Rounds Inspirational Journeys

Hello!  I have to tell you, I think your powerful prayers did the trick again.  I had a good trip to Pittsburgh.  My pulmonary function tests had improved from my last two visits and the bronchoscopy went well without the need to place a stent in my right lung.  According to the doctor my lungs were clearer than they ever have been before which is great news.  I am still waiting to hear if the cultures grew anything, but I am very hopeful that I will get a clean bill of health, praise the Lord! Thank you all so much for your continued support and prayers!  Nancy

Okay, prayer warriors, I have three urgent prayer requests. The first is for Whitney, whom I told you about a couple of weeks ago.  She is still on a ventilator and if she does not come off it by Thursday, she will no longer be considered for a lung transplant.  I spoke with her husband last night, and though they are staying positive, this has been a real struggle.  Whitney has 4 and 7 year old sons who she has not seen in weeks.  It is taking a toll on all of them.  Please pray that she can find the strength to get weaned off the ventilator so she can have a chance at new lungs. The second is for my dear friend Cammi.  She has been dealing with a lot of scary struggles in the last few months.  She is currently in the hospital and they are not sure if her lungs are rejecting or not.  Her pulmonary functions have dropped over 20% in the last two months.  She needs our prayers for a complete healing. Finally, I recently learned that one ...

Oh to have the life of a kitten.  Nothing to worry about, food always provided, love when you choose it, solitude when you don't.  Who wouldn't love to have such an uninterrupted and lazy life? If you own cats, you know the look they give you when they are all cozied down taking a nap and you interrupt them with your caress.  Shortly after this picture was taken, I couldn't help but give Zoey a lovey.  Her expression upon awakening was one of being totally put out.  Like I had ruined her day. Where am I going with this?  I am wondering if any of you have been interrupted by God lately?  I have had a lot of time to ponder on my pre-transplant life.  It all started with a major interruption.  My rapid health decline sent my comfortable life into a tailspin.  The job I had felt called to do was suddenly not possible to continue.  The pain and stress of illness was consuming.  God was asking me to travel down a bumpy road, one t...

Hello friends!  I have to share with you the wonderful night Hannah and I had.  Scott is out of town for business, so it was just us girls.  A few months ago I purchased a book by Dannah Gresh called "8 Great Dates for You and Your Daughter".  I have been wanting to get started and with Scott away it seemed like the perfect time. I chose date #2: "Real Physical Beauty" with the challenge activity being a facial or manicure.  The key verse for this date was Song of Songs 6:8-9  "Sixty queens there may be and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number; but my dove, my perfect one is unique."  The goal of the evening was to help Hannah see that real physical beauty is the set of unique qualities that only she has. The suggested setting for this date was a full service spa, but since I couldn't afford such a luxury, I created a spa at home.  I spent the day sprucing up my bedroom and bathroom, giving it a spa feel with low lighting, candles, and...

Christina-Taylor Green, the 9-year-old girl killed in Saturday's shootings in Tucson, donated her organs. She was one of six people killed in the shooting that targeted U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords outside a Safeway store northwest of Tucson. Giffords remains in critical condition. More than 1,700 people packed St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, tucked into the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, for Christina-Taylor's funeral Thursday afternoon. The congregation included Mark Kelly, the husband of Giffords; senators John McCain and Jon Kyl, and baseball greats like Ryne Sandberg and Pat Gillick. Her father, John, is a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Most Rev. Gerald Kicanas, Bishop of Tucson told the crowd that Christina-Taylor's organs were donated. And a friend helping the Green family said they received a call yesterday from the organ donation network, telling them that Christina-Taylor's donation had already saved the life of a child on ...

Dear friends, I come to you once again with a prayers request.  I just learned today that one of my dear new pre-transplant friends, Whitney, went into respiratory failure last weekend and is now in ICU on a ventilator.  Whitney is in the process of being listed for transplant, but lacks one final test.  This final test cannot be done while she is on a ventilator. As I write, Whitney is in surgery having her Gall Bladder removed.  The doctors think that removing it may help with the respiratory issues she is currently facing. Whitney is the mother of two young boys and she needs our prayers.  Please keep her in your heart and ask God to bring her healing so she can be listed for transplant.  Thank you all so much!  Nancy

As many of you know, who have followed my blog, it has become more that a transplant journey, it is a life journey with many lessons learned along the way.  I try to truthfully share lessons that I've learned to help others on their own life journey.  I have to share with you a recent situation that I think any of you who are parents can relate to. Friday afternoon Hannah had two friends over to spend the night.  When they got home from school they were an emotional mess.  It turned out they had been called to the counseling office because another girl had accused them of being a "posse" and being mean to her.  This other girl has a history of drama and the girls adamantly denied having done the things she said.  The more I heard, the angrier I became.  I know this group of kids (two boys were also a part of the "posse") and they are good children, not the types that ever bully others.  Most of them have never been in trouble before.  Well,...

Does anyone else get the post-Christmas blues?  Taking down Christmas is a miserable job that is not only depressing, but also very time consuming.  Why is it that the three days of decorating before Christmas fly by, yet the three days of un-decorating drag on like a dentist appointment? I guess what we have to remember is that Christmas is alive in us all year long.  We don't need a tree to remind us of the beautiful gift our God gave us through His son, Jesus.  May you continue to bless the people you see with a Christmas smile and greeting (Hello will suffice).  Celebrate Jesus all year long by living the way He modeled for us, becoming servants for each other, praying for others, and being a good family member or friend. May God bless you all with a continuing spirit of Christmas that brightens your smile and lightens your step!  Nancy

Well, as you can tell by my lack of posts, we had a very busy and WONDERFUL Christmas!  There is nothing quite like having time to spend with those you love the most!  We had a wonderful visit with my parents that included snow tubing, a sleigh ride, and two special celebrations, one for my father's 66th Birthday and the other for my parents' 38th Wedding Anniversary.  Unfortunately, as usual, most of the pictures are on Scott's phone, so I'll post them when I can, but here are some pics from Christmas Eve at my sister-in-law's house. The children opened their family gifts.  The adults chose to adopt a family instead of giving gifts to each other. A new Willowtree for our growing collection. Daddy couldn't wait to rip right into this gift! Hannah and I received an awesome Mother/Daughter Devotional.  We had a great evening hanging out together and then attended a Christmas Service at the Baptist Church where our Aunt Lindsay is a member of the Bell Cho...