first light this morning

Yesterday I wrote a quote for my post:
"The day you fear as the last on this earth is the birthday of eternity."

Here is my explanation for the blog commenter and for you all.

God has always existed in eternity. He always has been and He always will be.
He is the God of eternity past and eternity present and eternity future.
Eternity is the time realm that He exists in.
Eternity existed long before this world was created.

For us mortals, eternity begins when we are conceived.
The soul that we are born with will never die.
When our designated time here on this earth is over....when we die to this world.....
We will step over into eternity and live forever.

Those who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and come to God through Him will spend eternity in Heaven.

Those who have rejected Christ and His teaching are rejecting God and will spend eternity in hell separated from Him forever.

Where will you be the moment after you close your eyes in death?

"And I am God, even from eternity, I am He." Isaiah 43: 12 & 13

"And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent." John 17:3

cathy

to think about

"The day you fear as the last on this earth is the birthday of eternity"
a roman philosopher

about my father

Two weeks ago my father fell and broke his hip.
He had surgery to repair the damage.
He is doing well.....
I visited today and he has made great strides to improvement.
I think he is thriving in the hospital environment getting the care that he needs and being around people.

He is to be discharged on Wednesday, February 3rd.
His doctor, nurses, and therapists have all recommended that he be discharged to an assisted living facility where he can continue his recuperation period.

I talked to him this afternoon and encouraged him not to risk going home.
He is very receptive to this. He knows his limitations.
I would ask all of you to pray that God will give him the wisdom to make the right choice.

If he goes home at discharge, our window of opportunity to get him the care that he needs will be gone.

Bubba and I are very thankful that dad has ceased being hostile to us for the first time in over 2 and a half years. Our constant prayers were heard and answered.

Trusting Him in this matter.

Cathy

quite different

This is today's first light.....quite different from yesterday.
cc

first light

I get up early every morning.
It is the best part of my day.
Everything is fresh.
The coffee is hot, and the word of God beckons.

That first, pink strip of light brings the ocean back from the dark night.
Within minutes the sky is a blazing canopy of colors.
The quiet solitude is gone and the new day gets under way.

I read this just now.....

"As for the days of our life,
they contain seventy years,
or if due to strength, eighty years.
Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow;
for soon it is gone and we fly away." Psalm 90:10

A little later the Bible says:

"So teach us to number our days,
that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

Life hurts, foolishness abounds.
Lord, in the midst of this,
give us a heart of wisdom that we may present it to You on the day You take us home.
cc

tiny bugs

Tomorrow I will drive again.
My vision has not returned completely, but it is getting better every day.
I am ready to launch out of my cocoon and see how it goes.

Among other things concerning my eyesight,
I see these tiny little black spots moving here and there.
When I look down at any food I may be eating, it looks like tiny bugs are crawling around.
This is disturbing to say the least.

One of the sweetest things was when Lucy came to visit.
She came in staring at my poor eye having the most compassionate look of concern on her face.
That I will never forget.

"Shout joyfully to the Lord all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before Him with joyful singing.
Know that the Lord Himself is God;
It is He who has made us.
And not we ourselves.
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with Thanksgiving,
and His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting,
And His Faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 100

When things go bad I always remember His faithfulness.

cathy

maybe?

Just this afternoon
my eye is beginning to see things again.

It is still covered with a haze, but I am able to focus just a little.
Will the sight return completely? I do not know.
I go back to the doctor in the morning at 8:10.

I've been thinking about this verse this week:

I Corinthians 13:12 "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face."

As we live and breathe and move in this earthly life, and mostly because of our sin, we cannot see God and His ways clearly. We can only see "dimly" through what He has revealed to us in His word. One day, when we see Him "face to face", our sight will be perfect and complete.

We cannot even imagine what it will be like when we get to throw off the shackles of sin and the blinders that we wear on this earth and see God in all His glory and Jesus seated at His right hand. What joy and a cause for rejoicing that will be.

If God allows me to see clearly again through my left eye, I will be grateful beyond measure. But if not, I have assurance that my sight will be complete when I finally get to see His face.
All my expectations are in Him.

cathy

happy birthday david

You are someone I genuinely enjoy being around.
You always have something interesting to say.
You have my exact sense of humor thus bringing tons of laughter into my life.
I appreciate the man you have become and I love you very much.
I hope you and Erika enjoyed your night out together without the babes.
Hopefully I will feel well enough so that we can celebrate together on Monday or Tuesday.
PF Changs here we come!

My eye is better, but I am feeling sick all over.
I cannot even explain the effect this has had on me.
I know for certain that I will never take my eyesight for granted again.

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." II Corinthians 5:7

cc

"The Lord opens the eyes of the blind"

No one could have ever described to me the way it feels to be blind.
My blindness is only in one eye, but it is amazing how much daily life requires two eyes.

Let me first say that my eye is getting better.
I don't have to go back to the doctor until early Monday.
The blindness is not darkness,
It is cloudy, milky white.
Last Sunday morning I could see nothing....now I can see distorted shapes and light.

God has given me much grace in these last few days.
Because of the steroids, the massive amount of inflamation is improving.
The outside of my eye no longer looks like red meat.

I have no depth perception.
I cannot drive.
The steroids make me crazy.
I am wide awake at 2:30 am every night.
Everything about my whole person is off.

But...I know you are praying,
and that gives me comfort.

Psalm 146:8 "....the Lord opens the eyes of the blind....."
God is my hope.
All of my expectations are in Him.

Cathy

blog snaffu

The infection in my eye was enough improved that I didn't have to endure another surgery.
I am so thankful.
My sight is still diminished behind a gray cloud, but we are cautiously optimistic.
I will be back at the hospital at 8:40 in the morning for yet another agonizing eye exam.
Your prayers are still coveted.

Some of you received an invitation to read my blog earlier this week.
Just disregard that information.
I was going to go private so that only those of you who got that invitation could read.
There was a public outcry, so I put it back to the way it originally was. (for now)

My father is improving. He is in the rehab wing working hard to get back on his feet.
He needs your prayers too.

I am thankful, oh so thankful, for God and all of you.
cathy

another surgery? you've got to be kidding me.

Now that the steroids have worn off,
I feel like I've been run over with a MACK truck.

Maybe a little better, the doc said just now,
but I have to go back in the morning without eating
in case I need another surgery.

A lot of people ask why to God when situations arise in their life.
We try to think about what God would be thinking.
The bottom line is that we have no way of knowing what God is thinking.
It is insult to Him that we would even try.
His chastening may be for our benefit or for those who live around us.
That is why we have to trust Him unequivocally with our lives.

Please continue to pray and I'll continue to be grateful.
cathy

%#@*&^ i'm on steroids *&^%$#

Last Thursday night my dad fell and broke his hip.
Early Sunday morning I was struck blind in my left eye.
Needless to say it has been a hard week.

I met my doctor at 6:30 am this morning. He wanted to check me before he went out of town. He will call me when he is heading back so that he can check me again tonight.
It is serious. He has never seen a case like mine in twenty years of doctoring.

This morning he gave me three steroid pills to hopefully help abate the inflammation.
At this moment I am high as a kite.
I feel like I could tackle the world, but still no sight.

Yesterday I entitled my post "beautiful eyes.'
I did not mean that in the way of vanity.

My eyes are beautiful to me because they are the eyes that God has given to me.
Through them I can see the beauty of His creation.
I can see His truth in His written word.
I can look into some one's eye and see compassion and sorrow and love and I can convey those same emotions with my eyes.

I cherish the gift that my eyes are to me.
And yes, people have told me that I have beautiful eyes,
but I hope they tell me that because they can see the love of God shining through.

I will try to post again this evening about what is the latest from my doc.
cc

beautiful eyes

2 times today......we have driven into Savannah to see the eye doctor.
I was better this morning than I was at 5:00 this afternoon.
He looked into my eye and saw more bacteria.

All of the anibiotic shots in the eye, the anitbiotic eyedrops, and the procedure that he did yesterday have failed to kill the bug that rode into my eye on the tip of the first needle.

People always tell me that I have beautiful eyes.....
not anymore.

I can hardly open my left eye. It is blood red all over. It is so tired and it hurts.
If Bubba stands right in front of me and asks me how many fingers he has up I cannot tell.

I have to be back at the doctor's office at 7:00 in the morning.
I do not know what that may bring.
What I do know is that God is good all of the time and He will see me through this as He always does. His mercies are great and are new every morning.

I am thanking you all for your contiued prayers.

Cathy

patch-work

Yesterday I found myself unexpectedly in the day surgery unit at Memorial Hospital.
When my doctor found out that the sight in my left eye was gone,
he immediately arranged for me to have this procedure done.

I was heavily sedated, but awake while this frenzy of activity took place in my eye.
When they were done they put a patch over it which will stay in place until I see the doctor again in a little while.

He is hopeful that my sight will return, but cannot guarantee that it will.

I am hopeful and calm as I know the turning point with this is God's will for my life.
Will you pray with me for a good result?

Thanks,
Cathy

ps Our trip scheduled for next week looks very doubtful. ):

my eye

I woke up at 4:00 this morning in excruciating pain.
The eye that got the shot on Thursday was throbbing.
At 8:30 I was getting my eye examined.

Infection had set in.
At this time I cannot see out of my left eye at all.
I will be back in his office in the morning.
I just wanted to thank you all for praying.

Cathy

wait in silence

I had a lot of time to sit and read today.
Luckily I had tucked a little book into my purse.
I rarely go anywhere without some sort of reading material anymore.

Today my mind needed to be filled with good and amazing thoughts.
The little gem I chose as I walked out of the door was,
Words that Hurt, Words that Heal, by Carole Mayhall.

I was reading along and I came to this:

"For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is in Him." Psalm 62:5
What a profound verse!

Listen to what it says...."Wait in silence." God is working. "my hope is in Him."
I put all of my expectations in God alone.

My eye is doing good
My soul is at peace
He hears my prayers and answers them

Praise to God from whom all blessings flow.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus

Cathy

seeing clearly

I had a shot in my left eye this afternoon.
The doctor is hopeful that this will restore some of the sight that has been lost.
It was very scary and I am still a bit shaky.
I thank you for your prayers.

cathy

this one's for Lou

One of my best and dearest friends in the world had a long and complicated surgery today.
I just heard from her husband and her friend that all went well and she is resting comfortably albeit heavily sedated.

She and I played together as children in a playhouse that my dad bought from the railroad yard and put together in my backyard. We raised our baby dolls there and wore our hoop skirts to the many weddings where we married our prince charmings.

She lived three or four houses down on my block and was most always available to "play." She was in my wedding and rejoiced with me when my babies were born as I was with her.

Friendships that endure for a lifetime are most precious and I have many of those. Gifts from God I call them. These are the people that have loved me and cared deeply about me through the years and have been there for me through it all. Needless to say I cherish this girl....this sweet friend that I "grew up" with.

You've been on my mind all day. I know it will be several days before you are able to read this, but then it will be nice to see what I was thinking on the night of your surgery.

Sweet and painless sleep tonight, lovely Lou......there will be time enough in the days to come to start the recuperation prosess. I thank God for you and pray the He will comfort and sustain you in the coming days.

In a few months there will be time to sit all day and talk.
For now....enjoy all the pampering that you deserve.

I love you,
Cathy

off........

............to the depths of the storage house.

It is time to start the process of getting rid of the non-essentials in my life.
If anyone knows of a teacher or school that would like to have the portfolio of materials that I used to teach third grade, let me know. I would love to donate these to the good of the cause.

I will return later to blog some more.
cc

200 more

200 more and the famous sitemeter will hit 30,000.
I want to know who you are.

The old saying goes...."You can't go home again."
Last Saturday we did.
We drove down south to Fayetteville to look at our house on Heirtage Court.
It looked mostly the same, but the black shutters had been painted burgundy
(my most disliked color along with purple)..........
and all of the beautiful windows had been covered with unattractive shades.
David's basketball hoop was still standing though, and Bubba's berm of crepe myrtles was looking good.

Sally and Frankie always called this house the "Federal House."

Tons of memories came tumbling into my heart and mind.
Seventeen years of life were spent there.....mostly good times and happy days.
I miss that house and that life.

Riding around, it was like nothing had changed, but so much has.
Life moves on, children marry, people die, jobs end, and new opportunities emerge.
But, I will always think of that time in Atlanta as very special.

"For Thou art great and doest wondrous deeds;
Thou alone art God.
Teach me Thy way, O Lord;
I will walk in Thy truth;
Unite my heart to fear Thy name.
I will give thanks to Thee,
O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And will glorify Thy name forever." Psalm 86: 10 ~ 12

"Unite my heart" Take away all of the foolishness in my life and cause my heart to seek You and You alone. Everyone and everything disappoints, but You, O God, never do.

Thank You,
Cathy

38 hours

Me and Lisa....one of my most favorite nieces (notice the fish coming out of my head)

We were on this trip for 38 hours....

left at 7:30 Friday morning and returned to Savannah at 8:30 Saturday night.

I cannot believe the amount of fun that we crammed into this short time.

~

The reason for our trip centered around Harry and

God blessed everything we did including that.

~

It had snowed in Atlanta the day before and the roads were ice.

We persevered and God keep us safe.

~

Breakfast at Mimi's on Saturday morning was scrumptious.

Our hotel was pure swank.

Our fellowship was divine.

~

Seeing the seahorses is one of my favorite treats at the Aquarium.

Being with Lisa made it even more enjoyable.

~

The end

more pictures

we laughed at the antics of the African penquins

Lucy getting a hug from Depo.

David and Harry studying a fish

Lisa cozying up to the penquin

the tropical sea

Erika and Harry getting a close look

beautiful floating jelly fish

One more post tonight

a stay at home day

a close-up of a "she crab" with the legs that I love

Harry and the "Depo's"

a giant ray buried in the sand

More pics in a little while.

cc

at the aquarium

Lisa with Harry and Lucy

this whale shark is 18 feet long

mesmerization (lucy was having a hard time keeping her jeans pulled up)

more pictures to come in a little while.

cathy

the W

the lovely light fixture in our room.

Enjoying the view.

Relaxing on the chaise.

If you look straight out you can see Stone Mountain.

the decor ^ and the bed v.

We stayed at the W hotel

Right across the street from perimeter mall and......

right around the corner from PF Changs.

Some pictures are already posted....more to come.

trip to atlanta

Guess where we went?
More to come after church.
freezing!!!
cc

this is post #800

Erika worked on our family picture and I present it again as I mark my 800th post.
It's hard to get the "four" four and unders to strike the perfect pose for a picture.
I kind of like the spontaneity of it all.
I know with all my heart that this group will never sit for a formal portrait.
Thanks for taking this photo Rita.

Listen to slice by "five for fighting." It's a great song and I ask a question in it. Love the voice of the lead singer.

Love your watch Amanda....
nice jeans, David
Mark, I love the color of your new blue sweater
Erika, you fit nicely under David's arm
Bubba, you look like the perfect patriarch
Lucy, you'll always be grammy's favorite granddaughter
Eli, I have a special love for you and your panda bear
Harry, I'm your MAMMY forever
and Jake my firstborn grandson, you took my heart right from the start.

I Love My Family!!!

Cathy

words on winter

They say it hasn't been this cold since 1985.
I believe them.
It's been a long time since I thought a nice pair of wool pants would feel good.

I remember that Bubba bought us two military coats that were designed to be worn in arctic conditions. I haven't seen those coats in twenty years. Last night he said that he was going to get his out of storage to take on an up-coming trip.

In a way its kind of nice knowing that this year the germs and the bugs will finally get killed off. We've been saying for years that the weather just didn't get cold enough for that.

And I hear talk of snow down south.
Wouldn't that be a pleasant change of pace.

A couple of thoughts.....

I'm wearing socks every day and have resorted to wearing boots.
I can't get really warm even with the heat running full boar.
I bought a warm scarf to wear around my neck.
I want to drink coffee all day long.
The wind coming off of the ocean grips you in pain.
I have to psych myself up to take a shower and when I get in I never want to get out.

The days have been beautiful. To look through the big window is to see bright sunshine and the clearest of blue skies. The ocean is calm, sapphire blue, and clear. But let me tell you baby....it is cold outside.

Actually, the absolute best place to be is in the bed, under the covers at nightfall and stay there until first light in the morning. That is the only place that I can get really warm.

"Two are better than one because.....if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can they be warm alone." Ecclesiastes 4: 9 & 11

ps.....does anyone know where I can get a pair of cashmere gloves?

from cathyc

the words He says to me

Anyone remember being in love?
The kind of "in love" where you hang on each word he says to you.
Where each phrase is dissected to find his true meaning.
When a simple sentence is a volume of love poems he wrote just for you.
When one word is a symphony............and brings enough joy to last for days.
When you know that he loves you just by the way he says your name.

God loves us.
He wrote a book to tell us how much He loves us.
He starts at the very beginning with the creation of the heavens and the earth.
He told how sin entered the world through Adam and Eve.
In the third chapter of Genesis he brought the gospel to our attention.
He would send His son Jesus Christ to be our Savior....to reconcile us back to God.
All through the Bible while He is telling His story He gives us books of comfort and wisdom.
We get to read about the kings and the prophets and all of their adventures.
We get to read about the life of Jesus on this earth.
We get to read about His death, and His resurrections, and His ascension back to heaven.
We travail with the the Apostles as they establish His Church for these "last days."
We get to hear how the earth will end (fire), and how it won't end (flood).
God tells us that Jesus was victorious over sin and Satan and death.
For those of us who believe God tells us that we will be with Him for all eternity.

He wrote this incredible love letter to us.
Do we even bother to read it?

If we love God with all of our heart we will love His word.
We will crave it.
We will hunger and thirst after it.
We will study it and try to comprehend what it means.
We will be made complete in it.

Love is not a casual acquaintance.
It is like the love described in the first paragraph.
Loving God and His word should consume us.

Cathy

this blog and other observations

This picture was taken yesterday while my tree was still up.
This evening the tree is gone.
Bubba just threw it over the balcony to fall three stories to the ground.
It landed very close to the palm tree in front of our condo.
I am sad....not that he threw it over, but that it had to go.

This picture shows a better view of my new haircut.
It is still long enough that I can wear it pulled back and that is the most important thing.

I think that my blog is an enigma.
I am getting ready to write post #800 and hit the 30,000th visitor mark and it is more popular than ever. (the counter doesn't count me by the way)
Why do you read?
I would love to know.

A couple of random things:

1. The cheesiest song of this Christmas season had to be, "Where is the line to see Jesus." (at the mall) We have reached a new low, Christians. God is not to be mocked.

2. I had blood drawn today to see if the gammaglobin infusions have raised my immunity levels. The doctor is still quizzing on my chest x-ray. I think everything is okay and so does he. I did have a slight fever though.

3. Our getaway to Florida last week was special. I like unexpected trips to places I love. Thank you Bubba.

4. The Blue Bell ice cream in the freezer that I bought to enjoy while Amanda was here is driving me nuts. She didn't eat any of it and it was all left for me.

5. Cozy booth in a dapple of sunlight ~ my book ~ delicious coffee with real cream ~ a dutch baby with fresh lemons and powdered sugar ~ an hour all to myself....this morning. Bliss!!!!

"For the Lord God is a sun and a shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withold from those who walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11

amazed by His love,
cathy

signs of the times :(

"At Home," my absolute favorite store in downtown Savannah, is going out of business.

I am so sad.

~

This was a feel good store......

a place that captured the essence of who I am in its trinkets and vintage merchandise.

Many of the things sitting around my house came from this store.

~

Liz, the owner, had become a friend. She would always drop what she was doing to chat with me. She is a SCAD graduate.....a supremely talented and creative person. Erika and I visited her home back in the summer during the SCAD tour of homes......amazing!

~

She has had the store for ten years. She told me yesterday that she had nine good years.

The slowed economy hit her hard in 2009.

~

Liz is the "shopgirl" I always dreamed about being.

She is brilliant and will succeed in her event and wedding planning business.

I've seen some of her work and it is spectacular.

~

Downtown will never be the same though.

Thanks Liz for a great ten years.

~

Cathy :(

the "shadow" of things to come

I just went and had a haircut at my favorite salon.

Laura is a wizard with the scissors and when she was done there was enough hair on the floor to fill a waste basket. I feel five pounds lighter. My hair is super thick and baby fine. The cutting happens on the inside.....hair was flying everywhere. Bubba was hugely impressed when I walked in the door just now. I like that!

It is cold today...brilliant clear blue sky, but super chilly. It will be this way all week so they say.
One exciting thing about the weather finally turning cold is that I got to wear my new boots.
I don't know whether you can see them in the picture, but I think that they are super stylish and chic. Bubba gave them to me for Christmas. They came from Wal-Mart. How about that for saving money?

I am reading a novel by Gregory David Roberts......SHANTARAM. It is an exceptional read.
Taking place in the slums of Bombay, India, it gives insight into a world I could never even imagine or conceptualize. The man named Shantaram is as fascinating as any character I have ever come to know on the pages of a book. It is another 900+ pager, but well worth my time.

Today, before we meet David and Erika with kids at Wiley's for supper, I have to do two things....update my new calendar and clean the stacks off my desk...imperative.

Have a wonderful Saturday afternoon....
cathy

the "happy new year" blog

2010
it kinda seems strange doesn't it?

I cooked my "hoppin john" today even though I don't believe at all in "luck" and I don't even like black-eyed peas that much. These were good, though. I seasoned them with bacon and green onions and cooked them all afternoon.

I am looking forward to this new year because of what the infusions are doing for my health and well-being. By the end of August, this past summer, I was quickly spiralling into some major health problems. My diligent doctor was persistent to find the cause of my demise. His prescribed treatment has me feeling amazingly well and ready to face a new year.

Today at the beach about 100 people took a plunge into the ocean. The weather here was rainy with temperatures in the forties. They called it the "polar plunge." I think these people are insane.

Today I awarded the Valentine's Day giveaway that I have been posting about. Out of all the entries, I was won over by the very first one I received. A very sweet teenage girl wrote a compelling entry about why her parents need a break. Thanks to all who participated. I will do another one in the future.

Maybe this will be the year that Jesus comes back. I like this passage from II Peter 3....

"But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise (to come back to this earth) as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

His delay in returning is that You might come to repentance. What will we do about Jesus this year 2010?

God bless and keep all of us in the coming year.

Cathy