Childlike vs. Childish

Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.
Luke 18:16
There is a difference between being childlike and being childish; and it's pretty substantial. Both of these terms relate to children, but in different ways. In general, we call someone childish when they emulate the negative qualities in a child- throwing temper tantrums or acting immature. When we call someone childlike, it's usually uttered in a much more positive respect. We refer to someone as having a childlike joy, wonder, or faith and we are happy for them in that.
The above verse is referring to that childlike faith, but we must be sure that in our childlikeness, we have not become childish. I hope my faith is never aptly described as childish, but I would consider it a compliment to be told it's childlike.
The hearts of children are a wonder to behold and enjoy, beautiful things that we should cherish far more than we tend to on a day to day basis. They see the products of a living God around them and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that there had to be an artist. They take delight in the things we've become accustomed to and take for granted. I can't tell you how many times I've heard my two year-old neice (the beautiful little girl in the picture above), utter the words "Kirssy! Pretty dress!" with a wistful sigh and a smile that melts my heart all over again.

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

1 Corinthians 13:11

How, then, do we keep our faith childlike, rather than childish?

I'll admit it's hard. It's hard to keep the world's persistent cynicism from infiltrating my thought process on a daily basis. It's difficult to hold to Christ's sufficiency when the world barrages you with everything it says you ought to be. And it's scary to stand, like a good friend of mine's six year old, and say "There is too a God in heaven and he's living in my heart!"

But that's exactly what we have to do: Stand!

Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.

1 Corinthians 14:20

Here Paul tells us what else to do. Yes, we should be childlike, but now he clearly commands us to refrain from being childish. We have to stand up and grow in our understanding of people and of Christ. What good are we as His ambassadors if we know so little about Him?

Lord, teach me how to make my faith childlike without it being childish. Help me to grow in your wisdom while not dismissing the simpler things about you.

Have a blessed day!

Challenging Femininity: May 2010

Just wanted to let y'all know I'm the Featured Femina for this month's issue of Challenging Feminity over at Feelin' Feminine. The interview was really fun and I'm really thankful to Miss Jocelyn for asking me to do it. :) Go check it out the entire magazine by clicking the button below. If you'd like to go straight to the article, though, click here.

Spirit of Fear

One of Lyla's (my niece, that beautiful little girl in the picture :) newest things is saying "Kirssy, I scared!". Of course, depending on whom she's adressing, the name changes- but you catch my drift.
On Resurrection Sunday, she'd said it at least a handful of times. Whether it was something on Nemo that was a little scary or she just couldn't find Pa, those words would come tumbling out of her lips.
Well, one of those times, she came running toward me, "Kirssy, I scared!" she called, eyes wide.
"Come here, Lyla." Valerie (her mom) said from where she was standing near me. She took Lyla's face in her hands and made sure Lyla was looking at her. "Lyla, what does Mommy tell you when you're scared? God doesn't give us a spirit of fear. So when you're scared, you say, 'Jesus,'"
"Jesus," Lyla repeated.
"Help."
"Help."
"Me."
"Me."
"Alright. I love you." Val finished. Lyla went bounding off to whatever her two and a half year old brain had decided was next on her list of things to do.

That scene was just so touching to me- seeing how Val and Robert are already teaching this sweet girl God's truths in ways she can understand. It's so simple. We are so blessed to have a God who responds to that simple call of "Jesus, help me!" when we need Him most.
It never ceases to amaze me!

2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Have a blessed day!

The Challenge: Day 6

Today has been relatively eventful, if a little tiring.
It was Missions Sunday at my church and super cool. A great sermon was taught on following Christ and many missionaries came to present their ministries.
After church, I spent the day at the Ayres' house, pretty much my adoptive sister, brother-in-law, and two beautiful nieces! We had alot of fun and even watched The Count of Monte Cristo. I really enjoy spending time with them. I love my big brother and sister and my wonderful little nieces!

• Shirt- Same as the blue and white ones I've already worn, just in a different color. Though now that I think about it, I actually think they're from Target.
• Tank top- You can't see it in this pic, but it's pink and from Old Navy.
• Skirt- I bought this just a few weeks ago on sale at Old Navy. I think it was either $11 or $14.

My hair was really just blow dried and scrunched with my fingers. I didn't really have the energy or time to do much else this morning. After church, I ended up putting it in a ponytail, though. Or as Lyla calls it, "A tail!"

And last, but not least, I wanted to show this picture of the girls sitting with "Pa", aka. My daddy.

It was really cute, but the pic came out blurry. You get the idea though.

The little beauty on the left is Lyla, and the pink bundle in his arms is a sleeping Leah.

Have a blessed day!

Bolt!

[Picture Credit: (c)Kirsten Erin]
My two year-old niece, Lyla, and I had an interesting conversation the other day.
"Hey Lyla, you wanna watch Balto?"
"Bolt!"
"I'm sorry, honey, but we don't have Bolt. You have it at your house."
"Bolt! Peese! Bolt!"
"Here we'll watch Balto."
At this point she sees the cover of the dvd and that it, in fact, has puppies on it (or rather wolves, but she doesn't know that) and hurriedly motions for me to put it in the TV.
"You want to watch Balto?"
"Bolt!"
"Okay, you want to watch Bolt?"
"Sure."
And we lived happily ever after, watching Balto until she got bored and wanted "Chull!" aka. Mitchell.
The End.

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas, y'all! It's Jesus' birthday today!
This year we didn't really get to continue most of our Christmas traditions for one reason or another. We didn't have new pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve (my greatest woe), no family came over to celebrate (probably a greater woe than the pajamas, but still), we had no stockings, and we didn't get to throw cat food on the roof for the reindeer. Now, I'm pretty sure they'll forgive us for that last one since we've been devout with it in previous years. I hardly think they'll begrudge us one year.
However, I had the wonderful idea to lay socks by the window, so I ran around the apartment and stole a sock from each member of the family. Mitchell and I were then faced with a dilemma- we had no Christmas movies to watch! It's another tradition for the two of us to sleep in the same room and watch two Christmas movies. Luckily, just as we were about to give up (because niether of us wanted to watch The Polar Express again), Mitchell remembered that we could buy movies on iTunes.
:D
So I bought "It's a Wonderful Life" and rented "Elf". I prefer the first, but still enjoyed the second. We're planning on watching "It's a Wonderful Life" again today!
This morning I was woken up by Mitchell, who felt the need to remind me it was Christmas. I shrugged on my pink robe over my pajamas and grabbed my stocking. We were saddened by the fact that Miranda wasn't here to be the first to get her stocking. She ALWAYS gets her stocking first. Well, except for the time Mom made it look like she was sleeping in the living room by puting a wig on a volleball and laying pillows under the blanket. Even the cat fell for it and was sleeping on the dummy. Mitchell and I got our stockings first for the first time ever. Needless to say, Miranda was fuming when she found out it hadn't been Mom.
Getting back on track, I ate two balls of chocolate before Mitchell suddenly realized that I wasn't holding my sock. I'd accidentally grabbed  Mom's. I hurriedly shoved itall back in before going to get my own and then I went back to bed.
I woke up a bit later to Mom telling me that they were going to open presents without me. I hurried in, carryig my Bible, and reminded them that we needed to read it first. I had picked out the passages and opened it to Isaiah 52-53 and later turned to Luke's account of Christ's birth.
Afterward, Daddy prayed and Mitchell played Santa this year.
Most of us have already gotten our 'big present' this year- mine being my car, mom and mitchell got new laptops. So we each bought each other one present.
I received a supercool Batman mug from Mitchell, a gorgeous hardcover copy of Emma that I wanted, and three rolls of beautiful lavender yarn.
Mitchell got Doomwyte by Brian Jacques, and Watership Down by Richard Adams from our parents. I joked that he must have a fetish for small animals, since both are about them. I gave him a board game called Quoridor that looks cool. He and Dad have already played it once and seemed to enjoy it.
Mom received a handmade scarf from me, a book that our French tutor's mother wrote, and a jacke that she really wanted- both from Dad. Mitchell says that he's buying Mom and Dad's presents when we get back to the States, because he already knows what he wants to get him.
Dad got a scarf that we bought yesterday from me and a game called Perudo that they apprently play on Pirates of the Carribean. He'll probably get a bigger present later, but we couldn't find anything while out that he would've liked.
Now we just have to find out what to do with our Charlie Brown-like Christmas tree that sheds when you look at it too long. I honestly believe it's the ugliest tree I've ever seen, especially after Dad managed to knock it over the other tree.
Dad suggeste throwing it out the window, but don't think that would be the greatest option. So we're stuck with brainstorming. Any ideas?
Have a blessed day!

Oh So Thankful Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving went off pretty well today!
We've been trying to get supplies for the last week, really. Dad went to the States last week and got a couple of things like Nestle's chocolate chips, marshmallow cream, and cranberry sauce. A good amount of this will carry over until Christmas! Yay!
Of course, we're especially excited about fudge. If you've ever been to my house around this time of year, you know that my mom makes the best fudge EVER! It's a secret family recipe that we all love and enjoy sharing with others as much as possible.
The French are lucky to have us! :D
Due to it being Thanksgiving, I decided that I would do what probably every other blogger is doing today- making a list of things I'm most thankful for. I'll make it short so I don't bore you to death by means of redundancy. :D

1) First and foremost, I am thankful for the Heavenly Father who made me, redeemed me, and keeps me on my feet. He has been my King, my Best Friend, my Savior, the Keeper of my heart, and my God. He is the most important person in my life and there's nothing I'm more thankful for than the sacrifice He made because of my transgressions. He took my place on that cross and saved me when I was worthless. For that, I can never be thankful enough.

2) I am thankful for my family. They are always beside me, steadying me and filling my life with smiles. Even when we fight, and we fight alot, we learn to forgive one another and keep walking side by side. I'm thankful that God has put me in the family he has- I love them so much!

3) My friends! I have such an awesome support system of friends that I love to death. Though we get funny looks because of our constant playful bickering and sarcasm, we love each other dearly and aren't afraid to say it. :D They keep me accountable and are always challenging me to be my best.

I would say that those three are the very most important things. Sure, there are many other things that I am thankful for and if I sat down and wrote it all out, we would be here for hours.
Take the time today to think on the many things the Lord has blessed you with today. Really stop and think about it all- He did all of that for you.
Even the most obscure thing that makes you smile- it's him wooing you. The nice man opening the door for you, your mom making your favorite dessert, or getting the last candy bar that you wanted so badly. Is it really that far-fetched of an idea that Christ cares about me enough to just make me want to smile? No. No it's not.
The thought just floors you doesn't it? It floors me.
Keep that in mind as you celebrate this day of thankfulness.
Have a blessed day!

Veteran's Day!

Okay, so I have to admit that I had no idea it was Veteran's Day today! I know, I'm a horrible American... but my excuse is that I'm in France and I can't pronounce the word that today is called, though I know it's a holiday here too! Maybe it's the same thing?
Anyway, I thought I just wanted to put up a post in honor of the men and women who have fought and died for our country. They truly are heroes.

"Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices." -President Harry S. Truman

Here's a picture of my awesome Uncle Henry, who fought in World War II in the Battle of the Bulge- along with many other battles. He's such an inspiration and we thank him for all he did for our country. He and those he fought with show us what it means to sacrifice for the good of those who are abused and what it looks like to stand against evil.
Thank you, Uncle Henry!!!

And here's a picture of my Peepaw, Joe Barker. He served in both the Navy and the Army at different points. (I think he said he hated the army though).
Yes, that's me in his lap. :D
He died when I was around six years old, but I still have good memories that I cherish very much. And he was quite a good-looking man, wasn't he? We made quite the pair. :D
He also did our country a great service during the war and was a great example to those around him.
Thank you, Peepaw!!!

He and Uncle Henry were best friends (Uncle Henry is actually my dad's godfather) and I have very fond memories of both of them, though I'm so glad I can continue to make many happy memories with Uncle Henry.

Well, now that I've given some very important men my thanks for serving our country, I suppose I'll close out this post with my appreciation for all those who have served or will serve our country by laying down their lives for our freedom. You are an honor to our nation!

Have a blessed day!

Jour Un- Day One in Paris

I wrote a blog post about my first day in Paris for my family's current blog: Bon Voyage, Y'all!

Well, I'm finally here- in Paris, France! I can hardly comprehend how for my first time to go overseas- I'm moving there and to somewhere as famous as Paris.

Today's post will be to fill y'all in on our journey here and our first day!

Yesterday, we left the house at one in the afternoon and were driven to the airport. It was a tearful goodbye- with Allison, Valerie, and little miss Lyla to see us off. I started the waterworks while saying goodbye to that sweet little two year old, and everyone else followed (except Dad). I suppose I really am a leader! :P
To continue reading, click here.
Have a blessed day!

Bon Voyage, Y'all! the blog

I've been hinting at this post for the past couple of blog posts. This is the post where I explain all this talk of France on here and on Twitter.
Those who know me have already heard that I'm moving to Paris. Not Paris, Texas- the real Paris, Eiffel Tower and all. Don't worry, I it's not permanent. We'll only be there for three months and we leave in October.
Crazy, huh?
This is all happening because of my dad. Here's the story:
My dad is a computer engineer who loves being a computer geek (my own term for him, not his own admission). He's pretty good at it, too. Apparently, one of his bosses switched jobs and went to a company whose base is in France.
When he made the switch, he wanted to take my dad with him, but told him he'd have to move to France to do so. My dad immediately turned it down. He wasn't about to make us all relocate to France. That's a bit too far away and we have family, friends, and commitments here.
Well, a month or two ago, that same boss approached him with another job offer. With this one, we would have to move to France for around three months and he would have to travel more often (up to two out of four weeks each month). However, he would then get to work at home and likely enjoy his job alot more. He wasn't really enjoying his current one as much anymore.
When he told the rest of us, we were excited at first but then quite worried. We weren't sure we wanted to leave everyone for that long. We weren't sure we were okay with Dad travelling more, it was hard enough on us when he travelled normally. We were excited about Paris, Dad being home, and an all around better job.
He told us to be in prayer about it as he took steps to find out more about the job and figure out how it would all play out. And we did.
It wasn't long before Mom and I were pretty sure it was a done deal. After much prayer, we both felt like this was the direction that God had planned for our family. Now we directed our prayers toward everything working out the way God intended and for Daddy to continue to make wise decisions.
Now my dad has signed the contract and given his notice to his current employers that he will be leaving. He starts the new job on the twenty-first of September. We leave for France in the beginning of October.
As we prayed for the Lord's guidance in our lives and concerning this job, we watched every door fly open. We now have a quite amazing family that will be house-sitting our home while they search for one of their own. And they are being blessed in not having to pay rent on their apartment for three months. Isn't God just too good??
As we've looked up information about this new country that God is giving us the opportunity to be a light in, we know we will be under alot of attack. France is apparently one of the least evangelized nations in the world and is neck-deep in the occult. According to some statistics I found, the people spend more money on 'spiritual healers' than on actual doctors. We're ready to shine our light, though, and can't wait to make an impact on this spiritually hungry nation.

Now, as a part of our 'journey' in France, I had the idea to start a blog for my family as we go through our three months there. I named it Bon Voyage, Y'all! and my whole family will be writing on it (even if I have to force them). I still haven't finished setting it all up, but I have written an opening post that tells the point of it and will be adding the above story to it as well.
And don't worry, I'll still be posting on this blog throughout our stay.
I can't wait to see everything that the Lord has in store for myself and my family.
Have a blessed day!

Multi-colored Blanket

**Update: I changed my mind. This item can now be found in the Living Water Shoppe.

I've been working on crocheting this blanket for 1 1/2 to 2 years. Mainly because I kept running out of new colors to add after each black stripe. I finally decided to finish a few days ago by just adding an extra black stripe next to the beginning and being done with it.

I think I'm going to keep this one, because I've put so much work into it and it's my first completed full sized blanket.

I used Daddy as my model because he was the first to walk up the stairs while I was taking pics. And it made me laugh when I wrapped it around him completely.

Have a blessed day!

All Things Work Together for My Good

Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Doesn't it just amaze you every time God quietly reminds you that He's always near? I know it just astounds me.
He has everything planned, even before it happens.
Yesterday, I was planning to go up to the Prayer Meeting at City Hall, since it was National Day of Prayer. I was really excited about it.
Anyway, I suddenly realized if I went I would be all by myself. I didn't want to go and be the loner walking around, so I asked Mitchell to go with me. He said he didn't want to because he had too much schoolwork and needed to get it done. I tried to convince him up until 11:30, which is when the meeting started.
I said I wasn't going to go if he didn't and was very upset.
After a few minutes, however, I changed my mind but Mom said it was too late and I could pray just as effectively at home. So as I was stirring the cheese into the Mac & Cheese I'd made for lunch for my mom and I, I felt horrible- like I'd copped out and was being a coward because I couldn't even go to a simple prayer meeting by myself. I'm seventeen, for goodness sake!
I barely registered seeing my brother run by the kitchen and into my mom's room.
Seconds later, Mom called me with a worried voice. I came in only to find that Mitchell was crying and there was a paper towel in his hand that had some blood stains on it.
Apparently, my brother had been in his room playing with his pocket knife as he was getting his stuff together to do his schoolwork and had cut a small gash between his ring and pinky finger. We tried calming him down as he berated himself for having been so stupid as to be playing with a pocket knife and called Dad before running out the door.
Mom had to drive, with one arm, because at this point I was shaking and nearly in tears. But by the time we got to the hospital, Mitchell had calmed down and Dad showed up to sit with us. After about twenty minutes we were shown to a room, where Mitchell got his stitches.
I stood outside the room and tried to keep from crying as he was sewn up, then went in immediately after.
As soon as Dad asked if I was okay, I broke down in tears. I don't like seeing my baby brother in pain.
In the end, he only had three stitches and an embarrassing story of being irresponsible with a knife, along with a little wounded pride. He called his friends and laughed about it as I drove us home.
This did remind me, though, about God's goodness and plan for us.
If I had gone to the prayer meeting, I would've taken the only car and been gone for at least an hour. I might not have had my phone on either and they would've had no way to get to the hospital. I wouldn't have been their for my little brother when he needed me.
And if he'd gone with me, this whole mess would've been avoided. :P
Two Lesson's here:
1) God's always taking care of you, even when you don't see it.
2) Big sisters know best. :D
Have a blessed day!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today was my mom's birthday! We normally have family over for celebrations and such, but since she's still recovering she didn't want anyone over.
I made steak, potatoes, and salad for dinner. We ate it in her room and then brought in a piece of cake. Mom couldn't stand the anticipation of cake in the house, so she broke into it yesterday, as did the rest of us. Sweets don't usually last long in our house. :P So we piled eight candles onto her piece of cake, sang her happy birthday and she blew out the candles.

For her birthday, Dad got her the Mark of the Lion book series by Francine Rivers (which I will be borrowing). Mitchell got her a Dilbert comic book. I knit her a dark blue blanket.
Here are the pictures of her with her presents and some I took of the blanket itself:

In other news, there was a really bad storm in the night that lasted through the morning. The thunder woke me up at seven and freaked out Hobbes and Snickers who were both sleeping in my room.

When the storm was over, Mom looked outside and realized all of our poolside furniture was gone. Lo and behold, it was all at the bottom of the pool. Dad and Mitchell had to pull the chairs and table out when he got home from work.

Also, we lost quite a few shingles in the process. Dad says we're going to need a roofer. I made a pile of the ones in our yard and the street. I didn't grab those that had flown onto our neighbor's lawn because I wasn't sure at that point if it was our roof or not. Didn't want to steal their shingles!

Have a blessed day!

A Day in My Life

In response to my votes on my sidebar, I'm going to start writing more 'About Me' type articles. It appears y'all want to know more about me, so I'll oblige you by telling you about my day.

This morning I quickly got ready, after having risen late, and Dad said I could drive, so we headed to church in Mom's car (Dad has a stick shift and I'm not even going to attempt that). We had to stop by the bank and Wal-Mart on the way there as well, so we're halfway there when it starts to rain.
The windshield starts to get really hard to see through and I tell my Dad that I don't know how to turn on the windshield wipers and ask him to turn them on for me. Not to mention, the roads out of my neighborhood are very curvy and we just went by a policeman.
Dad reaches over and quickly admits he doesn't know how to use Mom's wipers, his are different. By now, we're starting to panic because I can't see the road and we don't want to die. Finally, Dad finds the little thing that makes the fluid spray onto the window and the wipers skim over it. He did that multiple times until I finally pull into the bank. Just as we get into the parking lot, he figures it out.
We get to church slightly late, but mostly on time.
Worship is great as usual and a woman in front of us compliments my singing, for which I thank her. Dad almost said it was him singing, not me. :P Kerri sits with me during service as Pastor Brad talks to us about prayer. It was a great sermon.
Then I head off to work with the toddlers in the nursery. I love those kids! I eat plenty of goldfish with them and blow bubbles for them. I try to teach some how to blow the bubbles, but most din't understand the concept of blowing. They think they are supposed to eat the wand. A few figure it out and are terribly excited when they see the bubbles they make.
When we finished, I head over with Kerri to Upgrade (our youth group's leader's meeting for the student leaders, adult leaders, and interns). We sit in the front row with Kelli, Lillian, and Danae.
After I finish the chicken sandwhich they provide from Wendy's, I pull out my knitting. I'm making my mom a full-sized blanket for her birthday, which is tomorrow so I have to use all my free time to finish it up.
Megan comments that I'm a knitting machine because everytime she sees me, I'm knitting something different. Some ask how long I've been working on it. "I started it Wednesday night." I answer. They look shocked then say, "Oh, she's a homeschooler, that's why." And go on to say that that's all I've been doing, which is incorrect. I tell them I just do it while I do other things.

After Upgrade, Lillian takes me home and I eat cake for Mom's birthday.
At one point, I go outside to talk to my Dad and Mitchell follows me out shortly afterward. I mess with the pool brush while Dad goes over to put the Polaris (the pool cleaner) back into the pool. In order to do so, he has to crouch down and stick his arm into the water so he can hook it into the edge of the pool. He tells Mitchell not to push him in, because we are all notorious for pushing each other into the water when other family members stand near it.
Mitchell proceeds in standing close enough to make Dad nervous. Nervous enough not to notice me coming around. I sneak around and quickly shove him with my foot (which ended up more like a kick because I was so afraid he was going to grab my leg and pull me in too). He landed with a splash in the pool.
My brother and I crack up laughing and I run inside, afraid he'll try to get me back. He ends up going around through the garage and change. It was a great memory! He's the first in the pool in the year 2009! Usually my brother or myself are the first to be pushed in. I count this as victory!
Afterwards, I spend some time on the computer and then watch most of End of the Spear, which made me cry.
I then go to Small Groups. These are held at my friend Sarah's house. I'm the first one there so I talk to her little sister, Angela, before she heads of to Rainbows at church. She's so animated! It makes me laugh so hard when I talk to her.
Small Groups was fun. Bridgette tells me that she feels like I am her grandma when she walks in and sees me knitting. I laugh and tell her that I just might be her grandma.
I am asked again about when I started the blanket and the same series of events that occurred in Upgrade happens once again. We all talk and laugh through our time there and head home.
I then finish End of the Spear and finish off the book I've been reading, Fight Like a Girl by Lisa Bevere.
Now I'm here, posting this post.
Hope that wasn't too boring for y'all. I thought I'd give you a glimpse into my life today. I'm going to try to start posting more on myself and not just the lessons. I want to keep y'all interested.
Plus funny things tend to happen in my family, such as the pool story or how I accidentally cooked way too much rice and it came out looking like mashed potatoes. :P We have a crazy family, but I love them!
Let me know what you think!
Have a blessed day!

Mommy and Me

I've been mentioning my mom alot since she had her surgery, so I thought I'd let you know what's going on with that.


Mom recently had rotator cuff surgery. I don't know all the nitty gritty details. All I know is that she had two massive tears and her bicep was separated from her bone (or something of that nature). We believe the damage happened ten years ago when she was involved in a car wreck. She hurt her shoulder then, but no one really checked it out- they just gave her some medicine and sent her home. As time went on, Mom continued playing softball and soccer and being her normal, crazy self. But then the pain started getting worse and worse.


She has damage to her neck as well, so all the neck doctors told her it was her shoulder and all the shoulder doctors said it was her neck. Finally, Mom pressed them to take an MRI.


Guess what they found.


Last month, she had the surgery and she's still in alot of pain. She keeps her arm in a sling, except during physical therapy and when she's sitting in her recliner. She doesn't really get much sleep at night because that's when rotator cuff injuries hurt the worst, for some reason. She can't sleep in the bed and has to sleep in her recliner. Our Pastor has offered her his hospital bed that they have (because apparently he's hurt himself that many times :P). We'll see if she takes him up on that offer, she says it sounds better and better every day.


She's been having physical therapy and going to many doctor's appointments. Mr. Rick, the physical therapist, has been pushing her pretty hard and there has been no lack of tears. Usually she has me distract her when it gets bad by reading to her. I read to her from Psalms yesterday and he said he's never seen anyone do that to distract themselves before. He thought it was pretty cool.


We went to Dr. O yesterday to make sure Mr. Rick wasn't pushing her too hard, because Mom was concerned about it. She didn't want her arm getting messed up and needing surgery again! Turns out she has something called RSD, I can't remember what it stands for, but I know that it means she has hyper-sensitive nerves near the surgery to where barely touching it hurts her really bad. She also has a blood clot, but Dr. O said it would go back to normal soon, so no worries.


He referred us to Dr. L for pain management, so he could give her some medicine to help with the RSD, because it's a pretty serious condition. We had an appointment with him today and he gave her the meds. I didn't really pay attention in this appointment because I was reading an article about the Duggars :P but I do know that he gave her a few different prescriptions that should help out and told her she needs to gently massage where it hurts so it'll break up the pain some.


During her recovery, I'm pretty much her driver and take her where she needs to go each day. At least it breaks up the monotony of being at home all the time. I enjoy driving and helping out my Mom.


We're praying for a quick recovery and less pain. It's really hard on her, so please keep her in your prayers!


P.S. Many thanks to all of those who brought us food! We really appreciated your yummy food and loving hearts! I'm just learning how to cook meals, so the help is great! May God bless you for your kindness to us!


Have a blessed day!

Miranda's Widget

This widget belongs to my sister, Miranda Harney.
Two years ago, my sister was involved in a car accident where she pulled out in front of a motorcyle on a highway, it being in her blindspot, and it hit her. Her car spun out of control and though her car was totalled, we thank God she made it out with only bruises and cuts.
After going to court, Miranda was assigned community service, put on parole, had her license taken away for a full year (which she got back last month), and charged with a large sum of money in restitution. A large amount that is incredibly challenging for a just-out-of-college woman to scrape up.
That's where this Chip-In Fund comes in. This is a way for those that the Lord leads to give and who just want to help out can help out with the restitution fee. It would be a great blessing to my family and especially my sister.
And for those who don't want or feel lead to give, please keep us and her in your prayers. We would greatly appreciate it. God is the only one who can raise these funds, and we're trusting Him to do so.
Here's a link to her little blog-like thing that explains more: Miranda's Fund .
Thanks for your support!
Have a blessed day!