Walking the Walk, #4 Smell Walk

On March 7, 2018March 8, 2018 By gaillovesgodIn Walking the Walk Challenge5 Comments

OH how fabulously wonderful You are, Lord. Absolutely fabulous! In who You are! In where You are! In how You are! I am so blessed to have met You here in this new favorite place You have given me. You have been whispering this place to me for quite some time, and I have tried to research as much as possible on how to meet You here. Yet today, You have spoken clearly, and delightfully surprised me!

It’s known for its gardens, but this is winter, so it was “barren” of the flowers everyone brags about. Yet I feel like it’s an earthy wonderland! It’s so beautifully designed. A beautiful use of concrete and earth in perfect blend… if there can be such a thing. It’s outdoors and yet so clean! Pristine! You are beautiful… wonderful… in Your time… in Your place! ❤ I go inside.

You first catch my attention with heritage… and have me think.

What is an important tradition in my family or community?
The only thing that comes to mind are family dinners we use to have at my grandmother’s house. My mom’s family use to have holiday dinners there. There was no certain time of day. Aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, spouses, grandchildren, great grandchildren and several family friends would come and go throughout the day. When my grandmother passed in February of 2000, we no longer saw each other much, unless it was a funeral.

What have I learned by being a part of it?
Family can be so precious… even dysfunctional families. Enjoy the time while you can. It won’t last. It makes me think of one of my favorite gospel songs every time I lose someone I love…. I’ve Got More to Go to Heaven For (Than I Did Yesterday).

I’VE GOT MORE TO GO TO HEAVEN FOR
I’ve been on my way to Heaven… For a long, long time.
And many things have happened… That clouded up my mind.
But I am more determined… To walk the narrow way
For I’ve got more to go to Heaven for… Than I had yesterday.

CHORUS:
There’s a golden street to walk upon… A bell I’m gonna ring,
A brand-new angel in the choir… I wanna hear her sing.
There’ll be a lot of friends a-waiting… When I walk through the gate
I’ve got more to go to Heaven for… Than I had yesterday.

I’ve been through lonesome valleys… I’ve climbed the highest hill,
I’ve known the joy of living… In the center of God’s will.
I’ve watched the angels come and take… My loved ones home to stay
I’ve got more to go to Heaven for… Than I had yesterday.

You continue to have me think on family tradition.

Banana Pudding was our family tradition…
for every holiday… sometimes every meal.
Banana Pudding and Sweet Tea! ❤
“O taste and see that the Lord is good:
blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
– Psalm 34:8 KJV

Now You turn my focus to water… Your gift to life.

Seeing this makes me think of the struggle I have with dehydration, and this makes for a great motivator and reminder! It also reminds me of when I was doing Lovely A’s 21 Day Self Care Challenge on her Discovering Your Happiness website. My response was noted on Self Care Challenge Day 8: Water. I actually took the picture thinking of her! ❤

Chewing Gum comes from a tree! Wow! I did not know that! 🙂

I love corn, beans, and squash! A tasty dinner to me, Lord! 🙂

After hearing some Native Americans narrate different nature topics and traditional stories, I venture outside. I have no pictures. I started just enjoying things when I sat down for the stories. I’m walking where there are normally gardens and flowers, so says the guy when I came in and every touring person that passes me. Yet I am not the least bit disappointed. Perhaps because I have not come to see them. I have come to see You!

Again the place just seems like the most tenderly fabulous earthy wonderland! I find one of the many beautifully designed areas to sit in, and just take You in. The sun is so bright and beautiful on this winter day, and the wind just does what it wants with my hair. But it’s OK. It’s comforting… because it’s You… being playful… being tender… being loving… being personal… being You! This place reminds me of places people have introduced to me in the past. For some reason I start thinking of those special faces.

Counselors, teachers, friends who have taken moments out to sit and talk with me… knowing that I am claustrophobic… and very uncomfortable with talking inside closed walls… while a clock ticks… reminding of how unimportant my words are, so make it quick for the one who is listening. But not here. Outside in a warm sun… with no clock hovering over me. It makes me miss them so. I have so much I wish I could talk to them about. They broke protocols and rules to go out of their way to help save me from things in my life when I did not know I needed saving from anything. My heart aches for them. I miss them as much as I miss family… even if some them were dysfunctional as well. How human we all are. Yet we are Your humans! Thank You, Lord, for going out of Your way today to meet me here. I will be back!

As I start to walk away from this area, a smell permeates my air. And I can smell how beautiful it is! So pleasant! So comforting! There’s just something about it that smells like… You! I see nothing but barrenness until suddenly I see a sign that says Lily of the Valley! *GASP* Oh dear Lord! My favorite song! My grandmother’s favorite flower, and a name sweetly referenced to You!

Lily of the Valley – hymn lyrics by Charles W. Fry
I have found a friend in Jesus, He’s everything to me,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The Lily of the Valley, in Him alone I see
All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.
In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay;
He tells me every care on Him to roll.

CHORUS:
He’s the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

He all my grief has taken, and all my sorrows borne;
In temptation He’s my strong and mighty tow’r;
I have all for Him forsaken, and all my idols torn
From my heart and now He keeps me by His pow’r.
Though all the world forsake me, and Satan tempt me sore,
Through Jesus I shall safely reach the goal.
[CHORUS]

He will never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here,
While I live by faith and do His blessed will;
A wall of fire about me, I’ve nothing now to fear,
From His manna He my hungry soul shall fill.
Then sweeping up to glory to see His blessed face,
Where rivers of delight shall ever roll.
[CHORUS]

It’s not visible, but I can smell despite the darkened earth. Praise Your name I can smell! I have been trying to do the Smell Walk, #3 of the 50 Walks within the Walking the Walk Challenge with Lovely A of Discovering Your Happiness, but have just not been able to smell! I had done Walking the Walk, #3 Delight Walk in its place. But I smelled that lovely Lily of the Valley! ❤ And this was before I had the occipital nerve block last week, of which I felt it opening my sinus within minutes.

As I continue to walk, I smell another familiar aroma… Spruce… everywhere! It smells so good! And just as I think of touching out of curiosity, You remind me of my allergies and sensitivities. I’ll never forget Scratch and Sniff 203! That was my Botany class. In lab exercises we walked the college campus scratching and sniffing twigs, flowers, branches (that we were warned not to touch because of chemicals to protect them). I had the worst allergic reaction I have had involving a fever. A high fever that did not break until the 9th day of a 10 day antibiotic course. No more Scratch and Sniff, Professors! 😉

All of this beautiful smell within a seemingly lifeless foliage makes me think on how filthy I must have looked to You underneath all of my sin when my soul laid beneath the dead and broken leaves, the barren dark branches, and this uninviting view. Yet You saw beauty in me. You saw You in me! Again I think of my counselors and teachers You used to save me, to clean and toil the surface, to dig out the roots and choking weeds, to rid me of that one dark blot…. multiplied by a thousand. Thank You for coming for me! Thank You for the souls You blessed me with. Help me to thankful for those I still have!

One last sign on the way out… is a Fabulous answer to prayer!

I continue to walk around and then find this sign telling me of several small trails! Could this be answer to prayer, and a guide for the 50 Walks in the Walking the Walk Challenge! Absolutely! Thank You for this day! For this intoxicating scent! For these fond memories of people I miss so much! Thank You for just being You! As Always! ❤

New Diagnoses and New Therapies

On November 14, 2017November 14, 2017 By gaillovesgodIn Uncategorized8 Comments

I struggle to stay awake. I fall asleep while trying to read or write, or encourage, then awaken in spells as well. My brain strives to keep up with what I am doing. Thank God for copy and paste to transfer the poetry. Lord willing, I will get back to blogging… in His perfect timing. After adding 2 diagnosis (lymphedema and lipedema) to the many others, my regular physical therapy that is usually 2 hours of work, tens, and ice/heat/gameready twice a week has been adding new treatments. They have been helping tremendously with my legs, feet, and overall swelling. I am told I am blessed to not have it as extreme as some, but still have it significantly enough to need intense therapy to get ahead of it. My therapists work me good, and I appreciate it!
This last week was another thoracic facet block, so the pain and exhaustion has caught up with me. It usually does between day 3 and 5, and wipes my energy. I can tell a good difference though, so I praise God I will benefit from it all. And of course it means I was blessed to spend some time with Dr. Buzz and the girls. God continues to use him mightily.
I will begin some intense physical therapy of a different kind in December. I am amazed at how many different kinds of physical therapists there are. I have lost count of how many different kinds I’ve had. God has used them all! But I must give a huge thank you to Robbie for being so attentive, thoughtful, and extremely mindful of my therapy recently. God has truly gifted him! And I can’t forget Ali and Katie! Ali is so very patient with me! She and Katie keep things so entertaining as well. 😉 Praise God for each of them. And Praise God for ALL of my therapists! When you are so thoughtfully praying for me, please remember to pray for my therapists, doctors, nurses, and all those the Lord is using to send me healing and/or comfort.

Getting gaillovesgodspoetry Started

On November 11, 2017November 13, 2017 By gaillovesgodIn Poetry, Published Poetry, Uncategorized, Writing4 Comments

Hi, Guys! gaillovesgod here letting you know I’ve been working on getting my poetry on a separate blog gaillovesgodspoetry, but as much as I have been struggling to have time and energy to learn how to do things… I am still learning.

I had difficulty with export downloading properly to load to gaillovesgodspoetry, so I gave up, choosing to copy and paste each poem. It means losing the loving and supportive comments, and the followers posting them, but I’m not tech savvy enough to figure it out, and it’s time consuming. My health doesn’t allow me that energy any more.

I do care about each of you who have been so supportive, so I’m leaving on gaillovesgod what poetry has been added thus far, but after also adding them on gaillovesgodspoetry I will post all new poetry there so that I can separate by years, then months, as I always have. There are literally thousands. The Lord led me years ago to do this to allow the testimony of what He has done in my life to show that growth in my writing… the spiritual gift He gave me. You are more than welcome to join me there as well.

The gaillovesgod blog will remain for… devotional journaling, challenges, reblogging as a prayer warrior at times, and simply spending time talking with the Lord, as well as sharing responses He gives at times. I ask your patience with me as I post several posts at a time on the poetry page to catch up. I’ve been checking and you shouldn’t get the notifications unless you have already clicked to follow gaillovesgodspoetry, and they will slow down when caught up.

Any feedback is helpful. Oh… and I haven’t decided 100% on a theme. I still have so much to learn, but with so much therapy (and far more to come) and the latest procedure I had this week, I am constantly falling asleep either as soon as I touch the keyboard, or worse… in the middle of talking with someone. So sorry.

I hope to get back to blogging soon. I even have an award to share… thanks to Lovely A!
Remember…. God loves you!!

Spiritual Warfare on Medication: Response

On September 28, 2017September 28, 2017 By gaillovesgodIn Uncategorized, Writing6 Comments

Lord! You never cease to amaze me! You continue to delightfully surprise and reassure me! First, you surprised me with Lene (aka LeneinJapan) posting the article Love of my Life – I am His Song that she invited me to quest write on her website Song of Virginity.

Then, after I was talking with you last night about being weak with fear and uncertainty, doubtful of your peace with my brain being medicated. In my post Spiritual Warfare on Medication, I was afraid I made you look bad for my fear to paralyze me regardless of medication, and even while I am your child. I was so concerned you were upset with me, or at least disappointed. Yet by your grace and in your strength, I chose to look to you and trust your promises of unfailing love. I fell asleep listening to your word in song, and I awakened to such a beautiful and loving response! ❤

“RELAX IN MY EVERLASTING ARMS. Your weakness is an opportunity to grow strong in awareness of My Almighty Presence. When your energy fails you, do not look inward and lament the lack you find there. Look to Me and My sufficiency; rejoice in My radiant riches that are abundantly available to help you.
Go gently through this day, leaning on Me and enjoying My Presence. Thank Me for your neediness, which is building trust-bonds between us. If you look back on your journey thus far, you can see that days of extreme weakness have been some of your most precious times. Memories of these days are richly interwoven with golden strands of My intimate Presence.”
– Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence, September 27, p.282

You are not disappointed! You do not scold! You lovingly instruct me, and assure me I did right by turning my eyes upon you! You tenderly tell me relax by Leaning on Your Everlasting Arms! ❤

The eternal God is thy refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms:
and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee;
and shall say, Destroy them.
– Deuteronomy 33:27 KJV

You tell me my weakness and failing energy are opportunities for me to be aware of your presence. You tell me instead of lamenting on what I lack to rejoice in your abundant riches that are available to help! Those riches are my doctors! My medication! Therapy! And of course, your presence! Your strength!

You tell me to thank you for my neediness because it builds trust between us. Thank you for thinking I am worth spending that time with and sharing trust, even in weakness. You are right that it has been in my days of extreme weakness that I have had some of the most precious times with you! Your word tells me that when I do not know understand my fear, nor know what to pray that the Holy Spirit in praying on my behalf.

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. – Romans 8:26 KJV

You tell me you know how I felt hopeless without you, and that I was wise to keep circling my problem as Joshua did the wall of Jericho, and wise to wait upon you.

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:
wait, I say, on the Lord. – Psalm 27:13-14 KJV

Thank you for being so personal, for your blessed assurance! Thank you for the doctors, medicines, and therapies. I pray for each one you use in my life. Bless them, Lord.
So now I am off to go gentle into another day, leaning on you your everlasting arms and rejoicing in your presence. ❤ I love you, Lord! ❤ And always will! ❤