The Healing Power of Gratitude

This past Friday, Russell M. Nelson (prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) shared a special message with the world. In his message, he said, “Counting our blessings is far better than recounting our problems. No matter our situation, showing gratitude for our privileges is a unique, fast-acting, and long-lasting spiritual prescription.” He also encouraged everyone to flood social media with expressions of gratitude, complete with the the hashtag #givethanks for the next seven days. I'm not sure why, but I always feel shy and embarrassed when it comes to sharing feelings publicly on Facebook. I know I shouldn't care what other people think, but I do! That being said, I decided to just get over it, and to join in on flooding social media with a wave of gratitude. SO, I thought I would share my week-long journey of gratitude on my blog. Here are my posts from yesterday and today:

I am grateful for modern-day miracles. I have been praying nearly every night for the past many months that God would work a miracle and inspire the scientists who are working to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. Instead of taking years to create a vaccine (that is said to be 95% effective, I might add), it has been developed in a matter of months. I truly believe that this is a miracle and an answered prayer. I know some people are leery of vaccines, especially one that has been developed so quickly (which is a valid concern), but for me, I rather take my chances with a new vaccine rather than the disease.

Today I'm reflecting on how grateful I am for the wonderful friends I've made over the years. So many of them have made me want to be a better person. When we get to the other side, I think we will be surprised to learn that it was no coincidence that certain people were placed in our lives. My friends have really enriched my life and have made it much more enjoyable. I'm especially grateful for my special friends who are my helpers. I could just cry thinking about how much I love them for being willing to serve me. They are truly being God's hands, and I'm sure they have invisible halos above their heads, because they are angels! 

Goodbye, Alex!

I was saddened to hear the news this afternoon that Alex Trebek died today at the age of 80. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year, and I knew he would most likely die, since pancreatic cancer is so deadly (that's what my dad died of). Part of what kept Alex going during his illness was his work on Jeopardy!, which he had been hosting since 1984. Alex was still in the studio filming new episodes of Jeopardy! as recently as 10 days ago. He was a one-of-a-kind icon and will be greatly missed!

I loved watching the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament earlier this year. It was great fun to tune in each night, and I was so happy that my old pal Ken Jennings won the tournament. Ken gets my vote to fill Alex's large shoes as the host of Jeopardy!. I doubt this will happen, but if I had my way, it would!

Quarantine Update

I thought I would make a short post with a little update on how I am doing, since I've had a few people contact me to check up on me. I am doing well. I certainly never expected to be living through a pandemic, especially in the modern age that we live in! Even when Covid-19 started wreaking havoc in Wuhan, and then spread other places, like Italy, I never expected things to get like that here in America. I guess I was naïve! 

Even though we've had a stay-at-home order where I live for the past six or so weeks, my day-to-day life really hasn't changed too much. Home is my favorite place to be, and I much rather stay home than go out. I haven't minded the restrictions and I haven't felt stir crazy in the least. I view this as a blessing, because I know there are some that have really struggled with the quarantine. My social needs are still getting met, since I have a few close friends that come over in the mornings to help my mom get me dressed and up, since that is a two-person job. This gives my mom and me a chance to visit with some of our favorite people. And thanks to technology, I can also video chat with my sisters and a few close friends.

I have been worried about getting coronavirus. I know most people get it and are able to get through the sickness at home and don't have a severe enough case to warrant hospitalization, but would that be true for me? I am in extremely good health for a quadriplegic that is paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe on my own, so I hope I would be okay if I got it, but you never know. Some healthy people get the virus and are critically ill, and even die, so I don't want to take any chances! I can't have my mom getting sick, either, since I rely on her for my care. We are being careful and cautious, and I pray every night for a continued blessing of protection to be on me, my family, friends and loved ones. We do all we can, and rely on God for the rest!

I hope everyone stays well. Prayers for those that are struggling physically, mentally/emotionally, and financially. We can get through this!

Welcome to 2020!

Happy New Year! My holidays were great, and I hope everyone else's were, as well. 

Christmas 2019 was a little different this year, since we didn't have any out-of-town company with us on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. My sister Sharon and her family have spent Christmas with us here in Missouri for the past decade, but this year they opted to have Christmas at home in Mississippi. Most of Sharon's kids have never spent Christmas in their own home (or they are too young to remember it), so this Christmas was a new experience for us and for them! I still had a wonderful Christmas, even though it was different. It was kind of nice to not have to get up super early in order to get dressed, up, and ready by 8 AM. (I know 8 is rather late for most kids to start opening Christmas presents, but it takes me a while to get up and ready, so that's why we always held the kids off until 8.) 

My sister Chandra lives close by, so she and her family got up and opened presents at their house, had breakfast, and then came over to my house about 11 AM. Christian and Ruby opened a few presents from my mom and her husband, David, and from me, too, of course. After that, we talked and visited for awhile, and then our good friend Paul joined us for a late lunch/early dinner. It was a great day. The only bad thing about this Christmas, is that I don't have a single picture to show for Christmas Day! But here are a few pictures of Chandra's family on the Sunday before Christmas:

Sharon and her family came the day after Christmas and they spent a week with us. We had such a nice, relaxed visit. I just love talking and hanging out with my nieces and nephew! I seriously have some of the best nieces and nephews around. Christian enjoyed having cousins to play with, and everybody loved sweet Ruby. Unfortunately, I started feeling poorly the day Sharon's family arrived. I don't know what was wrong, but I had a fever off and on for a couple of days, a bad headache and body aches, and I just didn't feel well. I went to bed earlier than usual for an entire week, and after several days of rest I felt back to normal. Whew... nobody has time to be sick, especially when family is around!

One special thing that happened while Sharon's family was here was that her oldest daughter, Elizabeth, chose to go through the temple (where we make special covenants with God). I was so glad she chose to do this at the St. Louis Temple, so that my mom, David and I could be there. That was a special day that I will always remember.

We also got together with some of the other cousins/grandchildren on Sunday afternoon, so there was more fun cousin time for the kids. This isn't the best picture, and we didn't have everybody in it, but at least this shows some of the cousins together:

We have started a new decade and a new year, and I hope it brings many good things for me, my family, and for all of you!!

Room Makeover

Something that has kept me busy this fall is redoing my bedroom. My house is a two-story, so after I became paralyzed, the living room became my bedroom. I've lived in this room for nearly 16 years now, and have wanted to redo it for many years, but I didn't think it would be a possibility because I knew it would be a lot of work--too much for my mom to tackle (especially since I can't even help with the physical labor!). To make a long story short, I finally got my wish to give my room a new look. I spent hours and hours scouring the internet for just the right paint, furniture, lamps, curtain rod/valance, artwork, and more. After about two months of online shopping, planning, de-cluttering, cleaning out, painting, organizing, etc, things are finished.

I forgot to get good "before" pictures. Shoot! We'd already started taking my room apart when my sister snapped these first few pictures on her cell phone. They'll at least give you an idea of what things looked like before the transformation. You can also consult this post from back in 2010 to see some other pictures of what my room looked like at one time. 

Here is the big reveal. It's definitely not going to make any design magazines, but I like it, and feel like it is a big improvement.

The verse in the middle frame below is Philippians 4:13 (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me). Truer words have never been spoken!

This valance looks more green in person, but it was hard to capture the true color. I love the curtain rod with the marble accents on each end. We put up new trim, as well, which looks really nice. (I don't have any pictures of the trim.)

I have a lot of medical supplies that we need to have close by, so these cubbies and baskets help keep things organized. I also have a closet, hutch, and an area in the basement to keep our stock of other medical supplies. You can also see the Good Shepherd on the wall watching over me. :)

We also replaced the knobs on the cabinet, which had yellowed with age:

I was sitting in my recliner, which is just out of frame, but I didn't want to be included in the pictures. 

This project would not have been possible without two of my very dear friends, Kellie and Jessica, who helped my mom and me with every aspect of my room. They were amazing, and I'm so grateful for their friendship and help. Things wouldn't have gone nearly as well or as quickly without their assistance.

My room definitely isn't high-tech, grand, or like the "afters" you would see on an HGTV program, but it suits my needs. It's sure a lot more than some people in the world have, so I'm just grateful for a comfortable home, and to have a roof over my head. I know if I play my cards right, I will earn a heavenly mansion one day, so I'm holding out for that!