

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