Thorns

Well, October has practically come and gone. The last two UK football games have been at either end of the celebration spectrum. And we've learned that it's hard to have faith in politicians or the financial systems. I want to be encouraging, but sometimes it's hard to do that with so much uncertainty in this world. But, I am certain of one thing......God's unchanging love.

In the summer of 2006, we were boating on the Green River. Mark brought us up to a sandy bank and as he jumped off the boat to tie us off he stepped right down onto a branch submerged under the water. This branch had nice long thorns on it and one of them was piercing the center of his instep. He pulled the branch off, and we proceeded with our day of socializing on the river with our friends. Once we got home, he asked me to examine it because he felt like he hadn't got all of the thorn out, it apparently had broken off in his foot. I looked and poked around on his foot as I often do for his splinters, but could find nothing. I suggested he go to a doctor, but he declined.

The weeks and months passed by and even though the surface wound healed over, he continued to complain about his foot hurting, even though he continued his life, working and doing all he normally would do. Apparently, this was not going to just go away on it's own. Eventually, it would get red, swollen and even reopen and ooze(gross, I know). I finally convinced him to go to a walk in clinic which he did. That doctor examined it, cleaned out the wound and said he couldn't see anything in the area.

When we moved to Georgetown, I convinced him, as the complaints progressively increased, to go see a doctor about it. He was then directed to a surgeon who ordered an MRI. Even though nothing specific showed up on the MRI, he thought surgery would be the best option, so he cut into Mark's foot looking for and attempting to erradicate the problem. We really hoped and prayed that this had taken care of it. During this same time, I was taking a Bible study by Stormie OMartian called The Power of the Praying Wife and continued to pray for Mark's foot, especially when we covered the chapter on "my husband's health".

Approximately three weeks after the surgery, the previously healed over area was now festering and oozing(I know) above and below the original wound. The doctor scheduled another surgery. I was praying throughout this ordeal as it was coming at a time of real uncertainty in our nation. Would this affect Mark's job? Would we be able to afford all these medical expenses? This was not a good time to have these kinds of concerns in an already shaky economy. I tried to keep my worries transformed into prayers because I had faith that God would bring us through this......just concerned about how much of a test it would be.

The second surgery was completed and Mark was back off to work and we were hoping and praying this would do it. Because the doctor had to do a second surgery, he sent off some specimens from the affected tissue. It was a bacteria in the staph family, but not the one you hear about. This became a scary issue as well. I heard awful stories of doctors removing half a man's foot due to a staph infection.

Then Mark called on Monday and Tuesday night, while working out of town, to tell me his foot hurt terribly, more than it had before, felt just like a needle in the original wound. I happened to be reading and doing my Bible study homework when he called the second night. I had been reading about unconfessed and unrepented sin in our lives. I was writing down prayers for us concerning our own sins, so when he called I delved right into it. He listened and even asked for explanations which I tried to give, best I could. I then rushed off to my daughters for supper that night and made it to my Bible study the following morning. I continued rushing around that day as I needed to walk the dogs and tend to the house and get to my Bible discussion group at church that evening. I was starting to get overly concerned about everything....Mark's foot, our finances, his job, the economy, the upcoming election and finally just prayed my way through the night about everything.

The following morning when the Mark called, I didn't want to admit that I was down, when he asked how my day was going, so, I asked how his morning was and he said he was great, jubilant, in fact!! The thorn had come out of his foot!! He had been rubbing on the scabbed over area and when the scab peeled back, it revealed a long black thorn sticking to the inner side of the scab. He picked it off and just rejoiced. It had happened on Wednesday, the day after I prayed for our unconfessed, unrepented sins. Following the phone conversation, I hit my knees and thanked God for removing the thorn.

I pray that you will ask God to remove any thorns from your life. Jubilation doesn't come around every day. I had never heard my husband say he was jubilant before, but after over two years, two doctors, two surgeries and an MRI God's simple act brought just that. Praise God!!

Have a great day, I need to take these doggies for their walks. luv, Susan
Sorry this is so long.

Fall Fun

I hope you found something to do outdoors over the weekend. I know we need rain, but can't complain about this weather. The game on Saturday held such excitement for a possible upset. It was hard to see the defense do such an outstanding job the majority of the game only to have some mostly offensive miscues lead to the ultimate outcome. It didn't seem that the Alabama faithful that were in attendance to see the Tide roll all over the Cats got what they came for. Instead, they saw a gritty performance by an experienced, proven Kentucky defense. I listened carefully when Rich Brooks met Nick Saben at the end of the game. I think I heard the Alabama coach say to the Kentucky coach, "Congratulations, ya'll played a helluva game." That's what I heard anyway. If you take away the touchdown that we handed them, then the score would have been very different.

We learned over the weekend that Georgetown has a celebration called Festival of the Horse. It's the typical Fall weekend festival, with a twist. They throw in a couple parades with horses and another featuring pets. My mom and dad went down with me Sunday. I hope next year to make some of the parades and the actual horse events. It sounded like a good time.

My walk this morning was great. We actually got to see a cute little red fox cross the road in front of us. During our evening walks we're seeing lots and lots of deer out in the fields. I'd enjoy seeing them more if my little dogs would stay quiet. I hope you're getting out and enjoying the amazing time of year. Have a great day, luv, Susan

Aah, October...

Yep, it's already October. Many people I talk to tell me Fall is their favorite time of year, well, it's here, I hope you're all happy about that. I still vote for Summer, and it's gone...... Anyway, my last weeks were dictated by events in my life that consumed my time and energy. Now, I'm back to a clean slate and ready to get accustomed to this new Fall routine.

I went to Nashville with my family for my Dad's navy ship reunion. It's always a great time seeing all those guys and their families. We miss those that don't make it for this reason or that. We'll do it again next year, same time, same place, which is great for me. I love Nashville for lots and lots of reasons. Mark and I spent our ten year anniversary at the Opryland Hotel, so I just could spend days and days there exploring that amazing place. It's fun being downtown Nashville, it's such an electric city. One of our favorite things to do is take a cruise on the General Jackson that takes us down the Cumberland River to downtown Nashville. It's especially fun because there's a band that plays up top that we really enjoy. I highly recommend a trip to Nashville, anytime.

Okay, back to October, time to take a deep breath and enjoy this month because we know what's coming. I'm gonna try to forget about that for now and enjoy the beautiful fall colors, if we get any after the lack of rain. I'm also going to enjoy the cool, crisp weather and the warming sunshine that we've been blessed to have. My hummingbirds are gone, but there's still plenty of wildlife around to enjoy.

If you're not attending church on a regular basis, now is a great time to get started, so the upcoming months will be so much more meaningful. And as usual, I've got a lot of catching up to do because I fell behind with my Bible Study while I was in Nashville. So, have a great day and if you can work it in, take a walk! luv, Susan

Must Be Fall

Wasn't it just a few days ago that I was having to walk earlier before it got too hot? Well, now I'm having to wait a little while for it to warm up a bit....must be Fall. And, I am getting into that new routine that includes Wednesday morning Bible study. I'm really enjoying that.

Because I love walking so much, I have the opportunity to pick up the aluminum cans tossed along the side of the road. Back in the summer, I encouraged the youth at church to assist in picking up the cans on the country roads near the church. I am pleased to say that after redeeming the cans for cash, the youth were able to see the fruits of their labor this past Sunday evening. Their leader treated them to a pizza party at the church. I hope they also were gratified to know that the country roads looked so much better and none of those cans ended up in a landfill.

I am reminded that God is the king of recycling. He collects us, battered and discarded, and gives us the opportunity to be new again. Sometimes he does this over and over. He's saving us from ending up in a place that we would consider to be much worse than a landfill, if you know what I mean.

I'm continuing to enjoy my daily upperroom reading. It's wonderful receiving guidance through the experiences of other Christians around the world. I pray that you have a great day, luv, Susan

Monday, Already

These weekends come and go so quickly, who am I kidding, each day comes and goes by a warp speed. Anyway, Monday, I'm behind, as usual. I love being in a Bible Study, but I fall behind right off the bat, so I've got to get caught up on that. Don't even ask me all the things Mark thinks I should be getting done. And, then there's just my regular stuff, my UpperRoom, etc. all behind as well. So, this will be quick.

Today is starting off really wonderfully. GMA has James Taylor on and he sang, my personal favorite, Sweet Baby James. I remember when he came to Western back in the 70's. I applauded through the first two encores, until he finally came back and performed it. I would have been greatly disappointed if I attended his concert and he didn't sing Sweet Baby James. Well, now, thanks to DVR, I am listening to it over and over, for the next half hour or so. They're coming from Stockbridge, Massachusetts. I looked it up near the New York State border. We lived not far from Sturbridge and Southbridge. I figured it would be nearer the cape since he now lives on Martha's Vineyard, so I learned something today about Massachusetts and James Taylor. Also that the song is about his nephew.

The game at Commonwealth Saturday was crazy to say the least, especially the ending. I, as I'm sure many, was praying for our quarterback, Mike Hartline, because I knew he needed a good, solid performance. He did great. Too bad the rest of the team didn't do as well. Dicky Lyons, Jr. had an outstanding day, he made a really miraculous catch that was just crazy, like I said.

And, FYI, if you go to the stadium, please note, once you leave the stadium, you can't come back in. I did not know that. But, alls well that ends well, being pitiful works, at least it did this time. It would have been worth it cause I got to see one of my little neighbors from years back. He's a freshman, now, and stands about 6'3", not so little any more. So, it was an impromptu reunion out front of the ticket booth......I love reunions.

Well, I best go email my sister, James Taylor's #1 fan, and tell her about my morning, she's gonna be so jealous. Have a great day, luv, Susan ps, it sounds like there's going to be an interesting story on ABC's World News Tonight about the power of prayer, I think.

The Right Path

There's no better feeling than knowing for certain that you're on the right path. The sun is shining, God is smiling down and you just simply feel confident about the direction your life is headed. Life is not always like that, we get a lot of things thrown at us to get us off our walk with Christ. I've been there, struggling to figure it all out. It takes prayer, Christian friends, Bible study and trying over and over to do what God is trying so hard to tell you. I wish it were simple and my prayer is for each person struggling to get on the right path to consistently pray for guidance and wisdom and then to pay attention to how God is leading. He really will open doors for us when we are to go through and he'll close those doors that He doesn't want us to enter. Do you feel like you're beating your head against a closed door sometime? Maybe he's closed that door.......look for the open door or window. It's always there, maybe just harder to recognize.

Read a daily devotional, the Upperroom is wonderful for guidance and encouragement.

Persistence pays. Remember the Bible verse of the persistent widow and the dishonest judge. Doesn't the Bible say that if even this judge gave this widow her justice, won't God do that for us?

The game Saturday was a lot of fun. We especially enjoyed seeing all the servicemen there at the stadium enjoying the festivities. And I want to make one thing clear.....I did not boo Mike Hartline. I was actually getting a cold drink at the time. Shame on anyone who boos a Kentucky player. I believe it had to be a small minority who did that. I look forward to seeing both quarterbacks improve and blossom into confident experienced leaders just like Andre Woodson did.

It was a lot of fun seeing Jacob Tamme catch a pass in the Colts game last night. I pray that Andre is given his chance in the pros. I know one team in particular who needs a leader on and off the field. I don't know anything about the Cincinnati Bengals except that they seem to have a lot of problems. It would sure be nice to have Andre playing close to Lexington. I believe his fan base would swarm to see him play. It wasn't too many years ago that I was telling everyone I knew that Kentucky should hire this really charismatic coach that I got familiar with while in Rhode Island. I'm still glad that someone higher up knew about Rick Pitino. I think Kentucky benefitted from that. I have good suggestions from time to time.

I think I'm done, you have a great day. I'm ready to start contacting my classmates about next years reunion, be ready. Have a great day. luv, Susan

Nudges

I've always enjoyed the story about the little boy trying to get someone's attention to help with his little brother. He throws pebbles, then rocks and finally, he hurls a brick at a passing car to get it's attention. The morale is, don't wait for God to throw a brick, pay attention to the pebbles. I'm trying to do that in my life, even with the small stuff.

I took my dogs for their walks this morning, two by two. It's dangerous to walk more than two malti-poos at once, they'll wrap you up with those extension leashes faster than you can even imagine. Anyway, the first walk with my best walkers, Roy and Pepper, was wonderful. It was nice and cool early. The second went well with Riff and Taffy as we ventured a different route than we usually walk. We've had to be careful that way due to confrontations between my dogs and others that live that direction. So, I decided to get a third walk in. That is for me and the two young 'uns. I figure we need the extra workout. It started out fine, but started to sprinkle. Then it got a little heavier, and finally, we were in a deluge of cascading water. I tried to keep going, but figured the prudent thing was to turn back, so we did.

I've been needing to bathe these dogs for weeks, but have put it off for this reason or that. Well, looking at these little wet white rats, I knew I had no choice. I bit the bullet and placed them in the tub. I'm so glad to now have two fuzzy, white, baby powder smelling little dogs now. I really did need that nudge.

I hope you enjoyed the first UK football game as much as we did. Our little group of tailgaters was a nervous bunch at the start of the game. When the guys complained about the inexperienced offense, my sister and I reminded them of our very experienced defense. Hadn't the defense against #1 LSU been the number one highlight on Tom Leaches 25 top ten highlights the previous night? Pam and I knew our defense would be the key, and they say women don't know football.

We are very excited to be attending the first home game tomorrow....Go Big Blue! Now that my summer is over, it's time to get back into a routine. My Bible study starts Wednesday. It's a study of one of Stormie Omartian's books. I used her The Power of Praying Parent when my children were in high school and college. I'm pleased to say....they made it through those really difficult years with flying colors. I'm a firm believer in the power of prayer!

You have a great day!!! And thank you God, for the rain and for nudges. luv, Susan