an update...

I have a praise to share:

Carol woke up!

She knew everyone and she seemed to understand what was happening to her. Scott was able to tell her about the baby and how well she is doing.
What a gift for all who were there with her.
She is again sedated to manage her pain level.
Here's what we know:

-her temp is still 103 +
-her heart rate is still very high
-they have not identified the source of the infection
-she was seen by a surgeon yesterday who said that she would probably lose most of her fingertips and at least one finger.

I believe that Scott and his family are people of faith and so I believe that she is covered in prayer, but I would still covet your prayers for her and Scott as she continues down this road to recovery.

Thanks.

a book review....

WOW!
The dog got me up early this mornin' so I decided to stay up and read the book that Jill lent me: "The Shack".
WOW! I really loved it!
The whole theme of the book really resonated with me and....the imagery was breathtaking.
I loved the idea that God meets us right where we're at and that it is OK.
God is a verb.....love that.
The author poignantly suggests that the only precious jewel that is made literally from suffering is a Pearl, which is used in the parable of the Banquet and the Pearl of Great Price....love that.
I love how the story represents God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit because it's not the way you would think, and the way that pain was protrayed was exactly the way I used to embrace my pain, just like I did, the author gave it a name which made it all the more tangible.
While this story is a body of fiction I believe that it speaks Truth through the story of this man grappling with the pain of childhood, unforgiveness, and the excruciatingly painful loss of a child, and it allowed him to experience these things through the eyes of God.
I would highly recommend "The Shack" especially if you've experienced great pain and loss in your life.
For me, it showcased God's great ability to get you to the other side which is His redeeming love.

I believe in God's healing hand and so.....

I have a prayer request:

Most of you already know about Con's cousin, Carol, who has contracted the bacteria strep and who is extremely ill.
Her husband, Scott, has set up a blog-site to keep family and friends updated as to her condition.
Here is the address:

http://sccsdecker.blogspot.com

Please pray for Carol and Scott and their girls; Chloe and Safiya(2 yrs and 1 week old.
Specifically, pray that the doctors find the source of the infection and that her vital functions come back on their own. Also, Carol has 3rd degree burns on her skin because of the strep attacking her skin and they are very concerned about that. When they change her dressings it takes 2 1/2 hrs to do so and it is very painful, although she is still in a medically-induced come, she still flinches. Also, she will probably lose some fingers and toes because of the lack of circulation to her extremities.
Thank you, blog-sistas, for your support and for your prayers.

the winner is......Ginger!

The flowers are called:
Lillies, day lillies, rudebekia, poppies, nemesia, dahlias, canterbury bells, daisy, cornflower, tickseed, and lavender.
Ginger named the most....good job Ginger!!!!!
I will get your prize to you the next time I see you.
;0)

a give-away....

OK, girls...it's gift give-away time!
Whoever can name the most flowers by sight(no cheating and looking in your garden books) will receive a gift from me.
The offer ends father day Sunday.

Good luck!!!

Flowers are the friends of life...?

Nevada and I decided to take pictures of my flowers so that we could make greeting cards from them and here are a few:

a reunion.....

Whew!
It's been awhile...
So, this weekend I saw my old friend, Laurie.
She is one of my oldest and dearest friends that I have been out-of-contact with for 7 years because she had what some would call a mental breakdown but what I would call a dabble into the occult which resulted in her losing everything dear to her, including her mind.
To be honest, I NEVER thought I would see her again.
I had given up on all hope that she would survive the ordeal which cost her everything; her kids, her home, her art, her reputation, her friends and family.
She is the picture of what happens to you if your "seed" is scattered on the rocks and devoured by the birds of the air, literally.
How?
In April of 2001, Laurie called me to say that she had gotten saved that Sunday and she was to be baptized on Easter Sunday.
Hallelujah! My prayers had been answered. I was so excited! I sent her a bible and told her to start reading John and then suggested she get involved in a church.
She did neither.
Instead, she set about changing everything in her life. She was going to earn her salvation somehow and she started going down the road of self-improvement. I told her that God is in the business of changing our hearts and growing us into His image. I encouraged her to get to know God through His Word and through fellowship with other Christians, to no avail.
By that summer she was full into this new-age idea of cleansing oneself of all encumbrences that keep us from our full potential; she divorced her husband, gave away her belongings, fasted for weeks on end, and started communing with the dead.
She claimed she was a prophetess of "God" and she was given visions of the future, some which came true, most which were ridiculous, she claimed "God" loved the f-word and if you disagreed with her, she discarded you, hence, I was so discarded.
She took on a new name, Talia, which I did some research on and come to find out Talia is the english form of Tabitha, in Hebrew Sabean, which was the name of the maurading force that killed Job's family, in other words, Laurie took on the name of the demonic force used to kill Job's family.
Cooincidence?
I think not.
Anyhoo, to make a short story long, when we took Taylor, Laurie's daughter who spent the weekend with us, back to her aunt's house Laurie was there and she was civil to me. We chit-chatted, I kept it very light, and when we went to leave she followed me out and spoke heart-felt words of thanks for staying in touch with Taylor. An hour and a half later we left and she hugged me.
Huh...didnt' expect that.
I'm still processing it all but I can say with certainty that our friendship will never be the same as it was(we grew up together, went to school together, friends for over 30 years!).
I have needed to hear from her what in the world happened?
She was so awful to me...she said some things that haunt me to this day that play in my mind over and over...and yet, I know it wasn't her.
Does she recall the events that I believe took her soul????
And how does one emerge from darkness if not from the Light???
I sensed NO Light in her.
Is the darkness just under the surface???
?????????????
New territory for me, goodness, I have no idea what to do with it.
I will pray for wisdom and understanding and my eyes are wide open, this time.
I am without words.