What's Black and White - Justice

Scrapbooking My Faith - Ch 3 Persons of Influence

My page titled "What's Black and White - Justice" is a pic of my hubby right after we were married. This is my favorite black and white pic and probably my favorite pic of all of my hubby. i love the way the shadows from the sunlight and window blind coming through the window fell across his face; like a beard. His hand up beside his face barely shows his wedding ring. His gentle, sweet baby face behind that trooper uniform never seemed to match the authority he carried - "a privilege to serve the people", he would say.

But the man i know could handle the lace i placed underneath the journaling i did and know it didn't take away from his masculinity. lol. The fabric background has clam shells on it bc he loves the Chesapeake Bay area where he grew up on the water. The soft lavender paper has embossed hearts through the paper. My title is kind of a play on words'; if you knew my hubby you would understand.

The journaling says, "though you served justice, you also knew mercy, love, and compassion. i loved you then and because of those i love you more even now. all my love."
i think the page might have had more impact if i kept with black, soft whites and gray. any suggestions?

What News

ok hubby was finishing his prayer time just before going to work. He met one of the cleaning ladies in the hall. She asked him if he would consider giving to a charity for the female barber. Then she proceeded to tell him the lady had beat breast cancer but now the cancer was in her brain, lungs and throughout her body. that was devastating news for my hubby to hear.

he called me but hung up w/o leaving a messasge. So when i called him back this is what he shared. As he was sharing i began to laugh, this is something God does for me, i laugh when the enemy comes in and tries to snatch something. He said "I hesitate to share something like this with you but i figured you would respond just the way you did." i can't emphasize enough we need to communicate all our feelings to one another.

I said maybe we, out of our own struggles, need to give generously to help her with medical bills. and share about naturopathic treatments too. We should not become so self-centered we can not see other hurting people too. and most importantly we need to begin praying for her - find out her name. You know i believe he needed to hear this bc he needs to refocus.

GOD IS FAITHFUL

Treatment

wow ok now this is interesting - my friend that prays with me every morning suggested a cancer treatment ctr from a commercial she saw last night. and then - when i arrived back home from walking my dog hubby calls with a number to call of a couple that work for a cancer treatment ctr. you guessed it - the same center. what's a girl to do!! forgot to say the center is in PA.
they evaluate you over three days - they meaning surgeon, oncologist, naturopathic, clinician and spiritual leader. wow! whole mind, body and soul.

i talked to my son's girlfriend and found out my son is really struggling with me having cancer. but my decisions at this time for no chemo, no radiation are what's troubling him more.
you see he is the one i share with and he shares with me - he's open to what the Lord is doing in his life. So we move on to the next spiritual level together and see where God is leading.

I'm fast-reading several books i received yesterday - Outsmart Your Cancer and Beating Cancer with Nutrition. i went to my naturopathic today. looks like the big guns are being pulled out for me to begin taking. i'm pretty sure i've arrived at the decision to stop working probably after next week.

my body is tired too much of the time and my mind seems to be shutting down at times - not good when working with money.

A Painted Picture

So much to say - well on Saturday i felt very impressed to pick up two books at the bookstore. One i will share right now. God began to speak to me about my Word for 2010 - its a little thing he started to do with me in 2008. The book is called The Season of Joy - Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis. Little did i know as usual it was a setup. You would not believe how many times the word or variations of the word "Wonder" are in this little treasure to me. BTW my 2010 word is WONDER
my hubby was struggling on Sunday, could not say much without tearing up. We took a ride and listened to the music - titles being - Catching Snowflakes On Your Tongue and STille Nacht. what peace this music brought to us.

He knows what we have need of before we ever do. God knows how i desire His joy. The titles in the book: The Joy of Wonder, The Joy of a Family, The Joy of Friends, The Joy of Music, The Joy of Giving, The Joy of a Baby.

i asked my hubby to consider buying a guitar to play to me during this time.
i feel very much that his playing will bring healing to my soul in ways he would never realize. i look forward to being serenaded by him. looking forward and not behind.

wonder - awe; that's what this word leads me to. wonder-full, wondrous, wonderer, wonderland, wonderwork, wonderment, wonderfully, all i can say is i'm wonderstricken.

Hawaii and Inspired Tags

Sister Birthday

i called my sis on her birthday. wondered if she took her phone to Hawaii for vacation. don't know that i would have. She is having a blast with my cousin and aunt all expenses paid by our cousin.
Wow good thing i called while she's there bc my cousin extended the visit to me - room and board taken care of just buy my plane ticket. Um! wonder if i can fit this in before surgery. lol
what a treat that would be. My sis was so excited sharing about all she has seen so far and that my cousin was flying them over to the big island and they were visiting one more island too.
My cousin treated them to a dinner cruise on my sisters birthday. She so deserves this time away from all of her responsibilities. When she gets home i will tell her about my diagnosis.
But for now let her enjoy her break away from it all in peace and joy.

Inspired Tags

my art took back seat when the mammo/ultrasound was scheduled. i just could not concentrate.

But i had two deadlines looming by EOM. So i needed to figure out a way to step back into art.

What better way than to do repetitive tags, 25 to be exact. The tag was to be something about yourself and required a pic of self. So i made an inchie head. I don't do "self" stuff. BUT GOD had already prepared me at the end of last year through now to begin buying pink fabric, even breast cancer fabric. HE had also began teaching me to love the color pink. He has such a sense of humor.

So from there the above tags have been created and mailed out to Cheryl, who will collect all and send me back my 25. I am looking forward to these and have a feeling they will mean more to me than i realize right now as time goes on. If not for the cancer i could never have put a crown on my head - so this was fun and humorous and freeing.

Peace bc He Loves Me

i now have a peace about possibly the doctor that will be doing my surgery. Hallelujah!!
Here is another "aha" moment with God. He was speaking to me last week about daisies and that little thing we do with "he-loves-me, he-loves-me-not" and had me focus on the words "He Loves Me".

Well today while shopping at Walmart i went into the Inspirational book section. A book titled, you guessed it, He Loves Me, caught my eye. Its by Wayne Jacobsen. Just in time,
God is always right on time.

Tomorrow i go for an MRI, prayer appreciated. thank you very much.

Outstanding vs Blessed

i won't quote this correctly but hopefully you will get the jest of this. Yesterday at church i heard this said, "when physical strength gives out - your training leads to the mental endurance." spoken by a Navy Seal-in-training.

the message was

"Jesus' Word for Outstanding is "Blessed."

- many stuck in one place like in movie Ground Hog Day settling

for the same over and over and over.

But Jesus gives outstanding Promises to give us outstanding life.

Jesus mystery - let go of what you are holding on to to get what God has for you

-you're qualified bc of what Jesus did on the Cross for you.

make a choice

1- keep showing up with imperfect people to the Body of Christ

He's tracing out your lives together.

Hebrew 10

2- keep looking up - He's with you in circumstances conforming to you to His beliefs

believe what the Word says about you

Hebrew 12

3- keep giving up Matt 16 follow Me take up your cross

the Cross is an instrument of execution

give it up

Have Passion to live big-keep giving up

and i love this story shared

there was a ship stranded in the sea fearing death bc of no drinking water,

they could see a boat in the distance and sent an sos about no water.

the ship returned a message to "let down your buckets".

the stranded ship couldn't believe they were telling them to do this in the sea

but what they didn't realize was they were near the mouth of the Amazon River.

A river of fresh water that feeds into the sea where the ship happen to be stranded.

Jesus is a river of fresh water in our seas of can't sees.

Who's willing to "let down their bucket today" to receive that fresh water?

Mr Bubbles and God Winks

On the day i worked on the previous scrapbook page i was given my guardian angels name - Mr. Bubbles. Who knew that "Mr. Bubbles" the bubbles every child loves to play with was celebrating 75 years last year through one of the oldest toy company's. My boys loved bathing with Mr. Bubbles when they were little.

Now my hubby was struggling when he went back to work with my diagnosis. He approached a young lady that works in their cafeteria and said, "You look like you are a prayer?" She replied that she was. So he shared our circumstances with her and ask her to pray for us. Her response, "You know my mother is the lady at women's imaging that everyone talks to when they find out they have cancer." Who knew - what a God wink for my hubby - that God would be so personal to him. He stood amazed. But i just laughed bc i know that is the kind of person God is.

Yesterday another gentleman he plays golf with sometimes ask him how his wife was. He said, "Oh you already heard?" The guys response, "I was just asking how she was from the ER visit. What are you talking about?" My husband shared the results at which time the guy responded back to hubby, "You know my wife had breast cancer and she has wig books, and she went through chemo and radiation and is fine. Except now she has come down with leukemia." Ok another God wink for my hubby and a boost of spiritual adrenaline for hubby - God is listening and encouraging my hubby to look to HIM. i just love it!!

In His Image

In His Image

Scrapbooking Your Faith

my first layout went rather easily together. surprise, surprise! a painted, stamped tissue paper background. with cardstock paper stamped with hot pink circles, my favorite Bible verse ripped out of a torn, old Bible (very hard for me to rip out), fabric stripe circles, my middle son at age 1, ribbons with stripes, circles and saying "Hugs and Kisses".

i wish i had not put the breast cancer sign where i did, but trying to remove to different place was taking off the paper backing. it will have to stay there. it competes with my son's face. you see i'm learning about layouts.

live out loud - happy b-day hubby

Peeping Toms





i just love this aluminum power drink can postcard from janis.
I call it "peeping toms". i didn't notice the green eyes until i scanned it in.



isn't that the way in life
- we miss so much bc maybe we are "navel gazing"
instead of enjoyingthe life we have
right where we are within the circumstances at the present time?

i feel so saddened by the fact my news was delivered right
before my hubby's birthday.
it seems to suck the happiness of the occasion right out of us.
he has to work today, and i have to work tonight.
but
2 of my sons will take him to dinner and celebrate his life.
i am so thankful to him for the life i have had.
he has made all the difference in the world.

i love the sermon we heard on sunday.
appropriate for the news we were delivered.
our #2 most powerful force in the world - fear
but
our #1 most powerful force in the world - FAITH.
he explained 3 men born to be Kings -
Adam, Saul and Jeroboam
all allowed fear to rule them.
fear will make you hide, fear will make you lash out
at the ones you love the most and fear will
make you hold back.

BUT
David even in fear worked through it.
David understood his God was faithful.
live big - live deep
Go deep within field tested in fearful places of life.

Di's ATC birthday card

Di's ATC






i was amazed at this beautiful ATC for more than one reason. The biggest reason the shape of the fiber and the color. Looks like breast cancer symbol to me! um, thank you God it had such a great impact on me when i opened it. and thank you Di for sending it with the extra fabric and this lovely fairies panel.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

My favorite scripture in the Bible is Psalm 139.

here is a poem by Joy Morgan Davis

ART APPRECIATION

Lord,

Sometimes when I look

At my life

It seems like a homespun

Patchwork quilt...

Quaint but not quite "together"!

There are bits and pieces of

Cloths and colors.

Scraps of material,

The days of my life.

When you began to put together

The days of my life

You must have known

Where each piece would go...

You've told me that I am

Fearfully and wonderfully

Made.....

And I believe You, Lord.

I do!

I may not be a velvet tapestry,

But even crazy quilts

Have purpose,

To give warmth and

Cozy comfort and

Color to a room!

Whaever I am, Lord,

You made me...

Lovingly,

Carefully,

Reverently,

And exactly right!

Its Definite

so they say today. i went back to have the titanium clip inserted into my breast. looks like that "c" word has become part of my vocab. Prayer for my hubby and sons - the greatest gifts to me-ever. Besides having Jesus Christ as my anchor!!
my hubby was angry and scared, my oldest wept like a baby, my middle son hugs and more hugs, my youngest silent.

where does my help come from - from the Lord

who gave me life, life eternal.

my hubby began to pray for me before bedtime

and

i, i broke out in wild laughter.

God has done that for me before. Laughter is good medicine.

the journey, he says we walk together.

but at times i know i'll walk it alone

or

be carried by HIM!!

Great Is The Lord

i just watched this great commercial where the this guys ceiling starts to drip from a leak

- its raining.

he places a pot under the drip to catch the water then continues reading his book.

another leak forms and he gets another pot to catch that leak.

the leaks continue so he grabs all his musical instruments and places them underneath the drips.

the sound - magical. the thought process priceless.

Psalm 48:1

GREAT is the LORD and greatly to be praised.