Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Mary Did You Know?

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We had a great time visiting family but are glad to be back home. I hope you enjoy this week's song. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Amy

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Babbie Mason

This week is the final week for my free CD giveaway and I'm highlighting Babbie Mason. If you've never heard her before, here's a clip of her on Christian Living Magazine.

The song starts at about 5min 10 sec. if you would like to fast forward for just the music.

She is singing a song called "Shine the Light." It's what we all need to do, not only at this time of year but all year through.

The CD I'm giving away is entitled Babbie Mason: The Definitive Gospel Collection. It doesn't have Shine the Light, but it does have two more of my favorite songs by her - Standing in the Gap and Stop by the Church. I couldn't find any You tubes or God tubes of her songs, but if you don't know her music, I encourage you to check it out. Once again, all you have to do to be eligible to win this week is to post a TSMS song and link up below.

Here's a pic of me, Janet and Babbie at Edwards Road a few weeks ago. If you ever get a chance to see her in person, you should definitely go. She is such a blessing!

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas.

Sweet Blessings,

Amy

The winner is...

Just have a quick minute to post the winner of Janet's CD "For Such A Time As This."  The winner is Melissa from Mel's World. If you loved Janet's music and didn't win, hop by her site and you can purchase her CD online.

Please pray for my family. Spencer is home from the hospital but missed school again today. He started throwing up again yesterday. We think it might be side effects from his medication levels being too high. And... I got the plague yesterday. So much for finishing up the Christmas shopping and other stuff this week. Looks like everyone is getting cash or gift cards from the store display at Publix and there will be store bought goodies instead of homemade. I'm still thankful... that's more than many will enjoy.

Sweet Blessings,

Amy

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Janet Roller

It's been a rough few weeks around our house. I appreciate all of your prayers and your emails of encouragement. Spencer is still in the hospital. We are hoping he will be released tomorrow.

The doctors still aren't sure exacty what the problem was or is. They think it might be paralytic ileus from his gastrointeritis or stomach bug he had. He was much better today after receiving his meds through IV and fluids for 24 hours. He kept down all his meds and food today!! No seizures either. Keep praying though. We went back to meds by mouth tonight so we will see if he tolerates them.

Enough yucky stuff. Let's get on to something fun.

I'm highlighting a very talented singer this week who happens to be one of my very best friends.

I know you would love her if you met her and I'm sure you will love her voice and her music.

She has just completed her CD project entitled "For Such A Time As This."

I hope you enjoy these two songs this week by Janet Roller.

Create in Me A Clean Heart

The World Will Never Be The Same

Check her out at Living Oak Ministries.

I'm giving away a copy of her CD this week also. Once again, to be eligible to win, you just have to link up to Mr. Linky with a TSMS post. If you don't win and just love her music, you can purchase her CD on her website.

I hope you have a blessed week! I'll announce the winner on Monday. ( I hope :-)

Amy

An Update on Spencer

I posted yesterday that Spencer was having some problems.  He had a stomach virus last Monday but seemed to be better by Wednesday. Then he started having problems keeping his antiepileptic drugs down and would throw them up every time we gave them to him. So, because he couldn't keep down his meds, he started seizing. He had a seizure at school yesterday and was still throwing up today. Since it had been 11 days, the doctor decided to admit him to the hospital to make sure there is nothing more serious like a GI problem going on. We are at the hospital now and will have EEG's for the seizure activity, x-rays to rule out GI blockage tomorrow. Doctor says to expect to be here 3-5 days. Please keep him in your prayers. I haven't mailed out the winner CD's yet but promise to as soon as we get home from the hospital.

Sweet blessings,

Amy

And the winner is.... ( a little late, sorry)

I know I promised to post the winner from Saturday's TSMS on Monday, but we've had a rough few days. Monday was spent all day at the doctor's office and hospital getting blood work done for Spencer. He is still having some problems and had a seizure at school today. Tuesday was spent catching up on all the things that were originally planned for Monday - like getting the stuff for Mary Lyndsey's class party and Christmas program which was today.

So, here it is Wednesday and I am finally posting a winner. Better late than never.

The winner of The Promise of Christmas CD is Alicia at More Than Words. Alicia, if you will email me your address, I will mail it out as soon as possible.

This coming Saturday, Dec. 13 I will be giving away my friend Janet's new CD For Such a Time as This. Hope you will come join us at Then Sings My Soul. All you have to do to be eligible to win is to link a TSMS post.

I'm signing off to try to decorate my Christmas tree - finally!

Sweet Blessings,
Amy

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Breath of Heaven

** Update to TSMS Saturday Post. I'm linking over to Lysa TerKeurst's blog for her Cool Christmas Giveaway contest, since I'm giving away CD's every Saturday until Christmas. If this is your fist time visiting TSMS, you can click on the button above for instructions. In order to be eligible to win one of the CD's, you just have to post a "Then Sings My Soul" post on your blog and link up to Mr. Linky. I'll draw on Sunday at midnight each week from everyone posted and will try really, really hard to announce the winners on that Monday.

This time of year I always wonder how Mary must have felt. There are so many great Christmas songs about Mary. This is one of my favorites.

I promised a give-away every week until Christmas. Last week, it was Jeremy Camp's new release. I haven't had a chance to post the winner yet because I had a little trouble with Mr. Linky and all of you disappeared for a day or two. Thanks to Peggy for sending me the list of participants. They finally got Mr. Linky fixed and you all reappeared later in the week, but my entire family has had a stomach bug, so I haven't had a chance to post the winner.

I know you are all in suspense so... The winner of Jeremy Camp's new CD "Speaking Louder Than Before" is Jennifer at Through The Storms of Life. If you will email me your address Jennifer, I will mail it out right away.

This week, I'm giving away an instrumental Christmas CD entitled The Promise of Christmas. It has some great songs including this week's song "Breath of Heaven." It also has: It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Go, Tell It on the Mountain, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, and O Come, All Ye Faithful plus 6 more. It's a great CD to play as background music at a Christmas party.

All you have to do to be eligible to win is to post a TSMS link on Mr. Linky. I'll draw on Sunday at midnight and announce the winner on Monday.

Next week I hope to highlight my friend Janet's new CD. I wanted to this week, but couldn't figure out how to get it uploaded. I'll be giving away her CD called For Such A Time As This next Saturday. If you just can't wait, you can go to her website and check out some samples.

I hope you are all having a blessed and stress free holiday season.

Amy

Christmas with a capital C - Go Fish

My friend Bryan posted this on his Facebook page and I loved it. Thought I'd share it with you too.

Don't be afraid to say "Merry Christmas"!!!

Famous People with Epilepsy

So, I totally blew Epilepsy Awarness month and never finished posting all the famous people with epilepsy. Somehow the days just disappeared and the month slipped away from me. Did that happen to anyone else? I can't believe it's only 23 days until Christmas!!!

Well, I still wanted to get the information out there so here's the list:
(These were taken from a calendar called Portraits of Achievement that UCB produced in 2006)

Alexander the Great believed in great possibilities for himself and for the people of Ancient Greece. Unwilling to be limited by his own epilepsy, he pushed the Greeks forward with unparalleled leadership - extending the boundaries of his empire and uniting the ancient world.

Alfred Lord Tennyson, the great Victorian poet, was diagnosed with epilepsy during his adolescence. Discoveries for effective treatment of epilepsy were few in his time,so he was assigned long walks and large amounts of drinking water.

Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote epic novels that explored Russia in the 19th century, providing his readers with a keen education on human psychology. Several of his characters also had epilepsy.

Ludwig Van Beethoven is considered one of the most innovative composers of all time, despite battling epilepsy and losing his hearing in his mid-twenties.

Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland, also had epilepsy. His fantastic visions in his writings are now considered a creative way to describe his own symptoms as a person who lived with temporal lobe seizures.

Peter Tchaikovsky, one of the most innovative Russian composers in history is also believed to have had epilepsy.

Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher who is credited with establishing Western philosophy, is believe to have experienced simple partial seizures related to temporal lobe epilepsy.

Epilepsy did not stop Alfred Nobel from changing the world. A chemist and engineer, his considerable fortune funds the famous annual prizes that recognize outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peacekeeping.

James Madison, one of the fathers of the constitution and 4th President of the United States, drafted the Bill of Rights. He also had epilepsy.

Napolean Bonaparte, unhindered by his epilepsy, quickly established himself as one of the greatest military leaders in the world.

Joan of Arc, the patron saint of France, inspired her countrymen and led the French armies to victories over the English in the Hundred Years' War. Some believe it was her seizures that manifested themselves as the visions and voices she felt came from God.

There is some controversy over whether all of these people had epilepsy or not. Another list of people can be found here. The point is... You can still achieve great things with epilepsy. I tell Spencer this everyday.

Can someone help?

I'm not sure what is going on with Blogger and Blenza but suddenly you need a password to access my blog site. And... all of my links for TSMS have disappeared. Does anyone know what might be happening?

I was about to go to the links from Saturday to give away the Jeremy Camp CD and they were all gone. All of them to every TSMS.

If you posted on Saturday for the chance to win Jeremy Camp... I'm sorry. I will give it away this weekend along with this week's giveaway - I will draw two winners.

Can anyone help?

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Jeremy Camp

I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving! We had a very relaxing week. We actually didn't travel this year for Thanksgiving. Greg, Spencer, Mary Lyndsey, and I stayed home and have done pretty much nothing for the last three days (except eat of course) - and it has been wonderful! I have plans to get out all the Christmas decorations tomorrow. Maybe I'll post some pics. It was weird not to be with our families this year, but we needed the rest and a break from all the travel.
The only thing I have done this week is join Facebook. I finally gave in to all the pressure. I must admit, it's been kind of fun reconnecting with old friends from college and high school.
I can't believe another week has passed so quickly and it's time for another TSMS. I have exciting news!! I've been meaning to post an announcement all week, but in the spirit of doing pretty much nothing (which is what Greg and I agreed to for the holiday) I never got around to posting :-)
The announcement is: I'm having a giveaway this weekend and every weekend until Christmas on TSMS. That's right... more free music. All you have to do to be eligible to win is post a song on TSMS. I will randomly draw a winner from the posts each week today (November 29) and Dec. 6, 13, and 20. I haven't completely decided what CD's I will be giving away in December, but this week I'm giving away my highlighted artist's newest release!!
If you didn't know, Jeremy Camp's new CD Speaking Louder Than Before was released this week. I was sent an early copy to preview and I loved it. Here are a few highlights.

All the songs are great, but I must admit this one was one of my favorites.






I guess I loved this one so much because it speaks to me of a day I long for.


And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4


On that day... there will be no more seizures.


If you aren't familiar with Jeremy Camp, I encourage you to go to his site and check him out. Also if you would like to purchase his CD, you can click on the banner at the top of this post.
Here's a little more info on him.

Jeremy Camp

Husband. Father. Artist.

http://www.jeremycamp.com/

Husband. Even when Jeremy’s message became painfully personal when losing his first wife to cancer just months after their wedding, he boldly wore the mantle of comforter, soothing the pain of others by sharing his story, listening patiently to theirs, and providing them with songs that expressed what they were feeling when their grief left them unable to speak. It was that life-altering tragedy that inspired his early career. He was blessed a second time with wife Adrienne, who is such a strong supporter of Jeremy’s ministry and story. Jeremy is a great example of a husband devoting to his family.

Father. Adrienne and Jeremy have two little girls: Isabella, who just turned 4, and Arianne, who’s 2. Being a dad who is greatly involved with his daughters’ lives, Jeremy and Adrienne have chosen to have him gone on the road no more than a week at a time. He shares, “My priority is my family – the girls are at such a crucial age that I just want to pour into them even more – but I also know what I’m called to do.”

Artist. Jeremy Camp’s thoughtful lyrics and booming voice have earned him legions of fans and accolades including 16 No. 1 songs, five Dove Awards, three ASCAP Songwriter of the Year wins and an American Music Award nomination. Camp continues to reach the masses with his music. Radio remains a strong supporter of Camp's music as his recent project Beyond Measure produced six back-to-back No. 1 hits, "Tonight” (CHR), “What It Means” (AC) and “Give You Glory," which was named the No. 2 AC Song of the Year on the R&R charts. In 2007, Camp was also voted Best Male Artist in the ChristianMusicToday.com Reader's Poll as well as named the No. 2 Artist of the Year on the R&R charts. Speaking Louder Than Before. “At this point, I have a more clear-cut purpose and vision of what I’m meant to do. I’m more purposeful in what I’m sharing.” Speaking Louder isn’t so much about Camp turning up the volume as it is finding greater clarity in what God’s called him to do. And while he continues to grow and mature as an artist and a man, it only makes sense that this rocker with a preacher’s heart would use his platform to proclaim – louder than ever – the message he knows today’s kids need to hear. Speaking Louder’s songs will resonate with people of any age, but Camp’s message this time around is directed squarely at youth. “I see the hurt, the lack of direction, in this new generation,” the former youth leader says. “I always had a passion for youth, but this album is really aimed at them.”

Faith Lifts - Rejoice

Times are hard for everyone. Evil is everywhere. Crime is rampant. The economy is falling apart. People are losing jobs. I turn on the news and am overwhelmed with the stories I see reported. And I don't even have to go to the television to know people are facing difficult situations. 

Join me over at Faith Lifts to read the rest of this devotion.

Have a day full of rejoicing,

Amy

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Faith Hill

I want to thank everyone who has been faithfully participating in Then Sings My Soul the past few weeks, even though I've been unable to visit everyone's posts. Our schedule has been really crazy since going to Chicago and Spencer's seizures have been extremely out of control. We're tired - and I haven't been blogging much or visiting blogs. I hope to finish the series on famous people with epilepsy this coming week.

For all of you new people who have been participating and have joined in for the first time - please keep coming. I know I'm a terrible hostess for not visiting your sites and thanking you for joining in with us! We're all glad you found TSMS and hope you will keep participating.

Last week, I talked about country songs and how I had forgotten how much I loved them. I ran across this one this week and I loved it. It reminded me there's coming a day when we won't have to deal with seizures any more either. Whether that day is here on earth or one day in Heaven... it's coming. I just have to hold on to my faith! Please continue to keep Spencer in your prayers.

Writer, Interrupted - Midweek Motivation

I was passing through the town my in-laws live in and decided to call to see if they would like to meet for dinner. We discussed which restaurant to meet at and hung up. I arrived about twenty minutes later but did not find them at the restaurant. I agreed to go ahead and be seated, knowing they would soon arrive to meet me. The clock kept ticking, but they didn’t arrive. I began to panic thinking something might have happened. Fear set in.

Come read the rest of this devotion over at Writer, Interrupted.

Have a blessed day,

Amy

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Trace Adkins

I don't usually post country songs, but after watching the CMA's with my Grandma who was visiting this week, I couldn't resist. I used to listen to country all the time, but have switched over to contemporary Christian stations. I still love country music though. Watching CMA reminded me there are some awesome country songs out there. I couldn't decide between this one and and George Strait. He's one of my favorites. Maybe I"ll post him next week :-)
This is the line my Grandma said everytime I've gotten frustrated with something one of my kids have done this week.

I'm afraid to admit... I think she's right.

Have a blessed weekend!

Amy

An Update and Famous People with Epilepsy - Part 2

Life is crazy right now. After having been out of town in New Mexico for a week in October and in Chicago for a week in November... I'm trying to play catch up.  The holidays are upon us and all of the fun school activities and programs have us in full swing :-)

I had the privilege of speaking at Emmanuel College this past Tuesday morning as their

Convocation speaker for Disability Awareness Week. I was so excited they were highlighting epilepsy since November is Epilepsy Awareness Month. I think there were about 600 students present - which is the largest group I have ever spoken to. Plus, it was college students - kind of a tough crowd. But I think it went well and it was fun! I really miss working on a college campus. The students are always so full of energy.

Well, I promised a series on famous people with epilepsy so I wanted to keep going before the month of November slips away from me.

Did you know that Sir Isaac Newton had epilepsy? He endured both epilepsy and the bubonic plague. He made great advances in both science and math. He founded the three laws of motion and revolutionized Western understanding of nature with his enduring theory of universal gravitation.

Not only did Isaac Newton have epilepsy but so did Charles Dickens, the author of Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol. He also gave many of the characters in his classic novels epilepsy, trying to offer readers important knowledge about the lives of people often overlooked by society.

I'll share some more people soon. The list may surprise you.

Sweet Blessings,

Amy

Faith Lifts - Waiting on God

I would venture to guess not many of us like to wait for anything. Most of us don’t like waiting in line at Wal-Mart, waiting at the doctor’s office, and we certainly don’t like waiting on God.

Come join me at Faith Lifts today to read the rest of this devotion. Just click here.

Sweet Blessings,

Amy

Thanks for the prayers

I want to thank all of you for your prayers, comments and emails of encouragement while we were in Chicago. We just arrived back home around 10pm tonight and we are pretty exhausted.
We were actually supposed to come home yesterday, but we had to extend our stay.

You know that seizure we were waiting for... well it finally happened. Only it was at 7pm on Friday night so we didn't get to inject the neurolyte for the spect scan. Also, it was status. Spencer seized for an hour and a half. They had to give him a lot of medication to stop the seizure so we ended up staying an extra day. He's still pretty drugged but glad to be home.

We did get the entire seizure on the EEG though so we still have some good information to work with. We have ruled out surgery for now and will treat more aggressively with medication. We will expect some side effects probably. We ask for your continued prayers for Spencer for no more seizures and no side effects from the increase in drugs.

I'll try to keep everyone posted on how things are going. I'm over at Faith Lifts tomorrow then I'll be back later this week with more information on famous people with epilepsy. Thank you all again for your prayers. We definitely felt them while we were there.

Sweet Blessings,
Amy

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Grace by Laura Story

I love this song by Laura Story! The words say it all for me.




Grace by Laura Story


My heart is so proud. My mind is so unfocused.
I see the things You do through me as great things I have done.
And now You gently break me, then lovingly You take me and hold me as my
Father and mold me as my maker.
Chorus
I ask you: "How many times will you pick me up, when I keep on letting you down? And each time I fall short of Your glory, how far will forgiveness abound?"
And You answer: "My child, I love you. And as long as you're seeking my face, You'll walk in the power of my daily sufficient grace."
At times I may grow weak and feel a bit discouraged, knowing that someone, somewhere could do a better job. For who am I to serve You? I know I don't deserve you. And that's the part that burns in my heart and keeps me hanging on.
Chorus
You are so patient with me Lord.
As I walk with You, I'm learning what your grace really means. The price that I could never pay was paid at Calvary. So, instead of trying to repay you, I'm learning to simply obey You buy giving up my life to you for all that You've given to me.
Chorus




I'm simply walking in the power of His daily sufficient GRACE!
We're extending our stay in Chicago to try to get the testing for Spencer completed. He still hasn't had a seizure for them to do the scan. Today (Saturday) is our last shot. Please pray he will have a seizure today (not status but a small one) so they can complete the testing. Also pray for our trip home on Sunday.
Thanks! Hope you all have a blessed weekend.
Amy

Update on Spencer

Sorry I haven't posted more updates since arriving. Once we got here, I got very sick, the sickest I've been in several years. Just my luck. I have spent a good amount of time at the hotel lying in bed while Greg has been at the hospital. My doctor called in some meds for me, so today is the first day I have been somewhat able to function since Tuesday.

Here's the update on Spencer. He has only had one small seizure since getting here. They captured it on EEG but couldn't inject the neurolyte. It seems weird but we are praying he will have a seizure today so we can finish the testing. We just don't want it to be a status seizure. 

We did find out from the doctor that Spencer has three focal points that his seizures originate from. This means he is probably not a candidate for surgery, but it hasn't been ruled out entirely yet.  There is still a chance that surgery might help him. We'll know more if we can get this last test done. We will probably change his drug therapy and possibly try some new dosages or medications.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. I will post more info once I know more. Thanks for all of your support and encouragement.  See you tomorrow at TSMS.

Amy

 

We're in Chicago

Spencer getting "hooked up."

Well, we have arrived at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. We are about two miles from Grant Park where they are expecting close to a million people to descend to see Obama give his speech later tonight. It's been really crazy here today.

We arrived  yesterday afternoon and checked in at our hotel. It's about .2 miles from the front door of the hospital so that is really great because we can walk if we need to but they also have a shuttle.

They didn't have a bed for Spencer until today so we were admitted this morning. They have him hooked up to the EEG and have started his IV so they can inject the neurolyte if he has a seizure. We are sleep depriving him tonight and taking him off his meds tomorrow morning. We are praying specifically he will have a seizure tomorrow after 10am and before 3pm and that it won't be  a status seizure. It feels weird to pray for a seizure to happen when for years all I've prayed is for him not to have one. 

We met the doctor today and he was really awesome. I feel confident he will definitely be able to help Spencer. 

So far Spencer is doing great. He didn't enjoy the blood work or getting the IV but he is very much enjoying laying around in his PJ's, watching movies and playing video games. The party will be over when I make him start homework in a little while :-)

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and encouragement. I will try to update you again tomorrow.

Amy

Did You Know?

It's my 200th post!!! I can't believe it. I was going to do a give away, but so much has been going on I didn't get around to planning it. Maybe I will give away something for the holidays.

As I mentioned yesterday, November is Epilepsy Awareness Month, so I will be sharing lots of information on epilepsy. I wanted to start today by inviting you to see how much you know. I found this quiz online today and thought it was cool. I only got 20 of 25 right myself, and I try to stay on top of these things. Click on this quiz link and see how you do.

I will be updating you guys on our Chicago trip this week for Spencer's testing for brain surgery. Thank you all for your prayers and emails of encouragement. They really mean a lot to me. Please continue to pray for God to be in all the details this week. He has already shown off in a big way. More to come on that later.

I wanted to start a series I will do this month providing you with information on famous people with epilepsy.

The first person I'm highlighting is Vincent Van Gogh. This excerpt is taken from a calendar that UCB produced in 2006/2007.

"Vincent Van Gogh, a painter of profound sensitivity and remarkable productivity, experienced complex partial seizures throughout his life. Driven by genius, he relied daily on his brother Theo as a source of comfort and support. Theo's constant correspondence helped Vincent cope with his epilepsy and helped him to become a world-class artist."

Click here to read more about Van Gogh's epilepsy.

Will update you guys from Chicago tomorrow! Have a blessed day!

Amy

Then Sings My Soul - Amazing

Welcome to Then Sings My Soul! So glad you dropped by this week.

November is Epilepsy Awareness Month! I've decided to kick it off with my TSMS post for this week. I was excited when I found this video tonight on You Tube!

This song is called Amazing by Janelle. I think I've heard it on the radio before, but I wasn't sure so I did some research on the artist. I was excited to find that Janelle is a Christian artist.
You can click on her name to find out more about her. I also thought you might like to see the lyrics for the song, (it's a pretty cool song) so here is another version.




I'll be posting lots of information about epilepsy this month, so if you know someone who would be interested, please direct them on over.


Have a blessed weekend! I'll be posting updates from Chicago on Monday.
Sweet Blessings,
Amy

Happy Halloween

Whew! It's been a busy week. I hit the ground running when I returned from New Mexico. I haven't had a chance to post about our trip and probably won't get to anytime soon, so I'm directing you to Carol's site to see her post. She has a great slide show of pictures. She took all of these pictures. I took my camera and never even pulled it out :-) More to come on the Glorieta trip later hopefully, but for now here's the latest with the fam.

The kids had a blast this week preparing for Halloween. I know some people don't "celebrate" Halloween, so I hope I don't offend anyone by posting these pics. As a kid, my family always took me trick or treating, and I didn't turn out all that bad... ( at least I don't think I did :-) ) So, I let my kids dress up and we usually go to the church outreach carnival and trick or treating.

Yesterday at school, Mary Lyndsey had favorite book character day. She dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. We dressed one of her dogs to look like the wolf/granny. We put reading glasses, a dress and a shower cap on him. They both were adorably cute.

Spencer had a fall festival party at school today too. They made some really cute crafts... bats, tie dyed t-shirts, slime, a popcorn hand and a few other things. He had a great time.

And, his class at school presented him with a huge basket of cards and gifts for his trip to Chicago for testing next week. We were a little overwhelmed with the support and love. I'm telling you, if I didn't know today was October 31, I'd think it was Christmas instead of Halloween by the looks of all of these gifts! We are blessed indeed to have so many friends who love us! This year for Halloween, instead of heading to the church, we had a small party in our back yard for some of the kids in our cul-de-sac. We ate pizza and cupcakes, made some crafts, and I handed out goody bags with way too much candy in them! I think the kids had a good time. Here's the whole crew!

Iron Man, Iron Man 2, A Camp Rock Girl, Batman, Mr.T, A Ninja, A Kitty Kat, Little Red Riding Hood, Mulan, Snow White, A BCA Knight Fan and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle... what a guest list.

Spencer and Mary Lyndsey dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood and the Woodsman to go trick or treating. We tried to get Lucia to wear a wolf mask, but she wouldn't keep it on. I had plans to dress up as the Granny, but it never happened. I barely made it through everything going on today, so I didn't get to dress up. It was kind of a let down after winning the costume contest last year dressed as the Wizard of Oz. The kids had a good time though and got way too much candy!

The day started out with me going to vote. I don't know if the lines are long everywhere, but here in Georgia it's been crazy. Greg waited four hours yesterday to vote, and I waited three hours today. Actually, Greg waited two hours for me, and then I switched with him in line and I waited the last hour. He is the best husband ever! He went and waited in the cold to save me a spot while I took the kids to school. Now that's love!

The day ended kind of crazy too. Spencer had a status seizure when we returned from trick or treating. I think it just wore him out to walk all over the neighborhood. Also, he had a pretty full, exciting day today. We had to administer his rescue med. He is sleeping comfortably now. The last thing he said, with slurred speech, before falling asleep was, "Do I get to eat my candy tomorrow?" Poor baby. Please pray for him this coming week.

Well, I'm off to write Then Sings My Soul. I hope you will come join in! Can you believe October is over already?!

Sweet Blessings,

Amy

We're Home

We are finally home from Glorieta and trying to get back into the swing of things. I seem to be having re-entry problems. It doesn't help that ML is sick, I ran a fever all day and we leave in less than a week for Chicago for testing for Spencer's surgery. I covet your prayers.

I will post pictures from Glorieta and updates soon. For now, I'm off to get some much needed rest!

Faith Lifts - Put on, Put off

Have you ever been to a special event or on a trip and you just couldn't decide what to wear? I know I always over pack when I'm traveling because I wonder if the weather will change or what is more likely my mood will change.

I'm over at Faith Lifts today. Come join me.

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

We've been singing this song in Worship this week at Glorieta. I love the part that says 

"Behold He Comes, Riding on the Clouds

Shining like the sun, at the trumpets call

So lift your voice, it's the year of Jubilee

And out of Zion's Hill salvation comes."

Sorry I'm late getting this up. We've been in meetings the entire time. I'll be back soon.

Have a great week.

Sweet Blessings,

Amy

We're Here!

Carol and I are in Glorieta this week.  Please pray for us and for our families while we are away! 

Be back soon... with pictures.

Amy

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Every Season

Is life so busy that you sometimes forget to stop and enjoy it? Do you ever forget to look around and take in all the majesty of creation. Do you see God in everything?

In the whispering of the wind,

in the crack of thunder,

in the warm rays of the sun on your back,

in the refreshing smell of the air after rain,

in the twinkling of the stars,

in the color of the flowers,

in the expanse of the sky,

in the crashing of the waves on the shore,

in the feel of grass on your bare feet,

in the chirping of birds,

in the leaves falling from the trees,

in seeing your breath on a winter day,

in the difference of each snowflake.

Do you trust Him through every season of life that you encounter?

"But blessed is the man who trusts me, God, the woman who sticks with God.They're like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers—Never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 The Message

Girls Getaway Cruise Contest Entry

***My husband has decided I need to be entered into this contest. I'm wondering if he's just trying to get rid of me for a few days :-) I cried when he sent this to me. Here's his post:

Amy Wyatt, my wife of 15 years and mother of two, needs to win the Girl’s Getaway Christian Women’s Cruise Giveaway. Despite encouragement from her family and friend’s, Amy has been unwilling to write her entry into this contest because she feels other people are more deserving. We are a very blessed family and I love my wife dearly (and I am talking Fireproof type love) but she is wrong on this one: Big Time Wrong! She needs a Getaway Vacation with a girlfriend and other Christian women so she can relax, rest, and recharge.

John Eldredge in his best selling and life changing book, Wild at Heart, got it right when he wrote, “women in the church today are tired.” Well I guess so - if you spend every waking moment in service to Church, your husband, children, and community. Combine this service with the task of always sleeping with one eye open, and the thought of having a true vacation where you can fellowship with other believers, have fun in the sun, and sleep all night long without interruption starts to fade.

If you are in a hurry and want the Reader’s Digest version then this is for you: My son has epilepsy and is headed for probable brain surgery within the year, he has a seizure response dog, Lucia, that we love dearly but usually wakes Amy at least once a night, my daughter is 5 and usually wakes in the middle of the night a couple times a week, I am a Sales Manager so I travel a good deal (80 nights in a hotel so far this year) and while I try to help, Amy carries most of the responsibility of the work at home. Amy speaks to patients and caregivers with Epilepsy at least once a month, she leads a Tuesday morning Bible study at Church that is reviewing EVERY book of the Bible, she helps co-teach a Sunday morning class for recently married couples, my daughter is taking dance lessons, my son is in Tae Kwon Do, and has a physical therapy and occupational therapy appointment every week and in her free time (laugh to yourself) she is working on becoming a better speaker and writer so she can share the hope and love of Jesus with other women. The most amazing part of all this work and service is that she does it with a cheerful and eager heart to serve others.

I try to take my wife on short 2-3 day mini-vacation getaways every 3-4 months so that she can recharge but she doesn't like the thought of us both being away from my son without being able to drive home or catch a direct flight at a moment’s notice. She needs a Girl’s Getaway vacation so she can unplug from all the stress and connect with other Christian Women having fun. I will try to cover while she is gone for a week, but I am not sure I can do all that she does even for just 1 week. The truly scary and intimidating part for me is not the above, but the thousands of little things she does every day that no one appreciates or understands; like putting my daughter’s hair up or what she packs in my son’s lunch every day. Those are the things that are intimidating and make her and most mother’s I know deserving of a Girl’s Vacation Getaway. I think Anita Renfro got it right when she put this sequel together about What Dad’s say in a day.

What makes Amy’s situation truly unique and the biggest challenge contributing to her physical and mental tiredness is our 8 year old son, Spencer, who has epilepsy. Since June of this year, his epilepsy has not been under control and we have made at least 3 Emergency room visits and called EMS at least twice a month. We are now in the beginning stages of the process for our son to have brain surgery. This extraordinary step is necessary because my son has a type of epilepsy called Status Epilepticus, which basically means that once he starts having a seizure it will not stop without significant medical intervention. During the summer of 2007, he seized for so long at the hospital that they had to airlift via helicopter to another hospital in the Atlanta area. This thought and fear is always on her mind and as a result she always sleeps with one open on the video monitor watching my son while he sleeps to make sure he is not having another seizure.

One last thing, Candace spoke at our church (Hebron Baptist) over a year ago and my son wanted to know where Amy was going for the evening. Amy explained there was Women’s Speaker at Church that she was going to hear. Spencer asked lots of questions and then responded with, “Tell DJ I said Hello and make sure you have your picture taken with her for me.” Amy was encouraged that evening by Candace’s talk but she missed out on that picture opportunity. Winning this contest would give her a second opportunity to get that picture with Candace that my son wanted.

Please select Amy as your Girl’s Getaway Cruise Vacation winner so she can have some fun with God, other Christian women, and rest without the every day stresses on her physical and mental condition and sleep with both eyes closed for at least 4 days in a row.

Submitted by Greg, Spencer, Mary Lyndsey, and Lucia.

Midweek Motivation - Praying your ABC's

I'm over at Writer Interrupted today for Midweek Motivation. Come join me.

My daughter has been learning the sounds for the alphabet and how to write her letters in preschool. The ABC song is now the song of choice in our car every morning. We pray every morning on the way to school too. Recently she said, “Mommy, let’s pray our ABC’s this morning.” Not a bad idea.

To read the rest of this devotion, click here.

Sweet Blessings,

Amy

Playing Catch Up

Whew! It's been a crazy few weeks. We've had so much going on, it seems I haven't been able to catch my breath. Where do I begin? I've been promising pictures and other updates for weeks, so this is my catch up post.

A couple of posts ago, I told you guys I was headed to Women of Faith in Atlanta. It was incredible. I had a great time with three of my best buddies, Carol D, Janet and Carol H.

We not only enjoyed the conference, but we headed to The Cheesecake Factory at midnight on Friday night. Oh the stories we could tell :-)

Sweet Times, Sweet Food and Sweet Friendships. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend! And Carol H and I have decided this is our new theme song.

Right after WOF, I left for Canton, Georgia for CLASS. It is a speaker training program started by Florence and Marita Littauer. I attended a few years ago in Texas, but I wanted a refresher course, so I attended as an alum since it was being held so close to where I live.

It was a great conference, but what made it even more fun was I got to meet and room with Melissa Mashburn from Mel's World. We had a blast! She is the sweetest, coolest girl! We definitely hit it off and hope to make plans to get together again soon. It's so cool when our bloggy world friends become our real life friends too.

When I returned from CLASS, I finally got to see the movie Fireproof. I loved it. If you haven't seen it, go see it. I highly recommend it! And if you have seen it, go see it again! We need to support movies like this. I think it kind of shocked people that it ranked number 4 on opening weekend in limited release theaters. I hope the numbers will hold and it will continue to do well.

You could probably tell from my Faith Lifts post yesterday we are trying to make some decisions about Spencer's healthcare. We are trying to determine if we want to pursue having epilepsy brain surgery and if so, where to have it done. I covet your prayers during this time of trying to make the best choices for him and his future. We have had one small seizure in three weeks so he is definitely doing better. He is still really tired from his medication increases though.

And in the middle of all of this craziness, I am trying desperately to get ready for the Glorietta Christian Writer's Conference. Carol and I are presenting this year and are finishing up the last touches on our workshops. We are also busy trying to get the stuff we want to pitch to publishers completed. If you think about it, lift up a prayer for us and for our families while we are away.

By the way, I have been very neglectful of passing along awards given to me on this blog and actually completing any tags I have. I'm so sorry if you have awarded me or tagged me and I didn't pass it on. Like I said, it's been kind of crazy.

I do want to thank Michele at Michele's Morsels Beelieve for this award. I will eventually get around to passing it along I hope.

I hope you all have a great week. I will be back tomorrow for Midweek Motivation with Writer Interrupted.

Sweet Blessings,

Amy

Decisions, Decisions

Have you ever been faced with a tough decision? I'm not talking about where to go to dinner, which movie to see or which color shoes to buy. I mean the kind of decision where you truly do not know what to do because it affects your or someone you love's future. What do you do when you are faced with such a decision? When you need wisdom? Many people will tell you to weigh the pros and cons. They will say you should choose whatever has the  greatest potential for a good outcome. But what are we to do as Christians?

To read the rest of this devotion,  click here and come join me over at Faith Lifts.

Sweet Blessings, 

Amy

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Still Calls Me Son

I saw this song on Leila's site this week and I just can't get it out of my head. Aren't we all prodigal children at times?

Luke 15: 11-24

11Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.
13"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.[b]'
22"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

When will we come to our senses? He's waiting with open arms for us to return.

If you don't really want to know the answer... don't ask your kids.

This morning as we were getting ready for school I casually asked Mary Lyndsey if I'm a good mommy. Heavens, I don't know why I asked this.  Maybe it's because I recently read Lysa TerKeurst's post about good mom, bad mom. Anyway, I wondered how my five year old would answer and the curiosity got the better of me. 

Here is what she said: " You are good when you let me do what I want to do, but when you yell or make me follow the rules you're not so good."

Hmmm... I wonder if this is sometimes how I feel about my Heavenly Father. My human nature wants to do what I want to do. And when He doesn't allow it or disciplines me, then I sometimes wonder about His goodness.

Friends, God is Good. All the time God is good. He only disciplines because He wants what is best for me. Sometimes I am hardheaded (read stiff necked)  and don't listen... during those moments, it may seem like He has to yell to get my attention. If I had only done what He asked in the first place and didn't always have delayed obedience, things would run much more smoothly I think.

When I reminded Mary Lyndsey of all of the wonderful things I do for her and provide for her (you know like taking her to Build-a-Bear and Olive Garden for her birthday, making her chocolate cupcakes, playing Hungry Hungry Hippos - things that rank way up there on the list for a five-year-old) she said she forgot I did all those good things. Then she said, maybe you are a good mommy.

I'm signing off now to go list in my journal all the good things God has done for me, His bountiful blessings, to remind me how good He is. I don't want to forget them.

Psalm 100:5  For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Sweet Blessings,

Amy

Oscar Meyer Weiner revisited

You might recall I was at Women of Faith last weekend. One of my favorite parts of the weekend was seeing Nicole C. Mullen perform. I love her music and it's so fun to watch her dance on stage with the group of teenagers she mentors. One of the teenagers is her daughter and another is her nephew Andrew Thompson. Here is a clip of them dancing and singing.



When they introduce the kids, they always have Nicole's nephew sing the Oscar Meyer Weiner song. In 1997, when he was four years old, he beat out 65,000 kids from across the nation to sing the Oscar Meyer Weiner song. He was a guest on Oprah to sing then and again in 2007. Take a look.



All that talk about Oscar Meyer weiners made me hungry. It also made me want to revisit this post from January.

You guys know this song… “Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner that is what I really want to be. Cause if I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner, then everyone would be in love with me.” (I know - now you are going to have this tune in your head all day… but at least it isn’t “It’s a Small World.”) I’ve decided that there is truth in this song. I’ll explain more in a moment.

Did you know that a recent survey showed Americans consume 20 billion hotdogs each year? That equals 70 hotdogs per person a year. I don’t know about you, but somebody is eating my hotdogs. I really don’t care for hotdogs all that much; however, sometimes when I am watching television at night with my husband, a commercial for Sonic will come on and they will show a foot long coney with cheese and chili and mustard… or a Ballpark Franks commercial will come on and some little kid will be smiling while eating a hotdog…and right at that moment…I REALLY WANT A HOTDOG! Sometimes that commercial is then followed by a Coke commercial. You know the one where you hear the ice tinkling in the glass, then you hear the familiar pop of the can or of the lid being unscrewed, then you hear the pouring and fizzing of the Coke over the ice and then the person gulping. Well then, I REALLY WANT A HOTDOG and A COKE!

The power of suggestion is amazing isn’t it? Advertisers use it to their advantage all the time. One night several years ago my husband and I were watching television and a “Be like Mike” Gatorade commercial came on. Greg got up, went to the refrigerator, got a Gatorade and sat back down. He did it without even thinking about it. I made fun of him that he was too easily manipulated; but the reality is when we see someone else enjoying something; we often want that thing too.

Wouldn’t it be great if we as Christians used the power of suggestion to advertise Jesus? If others saw us enjoying Jesus so much that they wanted Him too? If our lives were so changed by the presence of the Holy Spirit, that others wanted to be like us? I am currently teaching an Angela Thomas study called “Living Your Life as a Beautiful Offering” and in it she says: “When I am empty or without spiritual hunger, if I can come alongside someone who desires God, then I feel my spirit being renewed in their presence… After I have been with a spiritual giant, my heart is renewed. My spirit longs for more of God. She has sloshed out Jesus and made me thirsty.”

This is where the truth in the song comes out. I kind of want to be an Oscar Meyer Weiner so everyone would be in love with not me but Jesus in me. Changed so much by my Redeemer that people want to know what the difference is. I want to have people come alongside me and hunger and thirst for Christ because I have “sloshed him out” all over the place. I want them to see Him in me and then want to taste Him too. Christ says in the Sermon on the Mount “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6) In this day and time when so many people are searching for something to fill them because they feel so empty – shouldn’t we be advertising Jesus as much as possible with our lives? We should let them know that He is worth hungering and thirsting for (much more than a hotdog and a coke). Let’s let our lives make others want to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8)

Gotta run. Sweet Blessings. I think I'll fix hotdogs for dinner tonight.
Amy

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Audio Adrenaline

Sorry I haven't been around this week. It's been kind of crazy. As soon as I returned from Women of Faith, I left for a conference. I've been playing catch up the rest of the week. I promise to post some pictures from WOF and from CLASS soon. I had a great time and learned a lot! Thanks for all of your prayers for Spencer. We are almost two weeks seizure free. Keep praying!!

Heard this song on the radio today and just had to sing along. I forgot how much I liked this one!

Enjoy! Have a blessed weekend.

Amy

Faith Lifts - I'm Not Strong Enough!

Have you ever faced a struggle or crisis in your life where you cried out to God? "I'm not strong enough. I can't do this. Can you take this burden away from me?"

To read the rest of devotion, join me at Faith Lifts.

Sweet Blessings,

Amy

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - Trading My Sorrows

One day this week I was really overwhelmed with the fact Spencer's seizures have increased so much. I kept questioning God, wondering what He's up to. You see, I know He doesn't waste anything. If He is allowing the seizures to increase and continue it is for a reason. I'm not sure what the reason is but He has a good one... because He is good. 

Anyway, I was having one of those days where I was crying out saying "Just give me a verse. I need something." This is what I found.

When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love O LORD, supported me. When my anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. Psalm 94:18-19

He is the one who gives joy even in the midst of our circumstances. 

I'm trading my sorrows for the Joy of the Lord!

I'm singing this with the Women of Faith singers this weekend!

Have a blessed weekend!

Amy

Women of Faith - Here we come!

I probably won't be able to post much this weekend or next week. I'm headed to Women of Faith in Atlanta on Friday and Saturday and to CLASS on Sunday through Wednesday. I'm excited to see what God has planned. I am in desperate need of some spiritual renewal ladies and I am going expectant.

I'm also excited to spend time with some new friends and some old!

Carol and I are headed out tomorrow and will meet Janet and the other Carol at the conference. Then on Sunday, I will pick up Melissa at the airport to head to Canton for CLASS.

I know we will have a blast. I'm excited to meet Melissa in person after getting to know her through the blogging world.

I'm so excited to be attending WOF again this year. I actually had decided not to go because of finances and CLASS being right after. I didn't want to be gone from the kids that long. I was whining and complaining about not attending because it would have been the first year in the last six years I wouldn't be there. Then, I got a phone call from Carol D.... she had four tickets and a hotel... was I interested in attending? Greg said go. I was blown away. God knew I needed this time and He provided a way. Isn't He awesome that way! 

I will post TSMS on Saturday and I'm over at Faith Lifts on Monday. Then, I will share all of my wonderful pictures and stories about my fabulous weekend when I return :-)

Please pray for Spencer to not have any seizures while I'm away. (By the way... we saw the doctor yesterday and he increased his medication and put him on one new med. We also started the process to get tested to see if he is a candidate for brain surgery.  I will keep you all posted as we find out more.) Also please pray for Greg since he will have the children all weekend. He's a pro, so I'm not worried. I'm a little upset that I'm missing Mary Lyndsey's actual birthday. It's on Monday. I can't believe she is going to be 5! Of course she has snack for her preschool class on her birthday and class pictures... both while I'm away. You can add her hair to your prayer list too... that is the one thing daddy is not great at doing. I can't wait to see what these pics will turn out like :-) She and Spencer are excited because GrandDee and GrandJudy are coming to stay with them this weekend too. I know they will be spoiled when I return. 

Anyway, thanks for all of your emails and prayers about Spencer. Please continue to lift him up in prayer. See you Saturday at TSMS. In the meantime... here's a look at where I'll be this weekend!

Sweet Blessings,

Amy

What a party - and other random things!

I know I haven't been around the last few days. It's been kind of crazy here. We had ML's party on Saturday and the girls had a blast. We enjoyed having family here and ML loved all of her new gifts.

You might remember I prayed that Spencer wouldn't have any seizures on Saturday during the party. Well, he didn't have any on Saturday... but he had one on Friday night, two on Sunday and three yesterday. We finally got an appointment with the doctor sooner. You might recall we had been praying for a quicker appointment. We had moved from Oct. 27 to Oct. 1. Today they called and moved us from Oct. 1 to tomorrow. I know prayer works, and I thank all of you who prayed for us to get in to see the doctor sooner. Now I'm asking you to please pray for the appointment to go well and for us to make good decisions on how to move forward with his treatment. (and you can always pray for no more seizures!)

I don't have much time to post tonight, but I wanted to share these pics from the birthday party. Also, I'm sorry I didn't get around to everyone's post on TSMS Saturday. Like I said, it's been crazy here. I usually try to visit everyone, so if you were new this week, (there were several of you) and I didn't get by, I'm sorry. I'm so glad everyone who joined in did, and I hope you will all come back next Saturday. I think we had an all time high on TSMS this past weekend. I'm thinking of doing another give away when I get to 50 people. Ya'll spread the word!

Blessings to you all,
Amy

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Then Sings My Soul Saturday - On My Knees

Hi Friends!

So glad you stopped by for another week of Then Sings My Soul. I'm posting a little early because we are having a birthday party for Mary Lyndsey tomorrow. We also have a Birthday party to attend. Don't you just love it when everyone in your child's class has a birthday in the same month?! We get hit in September and October and don't have any time to recover before Christmas... and Spencer's birthday is in December. I'll be buying presents for the next three months.

Anyway, before I talk about the song I'm posting this week, I'd like to ask for your continued prayers for Spencer. We just had another seizure about an hour ago. We didn't have to use the rescue med because it backed off. I'm holding my breath tonight that we don't seize again. I really do not want to take another trip to the hospital. It hasn't even been a week since we were there. And... I really don't want to interrupt Mary Lyndsey's party tomorrow for her sake. I think she already feels like Spencer gets more attention sometimes.

For those of you who have been praying for us to get an earlier Dr.'s appointment... your prayers were answered. We got a phone call today and they were able to get us in October 1 instead of October 27. Keep praying for no more seizures. Also be in prayer for us to have wisdom about some upcoming decisions about his treatment.

OK... I know you came by for the TSMS post, so here it is...

The song I'm posting this week is "On My Knees" by Jaci Velasquez. This used to be one of my favorite songs. I was reminded of it this week as I've tried to spend more time in prayer.

You might remember a few weeks ago I talked about being "prayed out" or just tired of praying. Well, it's interesting that about that time, I started having trouble with my right knee. I can't even hardly walk up and down the stairs in my house without being in major pain. I used to laugh at my grandmother and my mother-in-love when they complained about having to walk up and down the stairs in my house. Now I know why they avoided it. I went to a PTA meeting at Spencer's school on Thursday night and it was downstairs.... down a lot of stairs :-) I started to look for the elevator because I almost couldn't bear the thought of the pain I knew I was going to experience going down them.

Sometimes when I'm walking, it is almost as if my knees are going to give out and buckle underneath me and I am going to hit the floor. I have to wonder if it isn't God trying to tell me to "get on my knees" and if I continue to be so rebellious as to not spend some more time there, He will put me there. See, I've been trying to stay busy and distracted instead of dealing with some issues head on with God. He does have a way of getting out attention doesn't He?!

So, I guess Jaci says it best... the way to survive in laughter and in pain is to be on your knees.

I hope you all have a blessed weekend!

Amy