A quarter of my life

I was 39 (13, 3 times over). That was 13 years ago. 

I don't understand God's grace in allowing me to survive that day, or each of the days since. I was sure angry then that I was stuck in such a broken mind and body. But now I am so thankful.

I'm thankful for these years to get right with God.

I'm thankful for my husband who, after 19 years of marriage and 3 living children together, had to instantly become the "single father of 4, with his physically biggest and emotionally most immature, requiring exceeding high special needs care" for many years. Now 32 in, Rick is still fighting for us and our marriage.

I'm thankful that Rick encourages my dreams and joys, while knowing me well enough to see when I've taken on more than I can actually handle, keeping me grounded by challenging me to realistically accept the goals that remain beyond my reach.

I'm thankful to have been allowed to walk each of our babies into adulthood. If I even start unpacking that statement here, I'll never finish this post!

I'm thankful for my Mom who spends at least an hour on the telephone with me every week. 

For all of our extended family members, we thank God for you each.

I'm thankful for so many precious friends God has brought into my life as a direct result of the strokes. (I'm looking at you, Dr. Monica, Kathy, several nurses and therapists, fellow patients I've met along the way, countless friends who have brought meals, cleaned my home, given me rides, spent time with me just to be together, sent gifts, cards, email, texts, or prayed.)

I'm thankful for the hearing aids that have been life-changing in the restoration of my life's quality these past 2 1/2 years!

In large part, because of that restored ability to communicate better, I'm thankful to be to a season of life where God has given me more friends who are not here because of the strokes, than that came into my world because of our critical needs.

I'm beyond thankful for the Body of Christ, the church as a world-wide whole, and for our local fellowship. Outside our home, my life revolves nearly entirely around interaction with these dear people.

I am thankful for the gift of being allowed to pass most days in a chair where I can read Scripture, study, memorize, pray, write (and re-write, and re-write, even when most of these words will never be read by others). I am so aware that most do not have such luxury!

I'm thankful for this year of brain / heart training in the book of James that I've been able to recite today. (The :live: tab at YouTube.com/@infertilitymom is how you can follow along with my memory efforts.)

I am thankful to live in this warm climate that is far kinder to my body that traditional fall and winter seasons in most of the country.

I am thankful for a backyard pool where I can keep my body stretched and in motion for several months out of the year.

I'm thankful for a two-story house with the stairs I absolutely did not want (because I could not easily use) a little over 5 years ago, but have since come to rely upon as some of my absolute best possible daily therapy, choosing to use several more times each day than even required.

I'm thankful for the bird I did not want, who has become such a sweet little daily comfort and companion. (Hmmm, unwanted gifts becoming my greatest blessings, is quite the theme in my life!)

God is greater than...

I am thankful for restored mobility, allowing me to regularly do laundry and dishes and keep a fairly clean-ish house much of the time.

I'm thankful for God's grace to pull me out of much deception, and to continue the daily process of renewing my heart and my mind.

I'm thankful for celebration dinner with a couple of dear church sisters that I'm so looking forward to enjoying tonight.

I'm thankful that, whatever it looks like, God hold my future. He will never leave me or forsake me as He leads me through each day He still has ordained for my lifetime. And when my final breath is here, I know that I will be with Him forevermore!


All Scripture on this post is quoted from the Legacy Standard Bible (LSB).
Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com

I would love to meet you through social media:

Specialty pages:
    infertility / loss - fb.com/HannahsHopeBook
    stroke - fb.com/StrokieGal
    current book project on church deception - fb.com/DeceptionUnmasked

Instagram @InfertilityMom
Pinterest @InfertilityMom


My books:

Read about my current book project about deceptions women face from within the church, at JenniferSaake.blogspot.com/2021/04/DeceptionUnmasked.html


Read more about infertility, miscarriage, adoption loss, and my first book, Hannah's Hope (written pre-stroke), at JenniferSaake.blogspot.com/2021/04/hannahs.html

 
Please enjoy a free pdf version of the introduction, my personal infertility / loss story, and the first chapter of Hannah's Hope at www.hannahshopebook.com/media/HannahHopeChapter1.pdf





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