tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51354897450497419502024-02-20T11:35:44.383-08:00The Lady in PredTackling RA, gluten, and teenagers one day at a time!The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-67620269478386651622013-04-29T11:13:00.001-07:002013-04-29T11:13:14.702-07:00Grace(To blog or not--it had become more complicated than it should have been, in my mind at least. And so I sat out for a while, deciding, reordering, fixing priorities and myself until I could either shut this down for good or continue without what other people thought or said (or didn't say) creating such problems for me that I couldn't write or think about the blog with any decisiveness. I am continuing.)<br />
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When people ask me these days how I'm doing, I give one of two answers, depending on how the day is going. Either "ok" or "well." "OK" is for those days when to say fine or great or anything else would be lying. I used to do that, but finally gave up the ruse. I am ok, no matter how I feel. At my core, I am doing ok but my body may not be following along. Some people will say, "Just ok?" Their tone may be concerned or accusing. They may want to know more, or they can't believe that I'm not putting on the perfect face and pretending all is well.<br />
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But lately, more and more, my answer has been "well," or "really well." And some people want to know more. "A new medicine?" "What has changed?"<br />
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And the answer I give them? Grace. It's just grace. A reprieve, finally. Some time to breath in and out. There are things I do, things I've learned to do that I think help. But I do those same things on the bad days. And so I answer Grace. If they want to know more than that, then I tell them the rest.<br />
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I'm taking 4 mg of prednisone and plaquenil. I've added fish oil and turmeric. The turmeric definitely helps with pain, though it is a bit hard on my stomach so I don't take it daily. I've also added some magnesium citrate (a low dose), as I could no longer take any pain medicine without a rebound headache. Guess what? Can take a low dose of pain meds again when I need them! There's a lot being written now about magnesium and our body's need for it. Give it a google. Don't buy the cheap stuff--unless you want to spend your time in the bathroom.<br />
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I make sure I get enough rest. This is difficult for me--there is so much that needs to be done and getting extra sleep gets in the way of that! But the less I sleep the sicker I am. If I sleep I have less pain, more energy and I'm happier. I get more done when I am awake. For years I saw my kids off to school every morning, but two years ago, during my shingles bouts, I started sleeping in. I've never stopped. The kids at home are 16 and they get along just fine without me in the mornings. :) <br />
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And, of course, I eat gluten free. I also jump into a paleo diet occasionally. Right now I've cut out dairy for a bit. Only the gf is permanent, but I try to feed my family fresh and organic. Some of them are happier about it than others!<br />
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My gp helps me stay on top of my anemia, which I find makes a huge difference in how much energy I have. I take B12 shots every month and make sure my iron stays up.<br />
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All of that doesn't mean I'm completely well, but I'm better. I feel good much of the time, even when I'm hurting. My hands won't stand much hard work and my feet won't walk even a mile without becoming really inflamed. But they'll get me through my days without complaining too much. I've gone to most of my kids' activities this year and am teaching a Wednesday night women's class at church for the first time in years!<br />
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Grace.<br />
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Yesterday morning I got up early and joined my family in downtown Oklahoma City at the OKC Memorial Marathon. I cheered while most of the fam completed the 5K and my son ran the Half Marathon.<br />
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Many wore red socks in honor of those in Boston. My oldest daughter ran in honor of a close friend who died last year. We were all there together. Even Mom. Oklahoma City seems such a special place at Marathon time, remembering a horrible event but making something so good out of it. I was happy to be to be part of it, even in such a little way, proud to watch those of mine cross the finish line even if I couldn't.<br />
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Grace. And more than enough of it.<br />
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SherryThe Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-5092052092899797232012-11-19T12:46:00.002-08:002012-11-19T12:46:23.048-08:00Thanksgiving. . .and Giving Thanks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yesterday, as I sat in worship, my 15-year old son took my hand for a moment during a prayer. He is protective, watches out for me. And that small, gigantic gesture swelled his mama's heart so big with love and gratitude that even today I can hardly stop thinking about it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I type this, I glance down at the note his sister recently left on my computer: "I love you beautiful Mommy."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">These precious gifts come in the middle of the swirl of teen drama and meltdowns and busyness. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The leaves turn lovely and fall from the trees, and I buy groceries and cook and watch basketball games and do mounds of laundry and listen to a girl chatter on and play her drums and piano. I walk and limp slightly but walk and walk and bake and talk and read and sleep (and if I could only sleep a little more. . .) and take the college girl to tea and gather with friends for Bible study and prayer and thanks giving. And gratitude lessons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last year at this time, I had no idea what this year would be like (do we really ever?). I thought I might not be able to leave my house or take care of my family. ( <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2011_11_01_archive.html" target="_blank">Granddaddy</a> <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2012/02/walking-thin-line.html" target="_blank">Walking a Thin Line</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But this year, quite unexpectedly, I can breathe, and I am not housebound and my RA is at least behaving moderately most of the time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And I am thankful. Grateful. None of us ever knows what tomorrow will bring, but today, Today is good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks Giving. Indeed.</span><br />
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<b>Psalm 34:1-4</b><br />
<b>I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.</b><br />
<b>My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear, and be glad.</b><br />
<b>O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.</b><br />
<b>I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.</b><br />
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<br />The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-29977022487627457542012-07-20T09:39:00.000-07:002012-07-20T09:39:06.572-07:00Ahhhhh. . .Summer!Dropping into my blog for a quick update. . .I've got plans for this place, but not the time right now to implement them. Some little changes coming up when time allows. Soon.<br />
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I have been counting blessings this spring and summer.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OKC Memorial Marathon</td></tr>
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Husband and kids did the 5K--so proud of them all!<br />
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We gave honor to whom honor is due with an anniversary party for my parents. Thank you Mother and Daddy, for everything!<br />
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My two youngest painted houses at work camp and then went to church camp. My oldest worked and had an internship, writing BLOGS for a marketing department! I packed gluten-free food for everyone as they came and went and came and went.<br />
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My boys went wilderness trekking--my son's dream since I read him <a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Side-Mountain-Jean-George/dp/0525450300/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342799622&sr=1-4&keywords=my+side+of+the+mountain" target="_blank">My Side of the Mountain</a> in second grade. They summitted a 14,000 foot peak in Colorado, hiking 25 miles in and out! They were gone for just over a week.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole group!</td></tr>
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And finally, we took a short family vacation to New Mexico. My college girl could barely get away, but we squeezed it in and were glad we did! These times together are getting more and more rare but I so treasure them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowers outside the little house where we stayed! Gorgeous!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Medical update: For those of my rheumatoid friends--I've stopped taking Orencia and methotrexate. No more. So--no more shingles and no more breathing problems. There seems to be no permanent damage to my lungs, though I'm still occasionally short of breath. Though I miss the pain relief, it is lovely to be without the mtx side effects each week--the one day of nausea, fatigue, headache, etc. I would begin to feel sick as soon as I drew the stuff into the syringe! </span><br />
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AND. . .I'm actually feeling pretty well! Not perfect. Not pain free. But without the shingles and their viral counterpart, and by sticking carefully to my gluten-free, lots of veggies and fruits diet and getting plenty of rest, I feel pretty good! I'm decreasing my prednisone per the directions of the infectious disease specialist and trying to let my immune system rebound. I'm down to 5.5 mg and have lost a little weight.<br />
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And I am thankful, thankful, thankful for the prayers and grace that have brought me to this place this summer. I am aware that without them I would not be feeling so much better. This is the first summer in three years that I have really felt well enough to enjoy it!<br />
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<br />The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-80486055810321101902012-04-24T13:18:00.000-07:002012-04-24T13:18:39.190-07:00Peace. . .and back to MarchOn my way to a lab appointment to today, I tried to remember the Serenity Prayer. It's been a while since I recited the whole thing, and I stumbled toward the end. I had to look it up when I got home.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">God grant me the serenity</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> </span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><b><div style="text-align: center;">
to accept the things I cannot change; </div>
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courage to change the things I can;</div>
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and wisdom to know the difference.</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Living one day at a time;</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> </span></b></div>
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Enjoying one moment at a time; </div>
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Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; </div>
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Taking, as He did, this sinful world</div>
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as it is, not as I would have it; </div>
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Trusting that He will make all things right</div>
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if I surrender to His Will;</div>
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That I may be reasonably happy in this life </div>
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and supremely happy with Him</div>
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Forever in the next.</div>
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Amen.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><i><b>--Reinhold Niebuhr</b></i></span></div>
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There is wisdom for me right now in those words. Learning acceptance, wisdom, <i>enjoying</i> one moment at a time. Courage.<br />
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And a phone call from a friend, especially kind words of encouragement, acknowledgment reminded me that some people have a special talent for that. And of this quote which I read yesterday on <a href="http://momastery.com/blog/" target="_blank">Momastery</a>.<br />
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<em style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">“The plain fact is that the world does not need more successful people, but it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as our culture has defined it.” – David Orr</em>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000;">". . .</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">It needs people who live well in their places."</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 22px; text-align: left;">In March, we finally took our long-awaited family camping trip--the one we had to miss in the fall because I was too sick. And really, waiting was worth it. I am feeling much better right now; I was able to get reservations into a park we'd wanted to visit for a long time. We had a wonderful log cabin with a stone fire place in beautiful southeastern Oklahoma.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 22px; text-align: left;">It was precious family time. Our college girl came too--time with all five of us is getting rarer and rarer. And it was one of the best times we've ever had. The younger kids fished like crazy--and caught nothing. But they had so much fun doing it. We played games, rented kayaks, built fires, and spent and hour or two singing one evening. You read that right--singing :)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 22px; text-align: left;">At first the kids were sharing their favorite songs on i-tunes, but it turned into singing and in the end, they all serenaded ME! We are not a family of beautiful voices, but it was the best singing I've ever heard, and one of my favorite nights with them all, ever!</span></div>
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Peace be with you today.<br />
Sherry<br />
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<br />The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-71975257377086102482012-04-05T09:43:00.000-07:002012-04-05T13:58:31.741-07:00Friends<span style="font-size: large;">I am still trying to process the month of March. I put up a post and took it down. An introvert, I have to think things through before I can really explain and write or speak about them.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The March post will go back up when its ready, with it's sadness, sweetness and glory. But not yet.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My youngest daughter and I were talking about friendships this morning, how different personalities need friends in different ways, but we all do. Her extrovert brother surrounds himself with a big group. She is happy with just a few close girlfriends. I hold tightly to my friends, even from long ago, value them, try to stay in contact. I tell my children--people are always more important than things, than status, than popularity. People are to be cherished.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Each stage of life has brought different relationships, and some stages have brought loneliness. Right now, as I am mostly at home and most of my contemporaries are busy with work and volunteer obligations--as I used to be--I often find myself at lose ends, wishing for more time with friends. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And yet even now I have a small group of friends who intentionally make time for each other every week for Bible study, who years ago dropped our masks and sat down together to pray and share. What would I do without them? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Life is hard, difficult, joyful, even sometimes brutal. And it is not meant to be lived alone. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What role do friends play in your life? If you have a chronic illness, how well or how much can you communicate about it with your friends? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-87354448784684274292012-03-04T13:22:00.003-08:002012-03-04T13:22:50.202-08:00Happenings at Home<span style="font-size: large;">I didn't want to leave that last post up too long! Thank you, everyone, for your sweet comments. On a more positive note--here are some highlights from our family life of late. Counting my blessings is easy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My husband had another birthday--and we surprised him with an at-home fiesta and some of his favorite foods. The kids helped cook and decorate and it was tons more laid back and fun than going out! (I first caught this guy with my homemade enchiladas, so I make them for him every year on his birthday.)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His mustache wasn't sticking any longer!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">About that same time we hosted another Japanese student who was just here for about a week. It was her first trip to the United States, and we had such a great time getting to know her! We love you, Miyu!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXN8nYTclruiuo8Xyshi-17b1pgv_66ksVIlV4X6zLf5KPkZ96gSG7HyUprgkTmYEatwJ6X2BX8v-okUew1DDmq4sAZxc6ydT6Mul5eOUM_AftQlk1a0rjNhsWR6ZqwQ45l1upug__wPs/s1600/miyu+and+becca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXN8nYTclruiuo8Xyshi-17b1pgv_66ksVIlV4X6zLf5KPkZ96gSG7HyUprgkTmYEatwJ6X2BX8v-okUew1DDmq4sAZxc6ydT6Mul5eOUM_AftQlk1a0rjNhsWR6ZqwQ45l1upug__wPs/s400/miyu+and+becca.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At an OC basketball game with my girls.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For my son, basketball season ended--and baseball season began. He hasn't played baseball since sixth grade but decided to try it again this year. Their first game was just a few days ago. He's still a little rusty, but he hit an in-the-park-home-run! Of course I'm one proud Mom! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vgTcfGQTL3w3iXZ3jd66i2FTOdmE6D2zajEzr2QhNflxImyTtWcqnZ1QdmJvGKZ-8udwoyM9r9jbgyPkpT_0XhChoqmr52kt4KLsSnZ8JvUGZVIUxX0X33G8Mykt9HRH0cF5VytjMXE/s1600/alec+homer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vgTcfGQTL3w3iXZ3jd66i2FTOdmE6D2zajEzr2QhNflxImyTtWcqnZ1QdmJvGKZ-8udwoyM9r9jbgyPkpT_0XhChoqmr52kt4KLsSnZ8JvUGZVIUxX0X33G8Mykt9HRH0cF5VytjMXE/s400/alec+homer.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A friend got this great picture! Look at the ball just leaving the bat!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">No pic, but his twin sister, Miss Music, competed in District Solo competition on marimba this weekend. We won't know how she did until tomorrow. . . But I know she did great! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm really not one of those moms who believes every kid has to have a "thing," but I am glad my two youngest have found activities that they love. Every child is different. Their older sister tried lots of different things without narrowing it down--I think she loved people and socializing more than the activities themselves.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This weekend was Spring Sing at the University she attends (and where my husband works). I think this is one of the most fun and busiest weekends of the year for her and the other students. It's a variety show/competition between the social clubs on campus. It always leaves me smiling-singing-laughing!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her club's show was about astronauts. She danced on the side<br />because her foot is still sore from breaking it in China!<br />Mom's prejudiced but I think she was the cutest Space Shuttle ever!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tmr6E5SQBL2KHujhyphenhyphenNNzE72Q2oCDnmCgnMaU-FVFg-4FnmAQXqyCVvFA8wmieJoKQObn50de-kCVrRZvmj05TgvYWF7f1GXKP-g3syoW5SOQS2MAUytaPGtHiefCDDQa4AW1rIOmrdY/s1600/han+and+jas+spring+sing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tmr6E5SQBL2KHujhyphenhyphenNNzE72Q2oCDnmCgnMaU-FVFg-4FnmAQXqyCVvFA8wmieJoKQObn50de-kCVrRZvmj05TgvYWF7f1GXKP-g3syoW5SOQS2MAUytaPGtHiefCDDQa4AW1rIOmrdY/s400/han+and+jas+spring+sing.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the BF, whose club's show was about Mario Brothers.<br />They placed fourth overall!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UZnyVDFAOdANdz0Y8cETfNq4wxdo5rYzjtZtTngCwXfzkiVaKqt0IunAoqK5gCvgqxm4jjB_HOw0U5NjAvZcq_klHMebKFdEn5Hrp9RVrS9IG94gMoHCCBkhMNjHpvH3qKs3PH9uqac/s1600/spring+sing+girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UZnyVDFAOdANdz0Y8cETfNq4wxdo5rYzjtZtTngCwXfzkiVaKqt0IunAoqK5gCvgqxm4jjB_HOw0U5NjAvZcq_klHMebKFdEn5Hrp9RVrS9IG94gMoHCCBkhMNjHpvH3qKs3PH9uqac/s400/spring+sing+girls.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls--tired and happy!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So you see, as usual, life is going on around here! Wishing you all many blessings--</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Sherry</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: #f9fdff; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.</b></span></span>
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<span style="background-color: #f9fdff; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>Romans 12:12</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-50456303062332024142012-03-03T09:23:00.000-08:002012-03-03T09:23:47.278-08:00Failures, Flubs and other UnLovely Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QNf0r_3qvN9RZhMNgeCjh_6AJIQusCogf3yr5qouyP5Lcl-I80aWI4RPRDb2PwnjGVuzUpbFlm5a6nu9HtpNd7F5Njvr5CothVnCXlyWYMue5dHwUjKT9ReSCg9RuQ_h7MGvivlFIgQ/s1600/christmas+2006+edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7QNf0r_3qvN9RZhMNgeCjh_6AJIQusCogf3yr5qouyP5Lcl-I80aWI4RPRDb2PwnjGVuzUpbFlm5a6nu9HtpNd7F5Njvr5CothVnCXlyWYMue5dHwUjKT9ReSCg9RuQ_h7MGvivlFIgQ/s400/christmas+2006+edit.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
This is our family Christmas card from 2006--the year I first came down with RA. My husband found them in a box in the garage a few months ago. They were stamped and addressed but somehow, inexplicably unmailed. I have no idea.<br />
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There was also a stack of thank-you notes, written by the kids to grandparents and great-grandmothers and aunts and special friends. All ready to go. Not mailed. Two of those great-grandmothers are gone now, and I am filled with regret. Again, I have no idea.<br />
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But these are not the only failures over the past few years. I've missed birthdays and baby showers and wedding showers. The list goes on and on.<br />
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I'm lost as to how to even write this. I lost friends. I've apologized to a few, but I'm certain that those apologies have fallen short--I am not the same person I was six years ago, and I cannot go back. Making amends is a long process. To those I've let down without even knowing it, I apologize. I wanted to do better.The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-90544536866371809852012-02-29T17:44:00.001-08:002012-02-29T18:02:20.575-08:00Walking a Thin Line<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3A9mcTO3UANy4fsGPOeSv3ZixTNULlixtXArd6KZPr5cdb-Nd4JzJ5m_KpmshYDSkywVP49RuCIcI-TNIPpmoOYigB8l_viAh5vz5Z2FZqzrg4tZGTSHLVA11LNeXv7moFHux4UixYek/s400/Flickr-5212671343" width="320" /></span><span style="font-size: large;">When your doctors start apologizing to you, you know you're in trouble. It's not a good sign if you feel the urge to reassure your doctor as he or she leaves the exam room. The last couple of times I've seen my rheumatologist and his p.a., they've both apologized. My gp has apologized. Until I had RA, I never realized how many patients there were who doctors don't know how help.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> And now I get to be one of them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After repeated rounds of shingles over the past 20 months and a severe lung reaction to methotrexate in the fall (methotrexate lung or hypersensitivity pneumonitis), I'm walking a very thin line. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Every time I suppress my immune system, I come down with shingles--so no more Orencia or kenelog shots or higher doses of oral pred. Over Christmas, with an oral pred dose of around 15mg and overdoing it a bit, I managed to have a small outbreak. My lungs are also still sensitive, so I still have days when I am short of breath, though that does seem to be improving. With both of these problems, there is no standard treatment. No one knows what to do next. And so that thin line.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Right now I am taking only hydroxychlorquinine, about 7mg prednisone, and celebrex for my RA. In other words, not much, but it's holding fairly well for now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So it's the quiet life for me. Plently of rest. As little stress as I can manage (I have teenagers in the house, so that doesn't always work!) A really good diet (oooohhhhh--I want a some sugar so badly!) with as many fruits and veggies and good foods as I can stand in a day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm trying to both avoid shingles and an RA flare. My RA is somewhat active now, but I'm getting by with topical pain relievers (lidoderm patches, ketaprofen cream), prayer and some stronger pain relief when I need it. But even this is a double-edged sword, as stronger pain relievers have started giving me rebound headaches, and I have to limit them in order for them to be useful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My family is letting me sleep in every morning rather than navigating the morning crazies--and I am grateful for those two awesome teenagers who are old enough and independent enough to get themselves off to school and do their own laundry (and who sweetly kiss me goodbye before they leave).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am trying to embrace the quiet rather than let it wear me down. When my children were small, my middle sister said I had the loudest house she's ever heard (and she has four kids)! I love the hustle and bustle of my kids and their friends coming and going.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But right now I'm praying for healing in my immune system. I'm accepting God's sweet presence here with me. It's almost spring outside. I don't know what this one will bring--it has been a difficult year, and if my body does not cooperate, I could hear more apologies from my doctors. I see an infectious disease specialist next week, so I'll find out if there are new ideas there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Just a couple of weeks ago this was in one of my devotional books--<em>Jesus Calling, Enjoying Peace in His Presence, </em>by Sarah Young. From February 15:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>Thank Me for the conditions that are requiring you to be still. Do not spoil these quiet hours by wishing them away, waiting impatiently to be active again. Some of the greatest works in My kingdom have been done from sick beds and prison cells. Instead of resenting the limitations of a weakend body, search for My way in the midst of these very circumstances. Limitations can be liberating when your strongest desire is living close to Me.</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">And so I am waiting quietly, mostly peacefully. Walking, painfully, that narrow line. I know some of you are walking it with me. I am praying for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Sherry</span></div>
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<br /></div>The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-84801680589562599332012-02-13T10:47:00.000-08:002012-02-29T13:45:24.101-08:00The End of My Girl's Trip--New Zealand and AustraliaI promised I'd be back with the rest of my oldest daughter's semester abroad, and though it's taken me a while, here it is! January must be the most difficult month of the year to keep up a blog--I notice many of my blogging friends taking breaks also. I'd rather cozy up to the fire with a book, fold laundry (really?), just about anything else than sit down with my computer and write! But I want to wind up telling you all about her trip to the Pacific Rim, so here goes:<br />
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After her wonderful time in Japan, the group moved on to New Zealand. She says now that though Japan was one of her favorite parts because of the home stay, she really loved New Zealand and Australia. She was surrounded by so much beauty there, and it was so good to hear English spoken again.<br />
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In NZ they began their time with a few days in a Marae, sleeping on the floor and experiencing life as the original peoples of New Zealand would have.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIP59nDmut4ZTSSPYFDBfK4nSl02332CL-1rYaiLppQ4TXSmKBc8vMCvbQsHYHWs7-gmTFl1jjF5D-FCvG1ZvZlVTYMRc14AteTUW4ZEr0Q_4_G9qM9SO4aGINGarj68yqY0JtW0MnTU/s1600/marae+nz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIP59nDmut4ZTSSPYFDBfK4nSl02332CL-1rYaiLppQ4TXSmKBc8vMCvbQsHYHWs7-gmTFl1jjF5D-FCvG1ZvZlVTYMRc14AteTUW4ZEr0Q_4_G9qM9SO4aGINGarj68yqY0JtW0MnTU/s400/marae+nz.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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From there, they moved on to a family's home on Waiheke Island, New Zealand. Eating gluten- and dairy free in NZ was relatively easy. The mom where they stayed first kept her spoiled with gluten-free pancakes each morning--<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdQLHTkbANLDw9_H4kRRO2IcLORF3mxkbI7brZvekZz7ktCX8OJOndew_BR0PNVLSDWiutkaDumWjZZWuz7tEJPlzeHUCr-FIymW2Yjkb6U6gVqhilLkymFU7YZRGSHCj8YozSyzXZ2I/s1600/gf+pancakes+in+nz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdQLHTkbANLDw9_H4kRRO2IcLORF3mxkbI7brZvekZz7ktCX8OJOndew_BR0PNVLSDWiutkaDumWjZZWuz7tEJPlzeHUCr-FIymW2Yjkb6U6gVqhilLkymFU7YZRGSHCj8YozSyzXZ2I/s400/gf+pancakes+in+nz.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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And she had no problem finding cafes and restaurants with gf offerings!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloMbJkhtb0e0LKPi6hExbT2ZVQZ25fg3Vp2RcWtuaYcotei6YGWZISo8STchKI7d2FBzGt5uaVqttMMbrABHaVF5TMicQBH3Lj32da0KxIMAImtmV6w1sn2hoUte1fkhgBHRDMIcaiWQ/s1600/gf+pasta+near+blackpool,+nz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloMbJkhtb0e0LKPi6hExbT2ZVQZ25fg3Vp2RcWtuaYcotei6YGWZISo8STchKI7d2FBzGt5uaVqttMMbrABHaVF5TMicQBH3Lj32da0KxIMAImtmV6w1sn2hoUte1fkhgBHRDMIcaiWQ/s320/gf+pasta+near+blackpool,+nz.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GF Pasta on Waiheke Island</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusZJsCYe0IHC4VWXNIHBx37dY4aVTQL2E8KEbXZLUvXcaFzwf2y2AUHVUtedgAhpi9j0wY_rWKNisoGSQZ85NvYB5pC0SmLGHx4CLqxJwSJl-TmOZn7H3qOAGxBXHVGMAFF9muRhFBxc/s1600/gf+cappuccino+muffin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusZJsCYe0IHC4VWXNIHBx37dY4aVTQL2E8KEbXZLUvXcaFzwf2y2AUHVUtedgAhpi9j0wY_rWKNisoGSQZ85NvYB5pC0SmLGHx4CLqxJwSJl-TmOZn7H3qOAGxBXHVGMAFF9muRhFBxc/s320/gf+cappuccino+muffin.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GF Cappacino Muffin</td></tr>
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But she was most excited about the pizza! A few years ago we read that Dominoes had gluten-free pizza in New Zealand and Australia, and she couldn't wait to try it. Sure enough, as soon as she could, she ordered a Dominoes gf, cheese-free pizza. And ate the whole thing. Not just once, but over and over again. Here's the first one: (And I know, only someone who is pizza-deprived would really understand how excited she was at this point in the trip!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlwt5kuai6HQIaaTJ30W4zjrS_dehnFZrKRaR6h6lvW6-r3WD7PqrnHf2yu7V-XIpCRSnlq6wizcFm-ssIEAxKjuob_4GEw_aWCP1ovhAPkGWu25d7MRSckCk13wQ3qkQhhqAZrZZaVg/s1600/dominoes+pizza+in+nz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlwt5kuai6HQIaaTJ30W4zjrS_dehnFZrKRaR6h6lvW6-r3WD7PqrnHf2yu7V-XIpCRSnlq6wizcFm-ssIEAxKjuob_4GEw_aWCP1ovhAPkGWu25d7MRSckCk13wQ3qkQhhqAZrZZaVg/s400/dominoes+pizza+in+nz.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her first pizza in months!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecNmBvZrH1VFVPZhOzn6iYX1mu0kqymvvJ4PkxzUxcEvbB04YxBuVkvJzUCHrldait3gxf7hqEyEzFFpRxzt5XoPWqbEWTuUEWWxf_Z0Mf_iR84FRGnU2kvQ2CACznEoiH-KRlkBvwyk/s1600/dominoes+box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecNmBvZrH1VFVPZhOzn6iYX1mu0kqymvvJ4PkxzUxcEvbB04YxBuVkvJzUCHrldait3gxf7hqEyEzFFpRxzt5XoPWqbEWTuUEWWxf_Z0Mf_iR84FRGnU2kvQ2CACznEoiH-KRlkBvwyk/s400/dominoes+box.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice the Gluten-Free sticker on the mid-right of the box</td></tr>
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In Australia, it rained much of the time she was there, which delayed and changed many of the group's plans. But they continued on in spite of the rain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLtgXuQgvdrxhEkrCDqNYiBT2a0mtLTO1GHoK5AYIIo-RwdHjrC48HNUVzn5PqnlfkTKP2HTvZ0UMZJnKn1lHXQuOEYb1XXeQsdoY1PIioeLJ2VwvTSF7SFji29zMwiASQTthenRF3lU/s1600/sydney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLtgXuQgvdrxhEkrCDqNYiBT2a0mtLTO1GHoK5AYIIo-RwdHjrC48HNUVzn5PqnlfkTKP2HTvZ0UMZJnKn1lHXQuOEYb1XXeQsdoY1PIioeLJ2VwvTSF7SFji29zMwiASQTthenRF3lU/s400/sydney.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the harbor near the Sydney Opera House</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSsbeqkxTr_XggigBuMZxfYKiSYHDXH3PUh1bx1MdZcfovv1A12EEhWvprTOoEhd2HJMxhCBXdeH36BTZ0TVLB_96Dz64kxfm2G07KWj0LShyyDElnPwJ6GyQWzlDCF93P3VmXxDs8z8/s1600/rainy+beach+hannah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSsbeqkxTr_XggigBuMZxfYKiSYHDXH3PUh1bx1MdZcfovv1A12EEhWvprTOoEhd2HJMxhCBXdeH36BTZ0TVLB_96Dz64kxfm2G07KWj0LShyyDElnPwJ6GyQWzlDCF93P3VmXxDs8z8/s400/rainy+beach+hannah.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the beach, but not swimming because of the rain!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMzPD8CmFgPCHwXfBlbWluql0IXLNx7_KSWfWlIy8juWNAIfm8K9-iuENYei3lKcDj3WQyy6MKVsulwy1QB3SiZ3470ywBNFONroqoT9iZN0D8QFlYx0pQMkCdjGjpRjBZ8YSPW4hKMY/s1600/kangaroo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMzPD8CmFgPCHwXfBlbWluql0IXLNx7_KSWfWlIy8juWNAIfm8K9-iuENYei3lKcDj3WQyy6MKVsulwy1QB3SiZ3470ywBNFONroqoT9iZN0D8QFlYx0pQMkCdjGjpRjBZ8YSPW4hKMY/s400/kangaroo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seeing a kangaroo at the zoo!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcdoRlLB-y1I-fRr-qfHQ8WO1dHonPWSAeLADxmYClzjK8FVxebidOcXT9feI4dBZhVJq3b0QGEsqmfnBEs9ahMlhmrm592wspikUOW8sxCacBfav8LRRSFE7o0DonqWPO79PMOhFkBo/s1600/kangaroo+burger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcdoRlLB-y1I-fRr-qfHQ8WO1dHonPWSAeLADxmYClzjK8FVxebidOcXT9feI4dBZhVJq3b0QGEsqmfnBEs9ahMlhmrm592wspikUOW8sxCacBfav8LRRSFE7o0DonqWPO79PMOhFkBo/s400/kangaroo+burger.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And eating a kangaroo burger for Thanksgiving Dinner.</td></tr>
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She easily found gluten-free/dairy free food,<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbKSKAQDgOklBrXZphzdcY-1twF45gPwci-XgjxqRNi2HfJZ_oGPCaHUzZa02tjXqebKXY1RpN9ZAEMr7lhxfu_6eyDvTf0I0LTFx7APYr-wCWIxcXI6DbHb-wvV26LUslWZH8IHdeQQ/s1600/allergy+free+cafe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbKSKAQDgOklBrXZphzdcY-1twF45gPwci-XgjxqRNi2HfJZ_oGPCaHUzZa02tjXqebKXY1RpN9ZAEMr7lhxfu_6eyDvTf0I0LTFx7APYr-wCWIxcXI6DbHb-wvV26LUslWZH8IHdeQQ/s400/allergy+free+cafe.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cafe near her youth hostel in Sydney.</td></tr>
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while she explored the beautiful countryside.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGsnimnEh_sO5jQ4FkJVfZeqiMQTJfcJrzTT6ufxaUm5PvZu9BKd0QLaFjU8kelf89bsF5-jewVIKd9nwCoVkKveS0ZhQKEfm0rSuA44g6SHcFcXVgb3pWc_tFCdonYjcuXZhies-T6U/s1600/376459_10150425810630965_504730964_9224618_711966405_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGsnimnEh_sO5jQ4FkJVfZeqiMQTJfcJrzTT6ufxaUm5PvZu9BKd0QLaFjU8kelf89bsF5-jewVIKd9nwCoVkKveS0ZhQKEfm0rSuA44g6SHcFcXVgb3pWc_tFCdonYjcuXZhies-T6U/s400/376459_10150425810630965_504730964_9224618_711966405_n.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Mountains</td></tr>
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I think it may have been easier for her there than it is here at home. My sweet girl has always been a teensy thing, and in the earlier posts I told you how she lost weight in China but began to gain in Japan. By the time she came home, she had gained over 20 (needed) pounds! Never in my wildest dreams did I hope that she would gain weight on this trip, but she did--thanks to the great care of the wonderful people in other countries. And, I think, because it is, in fact, probably easier to eat gluten free in New Zealand and Australia where people are more health conscious, and there are more options.<br />
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She finished up her trip with a couple of days in Hawaii before coming home just in time to help get ready for Christmas. Finally she got some time on the beach in the sun!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vLu9LuOTfnzL4wB1kmUFjFHcRpocLUV4YMefCSg7vhLmc-Sa-JGbNF3baU3D3qNpYFM0RnCuv9ClKJDmHcG29KDi3_JM_I-evofMfzNwy1HA6fkwCwchfovCntjrtIzaHccx3nIONis/s1600/hawaai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_vLu9LuOTfnzL4wB1kmUFjFHcRpocLUV4YMefCSg7vhLmc-Sa-JGbNF3baU3D3qNpYFM0RnCuv9ClKJDmHcG29KDi3_JM_I-evofMfzNwy1HA6fkwCwchfovCntjrtIzaHccx3nIONis/s320/hawaai.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the beach on Hawaii</td></tr>
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I'll end, again, with my girl's own words from her statement of learning about the semester. I am so proud of her! She is so glad she went. She felt really well the whole time she was gone. Can travel to difficult places be done on a restricted diet? It sure can! She learned a lot and so did we. And she's already talking about going back.<br />
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<em><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;"> Looking back over the semester, I do not even begin to know where to start. Do I
start in Beijing, the logical place, where it all began? In Japan, where I fell
in love with the people? In New Zealand, where I was surrounded by some of God’s
most glorious creation? Or in Australia, where I was surrounded by the familiar
and unfamiliar simultaneously? </span></strong></em><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /><strong><em>In each place, I struggled to find God there,
and in each place, there He was, right there with me.</em></strong><br />
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</span><span style="color: black;">Also in this series <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2011/09/china-at-last.html" target="_blank">China, At Last!</a> <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-traveler-update.html" target="_blank">My Traveler. . .An Update</a> <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2011/12/more-from-travelin-girl-japan.html" target="_blank">More from Travelin' Girl! Japan</a> </span>The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-53232718662982760772012-01-12T07:48:00.000-08:002012-01-12T07:48:45.077-08:00Rise--Shawn McDonaldI've been listening to this song a lot lately and wanted to share it here. Last year was rough. I really can't put it any other way. When <a href="http://warmsocks.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/happy2012/" target="_blank">Warmsocks</a> wrote about her discouraging 2011 in her <a href="http://warmsocks.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/happy2012/" target="_blank">Happy New Year</a> post, I could identify.<br />
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Only twelve days into the new year--so far so good. Some pain, but also some energy. People keep asking me what is different. I don't have shingles and I can breath and I'm taking prednisone. They would feel better, too! I'm not fooling myself--I don't know how long this will last. But for now, I'm lovin' the heck out of it! (And I'm more apt than usual to say what's on my mind.)<br />
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Anyway, this song seems to fit after all my body and mind went through last year. Maybe it will encourage you. What a great way to start a new year!<br />
<br />
Sherry<br />
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p.s. I realize the video is geared toward a younger audience. Listen to the words if the visuals distract you.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/8YLx2ZdSLJc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-69346510426168603632012-01-05T11:38:00.000-08:002012-01-05T14:02:29.572-08:00Christmas Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Christmas has come and gone. I took a nice little break from blogging and thinking about anything RA or health related during the holidays and concentrated on my family. <br />
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Natsumi, our sweet Japanese friend, spent a few days with us before she went home to celebrate her special birthday! We love having her with us for the holidays--this was her second year to help us decorate our tree. I love looking at my traditions and beliefs through the eyes of another culture.<br />
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We mostly relaxed at home and enjoyed each other. With older kids, their activities and work kept things moving, but we managed to play games and see movies and drink home-made hot chocolate and snuggle by the fireplace. Just having everyone together meant more this year after my daughter's semester abroad.<br />
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We visited my parents for a few days, where it seemed everyone was sick! My mother, a wonderful cook who has embraced gluten-free cooking for her many gluten-intolerant children and grandchildren, cooked up a Christmas feast anyway--along with some help from my sister. Here are some of their creations (Yes, you should be envious. My mom cooks mostly without recipes, by touch and taste. I did not inherit this talent.) There was also gf dressing, gravy, about six other pies and fruitcake, candy, etc. A completely gluten-free weekend. Delicious!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJIymNDxOMZMkvnYwoG3xvi-zKpAQa-lKE8qhg84wIMEzuvMSWCay1u0iMLlHMlx_I0Gv9zDJziwIq78ht8-Qmfwp3znXbJ7G38d_iOUZGm-x-HCNITDRiqxAVNKGKh9ciuFrnydeVyE/s1600/coconut+pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJIymNDxOMZMkvnYwoG3xvi-zKpAQa-lKE8qhg84wIMEzuvMSWCay1u0iMLlHMlx_I0Gv9zDJziwIq78ht8-Qmfwp3znXbJ7G38d_iOUZGm-x-HCNITDRiqxAVNKGKh9ciuFrnydeVyE/s320/coconut+pie.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GF Coconut Cream Pie</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GF Stromboli<br />
Gluten-Free Pantry's French Bread Mix<br />
Filled with Pizza Toppings and cheese</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherrybrook Kitchen Cookies</td></tr>
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When Christmas break began, I was still very weak and not breathing well. Most of my lung tests were normal, and by Christmas day I was starting to breath more normally, too. The official diagnosis, as is stands now, is <a href="http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v91/n2s/full/6602063a.html" target="_blank">methotrexate lung</a>, which is a form of<strike> interstitial</strike> hypersensitivity pneumonitis. A little like coal miner's lung--but it usually gets better when the offending substance is withdrawn. I'll do another post on what I've learned about it later. I still have some days when breathing is more difficult, but most days are good. Though I've had asthma all my life, I have never experienced anything like this before. I am so grateful to be able to breath!<br />
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I am looking forward to and hoping for a quieter 2012. Better breathing. No more shingles. RA under control. <br />
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Happy New Year to you!<br />
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</div>The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-76028978124529679452011-12-11T15:43:00.001-08:002011-12-11T16:03:59.317-08:00Now on Facebook!Just for ease of communication with my fellow RAers--I created a facebook page. Join me there if you'd like. It lets me keep a little anonymity on the www and communicate more freely with you all. <br />
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A final post about my darlin' girl's travels to come soon, I promise! She is home now, to my relief and joy. <br />
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I am still having difficulty breathing, and my rheumatologist thinks methotrexate is to blame. Bronchoscopy with lavage and biopsies last week to check the status of my lungs. I am hoping to get at least some of those test results tomorrow--and I am, quite naturally, nervous. <br />
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A higher dose of prednisone and relief, finally, from the shingles post-viral fatigue, and I am feeling unusually well after over two months of illness! If you can take the shingles vaccine, please do. I am trying to put together a post on this topic soon.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;"><strong>Joy and peace</strong></span><span style="color: red;"> <strong>to you.</strong></span></span><br />
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And those are not the idle words of this harried season, but rather a prayer from someone who knows what it means to be both with them and without them. And definitely prefers the with.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">The Lady in (<em>more, again</em>) Pred</span><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Lady-in-Pred/287261697978814" target="_blank">Facebook: The Lady in Pred</a><br />
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<br />The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-31204663035488958112011-12-01T09:26:00.001-08:002012-02-29T13:45:24.093-08:00More from Travelin' Girl! Japan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Less than a week until she's home, today I'll start catching up on what she's done since China. It will take a couple of posts.<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: large;">Japan</span></b><br />
Her group traveled for about a week then settled into a month-long home stay and took classes at Ibaraki Christian University. (Japanese, Japanese Lit, Intercultural Communication, and Bible). Her Okaasan and Otoosan (Japanese Mama and Papa) were absolutely wonderful, and she had two Vietnamese "sisters" as well. She knew several students at the university from their stay in Oklahoma last year (we had even had some to dinner at our house.) She loved Japan, the people, the countryside--and there were only minor earthquakes while she was there. She took thousands of photos, some of them even while she was shopping--one of her favorites in any country! No post of mine will do her time there justice, but I'll let these few pictures tell some of her stories.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbNaTDBB9Bh1FVcHlpaAOJ1BEzeoqrI3sQKr2K_3UjoZFDk1Rog7wGBAODT3cG5WfMfX0gC8k_QsDz-2ZeIw5IvN31mBjy423Zo7JQ3tAIl5TrggkGrzMRG1ovsetaz4_T7LlSzAk9lY/s1600/314311_223519731040833_100001484229985_611613_626837468_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbNaTDBB9Bh1FVcHlpaAOJ1BEzeoqrI3sQKr2K_3UjoZFDk1Rog7wGBAODT3cG5WfMfX0gC8k_QsDz-2ZeIw5IvN31mBjy423Zo7JQ3tAIl5TrggkGrzMRG1ovsetaz4_T7LlSzAk9lY/s320/314311_223519731040833_100001484229985_611613_626837468_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okaasan and Otoosan with another of their foreign students. <br />
I can not thank them enough for their sweet care of my daughter.<br />
They were wonderful!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Worship at the Omika church.<br />
She worshiped with people from so many different countries.<br />
What amazing experiences!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaSjBjYoc5cN3G0v1fFIFMaeXxNMiQ8DOW594d2lCK5s15bfUeCnK2dnGv2-WoLSCINj_P_60dXQsgBqeBrqrV-xHjFhJLURO9S_h-JbwIB4uSQuRvTaVYJO5rHfIkmy0gIUhU_dhVi0/s1600/300989_256273284423483_100001224401631_788926_589616529_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaSjBjYoc5cN3G0v1fFIFMaeXxNMiQ8DOW594d2lCK5s15bfUeCnK2dnGv2-WoLSCINj_P_60dXQsgBqeBrqrV-xHjFhJLURO9S_h-JbwIB4uSQuRvTaVYJO5rHfIkmy0gIUhU_dhVi0/s320/300989_256273284423483_100001224401631_788926_589616529_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ikebana--Japanese flower arranging class. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvKhrJUFDWJWPIlR0FSJHR_l0eyK8F_NCJJpAkIUDLoPEJ1h60Gr5A6RJIexiiggy-vw2mP95MlYHk9OGLlwO1-tjdwZ4uWOcvRwuZeo6T8crSdxhv8FzEgDUcQ0pXF7p4erjSEXzMko/s1600/296624_226640044062135_100001484229985_622615_491305220_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvKhrJUFDWJWPIlR0FSJHR_l0eyK8F_NCJJpAkIUDLoPEJ1h60Gr5A6RJIexiiggy-vw2mP95MlYHk9OGLlwO1-tjdwZ4uWOcvRwuZeo6T8crSdxhv8FzEgDUcQ0pXF7p4erjSEXzMko/s320/296624_226640044062135_100001484229985_622615_491305220_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fukishema Aquarium on an outing with Ayaka and Misato,<br />
friends from OC last year.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group visited Tokyo Disney</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-OUct-W31cslwczNMLuEq7Ly120NrhNuvItVOR1vsBFbOc9BIG1_cyf5cfgUUYDpkOZD2mk9jVfMwlDF0H131QNcJ9u7lgn6-PDfvnGDVEQ6tUFg9jgnef9MJjb2ycL6Hbm57vavrXE/s1600/300916_10150321956240965_504730964_8782447_307668742_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-OUct-W31cslwczNMLuEq7Ly120NrhNuvItVOR1vsBFbOc9BIG1_cyf5cfgUUYDpkOZD2mk9jVfMwlDF0H131QNcJ9u7lgn6-PDfvnGDVEQ6tUFg9jgnef9MJjb2ycL6Hbm57vavrXE/s320/300916_10150321956240965_504730964_8782447_307668742_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On a beach in Japan--the sand is black</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-NFVHPn6UZLhVd67O5MeYsrnpduCkfLA7aY9FAkdUGd4nQyhJu4cpav5NesOjFW9a-3nrLIFWHdIOuQ322Vt_W24P5zIpA8BqX2Nw27H5zmngzv0ouLlcGjOiq91WMTpqNndgV_8gVg/s1600/299910_10150319777525965_504730964_8769992_1778199056_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-NFVHPn6UZLhVd67O5MeYsrnpduCkfLA7aY9FAkdUGd4nQyhJu4cpav5NesOjFW9a-3nrLIFWHdIOuQ322Vt_W24P5zIpA8BqX2Nw27H5zmngzv0ouLlcGjOiq91WMTpqNndgV_8gVg/s320/299910_10150319777525965_504730964_8769992_1778199056_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corn soup in a bottle--she bought this on a train.<br />
GF, of course. She gained weight in Japan--a good thing<br />
since she'd lost nearly 10 pounds in China!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zHCpSy-Z5fpcbQZYlOSczry5hrD47PFJ3KDkbbS78ixkmiDXwStJZEYA9cXYBM4iW8A_r_EZSI8qbZdlSyrEZ6M1klrJX4ncQM64wxutZ_9s0uSr3fwD-eiXNSDB1Dfz7s6o7VopQx8/s1600/309664_10150344053330965_504730964_8904740_1047693518_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zHCpSy-Z5fpcbQZYlOSczry5hrD47PFJ3KDkbbS78ixkmiDXwStJZEYA9cXYBM4iW8A_r_EZSI8qbZdlSyrEZ6M1klrJX4ncQM64wxutZ_9s0uSr3fwD-eiXNSDB1Dfz7s6o7VopQx8/s320/309664_10150344053330965_504730964_8904740_1047693518_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh shrimp, right from the sea near the <br />
home where she was staying.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6p1llgGmPSMgrP9mipPjlUkrcLLh5OGa_yeL7d5IM7pV0dj_gqhT-yV39qJJb-wyl5sn9MMXFiQornw0GLqHZohdH8cLl9z55UHuxqglHYXB1hkt6J27YsJCR0Jm4vGiG3F9XtXzWL2M/s1600/315001_10150344050805965_504730964_8904713_1865752001_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6p1llgGmPSMgrP9mipPjlUkrcLLh5OGa_yeL7d5IM7pV0dj_gqhT-yV39qJJb-wyl5sn9MMXFiQornw0GLqHZohdH8cLl9z55UHuxqglHYXB1hkt6J27YsJCR0Jm4vGiG3F9XtXzWL2M/s320/315001_10150344050805965_504730964_8904713_1865752001_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Octopus, fresh and uncooked. Also from the sea<br />
nearby. Okasaan served it for dinner one evening.<br />
She said the little suction cups still sucked a bit :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMM7fL5eOdWQk_BsZJZqxqhyyBlmOeRz_0n1J6tvJ9tBv8UvYTlII1Uf436KawVweL6D3qWp8b9_aAR8qbswoYXmro41VUghBuLQ1SPuu2NeScK3mfLnChNzXjocIZxSI5DJ36FzQYCQ/s1600/296731_10150348185165965_504730964_8929345_303536274_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMM7fL5eOdWQk_BsZJZqxqhyyBlmOeRz_0n1J6tvJ9tBv8UvYTlII1Uf436KawVweL6D3qWp8b9_aAR8qbswoYXmro41VUghBuLQ1SPuu2NeScK3mfLnChNzXjocIZxSI5DJ36FzQYCQ/s320/296731_10150348185165965_504730964_8929345_303536274_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet potatoes made the "American way"<br />
for her family. One evening each student made a dish<br />
from home and this was Hannah's contribution.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><br /></span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBZhdweEyUViYzub4z9mnKmL8mPyiPBcvdXetfVVnmAzTlrjNXcnISaOYxWK4L95O2ld3RNmmXuUbzVVUthVEkhl7zTIRl5MJ1Zte-2ufo5vQWeVDlsis-FyB79mQc_Xdgvc-5BnaD7k/s1600/299945_237196816342325_100001560257012_676201_800954976_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBZhdweEyUViYzub4z9mnKmL8mPyiPBcvdXetfVVnmAzTlrjNXcnISaOYxWK4L95O2ld3RNmmXuUbzVVUthVEkhl7zTIRl5MJ1Zte-2ufo5vQWeVDlsis-FyB79mQc_Xdgvc-5BnaD7k/s320/299945_237196816342325_100001560257012_676201_800954976_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The students participated in an arts festival on the University campus.<br />
They came up with a show with singing and dancing--looks pretty good, huh?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33G3HrdnM5eblcTm155O_0lGFU2yzR18MLVhbFODpIfygOBIbkXtWaCNpVIgK7d6TXmLr2-Ou4NOwC54oY85ahwiui_iJVaHqfllBu0tSia7foUNwY17lsAFL7uprDoWXShsLZLKoJCg/s1600/305338_10150349746860965_504730964_8944940_1792949916_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33G3HrdnM5eblcTm155O_0lGFU2yzR18MLVhbFODpIfygOBIbkXtWaCNpVIgK7d6TXmLr2-Ou4NOwC54oY85ahwiui_iJVaHqfllBu0tSia7foUNwY17lsAFL7uprDoWXShsLZLKoJCg/s320/305338_10150349746860965_504730964_8944940_1792949916_n.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okasaan and Otoosan gave her a kimono as a<br />
going away present. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">And now a few words from my girl herself:</span><br />
<div>
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">The gift-givingness of the Japanese people is overwhelming to me. I have
received more gifts since coming here to Ibaraki than I could have ever
expected! And actually, I am meaning literal gifts, as well as intangible ones.
Friendship, love and care abound, and the gift of time. But also warmer clothes
for the impending autumn, cute accessories to wear, delicious meals, even money!
I have received again and again. Today my host mom mentioned (at least I think-
the language barrier sometimes does me wrong and I misunderstand) that they will
be giving me a yakata, a kimono. That is a very nice and often expensive gift. I
don't deserve these things! <br />The Japanese habit of gift giving reminds me of
my duty to share God's gifts, the best gifts of all. Service, friendship, love,
and most of all the message of His son. If the Japanese are called by Buddha to
give, how much more am I called to give by the living God?!</span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;">More posts in this series: <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2011/09/china-at-last.html" target="_blank">China, at Last!</a> <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-traveler-update.html" target="_blank">My Traveler. . .an Update</a> <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2012/02/end-of-my-girls-trip-new-zealand-and.html" target="_blank">The End of My Girl's Trip--New Zealand and Austrailia</a> </span></div>The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-75258912425956017782011-11-24T13:03:00.001-08:002011-11-24T16:18:37.986-08:00GranddaddyI think about him in the summer when I lie down for a nap--the fan whirring in the stifling summer heat while the Oklahoma sun peaks through my shades. My bed is comfortable; my mattress topped with memory foam. My hips and back and elbows sink in, find what relief I can from this rheumatoid disease. Some days good. Some days not.<br />
<br />
With the sound of the fan, the heat outside, I close my eyes and I am in his room, thirty years before. Wood floors. Windows with shades drawn for his afternoon nap. A mattress not nearly so comfortable. A whirring fan to keep him cool. The same disease. Texas, not Oklahoma, but same red dirt. My sisters and I tiptoe through the room, not realizing he is in there yet. We are playing; we head to another part of the house, hoping not to wake him. The floors creak under us, and he stirs but doesn't fuss. Doesn't call us yahoos.<br />
<br />
His disease has nothing to do with us, we think. We are sad for him but don't understand, not really. At this point, when I was 13, he has been ill for nearly 30 years already. He has fought against it, tried every medicine and doctor and home remedy available and come home to buffered aspirin and his chair. Very little is ever said about it in my presence, though we are sometimes reminded not to jump on him or pat his shoulders too hard when we are sitting in his lap. He grimaces but never complains.<br />
<br />
My Dad tells stories, though, when I am older, of driving him to every specialist in the region. Of all the medicines he tried. Of watching him drink a shot of whiskey first thing in the morning then hook his arms and hands around a pole to pry them open. They drew up again at night, but he owned a feed store then, having already given up on farming, and had work to do. He still went, within my memory, to soak in the springs at Hot Springs, Arkansas to get some relief. A doctor in Denver in the early '60s, probably about the time it is discovered that prednisone is not the miracle it was thought to be, tells him that most of the medicines will kill him before the disease will and that he should go home and learn to live with the pain. We all think that it was the War that has caused the disease. We blame it on the War and it is no danger to us.<br />
<br />
I think about him now, today. Thanksgiving. He had been a cook in the Army, and he was often and while he still could, the maker of our Thanksgiving turkey. We sat down around a table filled to overflowing with salads and rolls (my Grandmother has surely burned them) and cornbread dressing, and my Granddad then asked, "I wonder what the poor people are eating today?" His way of giving thanks. He was one of the poor people, and yet he sat at that table of abundance with his family.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHsq9-OsoQDZGlviRxEOJiBzloIYNVGaH4AF70UydNvUJUlEE-CrtbWfRO8nK8SFx11tO4QdhcjckQU7cgAQgILind5q0zmTHy1JqIMZgOPUWZSv3kCzCLu4s-0SqY_yUhanzLoYGaEE/s1600/granddaddy1942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHsq9-OsoQDZGlviRxEOJiBzloIYNVGaH4AF70UydNvUJUlEE-CrtbWfRO8nK8SFx11tO4QdhcjckQU7cgAQgILind5q0zmTHy1JqIMZgOPUWZSv3kCzCLu4s-0SqY_yUhanzLoYGaEE/s320/granddaddy1942.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granddaddy in 1942 before shipping out</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLARsLyNclEFY8EnVTyw6CZy_akEs4WizUqoB1_e7DWQPNOh-3PW_8NbegjV2xx-dE3IIM5ktuB3yGaQdalMxwOvMk-FGUiHi3Qu-OiRPc7bGe3Mcc1n4hLEd6kI2sooe7K-GFJFKPMzI/s1600/GrandGramGirls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLARsLyNclEFY8EnVTyw6CZy_akEs4WizUqoB1_e7DWQPNOh-3PW_8NbegjV2xx-dE3IIM5ktuB3yGaQdalMxwOvMk-FGUiHi3Qu-OiRPc7bGe3Mcc1n4hLEd6kI2sooe7K-GFJFKPMzI/s1600/GrandGramGirls.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granddaddy and Grandmommy with me and my sisters.<br />
I am the oldest. They were always proud, proud grandparents,<br />
celebrating every accomplishment and encouraging us all along the way.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A cantankerous soul, he was often missing from large gatherings, weddings, graduations. He was a man from a different time. And we misjudged him, maybe. He walked a harder path than we realized, and we knew it was hard. How terribly devastating for a man in West Texas to be unable to support his young family. And have no hope of it ever getting better.<br />
<br />
I am the one missing from the family gathering today, though hopefully tomorrow I will gather myself together and make it to visit my family.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDGUozDQimdaqufH3I-25sGJ1lJSHgUwZN8y0WCzwRHfyg8htvKOLMdaZEZ91PQKzPrhbiQix-wM-SUyuwdTl9H41DtcWgJIk-Ol2C7_4PuxeGB_YHOieb1tbEnAFME1WjYGCjP7O7ac/s1600/312013_10150369826585703_600855702_8787649_108311552_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDGUozDQimdaqufH3I-25sGJ1lJSHgUwZN8y0WCzwRHfyg8htvKOLMdaZEZ91PQKzPrhbiQix-wM-SUyuwdTl9H41DtcWgJIk-Ol2C7_4PuxeGB_YHOieb1tbEnAFME1WjYGCjP7O7ac/s320/312013_10150369826585703_600855702_8787649_108311552_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Mother-in-Law's beautiful table setting! <br />
We were celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas today, but I didn't make it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I walk a bit in his shoes now. I have missed more trips and events this year than I want to try to remember. When I was first diagnosed, I declared "attitude is everything." And it is, but it is not a cure. My medicines, such as they are, still work better than buffered aspirin and whiskey (though I am sometimes tempted). My mattress is comfortable. People in general understand far more than they did then and medicine has come light years. And when I am home alone I am inundated with skype calls and sweet texts making sure I know I am missed and loved.<br />
<br />
I wish I could have given some of that to him.<br />
<br />
I just finished off a Thanksgiving feast of mac and cheese. I wonder what the poor folks are eating tonight?<br />
<br />
SherryThe Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-2091086161096826112011-11-21T07:16:00.001-08:002011-11-21T08:36:55.239-08:00Life Under the Rainbow. . .continuesWhile I'm still not feeling up to par, don't think that family life doesn't continue around here. . .it does! And with these two busy freshman, boy does it continue! Girl #2, my busy, sweet, music-maker, has finished marching band for the year--so now the whole family can slow down just a bit!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5_l1l2BsTIoLC3NDfxzG2AlEx6PI7OGWUd8mo4lkZDSs2So6OaXJBohCZJWMBMxI9n5GczLSMmQ5WkI8Zh5nZwiUYzo5VP8RIzxk3Zbb5m_wc9zmp7oRT3wTChyphenhyphenWvbQt90HJaaZU-ZM/s1600/b+arrw_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH5_l1l2BsTIoLC3NDfxzG2AlEx6PI7OGWUd8mo4lkZDSs2So6OaXJBohCZJWMBMxI9n5GczLSMmQ5WkI8Zh5nZwiUYzo5VP8RIzxk3Zbb5m_wc9zmp7oRT3wTChyphenhyphenWvbQt90HJaaZU-ZM/s320/b+arrw_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5th in state!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But only a bit because now she's playing in wind ensemble and jv jazz band and taking piano lessons. She is a hard worker--and she is growing up to be such a great blessing to me.<br />
<br />
Her brother, #1 son, has finished running cross-country and switched to basketball, his favorite sport of all time. Was he born with a basketball in his hands, or did he just pick one up soon after?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIFr9avB8oUDv0ReYIE2voiJDkdQxqval5MceDgTLC0TeVjKojpE9190IxBPmUhbdyzG_7wkD22e1oeB_BHbBdUzr2eR-sU0QZvv-8lCIvLjx17IbK-lQSXxcGTWZxuCA_Ifh-uaSfZs/s1600/308260_2224672531500_1088362350_31924789_950461519_n+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIFr9avB8oUDv0ReYIE2voiJDkdQxqval5MceDgTLC0TeVjKojpE9190IxBPmUhbdyzG_7wkD22e1oeB_BHbBdUzr2eR-sU0QZvv-8lCIvLjx17IbK-lQSXxcGTWZxuCA_Ifh-uaSfZs/s320/308260_2224672531500_1088362350_31924789_950461519_n+%25282%2529.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
<br />
I have to admit, I love watching my kids, and I love that they have things they are passionate about--and I hate that I've missed so many of their activities this year.<br />
<br />
Traveling girl has gone from Japan to New Zealand and is now in Australia. She'll be home in two weeks! I can't wait to give her a great big hug!! I'll try to get a new post done about her adventures soon.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLpjMUXClyaRzuvoldXF7Ecygh-v4o6qy-cPGqtWkm795mrwlGKbFqOzyCKkTdn94x5xOB42nZGZMWgVkrpVCgeSkQejEVHg2f1TekAL1tUUu03N5P1lEb-9DRIvpWahvlpFXEFEQT-6A/s1600/387565_10150371017975965_504730964_9052865_47796221_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLpjMUXClyaRzuvoldXF7Ecygh-v4o6qy-cPGqtWkm795mrwlGKbFqOzyCKkTdn94x5xOB42nZGZMWgVkrpVCgeSkQejEVHg2f1TekAL1tUUu03N5P1lEb-9DRIvpWahvlpFXEFEQT-6A/s320/387565_10150371017975965_504730964_9052865_47796221_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Zealand</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sweet Girl and I watched movies this past weekend--for some reason we ended up with a duo of Nicholas Sparks' flicks, "A Walk to Remember" and "Last Song." He's not usually my favorite author (unless I want to sit and cry), but we were looking for something to snuggle to, and those were what we ended up with.<br />
<br />
I especially liked, right now for my daughter, "A Walk. . ." with Mandy Moore playing Jamie. She is confident in herself and her faith. A plain girl who doesn't get a makeover and doesn't become popular by the end of the movie--that is rare today. Both movies, of course, deal with illness and death (they <i>are</i> based on novels by Sparks). Great conversation starters for a house with teenagers and a sick Mama, dealing with issues of faith and living.<br />
<br />
And this, to end. Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you have many things to be thankful for!<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it. I Thessa lonians 5:11 (The Message)</span></b><br />
<br />
<br />The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-31664503797872172072011-11-14T08:48:00.001-08:002011-11-14T10:18:24.723-08:00Catching Up--A Bumpy Month of ThanksgivingIt's been a bumpy month or so.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/search/label/Shingles" target="_blank">shingles</a> came back. But I didn't catch them in time to stop them with a higher dose of anti-viral meds--because I couldn't breathe.<br />
<br />
I still don't know why. Two episodes of severe shortness of breath that worsened with any activity (even brushing my teeth), each lasting about four days, and coming fairly soon after I'd taken my methotrexate injection for that week. And now it seems to be gone. I haven't gotten all of the test results yet--but the immediate results were that my lungs and heart looked fine. The first thought was that I had a pulmonary embolism, but that was quickly ruled out. Between the shingles and not being able to breathe, I was left so weak I could hardly walk around my house, hardly sit at my keyboard. I overdid it once or twice and set myself back. The fatigue and weakness from the shingles virus has been terrible.<br />
<br />
I am now, finally, beginning to recover. I rode my exercise bike 10 minutes this morning and put a load of laundry in without being completely wiped out. I feel like I'm on my way back up!<br />
<br />
A second-opinion rheumatologist visit, trying to find some other options to deal with my shingles vs. RA drugs difficulty gave me very little new information except to confirm that, in fact, I do have RA.<br />
<br />
Due to the shingles and breathing problems, I am off RA meds except for plaquenil and 5 or 6 mgs of prednisone and celebrex. I'm going to see how long I can last on that. For those unfamiliar with RA, that could be helpful, or it could be like throwing a tablespoon of water on a bonfire. We'll see.<br />
<br />
My gp has been wonderful. I am so grateful for a doctor who is available, who will listen and go to bat for me. In a system where this is increasingly rare, I realize what a blessing I have.<br />
<br />
My husband has worried and folded laundry and taken time from work to listen to doctors tell me what they<i> don't</i> know, again. <br />
<br />
And this. No matter how I feel, I cook for my family. But not this month. Not much. Both my kids got a bit of gluten from a restaurant where we picked up food one evening when I didn't cook. Both were affected, but my son is so much more sensitive--he missed three days of school. Friends swooped in and filled my freezer with meals--cooked in my house, with my recipes and my pots and pans to avoid the risk of any contamination.<br />
<br />
One gracious friend drove me to appointments and waited when my husband couldn't.<br />
<br />
In this month of Thanksgiving, I am grateful for many things. My sweet, sweet husband. My children--who just kept going when mom didn't. My family--those phone calls can make all the difference in the world! And I am grateful for my little Bible study group of women; the ones I've prayed with and relied on and couldn't do without.<br />
<br />
From one of them, this reassurance, when I felt like it was all getting to be too much. (Hopefully she won't kill me for quoting her!)<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><i>(I) still see my sweet, active,
giving, energetic friend every time I look into your eyes past the fatigue and
pain - even on a good day.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><i>I pray so often for a treatment plan
that will allow you to function and ease the exhaustion.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><i>Hang in there - I will walk this
path alongside you, you can count on that.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;">Happy Thanksgiving</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;">Hope you are blessed as I am</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;">Sherry</span></div>
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<br />The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-87151537065572473542011-10-28T09:38:00.000-07:002011-10-28T09:47:55.984-07:00Fall Break and Other Lovely Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Before there were teenagers. . .</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03igo6S4L3oBmnvHO_hXY1X2nSMNRjOjG9w414uaA_Np6XvWvoX6RoIa7PeOUXkaegZ4UkAJLdTTh6e-JJfqQsVWxJbhOkKSp35YXZFo5u4_V02DnIp2wkcccdnuwYWg3_QNKst_02i4/s1600/ry%253D315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03igo6S4L3oBmnvHO_hXY1X2nSMNRjOjG9w414uaA_Np6XvWvoX6RoIa7PeOUXkaegZ4UkAJLdTTh6e-JJfqQsVWxJbhOkKSp35YXZFo5u4_V02DnIp2wkcccdnuwYWg3_QNKst_02i4/s320/ry%253D315.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Before there was rheumatoid arthritis. . .</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPJ-_Yrhr8119P2rzNlcECVHme13t8wje6AFrMBA7q-M9qWJs1xW0PiLS2oIXFfcuavnVvmd6eh2WYdeWYYK3hRR4hZEfxL2Ka9whTLgjLhyxzCrPGyDnWHSNN1v_R3u0tUoWpkf-qAo/s1600/ry%253D400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxPJ-_Yrhr8119P2rzNlcECVHme13t8wje6AFrMBA7q-M9qWJs1xW0PiLS2oIXFfcuavnVvmd6eh2WYdeWYYK3hRR4hZEfxL2Ka9whTLgjLhyxzCrPGyDnWHSNN1v_R3u0tUoWpkf-qAo/s400/ry%253D400.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Lovely photo of me, I know!)<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Before we even knew what celiac (or a blog) was. . .</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2RRG7C1-UZs-Aoel4T-ozRWj-S3WeGMcTFrUSYUkTBCftBlDJolXm-5nVJoriu_fpcmpi2el6qThmnSKYhxP1VryuMXhfKaVZLVQx2Zi5cXxjhql-0pCU7oo8Tl_TvWIyHYCAyzNviU/s1600/altenkil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2RRG7C1-UZs-Aoel4T-ozRWj-S3WeGMcTFrUSYUkTBCftBlDJolXm-5nVJoriu_fpcmpi2el6qThmnSKYhxP1VryuMXhfKaVZLVQx2Zi5cXxjhql-0pCU7oo8Tl_TvWIyHYCAyzNviU/s320/altenkil.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">My travel-loving family began spending Oklahoma's October fall-break at a cabin at Tenkiller State Park. Three or four beautiful fall days of relaxing with our kids. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Pretty soon RA came along--you can see my cane in this photo.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80Qh6Xiaif-y0fBuYtztDEsHCFrkhDflq5lstUsj76DhsQh20Diq45CDdIPNmUrIcbeQrjs8ueooiTtxbYUXUB_ZsFOS0aw1nigUqNY_RM3mqaOBmWBufjaHdEGlQbHyfoK3q0zeR0lc/s1600/momand+girls07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80Qh6Xiaif-y0fBuYtztDEsHCFrkhDflq5lstUsj76DhsQh20Diq45CDdIPNmUrIcbeQrjs8ueooiTtxbYUXUB_ZsFOS0aw1nigUqNY_RM3mqaOBmWBufjaHdEGlQbHyfoK3q0zeR0lc/s320/momand+girls07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We went almost every year, no matter what (one year we had to go to a different park because I couldn't get reservations at Tenkiller). </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We hiked and waded.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiIt8nLw6UbBS9kKw6W1l5Ho4pD2XP6Tcp76i-Xv-TTs7HZgBV68arMsj0CCRG7HX1T7OtBD3xka4HBAjGSx_5NOw32rLzrWwCdqR5igbqPgfylo08wl0Q8e0q9YGy90tfc_KIxx_2SA/s1600/abonrock07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiIt8nLw6UbBS9kKw6W1l5Ho4pD2XP6Tcp76i-Xv-TTs7HZgBV68arMsj0CCRG7HX1T7OtBD3xka4HBAjGSx_5NOw32rLzrWwCdqR5igbqPgfylo08wl0Q8e0q9YGy90tfc_KIxx_2SA/s320/abonrock07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Let the kids go fishing off the little dock and help build campfires.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTDidLyvyuxl3GaseK8Dk3lqduFPfxyY-J4GsR2I8KNBy8QEP-2lPCraIVTH2b61Nsgxb-1wyIP6IXPI7Qf0PHVhUhC3HRSqMJKO-VSm7OR3xgW3zRhifmIAHdxkCHDVE5JCm_Lhpoes/s1600/fishing09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTDidLyvyuxl3GaseK8Dk3lqduFPfxyY-J4GsR2I8KNBy8QEP-2lPCraIVTH2b61Nsgxb-1wyIP6IXPI7Qf0PHVhUhC3HRSqMJKO-VSm7OR3xgW3zRhifmIAHdxkCHDVE5JCm_Lhpoes/s320/fishing09.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwRL93uYRPJ9xTitAj51pm8WlxEPGfefZB2oqpS8bDzOUtjLcJkZZrC-loBbSJOFVxd0iKB9od_wNuVi5GQqVRuBcG7yHQjiyOBbf0iQvhuTGUb9w7hWH4Kdw0iSqTHe9Z3S4WgIJjsQ/s1600/fire309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwRL93uYRPJ9xTitAj51pm8WlxEPGfefZB2oqpS8bDzOUtjLcJkZZrC-loBbSJOFVxd0iKB9od_wNuVi5GQqVRuBcG7yHQjiyOBbf0iQvhuTGUb9w7hWH4Kdw0iSqTHe9Z3S4WgIJjsQ/s320/fire309.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We played together and built a tradition and they grew up.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFi5SRINgkg29xl-p89fZyncCBDSC_TOI7_Qmw-2pYnJPwP9C2ha59HQAbeUYQPGvFxZTU5UnuxnpmF8QB18b9Utxtq68DGi2udJgJ5vMsbNPniYJEd58ycF7P7hh8kWYlhbAi30ZkqRk/s1600/jeffkids10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFi5SRINgkg29xl-p89fZyncCBDSC_TOI7_Qmw-2pYnJPwP9C2ha59HQAbeUYQPGvFxZTU5UnuxnpmF8QB18b9Utxtq68DGi2udJgJ5vMsbNPniYJEd58ycF7P7hh8kWYlhbAi30ZkqRk/s320/jeffkids10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9lnHLVmt7Qa3f93PZJTxq0g_ILw_YtHx2fzOdsKJRXDOThfVTg7FzkYDyOF9oL31JBOaRLS2-iaLR9PKqRNdOtSqmTRYPVrZmAw-O7d2lpX1oQq1rD2uofKu58dN2qec2N0PJn_mTjtQ/s1600/hamr10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9lnHLVmt7Qa3f93PZJTxq0g_ILw_YtHx2fzOdsKJRXDOThfVTg7FzkYDyOF9oL31JBOaRLS2-iaLR9PKqRNdOtSqmTRYPVrZmAw-O7d2lpX1oQq1rD2uofKu58dN2qec2N0PJn_mTjtQ/s320/hamr10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD50v1TTdyqiHhnMjmRE6O5dxlFGu_AHlHDrGbsbH0sUPACLewl9JyUbf6QOHOTJW6uMNn9QazwlKqmtOQ2fQrZfP0cZLT6_hwC8wpbbiQbmQO0vgJbMN2Ru2kCZhueuwpqF7c6Qb-oi0/s1600/becal10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD50v1TTdyqiHhnMjmRE6O5dxlFGu_AHlHDrGbsbH0sUPACLewl9JyUbf6QOHOTJW6uMNn9QazwlKqmtOQ2fQrZfP0cZLT6_hwC8wpbbiQbmQO0vgJbMN2Ru2kCZhueuwpqF7c6Qb-oi0/s320/becal10.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZOtb7ikH3A_jZJyMked8L9UysPQptdY8uK1YojR052we4mrbceh2Sl72QYyPiv5zfMPE6BnoHUqK4Ah9Q9AC-xaAazL5WeqGXtxGPi8wPkUH6-D_Y_H2Z7mEpv8SBoaSUkzJX-05uMc/s1600/albecfish10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZOtb7ikH3A_jZJyMked8L9UysPQptdY8uK1YojR052we4mrbceh2Sl72QYyPiv5zfMPE6BnoHUqK4Ah9Q9AC-xaAazL5WeqGXtxGPi8wPkUH6-D_Y_H2Z7mEpv8SBoaSUkzJX-05uMc/s320/albecfish10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI53lvEXeuKd_XxKNRkgZy4b53qGFekBWlYBHpQ90EUD3No5PpCvF9YkIIo4-8kEGtpHlW7ELPak1Hg_MmfqKRagGvgwK7Lj7a4pL_CzBE5EQOUSpdyGmsWnE5RLXyZKaFefAgPXJThvc/s1600/mh10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI53lvEXeuKd_XxKNRkgZy4b53qGFekBWlYBHpQ90EUD3No5PpCvF9YkIIo4-8kEGtpHlW7ELPak1Hg_MmfqKRagGvgwK7Lj7a4pL_CzBE5EQOUSpdyGmsWnE5RLXyZKaFefAgPXJThvc/s320/mh10.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">These last five photos are from last year. As time grew closer for fall break, it became apparent that we were not going to be taking any trip. Some new health problems cropped up for me and we had to stay home. My older daughter is in Japan, but my younger two were amazingly flexible.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4b1WCDMd4pEpzt-hROUIxeQ3UBACSQY1IST6wNk8Pw1sowzq9wyjLx224ShKIvfp3epVIjMiD5bhA13rO2cs4D44NQP8SWxX4SJWJ3Ks4nyKm4Exeg8rgD59RUH4LZ2NIJg8Ajkx7JU/s1600/IMG_0217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4b1WCDMd4pEpzt-hROUIxeQ3UBACSQY1IST6wNk8Pw1sowzq9wyjLx224ShKIvfp3epVIjMiD5bhA13rO2cs4D44NQP8SWxX4SJWJ3Ks4nyKm4Exeg8rgD59RUH4LZ2NIJg8Ajkx7JU/s320/IMG_0217.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We did manage a round of chicken foot before the weekend was over. They even let me win. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">And the kids and I did a little talking, in light of the discouragement we all felt about having to stay home. We've had lots of good years on our camping trips. And hopefully we will again. But this weekend was good, too, in it's own way. And we were together. And we enjoyed each other, which is what the weekend has always been about.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This verse keeps coming to me, in different ways, in different settings, over and over again. It applies here. Not dwelling on the difficult, but on the happy times. And we have had so many happy times. So glad my teenagers still want to be together, whether it is at the lake or at home.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><i>Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. </i>Philippians 4:8</span>The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-23463894010008512842011-10-20T10:54:00.000-07:002011-10-20T18:03:25.568-07:00Shel Silverstein. . .And taking out Garbage<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Would Not Take the Garbage Out</b><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">by Shel Silverstein</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Would not take the garbage out!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She'd scour the pots and scrape the pans,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Candy the yams and spice the hams,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And though her daddy would scream and shout,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She simply would not take the garbage out.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And so it piled up to the ceilings:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Coffee grounds, potato peelings,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Brown bananas, rotten peas,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chunks of sour cottage cheese.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It filled the can, it covered the floor,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It cracked the window and blocked the door. . .</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;">(</span><i>more gross garbage here</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;">)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The garbage rolled on down the hall,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It raised the roof, it broke the wall. . .</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;">(</span><i>and still more-</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>-wonder</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>ful s</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>tuff!</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;">)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At last the garbage reached so high that finally it touched the sky.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And all the neighbors moved away,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And none of her friends would come to play.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And finally Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout said,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"OK, I'll take the garbage out!"</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But then, of course, it was too late. . .</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(<i>more about how far the garba</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>ge</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i> reached)</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And there in the garbage she did hate,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Poor Sarah met an awful fate,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That I cannot right now relate</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because the hour is much too late.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But children, remember Sarah Stout</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And always take the garbage out!</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I woke in the middle of the night last night reciting this poem from my childhood. My sisters and I loved Shel Silverstein and Ogden Nash, and threw the poems back and forth like bouncing rubber balls, laughing at the rhymes, memorizing, competing for who knew the most lines and poems. There were other authors, too, but those were our favorites. My children, I believe, have grown "Sick" of the endless repetition of the poems. They never quite caught the bug, though not because I didn't try. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">("<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #660000;"><a href="http://kalantarian.org/artak/Literature/Shel.htm">I cannot go to school today, said little Peggy Ann McKay</a>. . .</span>")</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">But since I was awake and thinking and all, sort of, grown-up now, this silly poem began to mean something different. It formed over the next hour as I thought about it and knew it was my blog for today. Have I failed to take my garbage out? Is that why it popped into my mind?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I've put off a few apologies. Left some kind words unsaid. I pushed health concerns to the back of my mind, with consequences I never imagined. I've let friends drift. I overlooked some shortcomings in my own life because it was easier. Small things accumulated, like piles of old magazines. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Garbage piled up. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Maybe it's time I take the garbage out.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Here's a link to the entire poem, <a href="http://kalantarian.org/artak/Literature/Shel.htm">Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout,</a> which which comes from Shel Silverstein's collection of drawings and poems, "Where the Sidewalk Ends," Harper Collins, NY, 1974.</span></span></div>The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-1611541685254815822011-10-12T06:53:00.000-07:002011-10-12T07:02:27.406-07:00World Arthrits Day--The Truth about Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXzBzy4hVfUVd_5iGt4m0NXivpEr1Cy0Zc5prAlAqvA_HEPz-t5DAjaE3PknWomph8SM1lQWZM4J1CJ9rXBGtg-eG7z9dr8lWuLLVNOJKpy9hhA51tMXfzGxSbEa286H9GVXVj2a_crM/s1600/world_arthritis_logo_dzbk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" id=":current_picnik_image" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXzBzy4hVfUVd_5iGt4m0NXivpEr1Cy0Zc5prAlAqvA_HEPz-t5DAjaE3PknWomph8SM1lQWZM4J1CJ9rXBGtg-eG7z9dr8lWuLLVNOJKpy9hhA51tMXfzGxSbEa286H9GVXVj2a_crM/s200/world_arthritis_logo_dzbk.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Today is World Arthrits Day. Bloggers around the world are telling their arthritis stories--and they are telling them for a reason. They are telling them because they want the world to know, to understand a little more what it means to have <i>autoimmune</i> arthritis. <br />
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Not osteoarthritis, and not because that is not painful, but because there is a difference. And they, we, want you to know about it. Because it is frustrating when you don't know. It's frustrating when people act as if we are somehow to blame for our disease or that our disease is not serious.<br />
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A few weeks ago I posted a link to an article called <a href="http://www.the-rheumatologist.org/details/article/1311755/An_Identity_Crisis_for_RA.html#.Tl5tHfQDQ3s.blogger">"An Identity Crisis for RA"</a> by R. Franklin Adams, M.D. in the September 2011 <em>The Rheumatologist</em>.<br />
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He begins<strong> "Despite the numerous advances in treating rheumatic diseases over the past few decades, a major communication gap still exists in the community regarding the complexity and gravity of rheumatic diseases." </strong>I hope you read that article.<br />
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I have rheumatoid arthritis. I was diagnosed when I was 38 and I am now 43. I've told parts of my onset story before, in this post for <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2010/09/invisible-chronic-illness-weekmy-take.html">Invisible Chronic Illness Week</a>. And now I've got a bit more to say.<br />
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Rheumatoid arthritis is an autimmune disease. To put it simply, my body is at war with itself. The parts that should defend me are instead attacking me. My body is actually destroying my joints. It's not that I was overweight or smoked or even that I had too much stress in my life. I know those are all things you might have heard--and after I came down with RA those things could make it worse. But <em>by themselves,</em> those things cannot cause RA.<br />
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You see, really, I hit the genetic lottery. My paternal grandfather had RA. My mom had JRA. Like many autoimmune diseases, RA genes remain dormant until somehow triggered. And sometimes they never are. Scientists don't yet know all the details of why the genes get turned on. <br />
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At 38, I weighed about 130 pounds. I was healthy. I was enjoying my life. I remember at the time feeling like I was at an especially blessed place. I was probably working a little too hard, pushing the working mom thing a little harder than I should have been. But I was really, really loving it. I remember noticing my feet hurting more than they should have. I mentioned it to a friend. She remembers worrying about it from afar. In the spring of that year, during a big project, I came down with the flu, then pneumonia, then shingles. Three months later my joints exploded, or so it seemed to me.<br />
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Were those infections the trigger for my first big RA flare? Or did the lurking RA leave my body vulnerable to those infections?<br />
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A giant flare built within a month or so. I was quickly diagnosed, probably quicker than most people. An almost classic case even if I am seronegative (my bloodwork is normal). <br />
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And what has happened since then? A happy ending as the RA biogolic commercials would have us all believe? Not really. I slowly reduced my hours at work and finally stopped working. I have the most Wonderful Employer.<em> </em>And now I work a bit from home, but even then it's often a stretch for me to keep up with an hour or so a day and the mom gig. I've hardly been off prednisone over the last 3 years. All three of my children are celiac/gluten intolerant, and I feel a very strong need to keep up with grocery shopping and cooking to keep them healthy and attend their events. Without prednisone, I just can't seem to manage.<br />
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Two biologics--those oft advertised and extremely expensive RA meds--stopped working, and it looks like another is on its way out. I have had repeated rounds of shingles--the painful virus that kicked off my travels into the world of RA now seems to be a semi-permanent traveler with me. I have hardly been able to express in this blog the despair and difficulty that this has caused for me and my family. Most of the time, I'm not sure which is worse, the RA or the shingles. Over the last year I have gotten weaker and weaker from the repeated bouts with this cantankerous virus.<br />
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My flares seem less severe since I started eating gluten-free, but my feet, hands and hips are a constant source of frustration. Walking very far or doing very much house work with my hands causes a flare, and then it takes weeks for them to be normal again. I need help with chores that involve things like scrubbing or repeated motions.<br />
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And so now the hard truth: My life is much different than the way I once envisioned it. Since my meds aren't working great right now, I don't do much volunteering. I don't attend many functions at night. I miss out on most of the social aspects of my old life. And I miss that more than you can possibly imagine. I thought, right now, I'd be working, teaching Bible classes, helping with my kids school activities, working with marriage classes (something my husband and I loved doing before), traveling with my husband. There are blessings in this quiet life, don't get me wrong. But it is not the life I imagined. <br />
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Often people look at me and think I'm well because I'm dressed and smiling. I don't explain because it's just too hard. I write this blog to preserve a little sanity.<br />
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Even my husband says he can't always tell how I feel by the way I look. That's why it's called an invisible illness. But most illnesses are invisible, aren't they? Can you tell someone has cancer by looking at them? Or diabetes? Is it fair to assess my health status or tell me you know so-and-so who has it so much worse than me? How would you know that?<br />
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And so I'll end with this. I am not in general a "cause" person, but I'm happy to write for this one. Because this one benefits not only me but also my daughter and so many beloved friends and blog buddies that I've come care about. <br />
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Autoimmune diseases are in general misunderstood. Take a little time today to understand. To listen instead of assume. You might be surprised at what you don't know.<br />
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130-38-43 My numbers--My weight and age at onset and now. Look for them today on Facebook as others with RA post theirs.<br />
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Share your numbers and onset today here or on facebook. Spread the word about the differences between osteoarthritis and autoimmune arthritis. Or share a friend's.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-36878294100438804132011-10-11T08:52:00.000-07:002012-02-29T13:45:24.097-08:00My Traveler. . .an Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today's post is for those of you wondering about <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2011/09/china-at-last.html">my traveling girl</a>! <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHnrlu_vbG7RB-pdGzO4o2UWGe1No0fq2MWAnwA1WVZahrEhw1NzIjrdyEbJOFNg45jVtGU30nFfWfJpIe8MJ2aqHLi-wI9YI9CSyGjc0rPMOLec-IrWFsByACGLLoRTgTE4uUAvAjII/s1600/316860_10150283737000965_504730964_8542450_5034644_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHnrlu_vbG7RB-pdGzO4o2UWGe1No0fq2MWAnwA1WVZahrEhw1NzIjrdyEbJOFNg45jVtGU30nFfWfJpIe8MJ2aqHLi-wI9YI9CSyGjc0rPMOLec-IrWFsByACGLLoRTgTE4uUAvAjII/s1600/316860_10150283737000965_504730964_8542450_5034644_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goodbye America!</td></tr>
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She is a college sophomore and her adventures began in Beijing, China just over a month ago. I don't have many pics--just a few from her iPhone or those someone has posted on facebook occasionally. China has pretty tough restrictions on the internet, so the group was limited to scattered internet cafes.<br />
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But from what I've heard so far, she had a wonderful time there--two weeks at Capital Normal University and then two more weeks of travel in the country, and now she is in Japan.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaL_Ce0cQVHH8ZvEvJ17CJR313c7IAKwWWrz1RVBLJu38pARF4TS3kRDk8TPRFLYlFlNU5ZO2qfSC9OH4LxuDYARighRzEG-qf1CVaM7c52JTUVCsd7xA7icGmbztPmZwz3XcgWDNseUg/s1600/Capital+normal_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaL_Ce0cQVHH8ZvEvJ17CJR313c7IAKwWWrz1RVBLJu38pARF4TS3kRDk8TPRFLYlFlNU5ZO2qfSC9OH4LxuDYARighRzEG-qf1CVaM7c52JTUVCsd7xA7icGmbztPmZwz3XcgWDNseUg/s1600/Capital+normal_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group at Capital Normal University</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mUwbnEpKTeOVWGy0lBRB5sNDQU3h8mD-yLhyphenhypheniugW0L-36xfSa4CzhnEiscX9gyNoa4ug0kfjwnMyzC8PfaBkpodyb6sjkc8a7tMK2aTbhB6nvXivKywYIGcse8nrflnVALyMCV9Ef_A/s1600/309633_10150823997125298_10150149502320298_21497311_51386182_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mUwbnEpKTeOVWGy0lBRB5sNDQU3h8mD-yLhyphenhypheniugW0L-36xfSa4CzhnEiscX9gyNoa4ug0kfjwnMyzC8PfaBkpodyb6sjkc8a7tMK2aTbhB6nvXivKywYIGcse8nrflnVALyMCV9Ef_A/s320/309633_10150823997125298_10150149502320298_21497311_51386182_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Terra Cotta Warrior Museum in Xi'an Province</td></tr>
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And how did she eat, since she can't eat gluten or dairy, and she's allergic to a few other things as well (strawberries, apples, peanuts, and shrimp)? I know she'll have tons of stories to tell when she gets back, but it sounds like in China she ate a lot of. . .rice. There were places where her dining cards worked well, and places where they didn't. She took packets of tuna and lots of gf snack bars with her, so I know she supplemented with those. She told me her group has been so kind to find places where she can eat, too-- they feel like family.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUz-EUZrFf4dicIind_zNujZIRTqwpSbr3VujRqLCHsx8_qD6qduxoA0xMGx1w61WwCNLjGMsO_ifDV-YvuYPKaJex-3R2xv5J3tUv3guUv7I4DZVSPd9ygFr2T2uAlC9YZtstIjHZPA/s1600/hot+pot+dinner+_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirUz-EUZrFf4dicIind_zNujZIRTqwpSbr3VujRqLCHsx8_qD6qduxoA0xMGx1w61WwCNLjGMsO_ifDV-YvuYPKaJex-3R2xv5J3tUv3guUv7I4DZVSPd9ygFr2T2uAlC9YZtstIjHZPA/s1600/hot+pot+dinner+_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot Pot lunch--She said this was one of her favorites!</td></tr>
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I'm so proud of her for going on this adventure, even knowing eating and getting gf food would be hard. I'm glad she didn't let the difficulty of eating in China stop her--that she just took it in stride. I'm proud of her for having a good attitude about it--and for being brave! She fell down some stairs at a farmer's house in Xi'an and sprained her ankle--but as far as I know, she didn't get sick from anything she ate.<br />
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She's in Japan now and says eating is much easier. They traveled for a week and now she's settled in with a family where she'll be for a month. More about that in another post.<br />
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Thanks again to Jen at <a href="http://www.glutenfreekidstravel.com/">Gluten Free Kids Travel</a> for some of the best advice we found about gluten free eating in China. Thanks to her we knew Hannah COULD drink the Coke, should look for sushi for something safe to eat, needed to be careful about the salt shakers (they add msg there, which usually contains gluten in China), and in general should be aware of everything else! Keep blogging, Jen!<br />
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And tomorrow--look for my post about World Arthritis Day!<br />
<br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">More posts in this series: <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2011/09/china-at-last.html" target="_blank">China, at Last!</a> <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2011/12/more-from-travelin-girl-japan.html" target="_blank">More from Travelin' Girl! Japan</a> <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2012/02/end-of-my-girls-trip-new-zealand-and.html" target="_blank">The End of My Girl's Trip! New Zealand and Australia</a></span>The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-88336010704645077622011-10-04T09:54:00.000-07:002011-10-04T10:59:40.987-07:00Gimpy. . .but Grateful<span style="font-size: small;">Since my youngest two started high school this year. . .</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpozASMklg5v57xe5csWoTFLmq315BWhToIFL2RNlZU1BRUrrGQEwQGhYaC1pHerR8D169GOQfy5L8r7XaZj8UiWp4ij-0QePxGLrO8pxIC-L9dg6m_fFJxG1HF4CDHt9koNaWOmYggk/s1600/IMG_0172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpozASMklg5v57xe5csWoTFLmq315BWhToIFL2RNlZU1BRUrrGQEwQGhYaC1pHerR8D169GOQfy5L8r7XaZj8UiWp4ij-0QePxGLrO8pxIC-L9dg6m_fFJxG1HF4CDHt9koNaWOmYggk/s320/IMG_0172.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I have been meeting myself coming. . .</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06yG7hGbhiA_P6cL9Sj-6FHxsRXZ7nPzTCHCsbgnkusdVQrHblaYa3oDxbNRLaqG6DFEpvqNSpQKAxyAP09elMdgkbwpp0GWUk-yT-VaEi0wkNV-0WSP4U0_P7HCj3Ar0y38Lvbsxy-g/s1600/314650_10150374413601280_619106279_10242712_940507837_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06yG7hGbhiA_P6cL9Sj-6FHxsRXZ7nPzTCHCsbgnkusdVQrHblaYa3oDxbNRLaqG6DFEpvqNSpQKAxyAP09elMdgkbwpp0GWUk-yT-VaEi0wkNV-0WSP4U0_P7HCj3Ar0y38Lvbsxy-g/s320/314650_10150374413601280_619106279_10242712_940507837_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">And going. . .</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4JZLb4-vt4BB78fHKlNhCRQGuhP436g56dlX7gLoOgFzklc2guPaijNGLLIIN3QQKz0FlTnn-UhayJe0I4IkKnbRGcrqx9OPpKVWfGlhVlXR3GilLezvfDWsoFExxp2kW1VzW9gAlhc/s1600/DSCN2937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4JZLb4-vt4BB78fHKlNhCRQGuhP436g56dlX7gLoOgFzklc2guPaijNGLLIIN3QQKz0FlTnn-UhayJe0I4IkKnbRGcrqx9OPpKVWfGlhVlXR3GilLezvfDWsoFExxp2kW1VzW9gAlhc/s320/DSCN2937.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">And having a great time--though I'm a bit gimpy along the way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> And that’s why I’m grateful. I’m grateful that I’ve been able
to do it. On the day above, I had to put Lidoderm patches on the soles of my
feet to be able to walk the course and take this picture. But I was there! A
friend of mine, with an amazing camera and photography skills, took the picture
of my daughter and her percussion friends. My skills are not so amazing--but I was there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">My husband had to be out of town for nearly two weeks, but with
the help of friends and two good-natured kids, everyone ended up where they were
supposed to be, everyone competed and ate and got to bed at night and to school the next morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">And I am grateful.</span>The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-90106742847013147712011-09-26T07:08:00.000-07:002011-09-26T07:08:30.717-07:00SaraIt has been difficult for me to come back to my blog since my last post. So odd to be grieving someone I've never met. What do I say? But I wanted to let you know that <a href="http://gitzengirl.blogspot.com/">Sara</a> died peacefully Saturday, with her mother and brother with her. Hers was a life well lived to the very end. <br />
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Here is the link, once again, to my favorite post. <a href="http://gitzengirl.blogspot.com/2011/04/really.html">Gitz: Really?</a><br />
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Really, she was Him, to me. Really.<br />
The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-59967708381206357342011-09-17T18:35:00.000-07:002011-09-26T07:08:56.844-07:00Gitz: Saying GoodbyeBack in April I was a stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I wrote about it <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2011/04/between-rock-and-hard-place.html">here.</a> In that post, I mentioned a blogger that I read frequently--you'll find her mentioned in my blog list-- <a href="http://gitzengirl.blogspot.com/">Gitz</a>. She is one of several Christian and chronic illness bloggers that I have been especially uplifted by over the past few years.<br />
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A few friends commented on how much they liked her blog and that post specifically. Her writing is beautiful, her godly attitude beyond inspiring. I sometimes read her posts in the morning and then sit for a while, challenged and a bit undone. <br />
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Her name is Sara--she has ankylosing spondylitis. And her complications from that disease have been severe. So many times she has made me grateful when I felt bitter, made me think when I didn't want to. She never candy-coated her pain but it never got in the way of her joy. Though my illness is nothing compared to hers, she became a kind of model to me of what to do WHEN YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN AND SICK. How to be honest. How to have dignity. How to care for others and not be self- involved. How to be more like Jesus. Lofty goals--things to try for that I am still learning.<br />
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And Sara is going home. A friend is updating her blog now, while hospice cares for her. She placed this quote from Sara on her blog earlier:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b> "...<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;"> I have lived in this condo since I was 29 years old. I haven't left it, ventured out, even open a window in years. It's where I am, where I will always be, and yet when someone says the word 'home' I don't think here.</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Because my home rests in the hearts of people...</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>My home is not here. It's not in a country or state or town or walls. It's in the hearts of the people I love.</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://gitzengirl.blogspot.com/2011/09/looking-homeward.html">Homeward Bound</a><br />
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If you want to be grateful for what you have today, be uplifted, feel closer to God--if you're not afraid to shed a few tears--spend some time on Sara's blog. She is going home. She is not afraid. She chose joy all along the way, no matter what, and helped so many others learn to do the same.<br />
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God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. Thank you for the joy, Sara.<br />
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For another beautiful tribute to Sara at another of my favorite blogs, see <a href="http://www.pensieve.me/2011/09/choosing-joy-dying-well-and-crying-with-hope.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FPAdX+%28PENSIEVE%29">Pensieve: Choosing Joy, Dying Well and Crying with Hope</a>.<br />
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The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-72681767284079810552011-09-15T07:33:00.000-07:002012-02-29T13:46:38.787-08:00China, at last!At last I'll post about my gypsy child's departure for her semester abroad! For the past two weeks she has been happily exploring Beijing with 19 other college students and the family that has gone along with them as guides and guardians. <br />
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In the weeks leading up to the trip, she packed and repacked. And packed and repacked! She doesn't eat gluten or dairy, so--she and I did quite a bit of research before she left. She took packets of tuna, protein powder, and lots of snack bars! <br />
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We even shipped some ahead for later in the trip. She also has <a href="http://www.triumphdining.com/products/gluten-free-dining-cards">Triumph Gluten-Free Dining Cards</a> in Mandarin Chinese to show waiters and cooks at restaurants to explain what she needs when she orders, and she says those have worked some of the time. According to our research, China is one of the hardest places to travel gf. One of the blogs we read was called <a href="http://www.glutenfreekidstravel.com/2010/06/china-gluten-free-hell.html">China-gluten-free-hell</a>. But, supposedly with planning it can be done. I am hoping that is true. After China, she'll move on to Japan, where eating should get a bit easier. Then in Australia and New Zealand it should be a breeze!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saying goodbye was harder than I'd thought it would be. And I think that back-pack is bigger than she is!</td></tr>
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It was hard to let her go, that far for that long. (She'll be gone until December.) But it would have been harder not to. She has always been my gypsy girl, and she has dreamed of this most of her life. Her group is doing mission work along the way and their communications are limited, but when I hear from her after one of those days, her words are full of joy and delight, and I know that she is doing what she loves-- traveling and serving and learning. She loves people and other cultures and Asia, especially.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group at a school for the blind in Beijing. These students are musicians and played for our students, and the musicians in our group played for them. Their teacher is known as the Mother Theresa of Beijing.</td></tr>
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And now this to her if she gets to read this: Godspeed my darling girl! I'll resist the urge to wax in any way poetic. Have fun. Seize the day. I love you. </div>
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(And I'm just a teeny bit jealous--I'll meet you in New Zealand? I know you want me too!)</div>
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Mom</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">Other posts in this series: <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-traveler-update.html" target="_blank">My Traveler. . .An Update</a> <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2011/12/more-from-travelin-girl-japan.html" target="_blank">More from Travelin' Girl! Japan</a> <a href="http://raeladysherry.blogspot.com/2012/02/end-of-my-girls-trip-new-zealand-and.html" target="_blank">The End of My Girl's Trip! New Zealand and Australia</a></span>The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5135489745049741950.post-86495029049327736712011-08-31T10:42:00.000-07:002011-08-31T10:59:55.625-07:00Best RA Article I've read lately. . .Busy this week getting oldest daughter ready to leave for semester abroad, but sat down for a few minutes to look at some blogs and clicked <a href="http://rawarrior.com/">RA Warrior</a>. There I found a link to one of the best articles I've read lately about RA. I sighed with relief. I almost cried. You mean there is a doctor out there who understands?<br />
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The web is absolutely overrun with patient blogs who talk and rant about the need for change in the RA world, but then I go back to my rheumatologist, see the same RA commercials, hear the same yada yada from the Arthritis Foundation about diet and exercise, and deal with, as <a href="http://singlegalsguidetora.typepad.com/the_single_gals_guide_to_/2009/02/ra-the-loser-disease.html">The Single Gal's Guide to RA</a> calls it, The Loser Disease. <br />
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If anyone is listening, it certainly doesn't feel like it. And then there is this--a bright spot in RA land. Someone is listening, understanding. Perhaps someone with the power to make a difference! Please read if you have time. I'd appreciate it.<br />
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More on sending my daughter to China soon.<br />
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<a href="http://www.the-rheumatologist.org/details/article/1311755/An_Identity_Crisis_for_RA.html#.Tl5tHfQDQ3s.blogger">An Identity Crisis for RA :: Article</a> The Lady in Predhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08162720993020455794noreply@blogger.com0