Marie's Voice... On Surviving Life and Having Joy

Hello, my friends. I hope each one of you is well and fulfilled in your life journeys. Clearly, I have been absent for many moons. Life keep churning and in a good way. I am currently a busy little beaver and have finally made the decision to sign off from Blogit.com. It is clear to me that I just can't do it. But the reasons are good. And I want you to know that my health is good and my twin tubes are behaving! I will always have to manage how I use my time and make hard choices. I have been... Sign in to see full entry.

My Bible School class has been studying the Epic by John Eldridge as a way of experiencing the impact of the message of the Gospels. I was not familiar with John Eldridge’s work. http://www.ransomedheart.com/ministry/who-we-are.aspx But as I listen to him discuss Epic via video, my soul is stirred by the magnitude of God’s creation and purpose for us. At the beginning, our study leader challenged us to write our own story. I took the challenge because I had been dawdling in trying to get started... Sign in to see full entry.

A bit of trivia... Did you know that doctors in Germany still make housecalls? This week a lovely friend in my complex brought her daughter for a visit. Her daughter is visiting from Germany, where she is an RN in a nursing home. We enjoyed sharing experiences. What I loved about our conversation is the fact that women everywhere have the same heart and interests. My guest went to school for her RN in midlife, after she had focused on her children. She is now doing what she feels is her calling.... Sign in to see full entry.

The May 28, 2008, death of the Tennessee woman who had spent fifty years in an iron lung is at once tragic and inspiring. The last paragraph of the article (See link below.) speaks volumes about the woman. She died because the generator failed during a power outage. Life snuffed out in a moment. She epitimized the spirit of polio survivors. Research has developed a profile that shows we are driven people. This woman not only survived for fifty years, but she also accomplished significance! Her... Sign in to see full entry.

Life’s contrasts. Today, I interacted with two medical professionals. Both are highly skilled in their field. Beyond that the likeness ends. My appointment with my ENT (Ear, nose, and throat doctor) was at 11 am. I saw him at one minute until noon. And that was with his nurse monitoring to be sure he saw me in time for me to meet my 12:30 prescheduled public transportation on a lift bus. Last time I had waited an hour and a half. So this time I had written a letter a week prior to the... Sign in to see full entry.

Life is good. I have thought a lot recently about how much difference the past two years have made in my life. The most striking is just how much healthier I am than I was PTT and PFT (pre-trach-tube and pre-feeding-tube). Since I went missing again for a while from Blogit, to get going again I went back to my "About Me" to read the things I had promised to talk about. I'm kind of a fanatic about keeping my word and knew I was lagging! As I have pondered my health compared to years past, I... Sign in to see full entry.

Recently Oley Foundation www.oley.org, a support organization for feeding tube users, joined TeamInspire, a blog site created so people with various conditions can support, inform, and encourage each other. http://www.inspire.com/groups/team-inspire/. I have bean amazed at the number of people who are dealing with conditions I’ve never even heard of. I posted the following on their site and just want to share, even though I’ve shared some of the information with you before. It’s my way of... Sign in to see full entry.

All ordinary days are not created equal! Yesterday was and extraordinary one is a very simple way. I received the gift of connection with all of my four grandchildren. We didn’t do some grandiose activity. We simply connected in our own way. Time with grandchildren is one of God’s special gifts with a purpose. I spent time with my two older grandchildren helping them with their English assignments. To intersect with the mind of a child is a priceless thing. And I talked to my two distance... Sign in to see full entry.

Three Saturdays a year six friends gather for lunch to celebrate each other’s birthdays and so much more. We celebrate lasting friendships. Many moons ago we all worked in one of Georgia’s residential hospitals, a mental health facility. Educators and mental health professionals who go through a lot together form deep bonds. So we have worked at nurturing our friendships by being intentional about getting together. We meet for lunch, bring gifts to the birthday girls, talk, laugh, catch up on... Sign in to see full entry.

Today is show and tell time! On Sunday April 13, I was featured in a regular weekly article called Why I love My Job in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. It was exciting for me and I want to share. I have been working as an independent contractor for 16 years, only part time since my husband’s death in 1999. I have always said that God provides me with enough work to keep me afloat. And He clearly knows how much I can handle along with attending to all my little personal survival details. The... Sign in to see full entry.