Clinging to hope...

So sorry for the lack of communication about Riley... several of you have asked about him privately. (You know who you are and that means the world to me!)  Really, there is nothing new to report.  After two weeks in the hospital where his condition did not improve, his mom chose to take him home to die unless the Lord answers our prayers for a miracle of healing.  My step-father spent a good deal of time with him yesterday and said that his communication was at a minimum, with "yes" "no" and "I don't know."  When he asked him what his name was, he said, "I don't know." It is heartbreaking and yet the family still continues to be so thankful that there is a sense of the nearness of the Lord's presence as they walk this difficult valley.  Clinging to these words and taking hold of the sure and steadfast hope, "In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil..."

Psalm 23

(beautiful words of truth for dark times)

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters. 

He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

A lump in the road....

Well, I thought I would share some of what has been going on with me for the past few months, unrelated to artwork, holidays, or kids. At the beginning of September, I discovered a large lump under my left arm. It did not hurt at all, but was fairly large. I don't know how long it had been there, but I had not noticed it before. After a series of doctor visits, ultrasounds, and mammograms, the latest doctor in the series of doctors assured me that he saw no cause for concern. He did, however, want to keep a close eye on things which required me coming in for subsequent visits. After the last of these which was also followed by the requisite dopplar ultrasound, there had still been no change. So the doctor recommended that, in lieu of the continuing visits, ultrasounds, mammograms, etc., he would go in and take out the offending lump and do a biopsy. So, this past Tuesday I went in for the outpatient procedure. I am the lucky recipient of a 2 1/2 inch incision under my arm, and later in the week I received the fabulous news that the lump (a lipoma) is nothing to be concerned about.

In all honesty, I must tell you that I really was not worried about it... in fact, I hardly thought about it at all. But then, I am not a worrier by nature. On the other hand, my mother-in-law, my mother, and my hubby all do enough worrying that I don't have to. Of course, this is all fresh for my mother-in-law who just two years ago completed chemo treatments for breast cancer herself. In her case, we all felt that her original doctor was not proactive enough. So she did not want the same thing to happen to me. And believe me, I am very thankful that these precious people love me like they do. I must tell you that I am also thankful to only be recovering from the incision and not having to make decisions about what kind of treatment comes next. Many people were caring and praying for me, and I want to give God the glory for answering those prayers.

I have many responsibilities as a wife and mother which I truly enjoy. But I haven't been able to do some of those the last few days. I am looking forward to getting back into a routine now and truly moving on from this "lump in the road."

Blessings to you all,

Fruitful Fridays... update on my dad

This week has been an unusual week, and I have not really gotten all that much artwork done, even though I needed to. So goes the ebb and flow of life. There have been more pressing family issues that I have had the privilege of dealing with.

So many of you have prayed for and asked about my dad. Four years ago he had a very mild heart attack. They put in a stint then and he recovered quickly and quite well. After doing a stress test a couple of weeks ago, they found he had major blockage again in one of his arteries... after looking at the pictures from the surgery I could see that it was almost completely blocked. And it was right at the site where they had put in the stint previously. Weird. He also has 50% blockage in another artery. They dissolved the major blockage and put in a new stint inside the old one. Again, he seems to be recovering well... I am happy to report that I spoke with him just a few hours prior to writing this (around 10 pm Thursday night), and he was doing very well. He had even made a small trip to Wal*Mart. He is being well taken care of, and I am very thankful about that as I am 2 1/2 hours away. I am thankful for all that the doctors can do and what God does through them. I am also very thankful for all of you for your prayers and e-mails. You are the best!

I will try to have more fruits of my "artwork" labor next week. Since this is a new blog which was started in June, I wanted to post here what I shared on my old blog about my theme for this year:

[Originally posted January 2008] We have officially turned the page on 2008, and I wanted to share my theme for the year: Fruit of Thankfulness. (I like a “theme” so much better than making resolutions.) There’s a reason for this theme, and I thought I’d share that with you dear friends who come here to read my thoughts and look at my photos.

I began 2007 with learning a higher level of web design through Macromedia Dreamweaver and then in February launching the Charm & Grace website. I ended 2007 fully into web design and also sharing with you the drawings I had done for family. In the midst of it all I was encouraged by family and friends in both these artistic endeavors, as well as others I have been involved in (painting, calligraphy, writing, even silk flower design.) Back at the beginning of 2007, I realized that I would need to incorporate my business if I were going to be paid to do web design. So, I began to think and pray about what name to give my business. As I looked for names, I discovered the Greek word for fruit, “karpos.” When I think of creativity and the source of it, I know that my gifts have been given to me by God. I am thankful that 2007 was a fruitful one, and my goal for 2008 is that my creative pursuits will yield fruit inspired by my thankfulness for all God’s many blessings. I hope to share some “fruit” with you throughout the year, and soon I will be launching my Karpos website (now launched) which will showcase the different facets of my business. (And now I also have a website showcasing my artwork here.)

Not only am I thankful for all that has happened in 2007, in my creative endeavors, but I am also thankful for all the friends I have made through this amazing technological world. You have enriched my life and encouraged my pursuits. You have shared a bit of yourself with me, and for this I am truly grateful. May each of you have a richly blessed 2008.

I am truly thankful for and inspired by each one of you who take time to stop by my blog, to read my posts, to look at the photos, and to leave comments. I really don't understand why you would, but you do. Each one of you is dear to me and cherished.

Encouraging Mondays...

Sometimes the best encouragement we can get is the encouragement we give away. One of the mysteries of this life is how we can touch those we've never even met through the power of prayer. Today I'd like to ask you, my reader friends, to encourage a couple of my other blogging friends who are going through some really hard things. First I'd like to ask you to pray for Kari & Kijsa, who have lost their dad. He collapsed at a family cookout last Sunday night and then went into a coma for a few short days. Theirs was a precious and sweet relationship and any prayers or words of encouragement you could send their way will help them through this difficult time. Next, I'd like to ask you to pray for Barb's (The French Elements) family. Just days ago Barb's daughter-in-law walked into her mother's home to find her mom had passed away. Also, Barb's other son has been having some health challenges as well. Please keep them in your prayers as they go through this difficult time. And while you are praying, please lift up my dad who will be having a heart catheterization on Tuesday morning at 10:30. I am sure there are others out there who need prayer. Feel free to leave any requests you might have in the comments. I'd like to pray for you, too.