iona's blog 9/4 - 9/10/2005

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Monday, September 5, 2005

Sorry there was no blog last night. After a 5-night prayer vigil with only 3 to 4 hours sleep each day, I was asleep by late afternoon and didn't wake up until this morning. Take my advice, learned first hand, you should never sleep for more than 12 hours... I felt awful when I woke up!

Today was a day of Red Cross classes on how to meet the needs of disaster victims... three courses scrunched into one day. I learned much, but discovered I have a great deal more to learn. That is so often the case with spiritual as well as academic or vocational lessons.

Part of the volunteer screening is medical and in my interview the R.N. indicated that because of my previous head injury, their doctors would need to speak to mine before I could be deployed. I admit to being disappointed... by the end of training, I was anxious to "get out there" and begin helping right away... but then I have not yet received final confirmation from the Lord!

When I arrived home, there was an e-mail from Pastor Rob which may or may not be a confirmation on whether I should go to the gulf coast areas or not. I am certain God has called me to assist, but continue to prayerfully seek His direction as to how, when and where. Certainly, the Red Cross training I took today will not be wasted, and indeed it may be that the Holy Spirit was nudging me to get prepared for a future need or a need developing here...

I will wait upon the Lord and, as promised, if He opens the door, I will enter. But also I know He led me toward a ministry to women and wants that to continue to develop. I just want to keep "me" out of the way, so HE can call the shots.

Meanwhile, I continue in prayer for the Lord's mercy in this tragic situation and that somehow hearts will turn to Christ and lives will be eternally changed.

I will be gone the next two days taking my niece to Stanford Medical Center, so there will be no blog until Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

Thursday, September 8, 2005

Setting the Stage
I received some bad news when I came home from Stanford, but God had prepared everything, set the stage, as you sill see... Tuesday and Wednesday were sent in the delightful company of my lovely niece, Donna. Every two weeks we travel to Palo Alto together where she undergoes a series of treatments at Stanford. The treatment area is lined with special recliners and intricate equipment, looking very cold and intimidating... and they keep this area quite cool. You need a coat!

So, for a number of hours, two days in a row, Donna and I sit in the tilted beige treatment recliners... Yes, I am in one, too... not for treatment but because of the gentle, tenderhearted angels of mercy who give this room its only warmth. They are as solicitous of me as they are their of patients, even wrapping me up like a cocoon in double layers of heated "bath blankets" (thin cotton blankets which are useless except to preserve one's modesty during a bed bath).

Very modern, slim TVs are lowered in front of our faces and we sit and doze on and off as the magical chefs on the Food Network do their tasty stuff. We spend the night in a small motel, usually eating the food we brought from home. We're tired, and we are in bed early. The second day's treatments begin at 8:00 a.m.

What a blessing and an honor to do this. We try to make it like a mini-vacation except we just visit the hospital and the motel. It is a quiet time. We speak of family, our churches, our shared love for Jesus... we laugh and we pray. And I am once again inspired by the quiet strength of this wisp of a 99 pound woman. Her courage and ability to wrap her love and her life around others is not a "flash in the pan," Donna has been fighting this battle for over seven years.

I have another friend who is losing her war with cancer. Unless God steps in, she will not long be with us... then there are some dear friends with chronic and devastating illnesses, or unmanageable pain... Then, of course, there are all those who are suffering in various ways as a result of the greatest natural disaster to ever hit our nation..

In the light of all that, how dare I lament over my small problems... YET our Lord is concerned about all those "little" things in our life which cause pain, open the door to fear, or cause us to slip into worry... He knows how fragile we can be, and His great love underwrites His desire to be involved in ALL the aspects of our lives.

Soooo, when I got the letter saying Workman's Comp would no longer cover my therapy of any sort, God had already filled my spirit with such joy and thankfulness for the blessings I have undeservedly received... I merely asked God to bless the insurance company and my therapists and went blissfully along with my day... and a wonderful day it was!

The Women of Grace met for the second time this morning. What a wonderful collection of precious souls they are! Richard had picked up the books we ordered and we are all off to a great start.

Friday-Sunday, September 9-11, 2005

Feeling Poorly
I am not in church today, and only guilt makes me get out of bed to type this. This is supposed to be a daily journal! Eva always manages to get hers done amid all the activities and demands a mother of little ones has.

I began feeling poorly Friday afternoon and declined after that. Funny, I used to only get a bad cold or flu about once a year, but since moving to California, I have developed allergies and have frequent bouts of respiratory illness. In all reality, it probably has nothing to do with California, but more aptly may be the result of having been a smoker for many years. Now that I am getting older, my past foolishness is taking its toll!

Good advice: If you smoke, quit now! When I'm feeling better, I'll tell you how God led me away from one of the hardest addictions to break... some say worse than cocaine. But today I am miserable and will not last much longer here at the computer. It's day time, but I am taking some Nyquil now and hope to sleep soon. When you are asleep, you don't know you're miserable.

Speaking of misery, in his last blog, Pastor Rob said Jerry (his son) had just had four wisdom teeth out. My prayers are for a speedy recovery and that he sleep through the pain. All my teeth are plastic now and, although I don't recommend it, I am glad!

I had a wonderful surprise this morning, our daughter Kim called and we had a mostly one-sided chat (my voice is about gone). Her beau proposed and she accepted, so there'll be a May wedding in the Colorado mountains next year. I am thrilled for her.

So, to recap this 3-day blog, I got sick Friday, did nothing Saturday except take a short ride (Richard thought the dogs and I needed some fresh air) and hope to sleep all day today or until I am better.

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