Big Adventure Day 1

Since lately I haven't been feeling well , I've decided to share some of my old stories that I've written way before my blog ever existed . This one comes from a visit to one of my Anna who happens to live in Texas .



Hey all ,
Guess what ? It's time for another great adventure , but this time I'm visiting my good friend Anna in Dallas Texas.

My big day begins here at home in Chicago as I attempt for the very first time in my life to RIDE THE METRA INTO UNION STATION ----ALL BY MYSELF . That's right . I'm not kidding . I did it .Yes , I did . I have to say that the whole experience reminded me of the movie "Romancing The Stone" .The scene where she is taking the bus in Colombia with all these people and the chickens . All those people with their feet dangling up above me.
 
I took Amtrak like I always do . I love to ride the train . For me it is so relaxing with their comfortable chairs that have a footrest that pulls out .There was noone beside me so I pulled out both chairs and since they don't have a divider it was like a bed for me .You have so much room that you could stretch out completely .

You have a cafe , dining car , an observation room with windows from ceiling to floor . Really cool !!! There is even  a dressing room just for that . Did I say I really love riding the train ?

Had some real interesting people on broad with me .There was an elderly gentleman who complained constantly----when he wasn't at the bar though . He might have just stayed there at the bar lounge but instead he kept walking back and forth the whole time .
Then there was the kookie young girl that drove everyone insane accusing them of looking at her the wrong way . She also kept getting up and changing her seat .Then she took out her baby powder and sprinkled it all over the seat .Did I say she was kookie ?
Then there was the lovey dovey young couple , lets call them Nancy and Joshua , who did all these  " AAAHHHHH " things together like play cards and bet with their M & M's .

  I started thinking , what do you suppose they all say about me ? Yeah , look Nancy , its that woman going to the bathroom AGAIN.

When I finally got there , Orlando and Alonso ran past me not recognizing me at all . Must be all that weight I lost. HAHAHAH!We all went out to this Buffet Style Restaurant but with a Mexican flavor .Very good . After eating all that food I just wanted to take a nap ,but no , Anna , drags me to Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum . Bought some souvenirs for my two , Joe and Emma .They both got a Texas t-shirt and I bought a dream catcher for Emily . She's been looking for one forever .

Again , I said how tired I am but Anna takes me on a tour of Duncanville and the new place where she's moving to .Then we decided to go to church for the 6 p.m. service and I finally  dozed off in the car with my mouth open and drool hanging out .Yes  , very pretty , I know .That's when her pastor drives past and waves a hello .

Did I tell you that at Ripleys they also have a wax museum , so I took a picture with Tiger Woods . I hope the paparazzi don't find out and label me girlfriend number 135 . I also felt Rocky Balboa's muscles and how was your day ?

Have a Blessed day everyone .

A Broken Mirror

I wrote this in 2011 . It has become one of my favorites so I hope you enjoy it , too.



It all started when I broke a mirror . It was in late September on a Saturday night as my mom and I were getting ready for a wedding . I completely shattered the entire full length mirror into kazillion pieces!! Not a million but kazillion pieces!!!!! Oh well , seven years....

Yet , I had the best time ever . I can't even remember when I enjoyed a wedding more .This wedding was something else . It was full of young people who danced and danced the whole night .The DJ didn't take a single break ! I felt like I was in a club .That's the way it should be . Life is for the living .

I looked around and saw us old folks just sitting and watching .Thats how life really is .The young are so full of expectation and wonder but most of all.....impatience for tomorrow to come .What are we?We're tired .We know what tomorrow will bring and it won't always be pretty .

In the same week , Emily had an opportunity to see Emeril Lagassi ....LIVE !!! How great is that . He was coming to Arlington Park and do a LIVE show and you could meet Top Chef finalists from different seasons . It was like a food festival where you could try different dishes and  wine too . It was FREEZING !!!!
But it was worth every goose pimple on her body .

Emeril prepared his famous Emeril salad ,roasted chicken , spiked tea [ I wonder what he spiked it with} and steak dog wrapped in bacon . It was so cold and no sun at all . Did I tell you it was outside ? Everytime Emeril yelled out STEAKDOG the sun would come out . It turned into a game with Emeril and the crowd screamed  STEAKDOG just so the sun could come out .

She came away from the experience with autographs of the top chefs and pictures of Emeril which we framed  .The funniest thing of all is that she goes to food festival loaded with food and what does she bring home ? A small apple.Thats my girl .
I told Emily not bad at all considering I broke the mirror into a kazillion pieces .Then she proceeded to grab another mirror,"Lets break this one ,too".

The thing is that I haven't been feeling like writing lately .This happened in late September and here I am writing about it now .Now you could say that its the broken mirror and seven years bad luck that kept me feeling down and not writing .That is not true because , you see , I believe in JESUS CHRIST not lady luck .

Have a Blessed day everyone .

Hello Joyce

For a very long time , I have wanted to venture out of my spiritual comfort zone . Spending the last six years in home groups , reading materials on my own , I've a desire to do more . I want to learn and develop my spiritual relationship with Christ as much as I can .

At the start of this year , I've made a mental promise to myself to get out into the world and do workshops , lectures , conferences and retreats whenever possible . . . . anything that will challenge me .

When I found out that Joyce Meyer's was coming to Milwaukee , Wisconsin I knew an opportunity presented itself . I also knew whom to ask to join me . My niece Kathy is a person who loves an adventure and has an open heart to try something new or different .
Of course , we were going together .

The conference started at 10 a.m. which meant we had to leave like 7 in the morning . Since I work all night , it meant there would be no sleep until late afternoon . Actually , I slept only 2 1/2 hours before going back to work that night .

None of that mattered . I had a great time ! Joyce Meyer's is everything she appears to be and then some . I would gladly see her again . All that aside , the fact that I was able to act on a personal goal meant everything to me . I can't wait to see what is around the corner . Women of Faith Conference , maybe ?

Have a Blessed day everyone .

News Flash

Well , my fears have been confirmed and the building has been sold . We have new owners . The change will occur halfway through May . Am I pleased ? Far from it . Not all change is good . I'm afraid of our rent being raised considerably  among other things . Just the thought of packing everything up and moving is overwhelming , definitely not what we were planning for quite awhile. Besides all that , I'm not really surprised it sold . The building has been kept in great condition . You could see the previous owner took great care of it .  Change , we don't like it , do we ?

On to better things . My health has been great so far all because of my attitude . Eversince , we have made the decision to cancel this current treatment  and opt for a different one , I'm just so happy that this worst chemo ever is done . It's done ! I don't even dwell on the symptoms . They won't be coming back anytime soon .

Now . . . .for the good stuff . Tomorrow , I plan on going somewhere great and seeing someone even better . It has been one of my goals this year and I'm extremely happy to see it realized . So my friends , it's a short one today . Until tomorrow , have a Blessed day .

An Obstacle Course

When I first learned of my cancer , my thoughts centered entirely on my recovery . That's everyone's first priority . Unfortunately , that only exists in a perfect world and we all know this isn't one .
In this society , a person facing a chronic illness , also faces unsurmountable obstacles thrown at all angles and red tape .

Who knew your job could be at risk ? Not many people have short term disability at their place of work and therefore , are at risk of losing their position because of attendance or capability issues . Sometimes , you have to walk away from your job because of your physical handicaps .

Another major issue happens to be your health insurance . We never really examine the options when the time comes to renew our health coverage . What does it really cover ? Or maybe you have no health insurance at all . What does a person do then ?

Then there is the financial side . Most of us , live paycheck to paycheck without any savings hidden away . No one really expects illness to happen . It really sneaks up on us and basically we're not ready . Even if you do have a nest egg , it can quickly disappear since chronic illness can last a lifetime . What if new health issues develop ?

What if a person had all of the above ? You think you are covered for all emergencies , but if I learned anything during these three times , you can never prepare enough . Once you become sick , everything changes . Suddenly , you are thinking on a broader scale and concerns arise that you've never thought about before .

It's unfortunate that we can't just focus on getting better . Instead , we are faced with so much paperwork to fill out , spending hours on the phone . It's really a shame that a person's health condition is another's business opportunity . This is the world we live in now . I'm constantly thinking ahead to what can happen in the coming months . Maybe , disability is in the future , who knows ?

Have a Blessed Day everyone .

Getting Results

Every week , an organization called  " Phil's Friend's " sends me a Get Well card with an encouraging note or testimonial inside . This week , it was a letter from someone who was about to get test results regarding her cancer . As I read it , it dawned on me how very much alike we all were when it came to an illness .

Did my cancer get better ?
Was it worse ?
Was I completely healed by a miracle ?
What would be the next step or course of action ?
Would this next bit of news change my life forever ?

Immediately , Linda comes to mind . Just a few days ago , Linda came up to me asking for prayers since some tests were due and she was afraid of the results . I instantly wondered if Linda was asking herself those very same questions . I'm almost sure she did .

We all seem to feel the same emotions , think the same thoughts , have the same doubts and fears . We all want the test results to say the same thing . We all hope for the illness to be kept at bay or gone forever .

I can write something witty and intelligent , offering some wisdom on how to deal or overcome these feelings , but that would be a lie . I can guarantee that I will ask those same questions when my tests are due . I can promise you , I will spend a sleepless night worrying about something I cannot control . My temper will flare inflicting pain unto others without meaning .

It seems that no matter what type of illness we have ( heart disease , stroke , cancer ) we share the same emotions and fears . We experience the same pain and relief . We are united in surviving . There are no right answers . There is only relief in knowing that we are not alone in being scared . We have to lay all our fears at His feet and learn to have faith that He will deliver on His promise .
We will be healed , either here on earth or in heaven . We need to believe that ! Have a Blessed day everyone .

A New Project

God amazes me continuously not just with His Power , but just with who He is and what He does .

 Last Fall , my huge project ended and I was left feeling a little like an empty nester . That project overtook my life so much that when it was gone , I felt empty . I felt like I needed to be doing something else , but couldn't figure out what that " something "  was . I continued making more slippers , but somehow that didn't feel right . I tried making children's hats  and again , the same feeling persisted . Nothing felt right .

Now , looking back , I can see why He wanted me to wait . During these past months , I haven't been physically able to crochet . He knew that . He knew my hands would be crippled by the chemo . He was telling me to wait . Heal first and then we'll start something new .

It's so difficult to wait , isn't it ? We don't want to wait for an answer, we want it now . If we don't get one right away , we try to force the issue ourselves . Forcing the issue brings nothing but disaster . Remember Sarah ?

I think that a part of me was afraid of losing touch with my donators of yarn . If I didn't keep moving , then all the yarn suppliers would dry up and when I needed it the most , there wouldn't be any , right ? People would forget about my ministry work . Or maybe , I was afraid of not going back to it , but putting it aside for years to come .

I could come up with many reasons , but the truth is that the time wasn't right . As I move forward with the new treatment , my body starting to heal slowly , a new opportunity arose for a project . I can't share every detail , but I can say that I will be making blankets for the homeless and nursing homes .

I feel so excited about this project and hope I can make many blankets . As always , if there is any yarn out there laying around in an attic or basement , I will gladly take it . Prayers are also welcomed .
For now , Have a Blessed day everyone .