Off to the Woods and the Mountains
We are off this morning for two trips back to back: first a weekend in the woods with my extended family, then Sunday Clara and I fly to Denver, where we will spend the afternoon in a major fabric shopping frenzy. Monday the rest of the family will join us and we will head up into the Real Mountains for a week of snow skiing. This will be my first attempt at staying upright on skis, as Daisy and I have stayed home other years.
So, I will be back here on January 14 with some photos, no doubt!
In the meantime, I want to ask a favor from my readers. My mother is having an enormous painful back surgery on January 14. When she's released from the hospital she will be with us recuperating for a couple of weeks. If you're willing, would you leave a comment with a verse of comfort or encouragement for her? Don't worry about duplicating; the more the better!
See you on the 14th!
39 comments:
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not, rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common -- this is my symphony.
--William Henry Channing
Hope this helps:
Jeremiah 30:17
"But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds," declares the LORD.
I will keep your mother in my prayers.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 Safe journeys for your family and may the Holy Spirit comfort and strengthen your mom and you as she goes through this surgery.
Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
Prayers for your family's safe trip, and your mother's recovery!
Be still and KNOW that I am God!
I had a compression fracture in my back about nine years ago and this verse was a blessing during that time.
Isaiah 40.30b-31
"Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar with wings as eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him. Romans 15:13
God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you may abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8
The Lord will guide you always. He will satisfy your needs and strengthen you . . . Isaiah 58:11a
God bless.
Amy W
www.homesteadblogger.com/homesweetsimplehome
Anna, this is one of my favorites. Hope you have alot of fun, and I will keep your mother in my prayers.
May the God of HOPE fill you with ALL JOY and PEACE as you TRUST IN HIM, so that you may OVERFLOW with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(I forgot the refrence, but thats ok)
Christina Gomez
I the Lord am your healer.
Exodus 15:26
I pray for wisdom for the doctors and a speedy recovery!
We are praying for your mother. It is always so difficult to face the unknown and to place yourself completely into an other's hands. God bless you all.
"Heal me O Lord,
and I will be healed.
Save me,
and I will be saved.
For you are the one I praise."
~ Jeremiah 17:14
Blessings!
Mary Lou
I will say prayers for your mother. I had a difficult and extensive back surgery when I was 13, and the recovery is not easy, even for a sprightly teenager. I'll leave you with the verses I repeated to myself before the surgery-
the light of God surrounds me
the love of God enfolds me
the power of God protects me
the presence of God watches over me
wherever I am, God is
Have a lovely trip skiing, too--just remember, don't use the poles to slow or stop, and you'll do just fine! :)
Instead of adding more Scripture (which I hope you will take the advantage of the "down time" to just get out your Bible and soak it in), I will say "What a lucky person you are to recuperate your daughter's lovely home! Focus on the positive things around you - the children, the beauty your daughter creates, what you see outside the window - and relish in slowing down and finding beauty and peace around you." God bless.
For Anna's mama...
I happen to have arthritis in my back, so I do have a wee sense of what you are going through... although I suspect your situation is much more trying than mine! Here is one of my favorite passages to linger on when I am going through a time of trial..
Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Future Glory
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Romans 8:14-18)
Oh, and by the way (from one mama to another)... we all so admire your daughter. You have done a wonderful job with her and must be so proud!
I found this on the worldprayers.org website:
"Oh our Mother the Earth,
oh our Father the Sky,
Your children are we, and with tired backs
We bring you the gifts that you love.
Then weave for us a garment of brightness.
May the warp be the bright light of morning;
May the fringes be the falling rain;
May the borders be the standing rainbow.
Thus weave for us a garment of brightness,
that we may walk fittingly where birds sing;
That we may walk fittingly where grass is green.
Oh our Mother the Earth, oh our Father the Sky."
american indian - tewa song
For Anna's Mom:
**For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me, he shall set me upon a rock......Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say on the LORD.
~Psalm 27:5 & 14
**The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart tusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. ~Psalm 28:7
**Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. ~Psalm 55:17
**Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. ~Psalm 55:22
**What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. ~Psalm 56:3-4
**Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. ~Isaiah 41:10
Blessings,
~Mrs.B
Have fun!
Have fun!
trust in the lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding prov. 3:5
sometimes when we are down we tend to question why? well, atleast I do... so if this brings a bit of fear and depression tries to make way.. remember that the Lord knows all things , and also that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose.. as his children we are daily loaded with benefits and one being that He will make something bad something very good for you because he loves you sooo much. What a good God. Praying for you Mrs.Pleasant View Schoolhouses mama..
Psalm 27 is always a chapter of great comfort for me, and I was particularly thinking of the last verse which says, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."
The reason that verse stands out to me is because my own mother recently went through knee surgery; and as I watched her recover from that, I saw how difficult it was for her to simply wait--rest--let time and God heal her knee. For her, to do is to be...and to do is to love...so sitting with her feet up doesn't come naturally.
For you, Anna's mother, I hope and pray that in your situation, your time of recovery will be a time of true peace and rest for your soul as well as your body.
May you enjoy the company of your family. And like others have said, may you be filled with pride (the good kind!) as you watch your daughter graciously attend to the needs of her home and family. She generously shares her talents with her blog readers and is an inspiration to MANY. May you benefit tremendously during your time in her home!
And if you get bored, you can always do some blogging, too. :)
I recently rediscovered your journal and your posts and been an inspiration to me. Thank you. I'm going to try my hand at the yo-yos when I finish up the last of my Christmas projects.
For your mother:
Other have given you wonderful scripture references, so I will offer something from my own family's experience. Two years ago my mother had her lower back fused and nerves repaired in a very complex and painful surgery. At the time of her surgery she could not walk well, could not drive, could not play with my children and the quality of her life was not good. She was terrified to have the surgery, but the desire carry my young son and play with dolls on the floor with my daughter was her reason to go through with it.
It's been a long road, but she is able to do things she hasn't been able to do in a long time. Her body isn't 30 anymore and she will never have the mobility she did at 30, but with the surgeon's hand guided by the Lord she is able to drive, walk, garden, play with my kids like she wanted to and pretty much do the things she wants to do. We are very thankful for this positive outcome.
My prayers are with you for a successful surgery and speedy recovery.
When I have to do something difficult and scary I try to remember that I am never alone.
"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." John 14:18
I have a picture of Jesus that I look at when times are tough and I think about the scripture in John.
Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come BOLDLY to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Assuming you know the Lord Jesus, don't be afraid to ask for what you need, Anna's mom! praying for you.
warmly,
deb meyers
I love these two passages that I would like to leave for your Mom.
Psalms 63:7-8 "Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me."
Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in times of trouble."
I'm praying for your Mom.
I'm a Christian teacher and grandmother from Sweden who loves to read your blog daily. It gets me so inspired.
Psalm 121 is good to read in most situations.
In the Norwegian Bible I believe the word mountain is "fjäll", a snowcovered mountain. I hope you will see a lot of them now.
Love from Maria in Falkenberg, Sweden
Praying for healing and recovery to be swift and your time together sweet.
Becky K.
"Jesus will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your weakness. Only then, His hand will be free with you."
~Blessed Mother Teresa
Anna, how wonderful that you will have your mother there to rest and recover from her surgery, and attend to her needs. Your family will surely be a blessing to her, and in turn, you'll receive a blessing as well. Too often, our society doesn't look after their own parents. Good for you!
One of my all-time favorite verses is Phillipians 4:6-7. I'm sure it's already been been mentioned, though.
I'll be praying.
I would really like to say something encouraging to you, something that would be wise and something that would lift your spirit...
All I can do is just pray for you now, that God will take you through this and that you will bring every thought concerning this operation, captive to the Lord Jesus..
Am praying for you.
Love and prayers from Ireland.
Help Comes
"I have felt much with you during these days. Pain is never easy to bear, and you have had so much of it. But help comes, doesn't it? Strength for the day, strength for the minute. And it will never fail us if only we look up.
Perhaps His word to you just now is the word He has often spoken very tenderly to me: "Let Me see thy countenance, let Me hear thy voice" (Song of Songs 2:14)."
~Amy Carmichael
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
—Romans 8:6
Many wishes for a speedy recovery.
J
A verse that who has brought me much comfort in emotionally and physically trying times is 1 Peter 5:7 "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."
I'l be praying for your speedy recovery.
In Him,
Melinda
Dear Pleasant View mother/grandmother greetings from rural Pennsylvania. I hope & pray you recover quickly.
Angela
Towanda PA
Dear Anna, I am thinking of you and your family today - praying that the Lord will have His healing and protective hand upon your mother, and that she will sense in a very special way the presence of The Everlasting Arms underneath her.
Warmly,
Nancy
For your Mother:
Psalm 145:1-3
I will extol You,my God,O King:
And I will bless your name forever and ever.
Everyday I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.
I know that when I focus on praise and thanksgiving to God for the many blessings He has so graciously given my difficulties seem bearable with His grace.
Praying for you ,
Barb in Nebraska
Remember my affliction and my wanderings...but this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him. Lamentations 3: 19, 21-24
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
"These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily,
surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it
seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass.
Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" --Habakkuk 2:3 (LB)
Eph. 3:20, 21
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Hope the surgery is successfull and you'll recover quickly.
"My poor soul! Sigh, pray and strive to take upon you the blessed yoke of Christ, and you will live on earth in a heavenly manner. Lord, grant that I may carry the light and goodly yoke, and I shall be always at rest, peaceful, glad and joyous; and I shall taste on earth of crumbs which fall from the celestial feast, like a dog that feeds upon the crumbs which fall from the master's table."
—- St. Tikhon of Voronezh --
"Cast yourself into the arms of God and be very sure that if He wants anything of you, He will lift you for the work and give you strength."
—- Philip Neri --
"There is no greater love than that a man lays down his life for his neighbor. When you hear someone complaining and you struggle with yourself and do not answer him back with complaints; when you are hurt and bear it patiently, not looking for revenge; then you are laying down your life for your neighbor."
—- Abba Poemen --
"Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart."
—- Philippians 4:6 --
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
—- Eccl. 3:1-8 --
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