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Weakness Is a Gift?

How perfect is this post from 2014 for my one month post surgery date. I haven’t felt this level of physical weakness in a very long time, but God has used it and I am getting stronger every day; so very thankful for the lessons learned in this 30 day journey. God is able and He is faithful. Always. 🌻 Blessings, Susie

2014 Post:

1) I am thankful for my struggles. I am trusting God to make them beautiful and to help me be stronger in spite of them.

2) I am thankful for my brokenness; I am trusting God to give me the courage to continue to be strong, even in the broken places.

3) I am thankful for my weakness; let it cause me to rely more on Him to show His grace in my life.

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Thankful today.

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courage has definitely been needed these past 30 days.

Yes, weakness makes me stronger. A gift, indeed. 

Yes, weakness makes me stronger. A gift, indeed. 

Scars as Living Proof

Today, I return to work with a new scar. Right across the middle of my right knee. It is a reminder that just three weeks ago, something really big, invasive and painful happened there.  It is my prayer that the scar will dimimish over time, but it will not disappear. It will always serve as a reminder of this knee surgery. It is such a good visual for our lives that I wanted to write about it today, on this day I return to work.  

Things happen in life that hurt us. Sometimes, it is someone else that causes the hurt. Sometimes we make a choice that ends up hurting us. Sometimes we get in the path of someone else’s storm, and we are hurt. We have physical, emotional and spiritual scars from these hurts and the healing process is hard, painful and requires massive amounts of work and determination on our part to get better. And yet, while the scar might remain visible, it is most often that the healing creates something even stronger in us as a result of the hurt and the scar and the journey to healing.

I have not really loved physical therapy these last 3 weeks, and it will continue for many more weeks. It is painful to get my knee to move again, and yet, every day, I see progress and movement. Last Thursday, I drove my Jeep for the first time in our neighborhood and Friday, I drove Kenzie to the pool! Progress and small victories from a knee that wouldn’t even bend 3 weeks ago.

So, I say to you, hang in there! Do the work that is your part to get better and heal from your hurts, and let God handle the heavy lifting of your healing. He is able! And then tell your story of what God can do, especially and always when hurt comes your way. And it will.  Claim Jeremiah 30:17  where God promises “ I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord.” Or prob

verbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away  from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones. – Proverbs 3:5-8 NLT

Hope is alive in me today. I pray for it to be alive in you as well. Blessings, Susie💛

Note: Journey to Hope reopens today, Monday August  27th and we will be in the office until 5 p.m. Please pray for my first day back.

We are open every day this week from 11-5,and on a Friday from 10-noon. God is so good to bring healing. We are rejoicing.

 

 

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Because He does. He is our healer

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Drove Kenzie to the pool last Friday. And yes, this photo was taken AFTER we arrived and we took her out of her car seat! CELEBRATING!

BELONGING

Belonging. It is something each and every one of us needs. We work hard in this life, spinning our wheels to achieve enough to belong, to check enough boxes to belong, to follow enough rules to qualify to belong, to be what someone else wants from us enough to belong. Enough. How we strive to be and do enough.How about if we give up all that striving and work just to be enough? And rest in Gods promise that says once we are His, we belong. Just like that. We are loved with an everlasting love, and no one is able to take it away. Because it was and is only His to give. And He gave all. For you. For me. I belong. You belong. We belong. (Ephesians 2:19-22) No additional hidden fees or requirements except to believe, to take Him at His word. That is our Hope. Our place in this world.Praying for you to hold on to this wonderful promise of His everlasting love for you today. You are enough. Blessings, Susie💛

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Belonging. How we all want to belong. 

Journey to Recovery

Reaching out with an update for you. Recovery is going well. I was discharged from Occupational Therapy today💛and I am getting really close to being released to outpatient Physical Therapy.   I have been looking for the perfect caption for this beautiful photo taken by Dennis Colvin, and it all came together in my recovery from knee surgery. And the perfect Chinese proverb for his picture, “to get through the hardest Journey, we need only  take one step at a time, but we must keep stepping.” Thank you Dennis for allowing me to use and share this beautiful picture.  How true that has been for all the steps taken since August 6th. Your prayers have made a difference in my recovery for sure. Thank you.

My plan is to be back in the office next week (Aug 27-31) with limited hours. I appreciate your prayers and you can be sure you remain in mine. Blessings, Susie

 

 The Journey to Recovery has been painful post surgery, but has only been possible step by step. What a life lesson in this whole process!

 The Journey to Recovery has been painful post surgery, but has only been possible step by step. What a life lesson in this whole process!

Photo taken by Dennis Colvin

Circumstances of Life or Promises of God?

I choose to stand on the promises of God. The circumstances of life are just way too precarious and unpredictable for my feet to stand firm. How about you? Circumstances of life or promises of God? Easy to choose an answer to this question and so much harder to live out when your circumstances of life are hitting you one right after the other. And yet, His promises stand true forever. 

It’s Monday and I am 2 weeks post surgery. Cannot express all my thanks for those who are frontline with me in this recovery and for all those who have helped to carry me in any way, with food, flowers, cards, candy, care, visits, prayers, even tough love in PT and OT. It is quite painful (they weren’t kidding!!)  but I am stronger everyday.

There are special moments that stand out so far.

Like Kenzie, sitting beside me and sprinkling my forehead with soft sweet kisses whispering over and over that she loves me so much and it won’t be long before I will be racing and jumping with her.  She has been so concerned for her Mimi, she has brought me an army of stuffed animals, flowers, pictures, hugs and kisses to help with recovery.

Like my Mom and Dad coming to the stairs every night to hug, say I love you and watch me climb those steps every time. You’ve been my biggest cheerleaders from my earliest memory and you still are. Love you two. And the food my mom is making. Who could not recover!?!?

Like my sweet beautiful sons, Matt and Drew taking days off from work to be with me and help me walk and read to me and just love their Mom through it. Matt, spending the night with me in the hospital and watching a Cary Grant movie with me. Drew, who ever so gently reminded me that we still have a few more exercises to do and how great I am doing. Thanks to Becca for encouraging me with words, food and visits.

Like my sweet husband, Andy, who loves me so well, & who is always, always working to keep me comfortable and motivated and ready to let me cry it out when I need to. You are there in the middle of the night through thick and thin.

Like Sharla, spending my first night post surgery with me and listening to all my silly, crazy talk and snacking at 3 am, and for the love you always give.

Like my small group, who have visited and brought food and cheer and ice and love.....and chocolate. you have truly lived the 2nd Mile with your visits, meals, ice, and love. 

Like the Journey to Hope staff, full of encouragement and love and sending it my way.

Like friends and neighbors, who have taken the time to come by with flowers, food, ice, texts, emails and shout out words of encouragement.

Like my friend, Julie giving Bella a play date the day after I got home. And our dog walker, Christine, going on extra walks and giving the Goldens so much love.

Like my beautiful Goldens, who never leave my side. Their love and care is so pure. They are very alarmed when physical therapy makes me yelp. They come running. And our cat, Emma who has taken up residence in my lap.

A flood of love has come my way, and I am grateful indeed. For every single act of kindness, thought and prayer. I thank you, Susie

What a blessing, Susie💙

 

P.S.  hours for this week.  I am holding phone and video sessions out of the office this week. I am very responsive to texts, emails and phone calls. Please reach out at 540-760-3577 if you need to speak to me and I will respond as soon as I can.  Normal counseling hours resume for me Monday, August 27th, 2018. Carlie will be in the office this week on Thursday, August 23rd.

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