How's that for a title? ;)
Consider it a warning if you will.
There's something I've just been wanting to get off my chest.
Has there ever been a catch phrase that's just driven you so crazy and every time you hear it you think, "The next time someone says that, I may just scream?" But then the next time you hear it, you just smile and nod because, well, because your mama taught you right and that would just be rude.
And then tonight I had the thought, "Hey I can BLOG about this!!"...
So here goes...
The catch phrase that gets my blood a boilin' every time.......
God never gives you more than you can handle.
Hold please while I check my blood pressure. Just typing that out has sent my heart racing....
*cue elevator music*
Seriously? God never gives you more than you can handle? How does anyone find that to be a comforting statement to anyone going through a trial? I mean, the way I see it, it can only be taken one of three ways....
1). God must think that I am some sort of superwoman and just hasn't clued me in yet. Hopefully He'll let me in on my secret super power before it's too late!
2). God is this puppet master that sits on His throne and enjoys watching people try to get through all these crazy little detours in life that He throws at us.
3). God's just plain mean.
I don't see any of these options as helpful. Or real, quite frankly.
Did God want my daughter to have cancer? I don't think so. I never have, even in the early stages of her diagnosis when I had a few choice words for Him. If God loves Megan even more than I ever could; then I'm willing to bet that He was just as heart broken as I was the day we found out.
Does God REALLY want to see me try and deal with all that is going on right now? Does he REALLY want to test me by giving me all that I can handle until I just about reach my breaking point? No, I don't believe He does.
Here's what I've come to realize....
Maybe God doesn't give us more than we can handle because maybe He doesn't GIVE us those hard trials at all. The trials will come not matter what, because we are human and living in a fallen world. Maybe, just maybe He uses them as a way to draw us closer to Him. Maybe He wants us to see that its not US handling these situations and trials but HIM through us. Maybe we can only see it by going through these difficult times.
If there is one thing I know for sure, since my daughter's illness, it is this....
God has not left my side this entire time. And on the days when I was pretty sure that I couldn't get out of bed and "do cancer" for one more day, He did. He made it happen. He showed me the blessings. It just wasn't about me anymore.
So here's my point....
Maybe instead of saying "God doesn't give you more than you can handle" we should be saying, "This trial you're going through seems rough. Maybe this is your chance to see what He can really do."
If you read the title of this blog, then you'd know I ramble. Thanks for obliging me.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Do you love a good blog giveaway like I do?
Then please check out my friend Linda's blog...
http://mompotter.blogspot.com/2010/10/entering-back-into-blog-zone-with.html
She has some beautiful pieces of jewelry, as well as book marks.
I can personally say that her pieces are beautiful, well made, and affordable. My favorite piece is a blue beaded necklace that I purchased last spring. I wear it all the time and always get compliments.
So check her out!
http://mompotter.blogspot.com/2010/10/entering-back-into-blog-zone-with.html
She has some beautiful pieces of jewelry, as well as book marks.
I can personally say that her pieces are beautiful, well made, and affordable. My favorite piece is a blue beaded necklace that I purchased last spring. I wear it all the time and always get compliments.
So check her out!
Monday, October 18, 2010
What I've been reading....
So, you wouldn't think so, but it turns out that having a child with a serious illness gives you lots of time to read.
Spending hours on end sitting in a waiting room while your child is have a procedure or treatment lends for lots of time to crack open a book..which is something I have always loved.
I've decided to dedicate at least one post a month to reviewing the books I've read.
Let's get started.....
The first book I read in the month of September was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. This book came highly recommend by more than one of the nurses at the Children's Hospital where my daughter has been spending lots of time. I have to say, this book did not disappoint!
This is number sixteen in the Quilter's Apprentice Series. In this chapter of the series, Bonnie, one of the Elm Creek Quilters, heads to Hawaii to visit a friend and help her set up a new quilters camp at a resort that she and her husband have renovated. While there, Bonnie takes a good look at her life, which has had a few bumps as of late with a failed business and marriage. With two life changing options to choose from, which way will she go?
I have to say, as someone who has read this entire series, that I was not impressed as much as I have been by this book. It was very very slow moving and I was more than half way through the book before I got to a point where I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. I was very surprised by this as so many of the books in this series kept my attention and are very quick reads. I'm wondering if maybe Mrs. Chiaverini is running out of material or is just trying to steer the series in a new direction and took the opportunity to do that in this book.
Most of the books start out at the present day and then go back in time to give history of the quilts that they find. This is one of the things that I love most about this series. The author has a real talent for bringing the past and present together to make a great read.
In this book, she uses the history of Hawaii as a point of reference. I thought it would be interesting as I know very little about the islands, and as a history buff, I am always looking to learn more. However, I felt that this just seemed to dwell on the same short time span in history and repeat itself a few times. Although parts of the story was interesting, I just didn't feel it flowed well with the rest of the story like Mrs. Chiaverini usually does.
Either way, I will continue on when the next book comes out. The characters in this series are fun and I always look forward to seeing where she takes them in each book.
My third, and final book is.....
The Immortal Life of Henretta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The cover of this book describes it so well:
Doctors took her cells without asking. Those cells never died. They launched a medical revolutionized a multimillion dollar industry. More than twenty years later, her children found out. Their lives would never be the same.
This book came recommended to me by a friend on Twitter. When she said that she was hooked from page 7, I decided I had to find the book and see what all the fuss was about. I didn't regret it.
The interesting thing about this book is that it is non-fiction, but the entire thing reads as a novel.
Ms. Skloot basically stumbled on the mystery of the HeLa cells while studying biology in college. After deciding that she was going to do what no one had done in almost forty years, figure out who this woman was, she found Henrietta's family and began to find the answers they have been searching for for years.
I will admit that I was a bit intimidated by the thought of reading a book with so much science and medical information in it; but it was written so well and so clearly, that it wasn't even an issue. Ms Skloot describes the very detailed medical facts in a clear and easy way to understand them. I learned a lot from this book.
It was an emotional read for me. On the one hand, I was so sad for her family and all the hardship they dealt with trying to find out what happened with their mother. On the other hand, having a child with cancer, means we have benefited from Henrietta and her cells. Because of her cells, doctors have made huge advances in treatments for many illnesses that were not treatable when she was alive in the 1950's. Without those cells, those treatments could have taken much longer to find.
This is a book that I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to read a true story that has effected all of us in some way or another.
Spending hours on end sitting in a waiting room while your child is have a procedure or treatment lends for lots of time to crack open a book..which is something I have always loved.
I've decided to dedicate at least one post a month to reviewing the books I've read.
Let's get started.....
The first book I read in the month of September was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. This book came highly recommend by more than one of the nurses at the Children's Hospital where my daughter has been spending lots of time. I have to say, this book did not disappoint!
This is the story of three women, who used the written word, to forever change their small town in Mississippi in 1962.
It is beautifully written and I really enjoyed how Kathryn developed the characters. I found that by the end of the book I was crying, laughing and cheering on the three heroines in their challenges and their triumphs.
I hesitate too say too much about this book, as I would hate to give anything away. But I will say it is one of the best written that I have read in a while.
If you enjoy well written, historical fiction novels, this book is a wonderful read. I couldn't put it down and it will be a book that will remain on my shelf to share with others.
My next book was.....
The Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
This is number sixteen in the Quilter's Apprentice Series. In this chapter of the series, Bonnie, one of the Elm Creek Quilters, heads to Hawaii to visit a friend and help her set up a new quilters camp at a resort that she and her husband have renovated. While there, Bonnie takes a good look at her life, which has had a few bumps as of late with a failed business and marriage. With two life changing options to choose from, which way will she go?
I have to say, as someone who has read this entire series, that I was not impressed as much as I have been by this book. It was very very slow moving and I was more than half way through the book before I got to a point where I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. I was very surprised by this as so many of the books in this series kept my attention and are very quick reads. I'm wondering if maybe Mrs. Chiaverini is running out of material or is just trying to steer the series in a new direction and took the opportunity to do that in this book.
Most of the books start out at the present day and then go back in time to give history of the quilts that they find. This is one of the things that I love most about this series. The author has a real talent for bringing the past and present together to make a great read.
In this book, she uses the history of Hawaii as a point of reference. I thought it would be interesting as I know very little about the islands, and as a history buff, I am always looking to learn more. However, I felt that this just seemed to dwell on the same short time span in history and repeat itself a few times. Although parts of the story was interesting, I just didn't feel it flowed well with the rest of the story like Mrs. Chiaverini usually does.
Either way, I will continue on when the next book comes out. The characters in this series are fun and I always look forward to seeing where she takes them in each book.
My third, and final book is.....
The Immortal Life of Henretta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The cover of this book describes it so well:
Doctors took her cells without asking. Those cells never died. They launched a medical revolutionized a multimillion dollar industry. More than twenty years later, her children found out. Their lives would never be the same.
This book came recommended to me by a friend on Twitter. When she said that she was hooked from page 7, I decided I had to find the book and see what all the fuss was about. I didn't regret it.
The interesting thing about this book is that it is non-fiction, but the entire thing reads as a novel.
Ms. Skloot basically stumbled on the mystery of the HeLa cells while studying biology in college. After deciding that she was going to do what no one had done in almost forty years, figure out who this woman was, she found Henrietta's family and began to find the answers they have been searching for for years.
I will admit that I was a bit intimidated by the thought of reading a book with so much science and medical information in it; but it was written so well and so clearly, that it wasn't even an issue. Ms Skloot describes the very detailed medical facts in a clear and easy way to understand them. I learned a lot from this book.
It was an emotional read for me. On the one hand, I was so sad for her family and all the hardship they dealt with trying to find out what happened with their mother. On the other hand, having a child with cancer, means we have benefited from Henrietta and her cells. Because of her cells, doctors have made huge advances in treatments for many illnesses that were not treatable when she was alive in the 1950's. Without those cells, those treatments could have taken much longer to find.
This is a book that I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to read a true story that has effected all of us in some way or another.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
I'm gettin' back on the wagon!
It's been too long my friends, and just yesterday I realized how much I miss my blog!
So I'm back, with a new name, a new attittude and a new agenda! Let's see how this works out for me! ;)
You may be asking, "why the new name"? Well, I realized recently that striving to be a "Supermom" is really not all its cracked up to be. Let's face it, the only super powers I'm going to get my hands on is the power of prayer....I realize that NOTHING good that comes from me has anything to do with me, but with Him, and I'm ok with that!
Thus the new name...
Now I know, I know....Finding Joy in the Journey, it's cliche, right? I think so too. But honestly, it's where I am right now. As some of you know, my five year old daughter was diagnose with ALL (a form of leukemia) in May of this year. Our journey has been tough and down right terrifying at times. However, I have found that the more I fight this journey, the harder it is. So I've decided to spend the rest of this time finding the joy. Somedays it's the little things and I actually have to scan my brain at the end of the day to find the one good thing that I can. On other days, they are right there for the world to see and I can't wait to share them all with you!
I will say, I've made a decision that this blog with NOT be about the medical dealings of my child's illness. I do have a blog that records her journey on www.carepages.com. If you are interested in following us there, then please send me your email address and I will make sure you get an invite.
At the risk of sounding selfish, this blog is for me. So much of our time right now is spent on taking care of my daughter and the rest of our family I've lost myself. I need to remember who I am, where I come from, what I stand for and where I am headed. What better way to do that then to type it out for the world to see?!
So, I hope that you enjoy coming here and seeing me for all my faults and follies, all my crazy thoughts and ramblings, and all of my excessive use at punctuation! I know I will!
So I'm back, with a new name, a new attittude and a new agenda! Let's see how this works out for me! ;)
You may be asking, "why the new name"? Well, I realized recently that striving to be a "Supermom" is really not all its cracked up to be. Let's face it, the only super powers I'm going to get my hands on is the power of prayer....I realize that NOTHING good that comes from me has anything to do with me, but with Him, and I'm ok with that!
Thus the new name...
Now I know, I know....Finding Joy in the Journey, it's cliche, right? I think so too. But honestly, it's where I am right now. As some of you know, my five year old daughter was diagnose with ALL (a form of leukemia) in May of this year. Our journey has been tough and down right terrifying at times. However, I have found that the more I fight this journey, the harder it is. So I've decided to spend the rest of this time finding the joy. Somedays it's the little things and I actually have to scan my brain at the end of the day to find the one good thing that I can. On other days, they are right there for the world to see and I can't wait to share them all with you!
I will say, I've made a decision that this blog with NOT be about the medical dealings of my child's illness. I do have a blog that records her journey on www.carepages.com. If you are interested in following us there, then please send me your email address and I will make sure you get an invite.
At the risk of sounding selfish, this blog is for me. So much of our time right now is spent on taking care of my daughter and the rest of our family I've lost myself. I need to remember who I am, where I come from, what I stand for and where I am headed. What better way to do that then to type it out for the world to see?!
So, I hope that you enjoy coming here and seeing me for all my faults and follies, all my crazy thoughts and ramblings, and all of my excessive use at punctuation! I know I will!
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