'Splendid Grace' by Bianca Van Der Werf One day while walking through the woods
I saw my father looking around
I impatiently asked why we couldn’t go home
‘Cause Mama promised to take me to town.
As he put his finger to his lips
He motioned for me to be still
There’s a bird with a broken wing out there
And if we don’t help it no one will.
No longer can it not soar the skies
But it can no longer sing
And God’s earth would lose some of the beauty
That only this one bird can bring.
He then reached down so gently
And raised the bird to his chest
“Now we’ll take him home
And give him a much needed rest.”
We fed and water this little bird
And watched it grow stronger each day
Until the time finally came
When we proudly watched it fly away.
I fondly remembered that day
When I’d ask Mama where Dad had gone
“One of God’s birds out there with a broken wing”
Dad’s gone to help it restore it’s song.
I knew exactly what she meant
It wasn’t always the feathered kind
For Dad was always helping others
In any way he could find.
Now I’m getting close to the end of my journey
I’ve tried to always follow his lead
Because I promised before he died
I’d always help those in need.
There are times I ask my Heavenly Father
Why am I here, still?
“One of My bird’s out there with a broken wing
And if you don’t help it no one will.”
Tracey Brown
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ~ Plato
“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” ~James Matthew Barrie
“In about the same degree as you are helpful, you will be happy.” ~Karl Reiland
“He who notes the sparrow’s fall will not be unmindful of such service.” ~ Thomas S. Monson
Our daughter Lauren has been home from college about 2 weeks now. She wasn't suppose to start back up at her old job ( at a book store in Bellevue ) until the fall. But on Monday she got a call, saying that they needed her right away. Then they explained that one of her co-workers had passed away over the weekend. We still don't know how she died, but she was a wife and a Mother and she was only in her late 30's or early 40's. What a tragedy!
Then a dear friend of mine called this week and told me that her Grandmother had passed away. Her circumstances were a lot different. She had lived a good long life and even though her death was a surprise, she was more than ready to go and be reunited with her sweet husband who had been gone for quite some time.
Death and trials, disease and struggles are tough on anyone. I am always interested in how people make it through times like these? I read this sweet quote today and then I was reminded again, how people not only make it through times like these, but become stronger and more faithful because of it.
"CHRIST WALKED THE PATH EVERY MORTAL IS CALLED TO WALK SO THAT HE WOULD KNOW HOW TO SUCCOR AND STRENGTHEN US IN OUR MOST DIFFICULT TIMES. HE KNOWS THE DEEPEST AND MOST PERSONAL BURDENS WE CARRY. HE KNOWS THE MOST PUBLIC AND POIGNANT PAINS WE BEAR. HE DESCENDED BELOW ALL SUCH GRIEF IN ORDER THAT HE MIGHT LIFT US ABOVE IT. THERE IS NO ANGUISH OR SORROW OR SADNESS IN LIFE THAT HE HAS NOT SUFFERED IN OUR BEHALF AND BORNE AWAY UPON HIS OWN VALIANT AND COMPASSIONATE SHOULDERS." ~ Jeffrey R. Holland
So for now, I will keep both of these families in my thoughts and prayers ...and hope that they can find peace and healing from our Savior. It makes me realize, not to take my relationships and time with my loved ones for granted. I need to say 'I LOVE YOU' more often! So good night dear friends, thank you for being such an important part in my life. And please remember you are LOVED!
"To live in hearts we leave behind
Is not to die." ~Thomas Campbell
"Life is eternal, and love is immortal,
and death is only a horizon;
and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight." ~Rossiter Worthington Raymond
"For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity." ~William Penn
Well, I am worn out but all for good reasons. Today was my day to teach at the Quilt Shop. We had a great turnout and a whole lot of fun. You know, I probably have said this before but I am sorta like Superman...(stay with me on this) he gets his energy from the sun, and I get my energy from being with people! I just love making new friends and reconnecting with old ones, it doesn't get much better than that! It is always a treat to go and show all the ladies a new project, something that is quick and easy, something that they can go right home and make. It is a highlight of my month. I get to teach the same class again this coming Weds. so I am looking for it. The opportunity to be able to teach is quite a blessing in my life, especially when you think how I have spent most of my time the last couple of years. Most of it was... going in and out of the hospital, Doctor's office, Physical Therapy appointments or home resting and trying to heal ...yes, it is nice to get out and be with others! And what better place to meet than in a Quilt Shop? :)
"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before."Everyone can create. You don't need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty."Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty." ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf
The next blessing I had today actually happened tonight, Jeff and I went with some friends of ours, to a class on STRENGTHENING YOUR MARRIAGE. The teacher was amazing, and it really was very informative too. I think one of the most important things I learned tonight was...We need to always be willing to keep up the maintenance on our marriages, just like anything else we have our cars, our homes and ext. it is important to keep them up and maintain them, but how often we forget to do that with our marriages. It was the little things that made us fall in love in the first place, and yet it seems like the little things are the ones that get put on the back burner and forgotten about or neglected, throughout the years. Marriage takes work and weekly connections, to keep it healthy and running. We learned it is important to always take the time to make our marriages not only work, and not only survive... but THRIVE and be something that brings us great JOY!
The teacher challenged us to do two things this week as our homework...
1. To start having regular and weekly date nights ( just time alone, focusing on each other, and tuning out the rest of the world for that time period).
2. To sit down and honestly ask each other these two questions ...WHAT DO I DO WELL? and WHAT CAN I DO BETTER? Remembering to be nice and honest, because he is going to ask you the same questions next!
His point was we need to trust our companions and realize that what they tell us is important. We need to do all that we can do to make our marriages the best that they can be.
There was a whole lot more but I will share that another time, but for today...I feel grateful for my double blessings!
"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." ~ George Bernard Shaw
"There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved." George Sands
"Marriage, ultimately, is the practice of becoming passionate friends." Harville Hendrix
I was reading an article today and it made me think of my dear friend who is going through more medical tests tomorrow with her husband. He has been sick for quite awhile, and they still are doing more and more scans and tests to see how they can help him. I have watched her stay by his side, and she continues to pray for him to have comfort and healing. I think it is hard to watch someone you love hurt or be sick. Sometimes you wish it could be you instead of them...maybe that's the Mother in all of us?
Here is part of the talk that I read, I hope it helps her, and any of us who are going through times in our lives where there is an illness and we need to be healed.
We know that the prayer of faith, uttered alone or in our homes or places of worship, can be effective to heal the sick. Many scriptures refer to the power of faith in the healing of an individual. The Apostle James taught that we should "pray one for another, that ye may be healed, " adding, "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" ( James 5:16 ).
A recent nationwide survey found that nearly 8 in 10 Americans "believe that miracles still occur today as [they did] in ancient times." A third of those surveyed said they had "experienced or witnessed a divine healing."
As children of God, knowing of His great love and His ultimate knowledge of what is best for our eternal welfare, we trust in Him. ~ Dallan H. Oaks April 2010
So tonight, I will say my prayers and remember this dear friend and her family. I will pray that the doctors will find a way to bring comfort and healing to her husband. I will pray for all of those who need healing of any kind. Yes, I feel grateful to know for myself that God hears and answers our prayers.To also know that miracles continue to occur today, our family have witnessed them ourselves. I also humbly realize, that the our Heavenly Father knows each one of us and what we need, now I need to trust and have faith ...with whatever the outcome is. This talk was a great reminder of that. Good night dear friends!
"When you have come to the edge of all light that you know and are about to drop off into the darkness of the unknown, Faith is knowing one of two things will happen: there will be something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly". ~ Patrick Overton
"The most important thing in illness is never to lose heart." ~Nikolai Lenin
"Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death." ~Author Unknown
We interviewed different doctors and have decided to go with Marion Johnson from Evergreen Hospital, she seemed very knowledgeable and what can I say ...she has got to be good, because she has the same name as my mom ! My mom has been gone now for almost 8 years and there is never a day that goes by that I don't wish that I could see her or at least talk to her. I have heard my whole life that those who have already passed away are not really that far away from us, actually closer than we think. I pray today that my mom will be close, I could use all the help I can get!
So with that decision we have all decided to WEAR PINK today and think positive. I heard the quote TRIUMPH IS JUST THE "UMPH" AFTER THE TRY! I have a feeling that is just exactly what I am going to have to do today. I am trying not to be scared and trying not to be discouraged and will give it a little more effort and umph today and for the next few coming weeks to conquer one of the biggest challenges in my life.
Well, I need to go get ready. Once again...thanks for you love, concern and prayers. I could probably use a few extra ones just in case and if you want you can join us in ...WEARING PINK ! Love, Lynn
"Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in this life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from." ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
"Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith." ~ Margaret Shepherd
I have always heard the old saying..."if you can't sleep, try counting sheep". Believe me, I have tried that and everything else with no success. For the last 5 nights I have been trying different things to help me get some sleep and out of pain. I am not a medicine girl as you know, so this has been a very hard thing for me to take. The first night I took Advil PM and slept for 5 hours straight, that was unbelievable! I never sleep more than 3-4 hours at a time. I tried it again the next night but it didn't work. I was up every few hours, trying to rearrange my 100 pillows ( not quite that many) and my rice bags and ice packs. It is quite an ordeal for me to get in a position where I am out of pain long enough to get comfortable and fall asleep.
The Spine specialist gave me a prescription for a muscle relaxant and hoped that I would be able to sleep better with that. For two nights I tried it and even doubled up on it the second night but with no success. I called back to his office and this time he gave me another prescription it was a muscle relaxer and a pain killer combined. I took it for the first time last night and nothing. I even got so desperate at 3:30 this morning that I took another one...still nothing. I usually can stay positive, happy and still going with very few hours of sleep but I am so tired this morning, I can hardly think. I am not sure where to go from here? I need to sleep, my body needs to sleep. My body needs to completely heal but that requires sleep. I am a bit worried how to get there.
"[S]leep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together." ~Thomas Dekker
I have been using my hypnosis tapes again when I take my naps. It helps me to teach myself to relax. I was really hoping those would help but nothing so far! Oh well, I will continue to try new things and hopefully sleep is just around the next corner. For those of you who sleep well, remember how lucky you are...it really is a blessing.
"The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to." ~F. Scott Fitzgerald
A flock of sheep that leisurely pass by
One after one; the sound of rain, and bees
Murmuring; the fall of rivers, winds and seas,
Smooth fields, white sheets of water, and pure sky -
I've thought of all by turns, and still I lie
Sleepless...
~William Wordsworth, "To Sleep"
"A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book." ~Irish Proverb
I read an article the other day in the news, of an elderly woman who had died. In the article it talked all about what this elderly lady had accomplished in her 80 some years. I like that her daughter mentioned to the reporter "that elderly lady was my MOM! " Life is very personal or at least it should be. When our lives get busy, I think we tend to forget that person in the car in front of us going unbelievably slow...is someone's father or grandfather, and maybe they are just learning how to drive. Or when we are waiting a long time in the check out lane because the check-out lady is taking forever...we need to remember that is someone's mother or sister, who may have just had a situation in her life that forced her back into the work field at her age, or she is just new at her job. Yes, taking time to see people for who they are or try to understand why they do what they do... that takes time and patience.
Once again for our DATE NIGHT, Jeff and I watched a movie ( we didn't get out much when I had pneumonia ). The movie that we watched was a lot about this same line of thinking. It was about a kid who nobody really cared much about and nobody really wanted to get involved with. Then along came a family, who personally took it upon themselves to get to know all about this kid and he eventually became family to them. It was not easy, the family and the boy came from 2 different sides of life, but still they took took the time and effort to get to know him and no judge him on face value only. Because of their patience, unconditional love and help, this boy's life was transformed for the better. He had a very rough start in life and yet because someone personally cared, his life was never the same!
I love the story in the book of John, chapter 5 verses 1-9. In Jerusalem there by the sheep market was a pool which was called (in the Hebrew language) Bethesda. This pool (like a hot springs or mineral springs) was known for it's healing powers at certain times. When the water was moving( troubled ), then the first person who got in, was to be made whole from their disease. Great multitudes of people with various problems waited by the pool, to be the first one in. The story goes on to tell about a invalid man who lived in Jerusalem and had suffered with his disease for 38 years. Jesus saw him at the pool and knowing he had been in that condition for a long time said unto him "Wilt thou be made whole?" The impotent man answered him, 'Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool; but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me' Jesus saith to him 'Rise, take up thy bed, and walk'. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked.
I guess the obvious moral of the story is that with the Savior's help there were many miracles that happened on a daily basis, but I also thought about what this man must have felt like. Everyone was pushing and walking over or ahead of him to help themselves. How many times do we rush by in life and not see, someone who is in need of help. That takes time and patience. That takes really looking outside of ourselves. It was a wonderful story and once again the Savior's example was a perfect lesson for us all ...to slow down and personally get involved with other people's lives. It not only will bless them, but our lives will be better too. Service does that to you!
Thanks to all of you who have personally taken the time out of your life to help me and my family. We are truly grateful for your Christ-like example!
"Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light."
Albert Schweitzer
"Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have." ~ Jim Rohn
“Do something for somebody every day for which you do not get paid.” ~Albert Schweitzer
Ok, Day 1 is done...the gel injections in my knees. It was painful like I had heard, but not too painful. I usually have a high pain tolerance... so my score on that procedure was a 4 out of 10 on the pain level. The only thing is the doctor just kept talking to me the whole time he put in the shot and gel. Now I don't like shots or needles that much, but I can handle them. I handle them much better though when I go to my HAPPY PLACE, when he was talking to me at the same time.... it made it harder to handle, because I wasn't in my ZONE! :)
I asked before they put the gel in exactly what the gel was made of...just to see if the chicken rumors were right?The nurse said she had no idea and that no one has ever asked her that. So while she was preparing the needles, gel and things for the doctor, I asked her if I could see the paper that came with the gel box. It took me awhile to find it but...the gel is made out of Rooster's combs! Then I asked her if these chickens and roosters were healthy, range free and happy? I didn't want the chickens and roosters that were pumped full of hormones and all crammed into one small and crowed chicken coup? She once again just smiled and looked at me funny and said she didn't know. I mean I didn't think it was that odd of a question. They are getting ready to inject something into my body, just wanted to know what it was? So hopefully it was from the healthy ones! I know you are probably laughing too but....I think of these types of things.
In case you are just wondering....the gel is not red it is clear! :)
Ok Day 2 is tomorrow...the dentist. I hope it goes very uneventful!
Found these quotes and thought they would go great with this whiny post. Sorry, after tomorrow hopefully I will have a more upbeat post. I need to remember though, my blog is called LEARNING FROM LIFE! And I am learning! Good night dear friends.
"A lot of people say they want to get out of pain, and I'm sure that's true, but they aren't willing to make healing a high priority. They aren't willing to look inside to see the source of their pain in order to deal with it. " ~ Lindsay Wagner
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. " ~ Helen Keller
Yesterday morning started out early when Jeff woke me up at 6:00 and told me Amy was on the phone, she had been up all night with the flu. I woke up so fast that it did a number on my stomach. I was trying to help with suggestions on what to do and then we were seeing if her husband could take the day off to help with the kids or if they were going to come here? By 8:00 we had everything figured out and by then it was time to get ready for my appointment. My legs were throbbing after trying to get bathed, hair washed in the sink and dressed, but we made it there on time.
I heard the doctor and the nurse say something to me that I haven't ever heard in my life when they said " wow, Mrs.Woodard, you certainly heal fast!" My incision had healed up enough to have my stitches out already and they were surprised and pleased. They then took off all the bandages and said that for the next two weeks I could slowly get back into my routine and being up and walking. The Dr. said that I couldn't run for at least a few weeks. I just smiled and said "well, it has been 11 years since I have gone running, you would have had to have done surgery on more than my knees to get me to that point again!" :) Most people don't realize how bad my back is, he just smiled with a confused look.
In two weeks we will then start the gel injections behind the knee cap and that will go on for 5 weeks, during that time he would like for me to start Physical Therapy and they will try to get my knee caps to go back to the middle and work on my walk (gate).
The reason that I missed writing last night, was because I was so worn out from the doctor appointment and then we did a few errands, (post office and store to get crackers and vitamin water for Amy) that I came home and went to bed until 6:00. We had dinner, then Family Night and by the time I usually write my blog...Amy called and she was still pretty sick. So after 11:00 last night, Brad and Krystal went and picked up Jenny. John had to head to bed, so he wouldn't miss any work,but Amy was still too weak to hold Jenny. I was worried that Jenny would be crying a lot since she was away from her mom, but she did great. She didn't go to sleep till almost 1:30am but she was a real sweetheart...she did great for a nursing baby without her mom. (thank goodness for pumps) So from 10:00 p.m. on we were busy trying to make up beds and get out the porta-crib and everything else to have a baby for the night. I was more than hurting when I finally got to bed, but grateful that we were close enough to help.
So it was a good day with good news about my knees, but tough emotionally and physically. It really doesn't matter how old your kids are...it is still hard to see them be sick or hurt! After having a tough day emotionally Sunday, I am glad that I had a day where I had to get up and get moving. A great reminder that it isn't always about me and that a mother's job is never done. Thanks for your calls and emails, I haven't been able to get back to all the calls, usually I am asleep or not near the phone. I am doing well and will continue to stay positive and grateful for all that I have and all that I am learning. Need to go, think it is my turn to hold Miss Jenny!
"Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action." ~ Mother Teresa
"Healing take courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it." ~ Tori Amos
I really didn't have a reason to have a bigger than me day today but...I did. Maybe because I was home alone a lot while everyone went to church? Maybe it's because it has been a month ago since Lauren left for college ( and she is doing great). I am not hurting too bad, just tired of sitting and not doing much. I am still downstairs, so it's not like I want a lot of visitors when I haven't even been able to shower since my surgery! ( I do take bathes, so don't get too worried ) But I sit in my big chair here with all my stuff around me, the family calls it my COMMAND CENTER. Ok, so I do ask them to do a few things for me since I am not getting up much. I have a big ice machine beside my chair and so that ties me down too, but it feels good and I think I haven't really had much swelling. I go to the Doctor tomorrow and we will see what the results are? I just feel down, I feel sad to be once again not able to go places with my family and just trying to get my body to heal, seems like I have been doing a lot of that these past 3 years.
My family has taken such good care of me and everyone has been so thoughtful with meals,cards and calls...so I really shouldn't complain, but I still just feel sad. Just another bigger than me day and I knew that I would have some of them and so I will try to keep it in perspective.
Learning from Life....what a good title for me and my blog! It does seem like I am ever learning how to be patient, how to grow, how to develop into the Lynn Woodard that I should be. Thanks for always being there for me, you have made a huge difference in my life and the life of my family.
"ANYONE WHO IMAGINES THAT BLISS IS NORMAL IS GOING TO WASTE A LOT OF TIME RUNNING AROUND SHOUTING THAT HE HAS BEEN ROBBED.
MOST PUTTS DON'T DROP. MOST BEEF IS TOUGH. MOST CHILDREN GROW UP TO BE JUST PEOPLE. MOST SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGES REQUIRE A HIGH DEGREE OF MUTUAL TOLERATION. MOST JOBS ARE MORE OFTEN DULL THAN OTHERWISE...
LIFE IS LIKE AN OLD-TIME RAIL JOURNEY-- DELAYS, SIDETRACKS, SMOKE, DUST, CINDERS, AND JOLT, INTERSPERSED ONLY OCCASSIONALLY BY BEAUTIFUL, VISTAS AND THRILLING BURSTS OF SPEED.
THE TRICK IS TO THANK THE LORD FOR LETTING YOU HAVE THE RIDE!" ~ Jenkins Lloyd
By Marie Suszynski
Karen Porter Sorensen, the Brooklyn, N.Y., author of love (luv) n. who asked perfect strangers for their thoughts on love in New York City, saw first-hand that people do, in fact, have a yearning for love and connection with others.
She also learned that one of the most important gifts we can give someone — especially someone who’s going through a health crisis — is love.
It’s easy to get swept away by love when you’re in a new romantic relationship. The real question is: How do you show love to a family member or a friend when you’re filled with grief over their illness? Sorensen has some ideas.
What Love Research Revealed
For seven years, Sorensen ran a “love research booth” in New York City and offered people walking by a single rose in return for answering five questions about love, such as, “What is love?,” “Who taught you love?,” and “Has your love ever been tested?”
Why did she embark on this project? In part because Sorensen’s brother was diagnosed with a mental illness and he couldn’t express his emotions. Suddenly her brother didn’t believe in love anymore. “In some ways [the book] was a testament to him,” she says.
Loving Someone Who is Ill
Her research also helped her learn how to love family members when they were going through a health crisis. Not only was her brother struggling with a mental illness, but her mother fought breast cancer and survived, and her grandmother also became ill and died a week before Sorensen finished her book. Here’s what her research taught her about coping:
"Eventually you will come to understand that love heals everything, and love is all there is." ~ Gary Zukav
"Love one another and help others to rise to the higher levels, simply by pouring out love. Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy." ~ Sai Baba
My brother and Sister-in-law left today. It was so fun having them come and visit, over the Labor Day Weekend. I have to say ...it must be good for my health to have Shirley ( my sister-in-law ) around, because we always are laughing. I mean really laughing, where you can hardly catch your breath and tears fill your eyes. I know that I have read many things about the importance of laughter and how healing it is. So I think I probably healed a lot this past weekend being around her, what a dear friend she has been for all these years and the sister that I never had. We started out as friends and then became roommates. Then I began to think "wouldn't it be great if she could be in my family?" So I introduced her to my brother and the rest is history, and we have been together ever since. It was hard to say good-bye to them today. It is always a treat to have more family around. I have never been very good at good-byes. But I need to be grateful for the time we did have and all the laughter that filled my home. Yes, laughter is good medicine.
In church I heard one of the speakers talk about something that happened to his daughter that they all still laugh about to this day, I thought I would share the his story with you. Good night dear friends and remember to spend time with people who make you laugh...really laugh!
Learn to Laugh
I remember when one of our daughters went on a blind date. She was all dressed up and waiting for her date to arrive when the doorbell rang. In walked a man who seemed a little old, but she tried to be polite. She introduced him to me and my wife and the other children; then she put on her coat and went out the door. We watched as she got into the car, but the car didn’t move. Eventually our daughter got out of the car and, red faced, ran back into the house. The man that she thought was her blind date had actually come to pick up another of our daughters who had agreed to be a babysitter for him and his wife.
We all had a good laugh over that. In fact, we couldn’t stop laughing. Later, when our daughter’s real blind date showed up, I couldn’t come out to meet him because I was still in the kitchen laughing. Now, I realize that our daughter could have felt humiliated and embarrassed. But she laughed with us, and as a result, we still laugh about it today.
The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable.
"Laughter is the shock absorber that eases the blows of life"
"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." ~e.e. cummings
