A Part of Getting Older

A part of getting older is being faced with health issues. During the last few years, since covid, we have had some setbacks, but have trusted that the Lord knows our bodies and His hand has been on us. I had a very bad case of Covid in 2020 and then was diagnosed with Long Covid. For years I have had issues with pain in my body and it wound up being diagnosed as RA. The medicine they wanted me to take gave me terrible nightmares and I figured I'd rather have pain that nightmares. Then, a little growth developed on my inner lip. I went to the Dr and he said it was nothing. For 4 years I let him know and that it was getting bigger and it hurt. He didn't take it seriously. THEN CAME MEDICARE.... they take EVERYTHING seriously! SERIOUSLY! I fell out of a tree putting up Christmas lights! Then, I fell and ran a bolt through my hand. I fell and broke my arm! I let the Dr know I had that thing in my mouth! It turned out to be a slow growing cancer. I had the first surgery and they didn't get it all. Then they sent me to an oncologist and he sent me for a pet scan. That pet scan revealed a hidden tumor that was deep in my throat in the perotid gland. So, with a broken arm in a cast, I went into surgery last July. Praise the LORD that I had that mouth tumor, or they wouldn't have found the perotid tumor. So, I've been recoverying since last July. Part of my mouth was removed and folks say they can't really tell, but I can tell. My smile is crooked. :) I have what is called "First Bite Syndrome" which causes pain when I take my first few bites of food, but I'm so thankful that I CAN take bites of food! Mostly, I'm so thankful that it was all found out and I have recovered. All the pet scans have been clear. I have one more coming up and I won't have to see the oncologist again. He was a very good Doctor! Here are a few pictures of recovery: (the first picture is about 9 months after) I am at 13 months now.

I have been very careful since those falls to walk with intent. At 68, I don't need to break anything else! I also found an herbal concoction to take for the RA from INDIA. It is called RELAXI and it is doing wonders for my body. I don't even need to take an aspirin at this point. I've been on it for 2 months. I noticed the difference after 2 weeks. I'm so thankful that things have improved. Last year was a HARD year!

The Heavens Declare The Glory of God

Have you even been in awe of the beauty of what you are seeing and all you can think about is scripture that flows out of you declaring the Lord's magnificant glory? That is what happens when I go to the Grand Canyon, or sometimes just look at the beautiful sunset in Texas.

It happens when I see the sun set in Florida.

It happens when I think about the complexity of a blade of grass.

This is a microspopic view of a blade of grass! Isn't it amazing! It looks so happy and does make me wonder if it appears differently when mowing the lawn. :)
Nature causes me to worship the creator who made it all! This is My Father's World!

These Two.... :)

They bring us joy! :)

Our Darling Albina

I have written a lot on this blog, since 2011 when our Albina came to us. We have never worked so hard with a child as we did with Albina. I am so thankful to her for causing us to be on our knees calling out to the Lord for every decision. This is how it should be for all of our children.... she reminded us. :) A long time ago she sent us a drawing and it said "Don't Give Up"! She was very worried that we would give up on her. NO way! :) x

A long time ago I wrote a post about talking to her about not living her life in the rear view mirror. She was looking back at all her losses and all the terrible things that had made up her life the first 11 years. She was missing out of all the blessing she had ahead of her. Today, she has learned to see the many blessings in her life. She calls us several times a week just to say hi. She volunteers for field trips for Sebastian, works hard, loves fiercely and even rides dirt bikes and goes to the car races. She has learned that life is what you make it. There is nothing you can do about the past but there is EVERYTHING you can do about the present and the future.
She is a wonderful mama and is about to have another baby in just a few weeks. :) What a blessing she is. Thank you Albina for teaching us to always look to the Lord and depend upon Him. We are proud of you. https://minichfamilyblog.blogspot.com/search?q=looking+in+the+rear+view+mirror

Boys to Men

The boys have grown so much as have we. :) The photo with all of us was our wedding day almost 37 years ago! We have taken more recent photos and I am so proud of each of them.

Chuck continues to flourish in his music as well as working as a pharmacy tech. Tim, due to a horrid reaction to a covid injection putting him in ICU with life threatening blood clots, no longer teaches but works for an insurance company. He loves his work. Joseph is teaching at a Christian college in Florida and also continuing to write. Marcus works for a construction company. What a great group of guys. :) I'm really thrilled that they are kind and loving to their sisters. Next week Joseph and Eden will be coming to visit and we cannot wait! Chuck will be coming too! Those are our two outta state guys. We also have 2 outta state girls. Albina and her husband will be coming down soon to pick up a crib for the new baby and to visit.

Our Family has Expanded!

This is Erika's mom in law who she affectionatly calls Mamo.... Sometimes we hear Mamo and Mama at the same time and one of is correct! LOL

Erika's husband Donato is one hard working man!

We all vacationed in Florida this Summer. It was a lovely time together. The kids have purchased their first home! Donato works for a construction company and Erika works for a missions group doing finances. We love having our expanded family!

BACK TO THE BLOG

For the last 4 years, I was unable to access my blog! I tried everything, even trying a different server and due to my own inadequacies, I couldn't figure it out. The girls were asking about it recently and I told them my delimma....
Sweet ERIKA came to my rescue with her computer skills and found the glitch! So here I am, after 4 long years, catching up!
Oh MY what changes have taken place! For one, I'm older, but so is everybody else! We have had a new grand baby born who is now 2 1/2. Sarah is her mama and she is about to have another sweet baby any day. She is actually OVERDUE! :) Albina is also due in 6 weeks with her second baby. All of this is such precious news. That means we will have 18 grands.
Mike and I are official empty nesters as of last week with our grandson moving. I now have a library. We enjoyed hosting Sam and we are confident he is ready to take on the world. :)
I have spent the past 5 years working on counseling, and it has been very rewarding! I work with a lovely team of people. Mike continues to work in the family business and I help. These past 4 years have been filled with ups and downs, but God has been close to us through all things as always. What a wonderful Savior we serve! I cannot post grand baby photos due to not trusting the world we live in to keep those photos safe. Take my word for it, SHE IS ADORABLE and oh so spunky, just like her mama! So HERE IS TO BLOGGING AGAIN!

THE GRANDSON!

Our grandson Sam whom I have blogged about since he was born, has lived with us for the last 2 1/2 years. He is an electrician's apprentice and has made a way for himself to have a very good income! We are so proud of him, as last week, he moved in with two good, solid roomates. Way to go Sam!

WHAT A WEEK!

We began our week with a wedding for James and Sarah. She is now Sarah Norby. :) Then came a huge ice storm and TWO birthdays! After that, Albina got engaged. It has been a very blessed week! I can't show any wedding pictures until the bride and groom return from their honeymoon, but I can show a very joyful Albina who is now engaged to her sweet Keith. :) We have another wedding coming up soon for Miss Erika also! I'm just amazed at God's goodness and blessing in our lives. :) A few photos from this week.

Joyful Moments

These sweet girls have been together most of their lives..... AND NOW

They are together in these special moments too. :) It has been a bit since I have written and much has transpired. But tonight, I want to write about something very dear and special. When Sarah came home to us in May of 2005, she was a bundle of joyful energy. So much had happened in her short little life and she had traveled from Ukraine to Texas via a different family. Much happened in her first 10 months in America that was NOT GOOD, but GOD had another plan for HER and for US. We were NOT world travelers or very adventerous. We were just simple, living our lives folks and happened to have adopted our Anna who was distantly related through marriage. We had raised our sons, and then we were enjoying raising Anna. Sarah came to us through an email. We answered that Email and our social worker was on it! What a HUGE blessing she was to us! So sweet and funny and spunky! She could speak a very good Texan! But she didn't understand much! LOL After just 6 weeks of being home she started to talk about her best friend left behind in Ukraine. She missed her so much. So at 6 years old she was an instrument of the Lord to bring her sister, Erika home to America. There were MANY people in our lives, used as God's intruments, both financially and committed through much prayer. We were sent a photo from Papa Dima, and then we found out that she NEEDED to be adopted SOON! If she hadn't, she would have gone to an institution for the rest of her life! Why? Because she had arthrogryposis. That's it! A physical handicap can land you in a permanent institution in Ukraine with no way out. Our paperwork, for Erika's adoption appeared on the director's desk on the very same DAY that she was being sent to an institution. Her bags were packed. And then, after an email between us and the director, they were UNPACKED! She didn't know what was happening...... But God.... So, 7 months later, we went to Ukraine to get her. There is much on this blog about that. You can look into the archives. (starting with the very first post) 5 years later, we adopted another sweetheart and completed our family with an 11 year old from Russia who had been adopted 2x's in the US. Life was doing well and then we had some HUGE struggles. This post is not about those struggles. IT is about GOD's faithfulness to us as a family to bring us THROUGH them to the other side. And HE DID! We have been enjoying all of our children and grand children, watching our younger girls work through college and entering adulthood over the last few years. They are STILL room mates with a dear childhood friend Marion. They live about 15 minutes from us in an apartment and we see them regularly. We have also seen some very special young men regularly too. :) And THEY are ALL what this post is about. You see, these two young men, have devoted themselves to these precious young women and have asked to marry them. It took place about 3 weeks apart. We knew it was coming, but oh the joy that it has happened and plans are in the making. :) Our girls are so in love and committed to godly young men who cherish them. And we get to cherish them all! I am in AWE of all that God has done in their lives, how HE has woven our lives together and not just OURS, but MANY MANY lives who have been touched by God's precious and loving plan for all of us. Not only do we gain sons, we gain their loving families also. So our family becomes all the larger. What blessings they are to us! So here are some very special photos.... Donato and Erika's photos were taken by a stranger on the beach.... :) James and Sarah's photos were taken by Erika, hidden away where Sarah couldn't see her. :)