People and Prayers

So last week, I made an appointment for Monday (10-22-07) of this week to have a yearly girl check up. I wasn't looking forward to it, but knew I needed to not wait until Christmas break to schedule it (which is what I usually do so I don't have to take sick days from work). I knew that I needed to get in sooner rather than later. And while this may make you blush, don't worry about it cause I'm not lookin at you. There've been some definite weird things going on with the ol' left boob. Yep, I said it, left boob. So I went ahead and scheduled. So the nurse practitioner who was checking things out also checked that out. That was 7:30 Monday. It is now 5:50 p.m. on Wednesday. Since then, things have sorta been a whirlwind!! The doc's office set up a same day mammogram and I went in @ 2:00 on Monday and had that tended to. (hurts like heck, I must say!!) Following that, they had me to change rooms and have an ultrasound. Then back for another mammogram cause the first five weren't very clear. So anyways, they didn't like what they saw and scheduled me for a breast biopsy today.

Now I'm no mental heavy weight, but I do know that I'm at a certain risk for breast cancer because of the fact that my twin sister has battled it.

That being said and the fact that all my mammograms in the past ended with a pat on the back and a "We'll see you in a year," and these being anything but that, it's enough to put anyone on edge!!!

We immediately set people to praying for us. We (my hubby, Rusty and me) came home and while I took phone calls he broke the news to Allie, our 17 year old. I won't lie, this has all the potential to be a completely scarey situation!! However, we 3 embraced and wept on the couch pouring out our own fears and comforting each other in theirs. Then the neatest thing happened. I looked up the Bible verse in James that talks about anointing with oil and praying. I have oil, I keep it just for that purpose. Well, my husband and my daughter anointed me and began praying.

The word has spread like wildfire. We've chosen not to keep any of it quiet whatsoever for privacy sake or for any other reason. NO THANK YOU!! Who wants privacy? Not me!!! I want prayers!!!!

Anyway, this morning was the biopsy. Now I'm the type to be a nervous wreck going into any unknown situation. This morning, however, I knew that tons of people were praying, some called, some stopped by before hand, some sent texts and so on. So I knew the prayers were there. When we go there, the folks would not allow Rusty to go back with me. Bummer!!! I began to get worried about getting nervous and not having him to rely on for strength. Then it occurred to me...so many people are praying for you and "I" am your strength. Whoosh!!! Peace came all over me and I was not the least bit nervous.

Aside from all that, I had the opportunity to chat with the technologist and found out that she is in fact a person of faith. Cool!! Her name is Tosha. The doc's name is Dr. McCorvy...she's on loan from a breast center in KY because one of the doctors here is out for 3 weeks and they were very short-staffed. Turns out that Dr. McCorvy is also a person of faith. Cool again!!! I shared with them both that there were folks praying for them. They thought I meant me. I explained, no they're praying for you, too. Coolness all over again!!!

Bottom line is, though they went in the side of an already sore boob-wah, and dug in to the middle of it (literally) with needles and a cutting/routing device, I felt no pain whatsoever! I'm absolutely not kidding one dern bit!! They asked continually if I was doing okay. The answer was a firm yes every time they asked. I was expecting way worse. I had people telling me of way worse. I know that this went this smoothly because of all the prayers. There was some difficulty getting the bleeding to stop when it was all done and over with...not surprising. I bleed fairly easily. One funny thing happened when they got ready to place the bandage on because they thought the bleeding was stopped. It wasn't. It was beginning to set up a hematoma under the skin and when she pressed to put the bandage on, the blood shot across the room. She squealed and I got tickled. I don't know why...it just looked like something out of a movie or something...or discovery health. I don't know...it was just funny to me. Anyway, it finally stopped, she finally got the bandage on, and 2 hours later, we were out of there.

Now I won't lie. The numbing agent is wearing off, and I'm sore. That's true. But I'm doing the ice-pack thing and I'm popping the tylenol like they said to do, so it's all going to be okay.

I will not get results until Monday afternoon, so if you all would just continue with the prayers, I'd sure appreciate it...not only for myself, but for Rusty and Allie as well. I know they really don't want to show me how scared they are. .. but I know... I know because I know how scared I'd be if it were one of them instead of me.

It's overwhelming how calm you can be when people are praying you through a storm.

I want to express a big thanks to all you who are praying. And I especially want to express a big thanks to Corrie, Deena, Denira, and Jarrett who have done an absolutely fabulous job of keeping Allie busy.

I love you beyond measure!! And I'm thanking God for each one of you in my life!
♥Momma Kay

Family and Friends

So in my 'about me' I definitely referred to how important my family and friends are to me. I seem to have an ever increasing number of them! And the other ever-increasing factor is my affection toward and appreciation of them. I love my family! It's amazing to me that I've been married to the same wonderful man for over 24 years! I am so proud of him and his spiritual journey. He is a man of integrity who is deeply devoted to God and to our family. He is without a doubt the wisest person I know. My prayer for our 'younger couple friends' is that they will always have the joy in their marriages that we have had in ours...that they will keep Christ as the rock of marriage and that they will continue to love and respect one another the whole journey!



Then there is Allie, our daughter and her 'boy' Jarrett! They are completely awesome together. Their relationship has been at least 2 years (if not longer) in the making and it has been rocky. But God definitely has made a way for them and they are solid. They compliment one another perfectly...make each other laugh, hold one another accountable, and besides that, they are just plain ol' cute together! What a blessing it is to see them serve alongside one another. Who knows what God has in store for them. I don't know, but I think I have a pretty good idea!

















And how about Bobby and Denira! Jarrett's bro and sis-in-law! No words could ever explain how much we adore and respect them! Same for so many others! Oh heck! Lemme just go ahead and splat their mugs across here. Obviously if I'm blogging them it's cuz they mean a lot to me!!




























And this photo hunt is taking forever....I'm going to have to come back and edit it in.

Rainbows and Promises

So I'm new to all this and yet I feel so compelled to get on board with it. I am a Sistuh in the Faith! And just because we are called to believe in and submit our lives to Jesus Christ and just because we have enough faith we're certain that we could walk on water if charged with such a task, that doesn't mean that we never struggle. I have faith ...a firm foundation of faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, I must confess that there has been an ongoing struggle for quite some time. And I am not alone. The really neat thing is that all through this struggle each person who is paddling alongside me has received his/her own specific reassurances and promises. How cool is that? Our God deals with each one of us accordingly...on a very personal, very intimate one-on-one basis!! I sat through a difficult meeting last night wondering why I was even there. It was by far one of the hardest things I ever done in my life...sitting there and trying my best to represent well not only folks that I love, but folks that I love who are on two different sides of the same coin. Man, I tell you, it was difficult! I started to not even go at all just as a way of avoiding the conflict. I knew that my inaction would bring great disappointment ... from myself and from others. So I tried to just 'suck it up' and go. At one point I considered walking out... thinking though, 'What kind of message is that going to send and what kind of confusion will that create!?' So I stuck it out. And it was hard!!!! I want to always do what's right. I don't mind at all doing what's right. Where my struggle is are the times when everything is so gray, you can't see where the right is and where the wrong is to even be able to figure out which one you're doing. Last night, there was gray all over the place! As I laid down though with thoughts from that meeting swirling through my head, I asked God what He thought about it. He reassured me that my integrity was in tact. WHEW!!! He reminded me of things that I could have said that I did not...which was good! He reminded me of things that were put on the table by others, so that I didn't even have to bring them up. He reminded me of where I had hung in there and stuck up for and supported an opposing view, even when it was difficult to support. And I drifted off to sleep. I slept like a rock!!! Then this morning, the greatest blessing of all. I received a random phone call that said, "Go outside your front door and just look!" So I did. There right in front of me was the most vivid, fullest, most beautiful rainbow that I have seen in ages! In fact, I think the last one that I saw that was that beautiful was while on a mission trip in New York. We took a day for sight seeing and visited Niagra Falls. The mist from the falls keeps a constant rainbow set above the falls...well except for when it's dark. In my heart this morning, I claimed that rainbow as my very own!! It is my promise that He has not nor will He forsake me...it was my reassurance that He was pleased and that the storm is passing. I can see the light that is coming for the heart that holds on...there will be an end to these troubles but until that day comes...still I will praise You...still I will praise You...still I will praise You...STILL I WILL PRAISE YOU!! I love it that He never lets go!!