While listening to David Jeremiah, this morning. He told the story of ''the monkeys fist''. I found this story quite interesting, and wanted to share with you.
The monkeys fist

there's an ancient parable, the monkeys fist. It teaches a profound lesson. Native tribes would catch monkeys by hollering out coconuts, filling them with bait, then tethering them to trees for monkeys to find. When the monkey reached into the small opening in the coconut, his hands fit,but once his fist was full the bait, he could not retrieve his hand. The monkey was trapped. The lesson for all of us is that the coconut was not the monkeys undoing. But rather, his greedy unwillingness to let go of the bait.

Okay, so I know what you're thinking''' dumb animal'''. But aren't most humans just as dumb and just as greedy? Humans have a want button. A want button, that never seems to be turned off. We are all guilty, not one of us can stand back and say that it's not true about us and many of the people we know. We all want what we don't need. We all want what everyone else has. We're hungry for stuff. And as we stick our own hand into that imaginary coconut, and grab for all the things that satan has placed inside for us. We might remember that we don't need a handful. But just get what's actually needed.
James 1: 17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Old hands

I heard a story on the radio the a few years ago that touched my heart. And God has put it on my heart to pass it along. It was a hand written letter from a lady in her eighties that resided in a nursing home. I hope that I can remember all the details, at any rate I’ll do the best I can.
The lady writes.
My hands are old, my hands are so very old and ugly. They used to be as smooth as a peach’s skin, but now they feel so rough and so dry. My hands are old and ugly.
My name is Nellie, though no one calls me that any more. The people at the nursing home call me missy or dear. Some even call me Mrs. But they don’t call me Nellie, my name is Nellie. My children come each week they call me Mom or Mother. My grandchildren call me granny, grandmom or even grandmother. But of course they don’t call me by my name. My name is Nellie. I just wanted you to know my name is Nellie, while I can still remember it.
My children and grandchildren all tell me they love me, every time they come. but I’m still so very lonely, no one touches me any more. My husband used to hold my hand as we sat together. But he’s now gone on and is with the Lord. My children once held my hand as we walked along the streets of the town. But I've not felt their touch for so very long now. Do you think the reason that they don’t touch me any more is because of my hands. My hands are so old, so very old and ugly.

Hey, why don't you go give that elderly Mother or Father, or that aging Grandmother or Grandfather of yours a tender hug. Tell them you love them, and tell them how much you care for them. Make them feel important, make them feel a part of your life. Make them feel like they matter. And by all means hold their hands.

Until next time God bless and God save.

14 more pounds UGH

I must be the only person gaining weight while on chemotherapy.

I went to the doctor this morning, again sick with a cold, fluid behind the ears. Willard is much sicker than me, he's been sick for over a week. He refused to go to the doctor to began with. You know how most people are, we always think we'll get better, but instead we get worse and worse off.
Well, to get back to the weight gain, I have gained 14 pounds in two weeks. UGH, I feel like a complete failure when it comes to trying to lose weight. Of course, you can't lose weight and eat all the time like I had been doing lately. I stay hungry, the chemotherapy is taking so much from my body, that I stay hungry all the time. And me with no self-control at all, gives in to my urges every single time. Will you please pray a prayer for me that I will have greater strength to control my raging appetite.
When I went shopping at IGA this morning. I noticed a woman who seemed as if she could hardly walk because she could not breathe. I felt sorry for her and was wondering what was wrong with her. As Willard was going to the checkout line, I decided to go get the medicine from the drugstore. As I walked outside I saw the woman again sitting in her car. She was huffing and puffing on a cigarette. It kind of reminded me of when I was smoking. I remember, I had every excuse under the sun, to not quit smoking. I remember excuses like it's just allergies, it's a cold, anything and everything were my excuses. I'm glad that God finally made me look at the truth. I quit smoking cold turkey approximately 15 years ago. People used to say how hard it was to stop smoking. But with God's help, and I know it was only by God's help that I quit. I did quit. But not before causing irreparable lung damage to myself. So I will say to you smokers out there. Stop the excuses, admit that the those cigarettes are causing you lung damage. And for God's sake quit smoking.
Until next time God bless and God save.

Well, it's 2011. Just imagine reaping what you have sown. All the seeds that you have planted in 2010. The seeds of hate, the impassioned seeds, as we ignore someone in need. The seeds of jealousy, the seeds of pride, the seeds of the vainness. Now I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. Each day that we live, we have emotions that sometimes seem uncontrollable. I myself have hated. I have sometimes ignore people that are in need. I would not say that I'm a vain person, but I'm sure I have acted vain at times. We, as human beings, are subject to all kinds of emotions. Sometimes we act out our emotions, and end up hurting people. We as human beings can't seem to put restraints on ourselves. We let our emotions rule their behavior and sadly our mouths.
Anyone that knows me well, knows that I can hold things in for a while. But after a while it all seems to explode, and then they know to get out of my way. And when I'm like that, I don't like the person I see in the mirror. I say things I don't mean and I do things that I'm ashamed of.
It's nothing more than me letting down my defenses and letting those fiery darts of satan get past my armor. It is truly a wonderful thing that the Lord has so much grace and so much mercy on us. Grace is getting what we don't deserve. And I know that I don't deserve forgiveness in any way, for some of the things I think, and even some of the things I do. But the Lord, has Mercy abounding. Mercy is God holding back what you deserve. And with the seeds I have planted in my life, I deserve far worse than I'm getting. But what I'm getting is forgiveness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. It's so wonderful that I do not have to reap what I have sown in 2010. I will say that I will try harder in 2011 be the Christian that I should be, but I know that I will fail again. And that's when I have faith that God's grace is sufficient for me also.

Until next time God bless and God save.

OH yea, I wanted you all to know David has a new girl friend. He seems so happy.

Mishmash :-)

Nothing much going on today. Willard's gone hunting over at Weldon's. I'm hoping he gets a deer today. After all it's getting late in the season, and he's not got one this year. And I have no idea at all where David is. David has always been a secretive person, and I guess he will always be that way. He doesn't want mama and daddy to know where he goes. And after all he is 25 and older enough to live his own life. So mom and dad are, left in the dark about his whereabouts. We raised him the best we could. We saw that he went to church. We saw that he knew right from wrong. So all we can do now is leave it in God's hands.
I'm feeling tired already from my chemo. I wanted to go sew some on my quilt, but I just don't feel like. I am so glad that I did finish the quilt for Kay. Willard took it to her, he said she really liked it. She called to let me know that she had it on her couch with the matching pillow. Kay and Weldon both have done so much for me and Willard, there is no way that we could ever repay them.
I'm trying to decide what I want to do about the power port. My doctor said it would be in at least a year, but she would like to leave it in permanently. Well I have a whole year to decide, so hopefully the Lord will let me know by then what to do.
I'm putting a picture on of the quilt I made for Kay. Believe me it was made with a lot of love.
Until next time God bless and God save.

Changing chemo not a good option

Here's just a few pictures I took on the way to, and at Chapel Hill. I'm already feel a little sick tonight. The doctor talked to me in detail about the numbness in my hands today. She said she could take me off of the chemo that was causing it. The details were that if she did change the chemo, the only other chemo most likely would not work nearly as well as the one I'm on. She explained that the numbness may go away after a while when my chemo's are finished, or it may be permanent . I told her to not change anything. I'm leaving it in God's capable hands.
Well that's all I feel like tonight. It's been a really long day. Gonna go to bed and get some zzzz's. Willard has been snoring a couple of hours now. He deserves it, it's been three time worse on him than me. Sometimes his to do list is much too long. Please say prayers for him.
Until next time, God bless and God save.

Look what God has made

Setting here, drinking coffee, looking out at the snow, and what comes to my mind is, look what God has made. The view from my back door is just stunning. Anyone who cannot see the hand of God in this, just is not looking for God at all.
Although, it's going to be rough getting to Chapel Hill in the morning. Willard and I normally leave around 5:30, most likely will have to leave about 430 in the morning to be there on time.
Please keep us in prayer as we make the trip.
Until next time God bless and God save.