Tag Archives: encouragement

My Valley Fever and Sweets Syndrome Journey Chapter 1

Valley Fever/Sweets Syndrome Journey, , , , , , , , , , ,

We all have stories, and it seems 2020 has been full of them for so many. So many individual journeys.

I decided to write about this journey that I am on. 

People are hurting right now in so many ways, and if my journey can help someone learn about Valley Fever or Sweets Syndrome, then that is great!

But more importantly, if my journey can encourage someone in the understanding of the love of God, how real and how personal that love is…then none of my experience has been wasted.

It started back in September, when I was visiting my children and grandchild in Arizona.  They gifted me a trip for my 60th birthday.  It was a wonderful time and I would not trade it for anything!  

Our one and only grandchild, a granddaughter, is a joy.  She has Cerebral Palsy and is my constant inspiration.

My husband was there for a week.  We had never been to Arizona, and the beauty of its creation mesmerized us, so different from our own at home. We got to visit Sedona, go on a jeep ride and see so many sights.

About the third week I started feeling ill.  I experienced a dry cough, fatigue, loss of appetite and actually felt like a train had hit me.  I was concerned that I might not be able to fly home.  There were fires in the area, and I had asthma, thus the cough, or so I thought. I had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in December 2019, so I thought I had overdone it, thus the fatigue and pain.

I wasn’t even sure if I could fly home, but I made it.  Once home, I ran a low grade fever, continued with the painful cough and fatigue. I had hives for a short time, then I broke out in something similar to blisters all over my body.  It was like nothing I had ever experienced.

My husband and friend, Amanda convinced me to go to the ER.  I did not want to go, but I knew something was horribly wrong with me.

It was.

My first gift from God was getting to the hospital.  This took a lot of convincing, but the Lord knew I was in desperate need.  I am a rather stubborn woman, so this was His doing for sure! 

After eight hours in the ER, I was finally admitted to a local hospital and then transferred by ambulance to a major hospital in a near-by city, which was two hours away.

It was 3:30 AM, and I went by ambulance. This wasn’t something I had on my bucket-list, but as all suitable Type A people do…I added it so I could cross it off! LOL

Dear ones, look for those gifts from God in the midst of your journey. They are there for all of us.

Next: The Second Gift

~Be Encouraged Today~

Tammy

Smudges

encouragement, Spiritual Encouragement, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Do you remember the character from the Charlie Brown series that was called “Pig Pen”?  He seemed to have somewhat of a smile on his face and smudges of dirt all over his clothes and face.  He also had a cloud of dust that was surrounding his legs and feet.pig pen

Isn’t that a perfect example of how we all feel right now?  The smudges are all of our “normal” pressures that go with living this life on planet earth.  Everyone is going through some kind of issues.  We have illnesses with loved ones, know of friends and family with no jobs, cancer, divorces, family pressures…the list goes on.

Those are the smudges all over us.

Then add the worldwide pandemic and unrest, the national issues on top of all of that…

That cloud of dust that follows Pig Pen around is there with all of us.

The Father has been leading me to several passages of scripture lately.  And basically they all say….”Keep your eyes off the smudges, because if you rub them they just get worse, they won’t always go away.  Keep your eyes on the Father and the source of those battles, they are not what you think.”

Colossians 3_2-4

I think the cloud and smudges are not going any where honestly.  So we have a choice…where does our focus need to be?  I know that I need that reminder over and over.

ephesians-6_12

May you be encouraged with that reminder today.

~Tammy~

~The Ocean Series ~The Mooring Rope

Spiritual Encouragement, The Ocean Series, , , , , , , , , , ,

Since the weather has cooled off a bit and so many are soothed and encouraged by the ocean, I decided to share this series again.  The timing seems perfect.  Hope you are all well and safe.  We will get through this!

Have you ever walked past a dock where all the boats are moored? You can “hear” the mooring ropes as the waves hit against the boats. If the wind is strong or there has been a storm it is even louder. The pulling, stretching and pressure put on these ropes over time is strong.

Upon investigation, some of those ropes look very old and worn, yet they still maintain their strength. Even upon fraying, the rope that remains seems to be stronger than before. I suppose over time, and without the help of the boat’s owner, the rope will eventually break and need replaced or repaired.

Sometimes we feel like that old mooring rope. We are holding on, being thrown a little bit in different directions. We sometimes feel very frayed when a prayer that we have uttered for years doesn’t seem to be answered.

Can you relate?

But, as always, the boat’s owner repairs, replaces or strengthens the rope. Just like our Father. He offers repair, He offers strength and even replaces our faith with a renewal of faith.   And in the midst of the pulling, stretching and pressure…we get a little stronger.

So feeling like an old mooring rope might not be such bad thing.

~Be Encouraged Today~

Tammy