3rd Thru-Hiker Post, The Three Month Reroute

You might say, "nice picture but what is so unusual about it". I could answer it is one of my favorite views from my chair in our family room. It is a early morning view  with the sun highlighting my pumpus grass and the fun morning shadows, and that would be quite true. But that is not what this latest entry to my Walk in Faith Journey is about. This entry is the story is about a healthy dose of humbling myself to the leading of God instead of my own chosen path.

This view as pretty as it is was my only view for almost three month. The day, July 5 2015, I was one month into my well planned life of retirement. The plan was to remove the word retirement and to replace it with two new occupations that were at my own pace and of which I had a hard time calling it work. The plan was to keep the parts I like most from driving a school bus for example most people like knowing Friday evening had arrived and a change in pace was coming Saturday morning. I had planned to remove the most undesirable parts of my bus driving years, namely the 5 AM alarm. As a matter of fact I considered removing the 5 from my clock, just kidding. But I did like a routine time to get up so I had decided on 7 AM. would be a respectable time. Let me get back to the unscheduled detour of this long looked forward new adventure.

July 5, a beautiful summer day and I was on my way to the garden to enjoy the fruits of our labor and pick a nice harvest of green beans. I lien over to pick up my little dog and that is when it happen. A sharp pain went through my entire body. I stood up straight and it subsided a bit so being a person that usually could work through a little discomfort I took a little roll cart and in a bent position I went about my bean picking. Yes, I could tell that standing was getting more and more difficult but who quits and leaves a job unfinished, I can tell you it was not me. But there would be a price for this lack of attention to what my body was saying. As Bill came out to see if I was finished he saw that there was a look of pain on my face that he had never seen before. I just couldn't stand straight to be able to walk into the house and needed his help to get there. I had no idea what lie ahead for the next three months.

All my planning had come to a screeching halt.  There would be no beautiful flower beds finished as I had planned, no morning garden work of which I looked forward to, but most of all it was almost impossible to even get to my workshop to paint. It became a grueling painful daily event just to crawl up stairs to bed each night. What was God thinking. What value could I be in my plan to use my art to show that all creation lived to testify to Gods power, love, and creative wonder in my art work if I could no longer walk through His great world of nature.

Thank goodness my spirit seem to suggest this may be one of Gods testing of my trust in his plans. I quickly sense I may have made plan after plan as to what my retirement would look like with out checking the previously laid out planned adventure with God  and the route he would use  to bring me to my end destination. After two weeks of moving no further than my chair I broke down and went to my doctor. Yes, I know I might have considered going just a little sooner but I don't do doctors well. Two prescription later I was still in my chair. At this point I considered the fact that maybe life just would never be back to what it had been. I knew in my own mind surgery was out. At this point I seriously went to the Lord and ask what I should prepare for. I considered Job of the bible which in the end he was completely restored or Paul who was never allow to completely overcome some physical condition and I ask the Lord to completely heal me, for I knew he could. But with out doubting his good intentions for my life I also wanted a heart that wants Gods will for my life.

I considered my Mom and her resigning herself to her chair and being chained to her TV. Right then I was determined that if things got no better I would some how find a way to be useful. I began slowly waddling out to my workshop and sitting there and painting for short stretches of time. I really tried to not question God and his choices for me. I began to consider the thing I would know longer be able to do maybe, the most difficult was my walking in the woods but I ask God to give me a heart of contentment into what whatever he chooses for me and directed my attention to a strong belief my prayer would be heard.

All last year I had planned that on the first day of school after my retirement I would enjoy my 7 AM rising time and then sit on my front porch and get a thrill out of seeing my neighbor pull out to go to work (he also drives a bus). But as that day came I was barley able to go from my chair to the bathroom and back. The only good thing was knowing I could not drive whether I had retired or not and that would have just killed me to know they would have to find a driver to replace me for who knew how long. All and all the first day of school was a long way from what I had envisioned.

After two months I slowly began to see small signs of improvement, I mean slowly. I had gone to a compactor which was extremely expensive and I still can't decide if he did more harm than good, for I began to have this numbing feeling in my left leg and inability to lift it along with a pain all along my left side and could not stand straight. Getting in and out of the car was a slow process. I must have looked like some old lady.

But the end of the story after three long months is a overwhelming gratitude to Gods healing hand. It has been three month again since I now am able to get around and most of all get most of my old life back. Every time I go walk in the wood not only to   look at Gods creative wonder but I just flow with gratitude to God for healing me enough to be out there. I still know the injury is there and also that the old woman who could lift anything is no longer available. I praise God for it every day. Most of all it comes to mind that I can now go up the stairs with out a struggle and getting in bed is not this hellishly painful movement. When I wake in the morning and want to stretch I do not wait for the excruciating moment of pain if I stretch to much. I am just overwhelmed with gratitude. I now can praise God for taking me though this testing. To be chair bound for three month gives one a whole new understanding of those who can't get around, including my Mom.

So now I can look out at my lovey garden and watch the birds and again be grateful for the view instead of imprisoned in that chair and that view.

2nd Thru-Hiker Post, The Two Missing Years

It has been a very long time since I have posted on this blog. The reason has nothing to do with getting off the path of this faith journey. The truth is that as I began my last year driving a school bus after 27 years I decide it would be good to keep a weekly journal of the blessing and things I might miss upon leaving the transportation department. It became a daily journey and left little time for this blog. But as you can see almost two years have passed, my last year of driving is over and I am well on my way to my first half year retired. My little new dog is new no longer but after two years is a trusted part of our family.

I am still confused as the purpose God had in bringing Giz into our home. But as I try and record some of the most amazing events in the journey of faith I have had this past two years I hope to share more than my life journey but share a God's loving kindness in allowing me to grow in my knowledge of him.

I hope to share some of my journal from my last year driving but one subject I want to cover well is this extremely unusual love attachment Bill and my dog Giz have acquired.

Also I would like to share some extremely unusual observation about my dog Giz and some true life lessons he has tough me. I call it " Every thing I learned about how to make God my Everything, I learned from my dog" The picture on the right is a picture of Giz being allowed buy Bill my husband to get up on my work table to visit as I am painting. Bill and Giz often come to the workshop to just check on what I am working on and Giz now knows her dad will make room for her on the table and as you can see she is very relaxed there.

There is so much to cover the this last two years. Things like asking God to help me pay off a very huge impossible bill and God used that one step of faith in believing in his ability to do just that leads to a complete life change.

There will be the long story of my well laid plans in my retired life only to have God say I have a few changes.

Why go over the past, the biggest reason is to never forget all the Lord has taught me and done for me.  To day I feel new purpose and direction, and I know that rehashing the past and what God has taught me will keep my pride where it belongs, stored in a box with a very large pad lock on it. To know the journey to this point truly is very little about me but about showing the Holiness and Glory of my God.