Praise God from whom all blessings flow.....

It has been a time of blessing here. Blessings GALORE, to use a popular word in our house. Thinking back over the past few days, I am again overwhelmed by a heavenly father who lavishes such precious gifts upon me. Here's a brief recap:

Friday, March 10 - My niece gave birth to a healthy baby girl - Doug and Shannon are the proud parents of Kaya Marie! This is the first great-grandchild for my dad, and the first grandchild for my older brother. We are all excited to add another generation to the family. And I am looking forward to shopping for a baby girl!

Saturday, March 11 - I celebrated another birthday, turning 49. I had already received a wonderful gift the day before, with the baby's birth, but the gifts kept coming Saturday. Some were by e-mail; some came from the post office. Some were very unexpected; some were expected, but still surprised me. We went out to eat for a family dinner celebration. It was a different birthday, this year. I know for certain how precious birthdays are now. I also know for certain that I won't ever complain about having another one, if the Lord is gracious to me. Each day is a precious gift from Him.

Sunday, March 12 - In accordance with James 5:14 which states, "Is there sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over you him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:", the elders of our church anointed me and prayed over me during the morning worship service. To say it was an emotional time would be an understatement. I praise God for each and every man who leads our church; their individual prayers were like balm to my soul. We belong to a precious body of believers who have lifted our family up so lovingly during this trial. They are a true blessing.

Monday, March 13 (yesterday!) - my second "big" chemo day....only 6 left to go! My appointment with the doctor was encouraging. She noted evidence that the chemo was working, and she said that my lab work had been good, too. We talked about getting some IV iron next time, if my iron counts don't move up better than they have been. I have been taking a good iron supplement since December, but the doctor says that absorption is more difficult when taking chemotherapy. Prayers for a higher iron count would be greatly appreciated! I still haven't been experiencing any major side effects as of yet, although I did need to go to bed at 8:30 last night, as I was so very tired! The doctor credits my slow hair loss to having thick hair. I don't know how much longer that thick hair will be around though, if this morning's combing is any indication. I did get a pretty red hat as a birthday gift from a friend; I am thinking that it will serve me quite well this spring, especially Easter!

There are so many other blessing of late that I could continue to list; there are blessings at work for Michael, the girls were blessed to spend part of Sunday making new friends with a new family at church, and the list goes on. God is pouring out His love on us like manna from heaven. How comforting it is to be able to praise Him in the midst of a trial, looking past the trial and seeing His hand of blessing in our lives.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

posted by Kim @ 4:00 PM