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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,191
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Ruth Ann, I remember you!!  So nice to read your post here!  I remember the Kindred Spirits thread.   Yes, the twin girls do keep me busy!  I'm there more than I'm home!  But that's okay.  Thank you so much for praying for my daughter, Darla.  EDS is Ehler's Danlos Syndrome, they say there's no cure, and her back is in constant pain. It's hyper-mobility of the joints and it's hereditary - we hope and pray the twins won't get it.  I will be praying for you, too, Ruth Ann, and add you to the prayer line I have.  It is so hard to see Darla suffer, and you, too, are suffering.   You are my age!! I will be 78 in April. 

I am so sorry you lost your daughter!  That has to be the hardest ever to endure.  My sympathy to you, dear!

 

Your lovely post certainly was a blessing to me tonight when I got here. I've been gone all day. Blessings to you, my friend!

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,823
Registered: ‎11-06-2013

Re: A Blessing Thread

[ Edited ]

Hello, Gloriajean from another old friend from 70s/Light Hearts & Deep Thoughts/Kindred Spirits/hello threads and I well remember your long running Positives here. I am not here much myself now either. Mostly just check in with friends. Still working full time and volunteering through a new ministry, as well as enjoying time with my 5 adult children, their spouses and my 4 grandchildren. 

 

It is wonderful to know your life continues on full and with such purpose. Helping to raise your twin granddaughters and you must be in very good health to do so! I'm happy to know this, though deeply sorry for Darla's ongoing pain.

 

I'll certainly pray for her, and please remember my daughter Tanya in yours. She is going through many difficult life changes right now, but the blessing is ... I can be here for her, as well as my aging parents now. My husband and I recently moved from ND back to my native NC where the climate is so much better -- tho it is snowing here a little today! Sweet irony. 😅 

 

Having most of the family together again, especially through trials and challenges is so important, as you well know. "It Is Well With My Soul" is what I often sing in my heart, as I thank our Lord for so many daily blessings. 

 

-Selah 

 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,191
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

SelahG - what a nice post! Thank you much!  What new ministry are you doing?  I still do my old ministry of sending out daily inspirations to people who signed up for them, all over the country and then some!  I will be praying for Tanya, and thanks for praying for Darla.  So nice to hear from you!  

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,823
Registered: ‎11-06-2013

Hello today, Gloriajean -- hope you're keeping warm over there. 😊

 

I see I didn't explain the new ministry as well as I should have -- sorry! I'm not leading a ministry. What I meant is, it's a blessing that we found such a nice and welcoming Christian ministry here to join and volunteer through since our move back to NC. I was concerned about leaving our old church back in ND, but the Lord was faithful to answer our prayers. 

 

He led us to this one which is located on a Native American reservation very near to our new property. Though we are of the Cheyenne and they are of the Cherokee, we were welcomed as such things don't matter to the family of God. 

 

My father was born and raised on a reservation. My Scottish grandfather with my mother were missionaries there. They helped lead my father (and many others) to God through understanding the Scriptures. My father and mother also fell in love, married, left there -- had my brother and I. Then she unforunately died of cancer when I was a child.

 

My father went back later to visit with relatives still on the reservation. Met my now step-mother, Winona. Through him, she learned of God through the Scriptures. They fell in love, married and left there. Had my half-sister, Rowan (who also still posts here some) and our youngest brother. 

 

So we were all raised in the Christian faith and my father and Winona have long wanted to help more of our Nation's First people. Has been their prayer, and now in their elder years it has finally come to be! We all give thanks for the fellowship and opportunity to serve where so needed. We each volunteer in various ways to share of God's love and comfort those in need. There is much severe poverty and the many troubles that plague society there, too. We do our best and pray for the rest. 

 

Thank you for praying for us and my daughter, Tanya. She helps to teach the younger children there Bible study, as well as crafts for some fund raisers. I will not forget to pray for your precious granddaughters. That this rare disorder their mother suffers will not manifest in them. 

 

Have a blessed day! 

 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,191
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Thank you for explaining about the new ministry - it is all in God's Hands, and He has led you there.  So happy for you. You post is very interesting to read.  

 

Thanks for praying for my granddaughters that they won't end up getting EDS too.  That is a horrible thing - so much pain.  

 

Sounds like Tanya is very talented and I'm sure you are very proud of her.

 

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,714
Registered: ‎08-01-2013

@gloriajeanwrote:

Ruth Ann, I remember you!!  So nice to read your post here!  I remember the Kindred Spirits thread.   Yes, the twin girls do keep me busy!  I'm there more than I'm home!  But that's okay.  Thank you so much for praying for my daughter, Darla.  EDS is Ehler's Danlos Syndrome, they say there's no cure, and her back is in constant pain. It's hyper-mobility of the joints and it's hereditary - we hope and pray the twins won't get it.  I will be praying for you, too, Ruth Ann, and add you to the prayer line I have.  It is so hard to see Darla suffer, and you, too, are suffering.   You are my age!! I will be 78 in April. 

I am so sorry you lost your daughter!  That has to be the hardest ever to endure.  My sympathy to you, dear!

 

Your lovely post certainly was a blessing to me tonight when I got here. I've been gone all day. Blessings to you, my friend!


 

Thank you for remembering me, @gloriajean and for your compassion- adding me to your prayer line too! Nothing feels better than knowing that others are praying for us. 

 

Sorry I am just getting back to you. Had the first appt with my new rheumotogist on Monday. So thorough, but that is good. I'm still recovering from the exertion of all the tests and scans. Even every little thing is made so much harder due to pain that has disabled me in many ways. I say, I'm still walking in faith, though my legs have grown wheels (wheelchair)! 😊 

 

So you and I were not only born in the same year, but month, too! My b'day is April 20th. Small world! I recall posting to your thread here about moving from your family home to an apartment, just after I had done the same. I moved into this retirement community and I had been so apprehensive about it, but it turned out to be such a timely blessing. I hope your experience has been the same. You are closer now to the daughter that so needs you and you have more time, with less house to keep clean. We know that in all things God works to the good in those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. 

 

Heaven knows, I pray the twins won't develop EDS! Sounds so very painful and with the hyper-mobility, it would seem that joint and bone fractures would occur more easily. Sad enough their mother has this. Most hereditary disorders can skip generations and may the merciful Lord be willing that a cure be found in time. 

 

Hug the little darlings for me, and enjoy your time with them! 😇😇 I'm so thankful you're able. Our Lord knew you'd be needed this way and preserved your health. I'm able to visit and assist others here who are worse off than I am, so my life yet has purpose in Him, too. 

 

Continued blessings to you, too, dear friend! ❤️

 

 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,191
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Welll Ruth Ann, my birthday is April 21st, so we are very close in age, one day apart!!  Mother Angelica's birthday was April 20th, I remember.

Yes, it will be three years in Sept. that we moved to this apartment. It's not a retirement community, anyone moves in here and it's hard to get to know anyone here.  I don't know my neighbors!  Miss our house, but that's in the past. We couldn't afford to stay there any more, but here my husband loves the hot tub and sauna downstairs.  We live on second floor, take the elevator. My physical therapist keeps me in shape to take care of the twins.

First it was my knee, then to strengthen my back, then to get rid of headaches, and now my appointments are only monthly and I will soon be discharged.  I hope your new rheumotogist works out good for you. 

Thanks for your post again, would be nice if we could email, wouldn't it?

Ask Joy for it, she has it before the new rules were made.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,714
Registered: ‎08-01-2013

Just one day apart, Gloria! Almost "twins" through another mother. 😊 I fondly remember Mother Angelica- what a lively spirit and often so funny, too. I liked her grit- no beating around the bush. I didn't know we shared a birthday, though, so thanks for telling me! 

 

Like you, I go to physical therapy, but whereas yours will soon end.. mine likely never will. I mean until there is no point any longer. She is so good, though, like I was just sharing with the ladies on "hello". She helps to keep what is left of my joints somewhat mobile. I feel I'm in much better hands with this new rheumotogist, too. Of course, there is only so much anyone can do for me at this late stage and with congestive heart failure making certain treatments and surgeries unsafe. Still, I'm thankful for any help I can get. I inherited both conditions from my dear mother.

 

Your apartment sounds nice, especially beneficial to your husband with the hot tub and sauna. I missed my house, too and the fact that I had to give my cat to my brother and sister-in-law. No pets allowed here. He is happy there on their farm, though and I do visit often. I hope you'll get to know some of your neighbors- they'd be blessed to know you, too. I know it's like that in many areas- even in houses. Sad, isn't it?

 

This retirement community is owned and operated by our Moravian church, but it's in the city. Miles from my old neighborhood, so I had to meet most here for the first time. I no longer feel like I'm among strangers, though of course not everyone here is exactly friendly. Takes all kinds, I guess. I'm on the third floor and take the elevator, too. I'm on the list for a first floor, handicap unit, but since others have to die for anyone to move up on the list.. I don't feel right about wanting it to happen! The heat rises, which is nice in the winter- not so good in the summer. Good and bad in everything.

 

My physical therapist, our chapel, hair stylist and the gift shop I work in a few hours a week are all right here on campus. I can get to these and downstairs to the dining hall and commons area for movie night, etc in my electric wheelchair. They also have the handicap shuttle bus that takes us shopping, to the bigger churches, the parks, etc. Very nice since I never did drive and sure couldn't do so now. 

 

That Joy.. speaking of blessings! I love her like an "adopted daughter". I will ask her, Gloria about the email. She and her husband are leaving with a church group to visit and tour the Holy Land in Israel soon. I will write her before they leave, and pray for their safe travels. I hope the other Kindred Spirit ladies will see your thread here, like Selah has. A nice place to request prayers and share blessings like we used to. 😊

 

Watch for my email. I will put my name in the title for you. Thank you for your kind replies here! ❤️

 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,191
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Yes, it's sad we don't know our neighbors here, at our house we had nice neighbors and we miss them.  We had a dog, Sammy, for 12 years, a Pom, we were allowed to have him here at the apartment, he died the end of the year 2016, he was good here, but he had trouble breathing with a partially collapsed traechia, but we loved him and he was always going with us to take care of the twins too, even the day before he died.  We won't get another pet here.

It sounds like you have it made there where you live!  Nice to know people there.  Well, I'll be looking forward to your email.  God bless you!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,810
Registered: ‎06-10-2010

Re: A Blessing Thread

[ Edited ]

Hi, Gloriajean.  I saw the twins pictures.  How sweet they are. My how they have grown!   I was sorry to hear about your daughter. I will continue to keep her in my prayers.  My own daughter was just diagnosed with some significant back problems but she is almost to that empty nest.  It would be challenging with twins.  I was always tired after babysitting but always felt it was a "good tired"!  I know you feel that way, too.  It's good that you have the health to do it and Linus (from the looks of the pictures) is quite the doting grandfather!  

 

You probably need to keep up your back exercises, too.  My stretching exercises have helped me  so much.  At least the twins can probably crawl up on laps now and you won't have to lift them as much.  Soon, they will be at the age where they entertain each other a little more.  Maybe they do that now.  Weve never had twins in the family but my daughter babysit for twins and it kept her hopping for sure!