URGENT PRAYERS NEEDED!!

Hi Everyone,

As you may remember, my husband, David, was placed on furlough, with benefits, Feb.25th and was assured it would only be for approximately 2-3 wks. His company was in the process of securing several new contracts and it appeared to be only a matter of time before he would be starting a new project. However, things have not gone so well.

Last Friday, all employees who did not already have an active site to manage were laid off indefinitely AND all benefits were discontinued. Their amazing benefit package included, but was definitely not limited to, an incredible FAMILY healthcare plan provided at absolutely no charge, and a brand new retirement plan they just established and signed employees up for in late January

Today is the end of the 4th week we have gone without David earning any income. The unemployment ‘benefit’ is barely ¼ of his usual bring home pay. He has been scouring Alabama and Georgia for work, but has been unsuccessful so far. We really are trying hard not to worry. However, after his lengthy furlough in November and December, my continued medical expenses, Morgan's college tuition and many other unexpected associated costs, a HUGE jump in our auto insurance premiums after Bekah's accident last Fall, and now this – we have pretty much exhausted ALL our savings. Therefore, it is very hard to fight our human flesh and NOT be a little afraid sometimes.

But we quickly remember that we serve a mighty Lord and we know none of this has taken Him by surprise!! We know scripture tells us that He has a wonderful, amazing plan for us and His timing is impeccable! How awesome is that?? If HE is for us, who can be against us? YES!

Thanks SO much for stopping by and taking the time to read. I know I haven’t been around much lately, but I am trying my best to get better and be here more often. I hope you will continue to keep my family and me in your prayers as we wait upon the Lord.

Thank you so much! Have a fantastic weekend.

{{{HUGS}}}

WORD-FILLED WEDNESDAY

Answer me when I call to You,
O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
Be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
~ Psalm 4:1

Hey everyone,

I found this scripture and it could not be more perfect for today. After seeing the doctor on Friday, I have been trying some new meds. They have made me extremely nauseated, but are definitely helping with the pain. Praise the Lord! The side effects are supposed to go away after a few weeks. Please help me pray they do, because I REALLY need to be able to tolerate this medication!!

I hope you all are enjoying your week. Thanks for your continued visits and sweet comments. Each and every one of them truly bless me and make me smile!

Love you all!







The purpose of Word-Filled Wednesday is to share God’s word through photo or graphic image combined with a verse from the Bible. Word-Filled Wednesday is not about books, authors or artists, it’s about God and HIS WORD ONLY. If you’d like to join me and other ladies as we share our Word-Filled Wednesday, just click on the icon below.

WHO AM I??

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.

~ Ephesians 2:8-9

Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry I haven't been around as much lately but I'm most definitely still alive! Not only has our internet being acting up, but the last few weeks, especially this last one, have been particularly hard for me. I have been dealing with extreme pain, nausea and dizziness. It has been so bad, that most of the time it has been next to impossible just to sit up.

Most days, I'm able to get out of the bed, get dressed and make it downstairs to our family room. There, I usually remain in my recliner for the rest of the day. It definitely takes a good bit of work and assistance to get there, but I manage. This week I have not been able to do that at all. I have had to stay in bed the entire week. Needless to say, it has been very discouraging for me AND for my family. It is especially difficult because all our bedrooms are upstairs and, of course, most of the action goes on downstairs. Plus, in order to help me, they must go up and down the steps multiple times each day. I really feel guilty about that, even though I know I can not help it. It makes me feel like such a burden...and all I can do for them is say thank you. Over and Over and Over. *sigh*

Speaking of thank yous - I would like to say thank you SO VERY MUCH for all the wonderful comments and emails I've received this week. (I'm still trying to catch up on all of them and it's gonna take a while!) I also wanted to say hello to all my new Readers/Followers. It is a real pleasure to meet you and I'm thrilled you chose to stop by and hang out with us! I hope you will come back again soon. When this 'flare' eases a bit, I will be making my rounds to all your great blogs. I promise!!

And to my faithful readers who continue to comment, leave sweet words of encouragement and/or pray for me each day, I want you to know that you are such a huge blessing in my life and I cherish you all so very much! Thanks for continuing to visit!

Have a wonderfully blessed weekend!

Blessings,

Teresa

For more inspiring and uplifting music, please visit Amy at SIGNS, MIRACLES AND WONDERS!

Heaven Just Got A Little Brighter

Jewell Mae O'Neal Nation
January 1, 1915 - June 29, 2010

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
~ Matthew 5:4

Yesterday morning, at 10:55, Granny Jewell went on to Heaven to be with the Lord and with Papa Andrew. Although I am rejoicing in the fact that she is now with them and is no longer suffering, I am profoundly sad that she is gone. I knew it was going to be hard but I did not anticipate exactly how hard.

Thanks so much for the many, many prayers and wonderful words of encouragement I have received over the last week or so. They are appreciated more than you can possibly know. I know it is going to take some time for our entire family to grieve and then begin to heal. Please continue to pray for us as we begin that process.

Blessings,

Teresa

URGENT UPDATEandPRAYER REQUEST

Image via Wikipedia

Teresa truly needs some extra heavy duty prayer right now. Monday morning she awoke with a severe sore throat, fever, and nausea (worse than normal). Our little digital thermometer showed as high as 104 before the Ibuprofen kicked in enough to bring it down some. She had a miserable night, and today when she woke, her throat showed all the classic telltale signs of Strep. This really exacerbates the symptoms of the Dysautonomia.

She is in a great deal of pain, still spiking a fever when the ibuprofen wears off, and is just downright distraught that she may not be well enough to participate in Morgan's graduation activities this weekend. Please help us pray that she is well enough by Friday to see her daughter walk to receive her Honors Diploma. We've been through so much while getting to this point, she just doesn't want to miss the closing of this chapter in Momo's life.

Thanks so much,

David

THANKFUL THURSDAY

These are the things I am so very thankful for today:

1) My Savior, Jesus Christ, who continues to hold me up through all of life's storms and always reminds me that I am His.

2) My amazing, wonderful husband who works so hard to provide for our family and then comes home every evening to take care of me, regardless of how exhausted he may be, and never complains.

3) My 2 youngest daughters who have given so much precious time out of their lives to help care for me, when it is I who should be caring for them. I don't know how I can ever thank them enough.

4) The happiness in my heart that I still have since I was able to see my oldest daughter last week. I have also spoken to her several times on the phone since then. That has really made me happy.

5) All the wonderful, encouraging comments I receive in response to my posts. They make me smile and give me the motivation to write another post.

6) All of my prayer warriors! I truly feel your prayers and they really lift me up, especially during a long, difficult and pain-filled day and/or night.

7) Our sweet neighbor down the street who continues to occasionally bring us dinner. It is such a tremendous blessing to us and helps us out more than she can possible know.

8) For the incredible men and women (and their families) who serve in our military, to help protect each and every one of us from harm and keep our great nation FREE!

9) The upcoming graduation of our middle daughter, Morgan, from high school. I am so proud of the wonderful woman she has become and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for her future!

10) Last but definitely not least, our wonderful, amazing group of friends who have offered to plan, prepare and host Morgan's graduation party so that we can check that off our list and won't have to worry about a thing! This is a HUGE, HUGE blessing for our family and an enormous burden lifted off our shoulders. You guys are AWESOME!



Thanks so much for stopping by. I'd love for you to join us in Thankful Thursday and take a moment to share what YOU are thankful for. Visit Sonya at Becoming a Strong Woman of God as a Wife, Mother and Friend to link up.

Blessings,

Teresa

WORD-FILLED WEDNESDAY

Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining.

~ 1 Peter 4:8-9 ~

This verse really spoke to me today. It made me think about my family, especially my sister.

I have an AMAZING family! Every single member is someone I know I can depend on no matter what. However, like most families, we definitely have our moments when we don't see eye-to-eye. That is especially true when it comes to my sister and me. You might remember that I told you a little about that here on her birthday.

Since then, we've had a couple more disagreements that did not end very well. It makes me extremely sad when that happens. I never, ever intend to cause a fuss or hurt her feelings, but somehow that is what always seems to happen. :0(

Thankfully, though, LOVE does cover a multitude of sins, and in our family, we somehow always manage to come out on the other side of any disagreement with our relationships still intact. As for my sister and me, we definitely aren't as close as I would like for us to be, but I hope and pray that somehow, someway we can work together to change that. We're not getting any younger and we just never know when the day will come that one of us won't be here any longer.

Thanks for joining me for Word-Filled Wednesday! As always, the purpose of WFW is to share God's Word (no famous quotes or other literature, only the beautiful Word of our Heavenly Father) through scripture and pictures.

WFW is being hosted this week by Lori at All You Have To Give. Please take some time to visit her blog for even more encouragement or if you want to link up and join us. It is really awesome!

Have a great week!

Blessings,


Teresa

WORD-FILLED WEDNESDAY

Source

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~ Romans 8:38-39

These are such comforting Words from Scripture. It is so incredible to know that there is absolutely nothing that can separate me from the love of my Heavenly Father. NOTHING!! How amazing is that?!?

Thank you so much for stopping by again for Word-Filled Wednesday. As always, the purpose of WFW is to share God's Word (no famous quotes or other literature, only the beautiful Word of our Heavenly Father) through scripture and pictures. For even more encouragement, or if you'd like to join us, please visit our hostess for this week, Penny, at PennyRaine.com. Have a wonderful day!

Blessings,

Teresa

UPDATE: MY MOM'S HOME!!

I wanted to let those who have been praying for my mom know that she has been released from the hospital and is doing much, much better. PRAISE GOD! In the next few days, she must follow up with her primary care physician and several of her specialists in order to ensure that she continues to do well.


I really wanted to thank each and every one of you for all of your thoughts and prayers for my mom, my dad and our whole family during the time that she was hospitalized. I truly appreciate the awesome love and support you have shown us during this time. It means more to us than you can possibly know!

Blessings,

Teresa <><

VERY URGENT PRAYER REQUEST~ FOR MY MOM ~

I would like to ask everyone to please pray for my mom, Joann. She began experiencing upper abdominal pain along with extreme nausea this morning. It all became quite severe early this evening so my dad called me around 6:00 p.m. EST to ask my opinion about taking her to the ER. Since my mom already has several significant medical problems, most related to her heart, I felt that it was imperative that she be evaluated ASAP.

My dad called back just a short time ago and said that Mama is being admitted due to mild pancreatitis - inflammation of the pancreas. They said that, thankfully, she got to the ER in the early stages and that she should do well with proper treatment. I would really appreciate it if you would please pray with me that she does well with treatment and that she is well very, very soon. I really need/want my mom here with me for many more years to come!

Thanks so much!!

Blessings,

Teresa

WORD-FILLED WEDNESDAY

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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

Thank you for joining me again this week for Word-Filled Wednesday. For even more encouragement, please visit our WFW hostess for this week, Christy at Critty Joy. Have a great day!

Blessings,

Teresa

WORD-FILLED WEDNESDAY

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Romans 5:3-4

Hope.

I have really clung to hope over the last 2 and 1/2 years. It is one of the main things that helps me get through each new day as I continue to battle this illness and the pain and suffering that goes along with it. The past couple of weeks have been especially difficult. Each time I develop another serious bacterial infection, the bug is a bit more complicated to diagnose, the pain is even worse than the time before, the hospital stay is a little longer and it all is getting harder and harder to bear!

I am just so tired and weary. But I know I must persevere. I must cling to the Lord and trust in Him because I know He DOES have an amazing plan for my life and the lives of my family who spend much of their time caring for me.

This is most definitely not the first difficult trial my husband and I have endured. We have suffered several significant blows over the nearly 20 years we have been married. Most couples, if faced with the things we have been through, would have probably divorced a LONG, LONG time ago. However, very early on in our marriage, D and I decided to put Christ in the center of our relationship. We made a conscious decision to allow the Lord to be our Guide, our Compass. We had some bumps and even a few very steep mountains to overcome in the beginning but each new trial has only served to make us much stronger, as individuals and as a couple.

I admit, it is hard to say that I 'rejoice' in my suffering. I think that would be the case for any human in the flesh. However, I know that my current situation, all of the pain and suffering of this illness, is definitely teaching me to be more dependent on the Lord. I know that along the way, God is molding me into the woman He wants me to be.

Here's another verse I like and it helps me, too.

Thanks for letting me share. Thanks, too, for your continued show of support, even when I'm not up to blogging. I am very blessed to have so many people out there rooting me on. Please keep those prayers and wonderful words of encouragement coming. They are such a sweet blessing to my soul.

{{HUGS}}

Teresa

The purpose of Word-Filled Wednesday is to share God's word (no famous quotes or other literature, only the beautiful Word of our Heavenly Father) through scripture and pictures. If you would like to participate in Word-Filled Wednesday, please join Penny over at her blog and link up.

WORD-FILLED WEDNESDAY

But they that wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk,
AND NOT FAINT.

Isaiah 40:31

As I was searching for just the right scripture for this week's Word-Filled Wednesday, I came upon this scripture in Isaiah. I have read it countless times in my life but not recently. Today, it nearly jolted me out of my chair.

I have been trying and trying to figure out what 'I' can do to feel better, what 'I' can do to be well again. I've been trying to figure out which direction to go from here, which new doctor would be right to see, what new medications I should consider, which current meds I should stop, how I'm going to lose ALL this weight I've gained and so on. During all this time, I've grown more and more depressed and sad. Because of this, my quiet time and prayer time have become virtually non-existent and I've felt distant from the Lord.

Doing the Word-Filled Wednesdays has helped me to get back into God's Word and I'm really thankful for that. Today's scripture made me remember that, often, I just have to WAIT upon Him when I'm in need. Sometimes that is SO incredibly hard to do! But, it is ALWAYS worth it. I know that in His time, He can help me to be strong again, to walk again.....and to not pass out anymore.

What a GLORIOUS DAY that will be!



Please be sure to check out my PAY IT FORWARD GIVE-AWAY! I'd love for you to be a part of it!

The purpose of Word-Filled Wednesday is to share God's word (no famous quotes or other literature, only the beautiful Word of our Heavenly Father) through scripture and pictures. If you would like to participate in Word-Filled Wednesday, please join Lori over at her blog and link up.

QUICK UPDATE

After a thorough evaluation and a ton of labwork, I am extremely happy to report that it appears there is no new bacterial infection! To be safe, they did go ahead and draw new blood cultures to confirm there is nothing new growing. We should have those results in a couple of days. The doc believes I may have some kind of respiratory virus, or possibly even a sinus infection, as I have been having some of these type symptoms over the last few days. Regardless, I would truly appreciate it if you would continue to keep me in your prayers! I absolutely can not afford to have another serious infection again, especially this soon!

Thank you so much for your unwaivering support. Thank you for continuing to stop by and check on me, for leaving such kind comments and for your commitment to praying for me. It ALL means so very much to me. May the Lord bless each of you as you have blessed me.

{{HUGS}}

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

Although she is still on IV antibiotics, Teresa has developed a fever again. We are going to administer the last dose of antibiotic tonight, along with Ibuprofen/Tylenol, and then call the Infectious Disease docs in the morning to see what they want us to do. We will keep you updated. Thanks so much!

By the way, don't miss Teresa's post from earlier today - IN SICKNESS and IN HEALTH. Thanks again.

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WEDNESDAYS FOR WYATT- Week 2

This is the second week of

'WEDNESDAYS FOR WYATT'!!

Go HERE to read about Wyatt's story,

and HERE to sign the petition.

Here we go! Our second Wednesday for Wyatt! It’s quite simple to participate. All you have to do is copy and paste this post to your blog, and then go here to link up with Danielle's MckLinky! Once you do that, you're entered to win a great giveaway! Kristi, one of the dear women who has been following this family's story, has generously donated some handmade buckeye's jewelry for today's give-away. Thank you so much Kristi!

FROM DANIELLE ~

Over the last week we have gotten 123 new signatures! Over 100 of those we got last Wednesday alone. And we had 34 wonderful bloggers link up... I can't wait to see how much Wednesdays for Wyatt will grow this week!

For those of you who are not familiar with my family and what we are trying to achieve, here’s a brief run down...

Our son Wyatt was diagnosed with a fatal condition at our 18 week ultrasound, but chose to carry him to term. We waited to meet our son with love, all the time praying we would get to see him alive.

On June 1, 2009, Wyatt made his way into the world by c-section. To our amazement he had a faint heartbeat and was breathing! He died two minutes later, but I’ve clung to the two minutes my son and I breathed the same air since his passing.

Upon calling to get a copy of Wyatt’s birth certificate, I found out he was listed as a stillborn. You would assume it was a mistake (like I did), but there was no mistake. According to the definition of live birth in Tennessee my son was not “alive enough” to be deemed a live born baby. His two minutes of life has gone unrecognized by my state, and I intend to change this piece of legislation so I can solidify the validity of my son’s short life.

Wednesdays for Wyatt was created to help spread awareness for a law that needs to be changed, as well as to generate more traffic to my petition. So if you’re reading this, thanks for taking the time to help our family!

This contest will be open today only. I will close MckLinky down sometime before midnight, so make sure you get linked up ASAP to make sure you are entered to win this giveaway! Thanks for helping everyone, and good luck.

UPDATE: I wanted to let you all know that my grandson, Big Boy, is doing much better and is back in school. However, his younger brother, Little Bit, who is almost 23 months old, has also been quite sick. They both appear to be recovering well, however, I would very much appreciate your continued prayers. Thanks so very much! t

VERY URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

I am very worried about my 6 year old grandson, 'Big Boy'. My daughter, Whit, called me this past Saturday morning because she had grown concerned about a place on his leg. Apparently, at some point last week, Big Boy developed a 'bump' on his leg that looked like a small spider bite. As most kids do, he had been scratching and picking at it. It finally managed to scab over but then Big Boy picked that off, too. When Whit called, she was very worried because the 'bump' had grown in size and had become very 'black and yucky looking'. Since it was the weekend, she was having a hard time locating a facility that was open and staffed with a physician on a Saturday.

I was also quite concerned because what she was describing sounded very much like a very serious staph infection, possibly even MRSA. I had seen so much of that in my many years in the medical field. We saw a ton of it over the last few years that I worked in a family practice office, as it had made its way from the hospital setting into the community setting. I advised Whit that I thought it would be best to go ahead and take Big Boy on to the ER so he could be seen ASAP. She agreed and said she would call me later with any news.

A couple hours later, Whit called back to tell me that Big Boy did indeed have a bacterial infection, but that it was being diagnosed as CELLULITIS. They did not do the test for MRSA. They just went ahead and prescribed oral antibiotics. They said if it did not improve quickly, they would have to proceed to the stronger antibiotics via IV. I immediately started asking family and friends for prayer at that time. After that, I did not hear anything else from her until this afternoon. I had been hoping and praying that everything was going well with the antibiotics. I really wasn't sure though since I hadn't heard from her and there had been very little activity on her Facebook.

Apparently, though, Big Boy started running a fever of 103 and began vomiting very early this morning. His mom thought his leg had gotten worse and she took him back to the ER. However, this time he was diagnosed as having the H1N1 Flu.

I feel SO bad for Big Boy. He HAS to be absolutely miserable. I also feel sorry for his mommy. It is so terrible to watch our children when they are sick and it is especially difficult when you know they have an illness(es) that is potentially dangerous. It is a very helpless feeling.

So, this request comes from the very bottom of my heart! Will you PLEASE commit to helping me pray for my grandson until he is well again? It would really mean so very much to me...and to his mom, I'm sure. I do not get to see Big Boy very often but I love him so much, just the same.

I promise to keep you updated on his status. As I hear, you will also.

Thanks so very much!