"I'll Watch The Movie"

For today's post, I am going to share with you something that my son, Matthew, posted on his Facebook page last week. I pray that his words bless you as much as they blessed Shannon and me.

"I'll Watch The Movie"

I was just listening to a Switchfoot song, and I started to really try to understand the lyrics. Here's the important part:

Nothing but a chemical in my head
It's nothing but laziness
Cause I don't wanna read the book
I'll watch the movie
Cause it's not me
I'm just like everybody else my age

I think I'd rather play around
And I think I'd rather watch TV
Cause I don't wanna face my fears
I'll watch the movie
Cause it's not me
I'm just like everybody else
I'm just like everybody else

It's about the tendency of us as teenagers to blame our passiveness, our laziness, our inability to put effort into anything on the fact that we are teenagers, that we're human. We don't want to read the Bible everyday; we'd rather "watch the movie." We'd rather take the easy way out: show up at Church, hear (but not listen to) what the speaker says, give the most sincere sounding answers to direct questions, and move on with our lives Monday through Saturday.

I say this because it's exactly what I have found myself doing many a Sunday. I've also seen something else in me: discontentment. Lack of peace with my life that always accompanies just "watching the movie." Lack of faith in my ability to carry myself through the week. The feeling that no matter what I do, whether it be doing schoolwork, watching TV, listening to music, talking to friends, or just taking a nap, I cannot improve my mood. I cannot boost my confidence. I cannot do anything on my own (or even with the help of others) to make this life livable.

But when I do turn off the movie and pick up the Book, that contentment and peace that I've been missing, that faith in the fact I'm going to survive this week, that feeling that not I but He can do something to give me exactly what I need, returns. Tom just talked about this this Sunday, and he's right. He's dead on. Nothing in this life will ever do you good like finally getting into the Word: nothing. I know that sounds like such a "church" thing to say, but it's the truth. It's as true as it gets. I've never found anything to be so true in my life.

James 1:22
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Matthew also suggested that I share the song with you, so if you're interested, take a listen.
God Bless,
Amy:)

Blessed To See Him Shine!

"Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain." ~Author Unknown

The last five to six months have been some of the strangest months of my life. Some of the time has been wonderful, and some of the time has been extremely rough. But through all of the ups and downs, my sweet husband has been unwaveringly steady and supportive.

The time that I spent away in the Mediterranean with Melissa was an emotional journey for me and Shannon. I had so much fun with Melissa, and I saw so many amazing things, but my journey was full of many difficult situations. Some I have shared with you all; some I have not. But suffice it to say, I experienced homesickness in a way that I never thought was possible.

The few times that I got to speak to Shannon on the phone while I was gone were fraught with many tears. Which must have been so hard for him to handle, because I was a world away and there was nothing that he could do to help me. But on the phone and via emails, he was so encouraging to me.

When Melissa and I finally landed at the airport in our home town, my heart was just pounding at the thought of seeing Shannon. And once I caught the first glimpse of him, I burst into tears (as did Shannon). I was completely overwhelmed at just the sight of him.

Shannon took care of our boys, Allie, the house, the grocery shopping, running the kid taxi, not to mention his more than full time job, and he did it all by himself. And he did it with a smile on his face, because he was just so happy for me to get the opportunity to travel with Melissa on what was obviously the trip of a lifetime.

Well, once I returned home, we were both very ready for our lives to return to "normal." But if you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, then chances are you already know...that is not what happened.

Three days after returning home, I found myself in the emergency room, feeling more pain than I have ever experienced in my life. Then almost three weeks after that, I found myself having back surgery, followed by what has turned into four months of recovery. And I am still recovering. Although, I can do more now, than I could do two months ago, I am still very limited in what I can do. Shannon has had to carry the heaviest part of the load for over five months now, but he has done it with so much grace and compassion.

I could write for days about all the things that he has done to take care of me and the boys over the last five months, but that is not what I want to share with you today. What I want to share with you is not what he has done for us, but how he has done everything for us.

Shannon has done the job of two parents for quite some time now, and he has done it all with a smile on his face. If I had to pick just one blessing that I have received throughout these difficult months (and there have been many), I would have to say that I have been blessed with the opportunity to see my husband shine! These last five months have been full of so many challenges, and it has been such a blessing to see him rise to the occasion with so much grace, compassion, and caring that I can't even begin to describe it to you.

I have shared with you all before (click here) that God has worked a miracle in our marriage, and the last few months of our lives, He has continued that work.

I love Shannon more now than I ever thought possible, and I can honestly say that I wouldn't change one thing that we have been through these last five months, because I would have missed the blessing of seeing Shannon shine.

I love you so much, Shannon. Thank you for loving and caring for me. My cup runneth over.



"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." ~Rabindranath Tagore

This is my corn!

I want to apologize because this is probably the longest post in history. I tried to do it in one million one hundred words or less, but it didn't work out that way. You are probably asking yourself how many words does she need to talk about corn? Well, grab a cup of coffee and a slice of humble pie, and sit tight. You are invited to join me in my cornfield and find out the answer to that very question.:)

My Human behavior is an interesting subject to me.
So much time is wasted in my our lives being angry at God about the things I we don't like. Things I we don't understand. Things that don't seem fair!

God has given me the spiritual gift of gab! He wired me for sound. I love to share with any one who will listen others the things I have learned about God in my life. That being said, I always look like an idiot in my stories. Everything I share makes me seem dense, but I share it anyway. God gets the glory, as He should. He works in my life time and time again, despite all the dumb things I do.

The story I am going to share with you today is no exception. I look dumb. God gets the glory, and I eat another slice of humble pie.:)

In February of 2003 my world was shattered. I thought my marriage was over. I was devastated. As a wife, I was worn out. I had done everything I knew to do, but it just wasn't enough.

The kids and I attended church every Sunday, without Shannon. He was never interested in going with us. I spent time teaching both boys about God. I went to Bible studies. I wasn't perfect, obviously, but I put a lot of effort in my relationship with the Lord. I longed for Shannon to have a relationship with Him also, but at the time, that seemed very unlikely to ever happen.

When my world was seemingly falling apart, I was mad at God. I didn't understand why He was letting this happen. I was trying so hard to do all the right things as a wife and a mother, but none of it seemed to matter. I was devastated. I was frustrated. I felt like giving up. But, those of you who know me, know I am stubborn (another spiritual gift, I think). I do not give up on things easily.

So, I stayed. I fought it out. I fought with God. I fought with Shannon. I had to get up each day and keep fighting for my faith. It was a struggle. But God was in my corner. He gave me rest. He gave me hope. He gave me peace. He gave me His Word. He was faithful to me. With God in my corner, I won the fight! My marriage was restored. It was a long way from perfect, but it was a new beginning.

God not only changed me and my heart, He changed Shannon too. He gave Shannon a new beginning. He tugged at Shannon's heart. Shannon became a new person with Christ in his life. During the difficult time of healing from all my emotional pain, God gave me this verse to remind me Shannon was different now. I was different now. Our marriage was different now. It was new because Christ was the center of our lives.

2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

I put this verse on my refrigerator. I said it out loud more times than I can count. On my difficult days of struggling with old hurts, I had to remind myself of these words. We are new creations. We are not who we used to be. God has changed us!

It's funny how I always dreamed of Shannon having a relationship with God. I longed for him to be the spiritual leader of our family. But, you know that old saying Be careful for what you wish for, you just might get it ? Getting what I had always wanted took some getting used to.....

Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled with the changes that were happening in my home and in my marriage. Like I've said before, earlier in my marriage, I was the only one taking the kids to church. I was the only one developing a relationship with God. Shannon had no interest in either. Anyway, I wasn't prepared for what happened on a particular morning at church.

Several months into our healing process, Shannon had written a letter to the church. Our church was going through a difficult period as well, so he wrote it to encourage the staff, but he was also pouring his heart out to God. So several weeks after he had written the letter, we arrived at church, and were greeted by several people patting Shannon on the back, saying, "I loved what you wrote!"...."Amazing letter!"....."Nice job!"..."Can I have your autograph?"...You get the point...


Click on the picture to enlarge the passage.

Suddenly this man, who in the past never even went to church, was a Christian Rock star! It really irritated me. Nobody ever congratulated me on fighting for my marriage. For hanging in there through the tough times. For dragging the boys to church ALL BY MYSELF for years. For not giving up on him. I know, I know, it sounds selfish. That's because it was.:) I'm very human that way. I didn't do any of the things I mentioned for applause, but come on. He's been doing the right things now for a few months, writes one letter, they publish it, and now everyone is sooooo proud of him! It was irritating!

Shannon, needless to say, was quite hurt by my reaction to all of this. He thought I would be proud of him, and I was. But.......my heart was screaming, "What about me, God?... Have You forgotten me?" I tried explaining this to Shannon, but there's no good way to explain selfish hurts. :) I just felt like he was getting praised, and I was left out. I had fought so hard to stay faithful to God and to my marriage vows, but all of that went unnoticed. I know that God noticed it, but it didn't seem fair that Shannon got so much praise, while I sat in the background alone. I thought, "Why, God?"

I warned you all earlier that I never look good in my stories.......I bet you believe me now, huh?:)

Not long after this incident happened, Shannon and I saw the movie Field of Dreams. If you haven't seen it yet, do. It is wonderful!
There is a particular scene in the movie though that is my favorite.
If you've seen the movie this will make sense to you, if not, I apologize.

Here's a quick synopsis of the movie I found on the Internet written by Scott Renshaw.
Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella hears a voice in his corn field tell him, "If you build it, he will come." He interprets this message as an instruction to build a baseball field on his farm, upon which appear the ghosts of Shoeless Joe Jackson and the other seven Chicago White Sox players banned from the game for throwing the 1919 World Series. When the voices continue, Ray seeks out a reclusive author to help him understand the meaning of the messages and the purpose for his field.

To add just a little bit more, the author, Terence Mann, gets invited to join the players in Ray's cornfield...Ray wants to go, but he is told that he is not invited.
He can't believe his ears.... "Not invited?" he says...
Hear is just a short part of that wonderful scene:



Ray Kinsella: This is my corn. You people are guests in my corn.

Ray Kinsella: I did it all. I listened to the voices, I did what they told me, and not once did I ask what's in it for me.
Shoeless Joe Jackson: What are you saying, Ray?
Ray Kinsella: I'm saying? what's in it for me?

Terence Mann: Ray, there was a reason they chose me, just as there was a reason they chose you and this field.
Ray Kinsella: Why?

Why? Isn't that what we always ask God?...Why?...Why me? Why now? Why do I have to go through this?
Never before in my life have I ever identified with anyone in a movie more than I did that one.

Ray summed up all my frustrations with one word...Why?

I felt like Shannon was in my (spiritual) corn. The corn I had planted! When he was getting all the applause in my corn at church, it felt like people were saying to me, "You're not invited!"

After seeing that scene in the movie, Shannon got tears in his eyes. He finally understood what I meant. I wasn't trying to behave selfishly. I was just hurt and confused trying to understand my role in the whole situation. What was the purpose for me going through all this. Did my part count? Did my effort matter? Why, why, why?

When all was said and done, Ray Kinsella found out the answer to his question, "Why?"
Needless to say, the answer was more than he could ever had hoped for. But, in case you still haven't seen the movie, I don't want to spoil the ending.

Looking back now, I know my part mattered. I know my walk with God mattered. My faith mattered. Shannon has told me that my faith in God and my walk with God were the examples that made him desire God in his own life.

1 Peter 3:1-2
Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

That's an awesome role to have.....and funnily enough, I didn't even know I had the part. But God did. God used me despite my own selfishness.

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Everything that we do in obedience to God matters, even if we don't understand it, or even see it at the time. God is always working the things in our lives for our good.

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Just because other people get the applause sometimes doesn't mean that God has forgotten about us. Our time of understanding will come, in God's timing, not ours.

1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Well, my coffee is cold, and my humble pie is all gone (until God serves up my next slice). I guess this is finally the end of my post today. Thanks for being a guest in my corn.

(I was encouraged to tell this story after I read a post on Laura's blog called "The Wellblog." She shares a story about what happened when her dream of her husband knowing God came true. Click here to read her story. It is very moving.)

God Bless,
Amy:)

A Little Update And A Bloggy Award

I had my back surgery on July 3rd, and unfortunately I am still having some issues. I called my neurosurgeon last week, and he told me that what I am dealing with is a form of traumatic neuritis. Which simply means that there has been some trauma to my nerves. He said that it could take another month or another year to heal completely. And even then, with the nerve damage that I have experienced, my new normal may not be the same as my old normal.

The symptoms that I am dealing with are back pain, leg and foot cramps, along with burning, redness, and tenderness in my right foot, all of which cause me to walk with a limp. (Which I like to tell Shannon is all the rage now with the runway models.)



Sigh.

He wants to see me October 13th, and if I am still having the same symptoms at that time, there are a couple of things he may have me do. One is to wear a back brace, and two is more bed rest. In the mean time, he said that if I cook dinner or clean up the kitchen (for example), I need to lie down for an hour or two afterward to rest my back. Right now, even grocery shopping is too much walking for me; I just can't be on my feet for very long at all without suffering the consequences.

Needless to say, as a wife and homeschooling mother of two, that is not what I wanted to hear. Don't get me wrong, resting and a back brace are much better alternatives than another surgery, but lying down all of the time is not always very convenient.

He told me that I was going to have to be patient. He said to me, "Where do you think the term for patients comes from? It comes from the word patient, because patients have to be patient while they are healing."

I had never heard that before, but he is definitely right. I need to be patient. And I am sorry to say that is not always my strong point. But that is exactly what God's Word tells me to do.

Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

I looked up the meanings for the word "patient."

1: bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint
2: manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain
3: not hasty or impetuous
4: steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity
5: able or willing to bear

It is never not always easy or convenient, but I am trying.

So now, after I do some of my housework.....



......I try to lie down for an hour or two, just like the doctor said.



I am trying each day to be patient just like God and the doctor ordered.

Hebrews 6:15
And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

It looks like I may be in for a long journey on this road to healing, but I know that God is with me each step of the way. And I know that just like with the changing of the seasons, this too shall pass.

James 5:7-8
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.

And speaking of the changing seasons, you know the old saying, "When it rains, it pours?" Well, it has been pouring on my family lately.

Last Friday, I had to carry my dad to the doctor. Long story short, he is not in good health. He has heart disease, and his heart is not functioning very well right now. Tomorrow (Friday) I am going to the hospital with him. He has been scheduled for a Cardiac Catheterization, and they won't know what needs to be done for him until they get in there and take a look. He could need stints, or worse case scenario, triple bypass surgery.

My mom is also waiting to have knee replacement surgery on October 6th, and she just had a nerve block this past Wednesday (yesterday). She is having a very difficult time physically as well as emotionally with so much going on.

I'm not telling you all of this to whine or complain, just to let you know what is going on in my life, and if you don't see me around blog land very much for a bit, you will know why. So, if you feel led to do so, please pray for my family.

I completely trust God with whatever is on the road ahead of us, but in my human skin, it can be just a bit overwhelming at times.

Psalms 112:7
"He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord."

And now for a bit of fun and happy news, I want to shout out a big, "Thank you," to JJ at the Dirty Laundry blog for giving me this bloggy award. This means so much to me, JJ; thank you for thinking of me.



Sigh.

Now it's my turn to hand over the award!

The rules of this award are:
1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from
3. Nominate and link to at least 7 or 20 other blogs.
4. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you've nominated.

So, without further ado, I am passing this award to:

Shelly at Smiling Shelly's Stories

Tina at Golden Goodness

Dianne at Deez Dayz

Mia at Mama Mia

Gina at Beandip Blog

Laura at The Wellblog

Liz at Mabel's House

Michele at My Blessing's From Above

Valerie at Valerie

Mari at Mari's Morning Room

Of course, I wanted to pass this to all of my bloggy buddies (and some of you already have one from me), but I ran out of time adding names, so please know, that if I am a regular at your blog, this award is for you too. Please take it from me, and pass it on to all of your favorite bloggy buddies.

That's all for now folks. Thanks for your time today, and thank you for your prayers.
I will give you all an update, as soon as I can, on how my dad is doing.
I am so thankful for each and every one of you.
God Bless,
Amy:)

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday

One morning, a couple of weeks ago, while Shannon was getting ready for work, he decided to have a little fun at my expense.

When he got out of the shower, this is what he walked in on.



Allie and I were sleeping so soundly together.

Sigh.

He got tickled at his two girls sleeping together, so he grabbed the camera and took this picture.

I do love that man.

And I love that Allie Girl.

Also, since most of you know that Allie has a torn ACL, I thought you might appreciate these next photos.

Let me set the stage for you first though. Allie is what is known in some places as a "couch potato." She love, love, loves the couch. But with her ACL being torn, we do not want her to hurt herself more by jumping on and off the couch all day. So, in order to keep her off of the couch, we keep the couch pillows turned down. This system has worked very well for us.

Sometimes though, Shannon or the boys we forget to lay the pillows back down once we get off of the couch ourselves. Like the other morning, for instance,
Shannon someone forgot to lay the pillow back down, and this is what happened.



Is it just me, or does she look like she feels guilty?



I'm just saying.



Sigh.

I do love that Allie! :)

Genesis 1:25
"God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good."

I'm Not Feeling Very Bloggy Today (And Of Course, More Pictures)

I'm not feeling very bloggy today, and my foot is really bothering me. So today, if you need me, I will be on the sofa. And yes, I am still doing all of my stretches each day; Shannon and I are both praying that they will soon start to alleviate the pain and numbness that is still constantly happening in my foot. Allie is acting like she is feeling better, and her appetite has increased, so the vet told us to wait and bring her back in next Saturday. Shannon and I both feel like this is a very positive sign that her new medicines are working. Thank you all for your prayers for both of us.

Since I don't have a "post" really for today, I thought that I would share a slide show that I put together. I made this for Melissa and me, as a memory of our time together. And since we both feel like our journey would make a great comedy movie one day (mostly due to the string of pitiful events that happened to me on the trip, but that is for another post) , I sent this slide show to Melissa on Myspace yesterday, and I told her that I think this would be great to show at the end of our movie as the credits roll. All we need now is a song to play along with it.

So, today, if you feel like it, take a look at the slide show, and if you know of a good "theme song" to go along with it, please leave the name of it in my comments section.

I pray that you all have a lovely weekend, and hopefully I will be feeling bloggy again very soon. I have so much more to share with all of you about the trip, and all of the nonsense that happened to both Melissa and me.

Until then I hope you enjoy these pictures; it's like a little sneak peek into future posts.

..

God gave this verse to me just before leaving on this trip. I carried it with me everywhere that I went. Even on the difficult days, I knew that God was with me.

Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Bible Study About Joanna

The woman that I read about in my devotional study book this week is Joanna.

This study is the first time that I have ever heard of Joanna. There is not much said about her in Scripture, but God does not have to use very many words to say so much, amen?

We are introduced to Joanna in the book of Luke.

Luke 8:1-3
After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

Being the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household, would have made Joanna a woman of high rank in Herod's court.

These verses tell us that Jesus healed Joanna, but we don't know "what" she experienced healing from, but her response to Jesus' healing touch was huge and personal. She gave herself to Jesus and His ministry. She, like the other women, followed Jesus wherever He went, and she supported him and his ministry from her own means.

The devotional that I am reading points out that Herod himself may have known about Joanna's personal story of healing at the hands of Jesus.

As with all of the other women that I have learned about in my devotional, there is always a certain part of each story that sticks out in my mind. This story is no exception.

Before I tell you what struck me the most, let me share the verses from God's Word that tells a little more about Joanna and the other faithful women that were with her.

Luke 24:1-12
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.
In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?
He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" Then they remembered his words.
When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.
It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.
But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.
Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.


What strikes me so much about the story of Joanna is her faith and the faith of the ladies that she was with.
Think about it for a minute.......These ladies are telling the Eleven and some others what the angels had just told them to be true of Jesus and what had happened to His body, but the men did not believe them.

The Eleven did not believe them.

The Eleven who had been with Jesus all throughout His ministry.

The Eleven that knew Him personally.

The Eleven that loved Him.

Are the same Eleven men that thought that these women spoke words of nonsense.

But these ladies, including Joanna, spoke boldly in faith to the Eleven. They knew what they had seen with their own eyes, and they knew what they had heard with their own ears. They knew the peace that they felt in their hearts.

That is what strikes me the most of the story of Joanna; her complete confidence in Jesus.
Being married to the manager of Herod's household, Joanna was a woman very familiar with power. But she knew that the power she had been surrounded by in her wealthy lifestyle in Herod's court was nothing like the power she had found in Jesus.

It did not matter to her if others thought that she was just an hysterical, grieving woman, because she knew what the truth was. She knew Who the Truth was.

God honored her faithfulness by letting her be one of the first witnesses to the Resurrection.

So many times in our own lives and walk with the Lord, others don't believe us when we tell them something wonderful that God has done in our lives. If you go so far as to tell someone that God has promised you a miracle in any given situation, most times you will be looked at as someone speaking "nonsense."

But thankfully, God has given us the testimony of Joanna and her faithful friends for encouragement in our own walks of faith. What those faithful women told the Eleven about Jesus was one hundred percent true. The disbelief of the Eleven did not change a thing; these women knew the truth.

When God speaks a word into our hearts, we need to walk with that same faith. Others may not believe you, but that's okay, because you know what God spoke to your heart.

I have been confronted by someone in my past who tried to argue with me about this very topic. I shared with her a promise that God had made to me, and she told me very matter of fact that I was completely mistaken. She said that God would not promise me that because of decisions that Shannon and I had made in our past. I looked at her and said, "You can think what you want, and that is okay. The thing is, God told me about this promise, not you." She was quite speechless after that. And I will humbly tell you that was the first time in my life that I did not back down, and I did not let the devil use her negative comments to confuse me or make me question what I knew God had told me.

And several months later, God honored my faithfulness of believing His Word over the negative words of another. That same girl called me and apologized, because God had shown her that what He told me was completely possible, and that it lined up with His Word. She said that she realized just because God wasn't speaking to her in that same way, didn't mean that He wasn't speaking to me.

Our relationship with God is a personal one. So no other person can know (without your sharing) what God says to you. That is between you and God.

God speaks to each and every one of us differently.

Only Moses stood in front of the burning bush.

Only Jonah sat in the belly of a whale.

Only Daniel sat in the lion's den.

Only Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood in the fire.

God speaks to us uniquely,and works through us all uniquely, because we are all unique. Not one of us are the same, nor will our walks with Him be the same.

So listen for God's Voice in your own life.

Look for His activity all around you.

Open your Bible and read it to see if what you are seeing and hearing lines up with the Word of God.

He will speak to you. You just need to open your heart, listen, and believe!

The devotional book points out how Joanna and the other women went to the tomb grieving, but left the tomb rejoicing.

Scripture tells us that we will experience that same type of joy. It may not come in "our" timing, but our joy will come in God's timing.

And it is a promise.

His timing is perfect.

Psalm 30:5
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

The devotional ends with a beautiful prayer that I will share with you.

"Lord, you laugh at the rulers and powers of this world who oppose you. Help me to realize that no evil, regardless of how terrible or prolonged it might be, can ever stand against you. Give me a greater sense of your resurrection power and majesty."

First Stop: Naples, Italy- Part Two

Yesterday, when I wrote the blog post about Naples, I was in a great deal of pain. I woke up at about 1:00 am with a terrible cramp going from what I thought was my kidney all the way down my leg. (I had a kidney infection while on the cruise.) By 7:00 am I could no longer deal with the pain, so Shannon took me to the emergency room. We spent half of the day there. They gave me some good pain meds that did stop the pain, but for some reason the entire right side of my body is numb. I am going to call my regular doctor today to get an appointment, so hopefully they can figure out what is wrong with me. I left for Europe a seemingly healthy 38 year old, but I feel like I have returned as a frail 83 year old.

Anyway, if you feel led to do so, please pray that the doctor will be able to figure out what is wrong with me. My family and I are all ready for our lives to get back to normal, and that is hard for me to do since I can't feel my leg.:)

Once I returned home last night, and saw my blog post, I realized that I left out several pictures. So today, I will repeat myself a little bit, and I will show you some new things as well.

I will start out with just a few more pictures of the Amalfi Coast. (Trust me when I tell you, the Amalfi Coast is always worth a second look.)



The color of the water was beautiful. It was so clear that you could see right through it, even from very high up.



I zoomed in so that I could show you all just how clear the water is.



And remember yesterday, when I showed you the view from the ladies room in the charming restaurant in Positano?.....Well, I forgot to show you the view from where we sat to eat dinner. One entire wall of the restaurant is windows. They even open them to let in the sea air.

(Just imagine being served delicious Italian food by gorgeous, Italian speaking men, while you are looking at this view.......All I could say while in this position was, "Well done, God!")



Before we went to Positano, we stopped in the town of Sorrento. It was very charming. All of the buildings were different colors, and like every place we saw in Italy, there were flowers everywhere.



This hotel had an amazing view of the entire town.



As we were all walking across a bridge, we looked down and saw this.



It was huge! It looked like an old castle or someone's beautiful home at one time. Now it is a home for birds and wildflowers.

My picture doesn't do this place justice. It is beautiful!



I loved the color of this home, and the tree full of fruit growing right in front of it. Italy has absolutely every kind of tree that you can imagine. (I will have many more to show you in future blog posts.)



I got very excited when I saw my first outdoor produce stand.....It all smelled so good and the colors were so vibrant. It seemed so "quaint" to me to purchase my produce from a little old Italian man on the street. (Like I've told you all before, I don't get out much.)



Look at all of the fruit and vegetables! I wanted to buy some until I saw this lady in the black shirt.



What you can't see in this picture (because of my very sharp editing skills) is what the lady is looking at. She is looking down at her dog, watching him "poop" on the street.......Right in front of all of that colorful, sweet-smelling produce.......Needless to say, I did not purchase anything at this stand. :)

First Stop: Naples, Italy

I'm going to begin telling you a bit about the trip.....I was gone for so many days and so many things happened that I will probably get some things out of order, and I may even repeat myself a lot a little. So I will just apologize to all of you ahead of time for any confusion or repetition that may take place in the upcoming posts. (Especially to Kenny, who I know falls asleep from time to time while reading this blog.) :)

I thought I would start out by showing you the cruise ship that we were on. Melissa took my picture in front of it so we could show everyone. It was called the Carnival Freedom. The Carnival Freedom was absolutely the most wonderful cruise ship that I have ever seen.....I do realize that it is the only one that I have ever seen, but you will just have to trust me when I tell you that I am certain it is the most wonderful.

I'm just saying is all.



Our first port of call was Naples, Italy. (Hi, Aleisha!) This is a picture of Melissa and I getting off of the most wonderful cruise ship. (I should probably also mention and apologize that Melissa and I took our pictures doing absolutely everything; we just wanted to share the experience with everyone is all. Trust me though.....you will love most all of the pictures.)



We basically just drove through Naples (I will tell you about the driving conditions here in a future post) and then on to Sorrento and Positano to be able to see the Amalfi Coast. This picture is me standing in front of Mt. Vesuvius; it was so beautiful. Mt. Vesuvius you may or may not know is the volcano that erupted and destroyed the ancient city of Pompeii in AD 79 (I believe). It's definitely worth looking up if you are not familiar with it.



These next two pictures were taken along the Amalfi Coast. My camera, of course, does not do this place any justice, so once again, you will just have to trust me when I tell you, "This place is breathtaking!"





The rest of the pictures that I am showing you today were taken in Positano. If you have seen the movie Under the Tuscan Sun, Positano is where Diane Lane goes with the first man that she meets and has a romance with. (Just so you know, I am full of all kinds of perfectly useless information like that. It's a gift.)

Positano is as charming as it is beautiful.
Everywhere you look is an amazing view like this one.



And I have never seen so many different types of flowers and trees in my life. All types and all colors.



We were told that all of the houses like the ones you see on the side of the mountain, you have to walk up steps to get to. The people who live in them have to park their cars on the side of the road (like I said earlier, I will talk about the driving conditions here in a future post) and walk up however many steps to get to their homes......Please understand.....It is a lot of steps.



After looking around and shopping in Positano (I'll tell you about that later too) our tour guide drove us all the way to the top of the mountain to have lunch at a local family restaurant. The name of the restaurant is painted on the plate in the next picture.....Imagine a really attractive Italian man pronouncing it for you......Sigh



This restaurant was like something right out of a movie. Nestled at the top of a mountain with an amazing view, full of very attractive Italian men, and more food than you could even imagine. And the whole place was filled with the aroma of fresh baked bread and rich tomato sauces...mmmmmmm! Each dish that was brought to our table was better than the one before; and after stuffing ourselves full......they brought out platters of desserts. It was overwhelming and wonderful.

After stuffing myself to the point of popping, I had to visit the "ladies room." Kenny and Yvette , this last picture is for you. I walked into the bathroom only to see this little picture window opened and overlooking this......



.... a bathroom with a view......only in Italy.:)

There's No Place Like Home

I got back a day early. (Thank You, God!) As soon as I saw Shannon's face at the airport, I started sobbing. I was just so thankful to be back home. This sign is the first thing that I saw as I walked in the door of my house.



My cup runneth over.

I am very tired and also sick (I will tell you more about that later), but I just wanted to say that Melissa and I saw many incredible things. There were some rough days for Melissa and me on this journey, but I am going to focus on the good things to share with you....and the humorous side of the rough things.:)

It will take me a long time to share all of the pictures and the stories with you, but for today I will share with you a couple of my favorite moments.

First of all, Melissa and I got to take that gondola ride that I was wishing to do.....It was magical. Sigh



The sun was setting as we started out and the weather was perfect! We rode in the gondola with a darling older couple that we met; they were from New Zealand. The gondoliers sang so beautifully as we rode in the gondola through Venice. It was like something out of a movie. Melissa and I loved the whole experience. Sigh

And secondly, I got to write my name in the sand on a beach in Sicily.



It was very special to me to see God make both of these wishes of mine come true. He is good to me.:)

Thank you all for your well wishes and prayers. It will take me a few days to get well and to get back to normal, but once I do I will share more of our journey with you all. So many funny things happened to Melissa and me, that we both think this whole trip would make a great comedy movie......I guess time will tell.:)

I will end this blog post with a famous quote made by Dorothy........

"Oh, but anyway, Toto, we're home. Home! And this is my room, and you're all here. And I'm not gonna leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all, and - oh, Auntie Em - there's no place like home!"