God at Work……..

So…..

Almost 4 years ago we moved into this house - a mother/daughter set up.  My mom was already living with us but it was time to move into separate houses.  Well, my mom moved out and we have this empty house back there.  When we moved in, my husband and I discussed what to do with this "other" house when Mina is no longer with us and we have been SO blessed of God that we wanted to be able to bless others.  We imagined maybe unwed pregnant women who don't know the Lord, missionaries on the move, etc…..all temporary housing as 1) we cannot rent it as we are not zoned to rent and 2) we don't want to be landlords and are VERY particular about who is back there as it is attached to our house and the families will co-exist out of necessity (shared yard, decks, basement, etc).  So yesterday I go to get my nails done and the lady who does my nail for the last 4 years wasn't there so I asked the only other lady I knew there if she could do my nails.  Her name is Mary and of course, she said yes.  Now in 4 years, Mary has done my nails ONCE.  NO ONE does my nails except for Lee.  So Mary and I were talking and it turns out that she has been down on her luck.  Raising 4 children alone (21, 17, 14 and 13) and lost their home 3 years ago.  Lost their apartment 3 months ago as she could no longer pay rent, buy food and take care of her four kids on what she makes.  She does nails.  She works 7 days a week, 12 hour days.  NO help from dad - NONE……EVER.  So, her and her daughter (17) are sleeping at a friends in a closet on an air mattress.  Her 21 year old is living with her boyfriend to have somewhere to sleep and her two boys (13 and 14) had to go to their dad's as she had no way to care for them.  They have NEVER been with dad and dad has never been involved in their lives but out of necessity, they are now with their dad that they barely know.  Family split up.  Mary an incredible woman who loves the Lord and is trusting God and all of a sudden God impressed upon my heart that I should show Mary the house and offer her to live there until Amanda (17) graduates from High School, which is the ONLY reason she hasn't' taken her family and gone somewhere else that they can afford to live.  After all, we cannot charge rent so she would live there free.  I showed her the house and immediately called Eric.  Told him.  Tonight Mary and her daughter Amanda came to meet with us and they are now sleeping in the bedroom back there.  Mary had her food in her car as she was that close to living out of her car.  AND, Erics heart is SO big that when he heard that her family was split, he told her that we (he and I) needed to pray but he cannot bear to know that a family is not together.  At which point, Mary started crying…..hysterically.  When I finally got it out of her why she was crying she said because she has been praying so hard and so much that God would somehow bring her boys back to her……So I'm pretty sure there isn't much to pray about….I'm pretty sure by the end of this weekend, Mary's boys will be home with mom……

Though God is active in my life SO much lately especially, He never ceases to amaze me how He, and He alone, can work things out like this.  This could ONLY happen by divine intervention.  I am just in tears over our blessing of being able to help a family in need and to know that God is using what He has provided for us in a way only He can.

Praise be to God, the Author and Finisher of our Faith.  The Father of Jesus Christ, my Lord, my Redeemer and my Savior.

Until next time…..

Happy Birthday Mina!

This was Mina at Christmas last year with my bestie Sharon.  Mina is what we call my mom……when my oldest child was young she just couldn't say anything remotely close to grandma and she just kept calling her Mina….so 17 years later, Mina it is.  Today is my mom's 89th birthday!  Is that incredible or what!  I am so blessed to have a mom all these years since she didn't have me until she was 45.

My mom now lives in California and let's just say we weren't able to tell her how much we love and miss her and to wish her a happy birthday because we have no direct line and I will not go thru the only contact I have.  But my mom was the very first thing on my mind this morning and still on my mind.  We had a small family celebration (no cake or anything - just prayer and talks of memories of Mina) here….it was all we felt we could do.  I can only hope that someday she will call us, but whether or not she does, she is very much loved and missed.

My dad died in 1997 and for about 5 years prior to that, I took care of him and my mom (he died when he was 80) because it was very difficult for him to much of anything that required labor.  So I mowed, shoveled, painted, etc.  And when he died, I took care of my mom in her home.  I had been married the whole time…..I was married in 1994.  My husband was amazing as I was at my mom's half the week and home the other half (with my daughter) for years until she could no longer live alone and she moved in with us.  So I have really never known life without my mom.  Today was a most difficult day for me and I suspect Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year will be as well.  But she is loved and missed sorely.

So, Mina, here is to you.  I pray for you each and every day.  Praying for happiness, health and another 89 years this side of heaven.  I know I will see you again.  That assurance gets me through each and every day.  So until we meet up again………I love you Mom!  Happy Birthday!

Until next time…...

The Gym Is NO Good For You!!!!!

OK, I was SO done with surgeries, particularly after my face and my throat in the last two months, but about a year ago I tore my bicep muscle.  I'm telling you.  Half my injuries happened at the gym.  So I'm thinking that I should stay out of the gym.  Not only have I torn both rotator cuffs, my left ACL and every time I go there, my heart starts to race, I begin to sweat, I can hardly breathe and my body hurts.  The gym is DEFINITELY NO GOOD for your health.  But I digress again.

I have been nursing this thing for the last year.  Did therapy - to no avail.  I did cortisone - to no avail.  So I sucked it up until it got to the point recently that I can't use my right arm much and when I do, it KILLS.  SO I am scheduled for bicep surgery November 14, 2013.  My surgeon is a riot.  This is my second surgery with him.  My friends say I am friends with all my doctors and I thought that was pretty normal, but according to them - not so much.  Anyhow, Dr. Kocaj is a great surgeon and a great guy.  I called him and told him I cannot do the pain anymore so I went to see him for last consultation before scheduling surgery.  I asked what the "typical" recovery time was.  His response to me was (and I quote), "OK, Arrie, we ALL know you suck as a post operative patient.  Just tell me what it is that you want to do and we'll discuss it".  I told him there was nothing specific I was looking to do, I was just wondering.  He said, "Really??  Last shoulder surgery within a week you were scrubbing barn walls WITH THE SLING and grooming your horses and digging holes to plant bushes and I think the sling lasted 2 weeks, not 3 months and I'm pretty sure that the one year total recovery, for you, ended at three months".  So I told him my horses are being shipped out in two weeks (no grooming), it is fall so no digging and my car will be put away in about 4 weeks so no waxing……I really didn't want to do anything specific I was just wondering how long I was going to be laid up.  So, typical recovery is sling 6 weeks, nothing more than 1 pound lifted for 3 months and full recovery by 6 months…….WTH!  There is NO way I'll last that long and he knows it.  So he told me that he would be "tickled to pieces" if he can get 6 weeks in a sling and no typing or writing out of me…..I told him that was a bit much to ask and assured him that IF I do something I shouldn't he KNOWS that I tell him the truth.

He sighed.

Am I friends with all my doctors?  I guess I am since I haven't seen him in 2 years and we talked about his kids skiing, Okimo, Aspen/Vail…..my kids, my horses and of course, my new vette.  I still think that is pretty normal to be personal with all your docs, but whatever.  Maybe I am just that open book with everyone.  People tell me that one conversation with me and they feel right at home, like they have known me for ever.  I call it "the gift of gab".

So Dr. Kocaj says no blogging.  SMH.  Is he kidding me?  So next Thursday I go under the knife AGAIN and I swear this is my VERY LAST surgery.  PERIOD.  I have had more staples, stitches, anchors, titanium markers and fake pieces like braided ropes than anyone should ever have.  A CT Scan of my body is hysterical.

So, remember, the gym is no good for you and make friends with your doctors, you never know when you will need them to be kind to you….

Until next time…...