I went to the dermatologist yesterday and my leg is so much better! The redness is gone, the pain is gone (thank God), and what is left are the bug bites. I could have sworn the other night, as pin pricks came exactly where the bites are, that surely the bugs had buried themselves in my skin and were coming out. I know, that sounds gross, right? But that's what it felt like - and interestingly, a couple of the bites had open tops when I got up - did I scratch them? I don't know. I told the doctor about them, but it didn't faze him. He did order another 5 days of antibiotics and a cream to put on the bites to keep them from itching. He also thought that I didn't need to come back, that they would take care of themselves and heal. He said the antibiotics would heal from the inside the trauma of the bites; the cream would take away the itching. Whatever works I'm all for! After applying the itching cream last night, I slept well. Of course that could also have been from getting only 4 hours sleep the night before.
I printed off two calendars yesterday - one for November and one for December - and filled in things going on that I had a part in. Realized that although I only speak one time in November, I have the first two, and the last week of December. I need to set aside time and get busy on those December messages. I'm already working on the one for November 10th. It's a lot of work, but I do enjoy sharing Jesus with these people, whom we have come to love. I got the calendars all labeled, and wow - it is full! So glad that I do the majority of my Christmas shopping online! Yes, I miss sales and pay more at times, but it does make it convenient for me. And as I do every year, I wish I had started earlier in my shopping. But then, I do have several things already - mainly for the great grandchildren - they are the easiest to buy for. Hubby is bugging me for my list again this year. What should I tell him? I've started writing down a few things - clothing, that can be replaced, i.e, new pajamas (not flannel). I have some that are pretty old, and although still in good shape, they can be replaced. Other than that - what? Amazon gift cards of course! LOL Or my usual - JoAnn's or Michael's. Hobby Lobby is good too, although I don't get there often. Why do I like Amazon cards? Tee Hee - So I can buy more books of course! I am way behind in my reading like I want to, though. I checked my Goodreads the other night and I am still on schedule - 40 out of 50 books - which I've already passed my 35 goal for last year. But ten more books by the end of the year - and accomplish all I want to for Christmas? Probably not going to happen - and I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I'll just reset the goal for 50 again next year and push toward completing it.
I finished the latest blanket last night and I am ready to start on the first quilt for Christmas. It may be the only one I get done since I do them by hand. I may have to dig out the sewing machine though - I don't know if I can get it completed as fast as I want to. But it is important to me to give this one. But it won't be for Christmas unless I get one more done. Yeah, this one is for a little girl who will have a baby sister at the first of the year. I want to give her one when I get the new baby's done. It will be a lot of work to cram in among everything else, but I will strive to do it. I still have a couple months. The material I chose is like the king quilt I had made for her grandparents a few years back. I have good thoughts - and am hoping I can finish it the way I want to.
I sent the email off yesterday to my daughter and granddaughter, and I waited. It was a couple hours before my daughter called to discuss it with me. I'm hoping she understood what I was saying about us staying home. She said she and our granddaughter had talked about it (wonder what was said!) and were trying to understand. The burden I was carrying around about being gone the six days and being a burden on others lifted and I felt so much better. Even hubby commented last night that although he really misses the grandson, he is ok with not going now, and started talking that perhaps after the snow is gone in the spring, we can get a trip scheduled out there. Will see. He can't drive it - and neither should I. They will have a new baby in May so their travels will be limited as well. At some point, we will see them; facetime is a good substitute.
As we are coming up on Thanksgiving next month - (do you realize that November is only 2 days away??) - I am finding myself thanking God more often for the life He has given me, for the things we have, for the friends we share, oh for so many things. Paul said in Thessalonians to 'give thanks in all things'.
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV): Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
What are some things that you are thankful for? If we paused and really thought about the things that we have - are we thankful for them? LOL The thought that just popped in my mind was 'I'm thankful for indoor toilets!' Having had the 'outdoor' experience growing up when visiting Granny's house, yeah, I can really appreciate the indoor ones! I can distinctly remember it was in the 70's before they had water indoors (we used the well for water before) and before they had an indoor toilet. I remember running, most times, down to the outdoor potty and enduring the smell, the spiders that seemed to live in that little wooden building and finding a Sears and Roebuck catalog to look at while sitting there - if you had to sit there long enough to look at it! Most often it was run down, use it, and run out of it. I bet that is the most fertilized area of the entire yard. I was always terrified of the spiders and watched them carefully when in there. So, yes, I'm thankful for indoor toilets! And I bet you are too, even if you haven't experienced the outdoor! (At night we were allowed to go behind the chicken shed - but it was so dark we often were too scared to get that far!) And yet, I have many fond memories of 'Granny's place'.
In everything give thanks. It's hard to give thanks in the tough times, isn't it? But isn't that because we are so caught up in the lack that we forget to be grateful for what we do have? We take food on the table for granted. We take our cars running well for granted. We take money in the bank, jobs we have, friends we have, good health, so many of these things we take for granted. Even when we have sickness in our bodies, we should be thankful. Why? Because we have an opportunity to use it for God's glory. We may be 'angry' that it happened to us, but what if God allowed it to happen to turn your attention to Him? What if it happened so that you could turn your life around that you could live a long life? What if it happened so that you could teach your children about the goodness of God? We can take the 'bad stuff' that happens to us and turn it in to good.
For example - should I be thankful for the bug bites and my reaction to them? That might be a stretch, but yes, I could. It gave me a couple days conversation to write in here, did it not? Did you find my little story interesting? Did it make you think that perhaps if you stay in a hotel you need to iron the mattress to see if the bugs pop up before you sleep on it and get bitten? I'm thankful that I know now to do that. Sure, we don't travel often and stay at a hotel, or anyplace, for that matter, but now we know to be more careful. Think about it - thousands of people have slept on the hotel mattress before you have. (things that make you go 'ewwweeee') even though there are clean sheets (hopefully) on it. I did buy a light that is to show any bugs or fluids on the sheets, and I will definitely iron the mattress cover before taking a chance to sleep on that mattress! So yes, I can be thankful for that little tidbit, even though I have 'suffered' through a tough couple of weeks with pain and now the itching as it finishes healing. In all things, give thanks.
It's tough sometimes to give thanks in all things, isn't it? But we need to. Even in the bad stuff, because God will turn it around for our good. Keep thanking God for what you have; keep praising Him for your children and grandchildren (even though some may break your heart), keep verbalizing the good things and ask God to help you be thankful for the hard things. It isn't easy, trust me. I'm thankful we had the invite to go to New Mexico; it felt good to be included. I'm thankful when our children include us for dinner - and I'm willing to pay our own way. It's being a part of family that we are thankful for. And I'm thankful that family tolerates hubby and I and our little ways of saying or doing things. You don't understand it now, perhaps, but at some point, you will find yourself in our position.
And with all that - I'm starting to ramble and I need to get off here. I need to think about some things and get started on my day. Hope that your day is full of thankfulness and joy.
Blessings!
