Sometimes in life we have to do things that we don't want to. We don't feel like it, we're tired of it, we want to be like "that person" instead. And if we are not careful we can talk ourselves into a really bad attitude telling ourselves that "I deserve better," "I can quit and it will be fine," or "I can compromise and treat someone else badly because I have paid my dues and I am tired"
IT IS ALL LIES!
We have two choices when life gives us things we don't want to do:
1. Compromise and say all those lies from the devil to ourselves over and over till we believe them.
OR
2. Choose Joy - by rejecting those thoughts, tell the evil to "take a hike" and embrace the JOY that the Lord has for us.
Life is not easy and we often have to do things we don't want to. But if we look to our Creator for direction and accept the never ending joy that He has for us - it won't seem so bad. The joy that comes from above is OUR JOY - freely given to us and no one can take it from us, not even the devil. He can't steal it unless we let him. We decide who we will be each day: Bitter, angry, compromised and defeated by life's challenges - or filled with the joy from above, choosing to do what we know we should, even though we don't want to - knowing that the Lord will carry us and the result of our choice will lead us to a more rich life.
I choose to hold on to the JOY today, and to ignore the lies while trusting God.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Weekend!
We had a nice weekend. I got to sleep in on Saturday, then headed out for some time alone. Started with coffee and a walk through the U district. Ended up at the outdoor market and had a great time going from booth to booth picking out some farm fresh veggies, fruit and fresh baked bread. Great people watching too!! One good thing about a big city.We headed to the grocery store to stock the fridge and planned some yummy meals for the week ahead. We went out to dinner and stopped by Target on the way home to pick up a few things we forgot/apartment didn't have. It was a 2 story Target in a high-rise shopping center with an 8 level parking garage.... oh the big city!!
Nice morning of church for me, laundry and getting stuff done. Ended today with a great BBQ dinner and a walk to Trader Joe's, ice cream for Mark and some SUPER yummy cookies for me. We are rested up and ready for another week of appointments and so excited to see the boys in only 4 short days.
Check out the thoughts below that I just posted too.....
Thoughts on Being Financially Prepared
Dealing with the emotional stress of your spouse having a life threatening illness is hard enough without having to deal with financial stress as well. Unfortunately in this day and age they come hand in hand. Even with great insurance, savings, good financial planning and budgeting skills it is still stressful. It costs a lot of money if you get sick - and the money has to come from somewhere.
In April of this year when my husband was diagnosed with Leukemia I was worried. Worried for his health of course, but worried about what we would do to replace his income. Worried about how to pay our mortgage and worried about how I would care for him and our 2 small children and try to keep my part-time job for some flow of income. We had an emergency fund ($1,000 set aside that you never touch). That was a great help at first, at least I knew I was covered for a little while. If you don't have one. GET ONE. Work hard and save the money as fast as you can and then forget about it. Leave it in a savings account and use it only for real emergencies. It will give you great peace of mind when the emergency you never thought you'd face, shows up. We also had a 3 to 6 month fund. This is a fund that can be defined differently for different people. We set ours up as 3 months of my husbands income. That way if one of us had to stop working or lost our job we would be ok for a while. Make plans to start a fund like this if you don't have one. You will be SO glad you did.
Even with these two funds set up - the money went so fast. The bills don't stop, mortgage has to be paid and when my husband was laid off due to being hospitalized we had to start taking over the payments on our health insurance premiums. They are SO expensive. They are a large ticket item and would be challenging for the best budget makers to work in. Without the cushion of these funds I would have been in the red very fast. I had to deal with the mounds of paperwork that were waiting for me each day: insurance, disability, doctors, home care, medications, bills, bills and more bills. I had a sick husband, bills stacking up and money running out - and I had started off pretty financially PREPARED. Ask yourself: "if this were to happen to me today where would I be, what would happen to my family?" If you are honest and the answer scares you - start saving now and don't stop until you have the money in the accounts.
I believe in God and His provision. I have been daily praying for the money we were short to somehow show up. I was willing to work for it, to take on extra projects in my graphic design business but with so little extra time that wasn't working well. I had faith that the money would come - and it has! Each month, every month, the right amount of money has come in. Just enough for us to get by.
We are facing the challenge of a bone marrow transplant in the coming weeks as my husbands only chance at a cure. It is super expensive, more than anyone could plan and save for. A fundraising effort was started on August 12th. We asked 320 families/individuals to look at their monthly budget and for 4 months find $25 they could due without and donate to our transplant bills. Over 100 generous people donated - and we not only reached our goal of $32,000 but passed it (by Tuesday the 21st) and some pledges are still coming in. My husband and I are committed to "pay it forward" when this is all over. When he is fully healed and our lives get back to "normal" we will find it in our monthly budget to give to others in like situations and repay the kindness that has been given to us. This is what it means to be part of a community and of a family of God. Give of what you have to others. Time, money and kindness. We will forever be thankful for those who have given, our hearts are overflowing with joy and gratitude. I don't think most couples in our situation can say that. Praise God for the perspective He gives.
Don't find yourself without a plan when an emergency hits your family. Save up extra money, trust in God and have faith.
In April of this year when my husband was diagnosed with Leukemia I was worried. Worried for his health of course, but worried about what we would do to replace his income. Worried about how to pay our mortgage and worried about how I would care for him and our 2 small children and try to keep my part-time job for some flow of income. We had an emergency fund ($1,000 set aside that you never touch). That was a great help at first, at least I knew I was covered for a little while. If you don't have one. GET ONE. Work hard and save the money as fast as you can and then forget about it. Leave it in a savings account and use it only for real emergencies. It will give you great peace of mind when the emergency you never thought you'd face, shows up. We also had a 3 to 6 month fund. This is a fund that can be defined differently for different people. We set ours up as 3 months of my husbands income. That way if one of us had to stop working or lost our job we would be ok for a while. Make plans to start a fund like this if you don't have one. You will be SO glad you did.
Even with these two funds set up - the money went so fast. The bills don't stop, mortgage has to be paid and when my husband was laid off due to being hospitalized we had to start taking over the payments on our health insurance premiums. They are SO expensive. They are a large ticket item and would be challenging for the best budget makers to work in. Without the cushion of these funds I would have been in the red very fast. I had to deal with the mounds of paperwork that were waiting for me each day: insurance, disability, doctors, home care, medications, bills, bills and more bills. I had a sick husband, bills stacking up and money running out - and I had started off pretty financially PREPARED. Ask yourself: "if this were to happen to me today where would I be, what would happen to my family?" If you are honest and the answer scares you - start saving now and don't stop until you have the money in the accounts.
I believe in God and His provision. I have been daily praying for the money we were short to somehow show up. I was willing to work for it, to take on extra projects in my graphic design business but with so little extra time that wasn't working well. I had faith that the money would come - and it has! Each month, every month, the right amount of money has come in. Just enough for us to get by.
We are facing the challenge of a bone marrow transplant in the coming weeks as my husbands only chance at a cure. It is super expensive, more than anyone could plan and save for. A fundraising effort was started on August 12th. We asked 320 families/individuals to look at their monthly budget and for 4 months find $25 they could due without and donate to our transplant bills. Over 100 generous people donated - and we not only reached our goal of $32,000 but passed it (by Tuesday the 21st) and some pledges are still coming in. My husband and I are committed to "pay it forward" when this is all over. When he is fully healed and our lives get back to "normal" we will find it in our monthly budget to give to others in like situations and repay the kindness that has been given to us. This is what it means to be part of a community and of a family of God. Give of what you have to others. Time, money and kindness. We will forever be thankful for those who have given, our hearts are overflowing with joy and gratitude. I don't think most couples in our situation can say that. Praise God for the perspective He gives.
Don't find yourself without a plan when an emergency hits your family. Save up extra money, trust in God and have faith.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Settled In
We have officially settled in. On Thursday morning we moved into our permanent apartment (home for the next 4+ months). It is a pretty nice apartment with a great rooftop patio and view. It is a great place to stay in this busy city and will be just right once the boys join us in 6-8 weeks.
Great news today - still NO signs of Leukemia in Mark's bone marrow. Praise God! It is great to know that there is no new growth and that all that Chemo was worth it. Since Tuesday we have been doing all kinds of tests and appointments with different doctors. Everything from Dentist, physical therapy and CT scans to a spinal tap and a bone marrow biopsy. Mark is doing great - but we are both glad for two days off. No more appointments until Monday. Time to go grocery shopping - need to stock the fridge - and make some real food. I plan to explore the University District a little on Saturday as well.
Next week is full of appointments as well. The British donor center has delayed the transplant by one week (no worries, this happens) .... so after our Thursday tests next week we should be able to get back to Spokane and see the boys for a nice long weekend plus a couple days - and catch the first day of "real" school for Elijah. I am super excited.
Thanks for all your prayers. Continue to pray for my Boys to go-with-the-flow and have joy each day. Pray for Mark's energy level and over all health. Pray for the Holy Spirit to continue to be our strength. This week has been especially tough. Lots of change and lots to take in. I am missing my babies, friends and my home. I long for the day when our life feels "normal" again. For now it is "chin-up" and move forward each day remembering who is really in charge and who supplies all the joy we need, each day.
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| Our view from our permanent apartment. Fun to watch the sailboats and sea planes. |
Great news today - still NO signs of Leukemia in Mark's bone marrow. Praise God! It is great to know that there is no new growth and that all that Chemo was worth it. Since Tuesday we have been doing all kinds of tests and appointments with different doctors. Everything from Dentist, physical therapy and CT scans to a spinal tap and a bone marrow biopsy. Mark is doing great - but we are both glad for two days off. No more appointments until Monday. Time to go grocery shopping - need to stock the fridge - and make some real food. I plan to explore the University District a little on Saturday as well.
Next week is full of appointments as well. The British donor center has delayed the transplant by one week (no worries, this happens) .... so after our Thursday tests next week we should be able to get back to Spokane and see the boys for a nice long weekend plus a couple days - and catch the first day of "real" school for Elijah. I am super excited.
Thanks for all your prayers. Continue to pray for my Boys to go-with-the-flow and have joy each day. Pray for Mark's energy level and over all health. Pray for the Holy Spirit to continue to be our strength. This week has been especially tough. Lots of change and lots to take in. I am missing my babies, friends and my home. I long for the day when our life feels "normal" again. For now it is "chin-up" and move forward each day remembering who is really in charge and who supplies all the joy we need, each day.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
GOAL REACHED & Getting Settled
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| The view from our first apartment. Different from our trees we are used to but pretty all the same. |
It was a day of appointments today for Mark. We are tired but feel good about all we talked about today. Ready for the next two week schedule of appointments and tests. An adventure for sure!
Update on fundraising.... a grand total of $33,501.00 has come in so far, with more that has been pledged. God is SO good. We have reached our stage one goal. There may be more fundraising requests in the next few weeks as the numbers we have been given are only estimates. Once the Transplant is underway we will know more and will keep you all posted.
We can't thank everyone enough for ALL the generosity. Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude. THANK YOU!!!!
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