Keeper of all the stars

I like the way Fernando sings the hymns that I love.

Today I was letting my computer play my 25 most listened to songs while I scrubbed the bathrooms.....work is good for the soul you know.

The song "Lord of all Eternity" was playing.

O God you created every one of the stars. You hung them in place and You named them every one. You sustain them by the power of Your Word.

I worship You tonight as I look at Your handiwork hanging out there over the ocean.

The treatment that was supposed to take place on Monday past will happen tomorrow at 10:45.
I am a little nervous. Every week for the rest of my life I will have to put four tiny little needles into my body and be infused with blood protein that will replace the immunity that my body is deficient in. I will be at the doctor's office for about four hours learning how to do this.

If you will pray for me tomorrow, I will know it.

i love you
c

glimpses of heaven on earth

Every once in a while I avail myself of the wisdom of my pastor in matters concerning my father.
I am thankful for the encouragement and insight that God gives me through this godly man.

Last week, just before we left to go to help Amanda, was one of those times.
He talked to me about those moments when we get a tiny glimpse of heaven on this earth.

Here are a few of those precious moments:

When a grandchild catches a glimpse of me
and comes running down the hall in full abandon for a hug.

When I'm reading God's word
and the Holy Spirit reveals a previously unknown, amazing truth.

When a two year old plants a kiss on my cheek and says,
"I wove you gwammy."

When the one you love meets your glance across a room
and you know, you just know.

When I'm walking on the beach and the waves shout praises to His name.

When the sun peeks up over the ocean at first light
signaling the start of yet another day of God's faithfulness.

Can you just imagine what heaven will be like?

I wove you

( photo by Erika )

garbage can fiasco

I hereby proclaim tomorrow as the day I stay home and clean this condo.
Nothing, I repeat nothing can make me change my mind.

Not:
lunch with a friend
a kidney stone
time with a grandchild or two
grocery shopping
a doctor appointment
a hair appointment
swine flu
a long bike ride
a trip into town to get my fall decorations and maybe a fresh pot of mums for the deck

My life is a busy, frenzy of activity and I need a day to myself.
(You know if you need me I'll be there) but:
This is really a desperate need.

Starting this weekend and going on through Wednesday of next week, some or all of the four grandchildren will be here in this condo under the care of "us."

I have to prepare.
I have to be ready mentally, physically, and most importantly spiritually.
So you see why I need tomorrow?
It is the only day this week that I have to get ready.

Today was Bible Study....hard on Monday morning, but needful in my life.
On the way home I had to stop by the Tybee Island Post Office to retrieve two packages.
Upon arrival at the condo, I gathered up a few items of trash and threw them in the garbage down in the parking area.

Now....let me just say that the garbage cans are "pig stys" to say the least. I can barely stand to lift the lids to insert trash.

Today I did so and then started gathering all of the bags and boxes to take upstairs. I had just driven from town, turned off the car, and removed the keys ,so I knew I had them, but I couldn't find them any where. I turned the car and my purse upside-down three times and my keys were nowhere to be found.

I was so frustrated and then it hit me...........I couldn't have thrown them in the trash, could I?

Sure enough, there they were at the bottom of the can which had just been emptied this morning. Oh my the stench as I turned the can over and dug them out with a rusted pipe I found nearby.

I thanked God for the blessing of the empty can and was on my way.

one more for love, my love, one more for love
c

mission completion

Going home tomorrow....
It's gotten kinda cool here.
Saw that it will be 90 in Savannah on Monday.
I still don't want summer to go away.
Jake is sick...
Amanda is better....
Mark just got home from his conference....
and Eli is hilarious.

This is a quote that Jake uttered this morning.......

"I only want to share with myself."

out of the mouths of babes.....

until later, cathyc

a little thing about stones

In this world there are all kinds of stones.

I find stones that have been rounded by the turbulence of the ocean.
The diamond in my engagement ring is a stone.
I have seen a fireplace made out of rounded stones.
One can receive a massage where hot stones are laid upon your back.

Amanda had a menacing stone in her kidney that had made her miserable for about two weeks.
Yesterday the doctor located the stone and removed it.
It was said to be 4 milimeters.
Thankfully the pain, nausea, and vomiting associated with that stone have gone away.....replaced with the pain of a stint implanted for the next week.

She is doing well.....we are here to help her for the next few days to get back on her feet.
To say that Amanda has struggled in the last few years would be an understatement.
I like her spirit though.
If she gets to the point of complaining I know she is bad off.

God, please bless her tonight and help her body to heal quickly. Give her grace and mercy to get through yet another trial.

The boys got a little wild earlier and we had a head bonking that sent Jake crying into my arms. He stayed for at least thirty minutes lapping up my sympathy. He hasn't sat that still and that long with me since he was a tiny baby.

These times with these boys are priceless.
I just wish they were only a "stones throw away."

"I tell you, if these (my disciples) become silent, even the stones will cry out." Luke 19:40

Jesus is telling His enemies in this verse that if His disciples stop praising Him the very stones will cry out in praise.

praise to Him,
cathy

bear each other's burdens

This photo is now my screen saver.
Erika helped me get my pictures back where they belong....I thank her for that.
I think everything is in order now on my computer.

To me this picture is a hoot.
They are sitting in the middle of that gorgeous road leading to Wormsloe Plantation.
There is a huddle and then there is Jake.
He seems a little disgruntled by the whole process.
They are looking at Amanda putting on a silly show to make them smile.
I am a little put off by the dirtiness of their shoes.
Why didn't any of us think to take them off for the picture?

Tomorrow we go to Virginia on a mission of mercy.
Amanda is having surgery to remove that pesky kidney stone.
Didn't know we were going until just a little while ago.
Always glad to bear another's burden for a little while.

I start my immune replacement therapy on Monday.....will have to be back for that.
I just hope I can make it back without getting sick again.
I have been told that this will help me immensely.
The protein in my blood is way low and my body doesn't have what it needs to fight infections.
God is good to provide doctors and medicine for us when we need healing.

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

cathy

a favorite of mine

That is me taking a picture of Lucy or maybe a bird.
It looks like she has wings. Erika got this shot.
She is brilliant......she has such a keen eye for photography.

"Do you not know? Have you not heard?

The Everlasting God,
The Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.

He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.

Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,

Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary."

Isaiah 40: 28 ~ 31

my first scan attempt

This is an old picture of Amanda and her cousin Robbie when they were still "little people."
I finally got a printer for my computer and this is my first attempt at scanning a photo onto my blog. I am very excited about this new endeavor.

Tonight is a quiet end to a busy week.

Bubba and David drove to Raleigh today in a rented truck on a "pick up some furniture and bring it back to Savannah" mission. Erika's parents just recently moved there and they had some "goodies" to spare. I hear there is a trampoline involved.

Erika, Lucy, and Harry spent the afternoon here at the beach with me. We went to the library to check-out some books and to the playground. We topped the day off with pizza from "Vinnie's." Very delicious stuff.

Our ladies Bible started this week. We will be studying through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John this year. I look forward to this as a way to get to know more of the ladies at our church.

I went to the eye doctor on Tuesday and he said that the problem with my eye had not gotten any worse and that the hemorrhaging had stopped. I am very thankful for that! We will still watch and wait and I will pray that God will completely heal.

Thanks to the friend who invited me to the lovely luncheon on Wednesday. I had so much fun and the fashion show was great.

Thanks to everyone who has shown concern for my illnesses. Your notes and calls are so important to me. This, along with the situation with my family has tried my soul and my body beyond anything I have ever experienced.

At least my medical condition has been diagnosed and treatment will be started soon.

To all of you.....thanks for keeping up with me and praying.

Love, Cathy

would drain the oceans dry

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from His sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forever more endure
The saints' and angels' song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the oceans dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

The bolded part of the hymn above tries to convey the magnitude of God's love for His chosen ones.

I cling to this truth as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death and depression. My hope is only in Him.

cathy

harry got his first bike

Harry's party was a huge success.....He hung in and enjoyed every minute of it unlike me who started feeling sick and had to leave after the presents were opened.

Now that he is two even more exciting things will happen in his life.

Grammy and Granddaddy gave him his first bike which is pictured above.

All Harry has to do is learn how to push the pedals and off he will go.

The start of a little boy's love of all things with wheels.

Right now he does a lot of just sitting and relishing the thrill of having his very own bike.

Sister Lucy was enthralled herself.

Harry finally just sat in Erika's lap while Lucy opened his presents.

I don't think this will happen when he turns three.

love that boy...

love you, c

another short one

I had to depart early from Harry's party because I was not feeling well.
Just wanted to let you know that Amanda is home and resting with pain meds after a kidney stone diagnosis.

c

just a quick note ~ more on this later

Amanda is in the emergency room with what they think is a kidney stone.
I am on my way to the eye doctor so I will write more later when I have more information.

Cathy

i love lucy

She is here at the condo spending the night.
We spent a good while over at the playground after our delicious supper. Bubba kept raving about the dinner because it is his absolute favorite meal in the whole world.....pork chop casserole with butterbeans. He seriously loses it over this meal.

Anyway.....over at the playground Lucy met a new friend. Her name is Grace Irene and she is three years old too. They had so much fun playing while I chatted with her mom. She teaches and I used to teach so we had lots in common. My name ended up in her cell for future play dates.

Lucy and I like to pile up in my bed and read. Today we read nine books. I like to look at her face while I read and see the wonder there.

Some of you may remember Richard Scarry's "Please and Thank You Book." One of the characters is Lowly Worm. I think very highly of Lowly. In one section he names his "horrid pests." I agree wholeheartily with him. Here are a few of them:

There are the

gobbling pests
interrupting pests
noisy pests
quarreling pests
teasing pests
smashing pests..and the list goes on and on.

You can easily see how these pests can make your life miserable.

We had a PHD physicist speaking at our church this past weekend on the creation. He was brilliant and he held me spellbond for two straight hours on Sunday morning.

Check out this website.......... creation.com

and please don't be a bully pest.........cathy

waffle house

I got my waffle.....it was as good as I expected but I couldn't eat it all.
I found a coupon on-line and we got two waffles for the price of one.

What is it about the waffle house?

The employees actually did a little dance celebration when we walked in because they were so glad to see some customers. Slow day you think?

Nobody was there but the waitress took forever to come get our order.
I was trying to keep Bubba from throwing a fit by telling him maybe they were giving us time to read the menu. (we already knew what we wanted before we walked in)

She finally came and then had to leave again to go find her notebook which required a long and extensive search.By the time she got back from that search, I wanted to scream, "Just throw two waffles on the griddle and bring us some coffee."

When we ordered our coffee she asked if she could brew a new pot. We said sure.
I think her question must have really been, "Can I go to the store and buy a new pot?" because we never saw her again after that. Halfway through the meal, choking down the waffle, I had to ask another guy if we could please have our coffee.

That guy stood and talked to me for the whole meal.....Bubba never said a word.

Stress.....stress is everywhere.

I won't need a waffle house waffle for a long time now.....not because it wasn't good, but because it took such a great effort to get it.

cathy

combs and brushes

Today I washed all of my combs and brushes and laid them out in the sun to dry.......
something my mom taught me to do so many years ago.
That's what keeps your hair pretty and shiny.

I have to say....I think old friends, those who go way back, are the best.
There is just something so comfortable about them.
I just got home from a lovely shower for my friend Beverly's daughter.
I picked up Sandy and then drove way up past Guyton.
Girls, I had a really good time......being with you brings back wonderful memories.

I don't know why, but right now I am craving a Waffle House waffle.
It is a very strange craving that I have never had before.
I don't think I want it bad enough to hop in the van and drive to the other side of Savannah, but......it is very tempting. Maybe tomorrow for supper.

Looking forward to church tomorrow.....I had to miss last week because of the flu.

sweet sleep and dreams to all of you........
i love you, c

newsy stuff

The best news I've heard all week is that the ear, eye, nose, and throat doctor told David and Erika that he was pretty sure Harry's breathing tube had finally grown to meet his needs. That means, hopefully, a decrease in trips to the hospital to get him breathing again.

His speech therapy may be ended soon because he is talking up a blue streak. We are all pushing for some work on articulation. Sometimes we can't understand what he is saying. That could be our fault though.

In addition to all of this wonderful Harry news, we are all so excited that he will turn two on Tuesday. I will always remember that he came to us for the first time when my mother died two years ago. He was two weeks old. We immediately took him down and put his little feet in the ocean.

Amanda and Mark are preparing to host 60 people at their home tomorrow. All of the new members of their church are invited. I will tell you one thing, she knows how to throw a party.
She sends people home raving over her cooking. Good job.....daughter of mine.

Jake went to his first day of preschool on Wednesday. I know he had to step over two kids throwing tantrums on the floor to get into his classroom. Amanda said she couldn't get much out of him about how it went. The only thing he would tell her is that someone rang a bell when it was time to clean up. That must have impressed him for some reason.

Not to leave out Lucy and Eli.........

Lucy has become very adept at doing multiple somersualts across the floor.

Eli loved having some alone time with Amanda while Jake was at school. Somehow he managed to get a purple lollipop before 8:30 that morning. I think Eli is a con artist.

so now you know...........

cathy

"if necessary"

"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." I Peter 1: 6&7

I like this......sometimes God finds it "necessary" to bring trials into our lives to test our faith.

One more short verse:

"And Jesus told them that they ought always to pray and not lose heart." Luke 18:!

I was "losing heart" today in my trials and God showed me this verse.

That's why I love to read God's word. He knows everything that is going on in my life and has His word ready to comfort and inform me every morning.

what a joy to be God's child....

cathyc

flu ~ i do

This will be short because I am tired
and so many of you have inquired.....

I do have the flu......
the bloodwork came back positive.

They didn't define it as swine,
but in my mind
it is of the pig variety.

I thought the doctor was crazy until the results came back today.
I never really thought I had it because my case is so mild.

I could have picked it up in Florida or,
there are many people at our church who are sick with it.

Now this is enough about my illness.
People who focus endlessly on their ailments are oppressive.

You all....stay well

cathy

humpty ~ dumpty

I feel like humpty ~ dumpty.......trying to put everything back together again.
Mostly I am trying to get all of my favorites back on my computer.
I lost them ~ I found them again...
And now I am trying to restore them to their rightful place.

I miss my favorites.
I like the luxury of having everything I like to browse at my fingertips:

hurricane tracking charts
local news
accuweather
pastor's blogs
a few blogs that I keep up with
drudge
fox news
my favorite store sites
amanda's ebay sight
the rental company for our condo

just to name a few.

I saw the other day that there is a place in Seattle where you can go if you are addicted to the Internet. I don't think I'm to the point of needing to go yet........but I may be getting close.

If I disappear for a while you will know where I am.

cathyc

the flu? boo hoo

I may have the dreaded flu. It will be Tuesday before I find out.
I went to the doctor on Thursday for what I thought was a quick check-up.
Unbeknownst to me I had a fever of 101.
They all went on super alert.....it may be swine flu or worse than that..... Influenza Type A.
Other than a cough and a slight headache I felt fine.
Lots of blood was drawn to be sent off and analyzed and here I sit....quarantined until I find out.

I still don't "feel" that bad.....but I don't feel really good either.
Can't get my head together enough to write a good blog.
Just thought I would touch base with you all and let you know what's going on with me.

maybe you could say a little prayer..........
thanks, cathy

Just a short blurb

Thanks for the loud outcry from you today when my blog was not accessible.
I love all of you for loving to read it so much.
I am about to find everything on my computer after having it worked on yesterday.
Computers are the things that try our souls......but we can't live without them.

How did we come to this?
cathy

a bike ride and some thoughts

I just got back from riding all the way to the other end of the island which really isn't very far in case you were thinking me to be a great athelete. In fact, coming back against the wind was a bit of a struggle for me.

I rode down to take a look at the ocean rushing into the back river. With the wind pushing those waves so hard, there was really a sight to see.

Sometimes I feel wild and free when I ride my bike. It is an exhilarating experience.

Today a young man came to work on my computer. He was here for two hours. He did a fine job. It is faster and all of those annoying pop-ups are gone. He installed my printer and microsoft word so that I can write to my heart's content. I am very thankful for what he did.

But alas, stress has come upon me. The first things that I noticed was that all of my favorites were gone. Zap....just like that! No more favorites. I worked all afternoon to put some of the more obvious ones back. I will be working on that project for a while.

Even more disconcerting....when I went to add a picture to this post, I found that all of my photos are gone as well.

Now he backed my blog and all of my photos up, so they are saved and that is a good thing.

What dismays me how upset I let myself get and just after writing the post on "Let not your heart be troubled."

Forgive me Lord and help me to start all over again tomorrow. That is what He wants us to do you know. I've learned to expect some kind of defeat after having a great spiritual awakening in my life.

We defeat Satan when we get back up and start all over again.

thankful for His grace and mercy...
cathy

"faith without works"

This antique carousel is in a very prominent place in St. Augustine.
It has been there for as long as I can remember.
Nostalgic and charming.....memories from childhood.

It's a nor'easter blowing.......I know without checking the weather forecast.
Had to bring in my porch rug and batten down the hatches.
It feels so good sitting out there and watching the white caps roll in over the ocean.
Maybe I will walk when my supper settles in a little while.

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

I wrote this verse as my facebook status yesterday and I used it again today to comfort a friend whose husband had lost his job.

I have heard this verse all of my life....I must have memorized it in years past because it is so familiar to me......but yesterday God made this truth impact my heart.

Jesus promises to give peace to us and then He says, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Oh my....how I struggle with my heart being troubled over issues in my life....but looking closely, the Holy Spirit revealed that this is a command to me. Let not ~ Do Not Let ~ Keep your heart from being troubled or afraid. It is something I have to do.

"Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." James 2:17

Having faith is supreme, but if we don't do what He says, faith is dead.
Dead faith accomplishes nothing.

John 14:27 has become very real to me in the last couple of days.
If my heart becomes troubled, I stop and remember Jesus' words....
"Let not your heart be troubled."

It's working!
cathy