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Hey... where is everyone??! I check this page and wonder if I'm the only one reading it. *smile* I know you're out there cuz some of you tell me that you "read such & such" on the blog. You hear from me, but I don't hear from you!

I'd love it if you'd comment once in a while so I know you dropped in. It makes my day! I get lonely here working alone while the kids are at school and Luke's out of town. So go ahead... drop me a line, it's really not hard, you just click "comment" and then type in whatever you wanna say. If you don't have a blogger account, you just click anonymous and then sign your name at the bottom of the comment so I know it was you. See... EASY! :)

Hope to see you here soon ~
Love ya!
Jami

Atheism... I just don't "get" it.

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?"
Romans 10:14





I see evidence of God everywhere; in a flower, in a sunset, in the smile or laughter of one of my children. I feel his presence in my life in such a real way that it can't be mistaken or denied. The photo above is of me and my precious baby nephew, Wyatt. I love that little guy. When I met him for the first time, I really examined him and took him in... all of him - every tiny little fingernail, the folds in his ears, his perfect lips. Just the sweetness of him. I held him and kissed him and there was no doubt in my mind that God made him. How else could he be so perfect?

Lately I have been burdened. A weight so heavy on my heart that I just feel like I can't breathe sometimes. I know a young girl that doesn't believe God exists. I just can't wrap my mind around it. when I question the things she says and does, her attitudes... I have to remind myself that it's not reasonable to expect a Godless person to behave in a Godly manner. Yet, it's still so frustrating to me. Conversations regarding marriage, abortion, creation... everything that is so important to me and to God - is completely meaningless to her, and I just don't know what to do with that... so I pray for understanding for her. That she would know the joy and peace that comes from a belief and relationship with Him. I may never know if she changes her mind about God, but what I do know is that she hears the truth from me - undiluted. That's hard for her sometimes I think, and it confuses her - yet she is drawn to it. It breaks my heart to think there are people in this world that don't know him. But my God can do impossible things - and my hope, everything that I am is because of Him.

"Ah Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm... nothing is too hard for you!"
Jeremiah 32:17

Integrity

Webster's dictionary says that integrity is:

1.intactness. 2. firmness of character, honesty.

I say that it's doing what you say you're going to do and not doing what you say you're not going to do. I remember when someone's "word" meant something. Not anymore. I get so frustrated with people in this world that have no integrity, and today I just need to vent.

OK...so last January Luke was attempting to fix a drippy shower head in our master bath shower, somehow the wrench slipped out of his hand and made a big hole in the bottom of our shower. Well, obviously the shower can't be used this way, so I look in the phone book for bathtub repair, I have no idea if there is such thing, but I start digging in the yellow pages anyway. I find a company called BathCrest. I call and the lady comes out and makes the repair on the shower - patching it with fiberglass and sanding it and refinishing it. When she gets done, I look in and it doesn't match and that spot is shinier than all the rest of the shower. She says, " that'll be $130.00" (to fix a 4 inch hole) I'm thinking Geesh! But the shower was useless before the repair so I pay it. A week or 2 later we discover that water is dripping into the basement onto the foosball table. She had missed a crack. We call to get her back out here to finish the job and set up a time. We were headed to Nebraska that Saturday, but I told her come on out my mom will let you in so you can make the repair. She agreed. When we get home we see about a 3x16 inch strip of black, rough material in the shower. Um... what's going on here? Mom said that the lady told her we should try it and make sure it doesn't leak, then she'd come out and do the finish work. A week passed by and everything was fine. I've been trying to get her out here ever since. GRR!!!!!!!!!

I've called probably 25 or 30 times in the last year, leaving messages with her "answering service" aka... people who could care less. She would never return a call. In November, I finally wrote a letter and said look, we just want you to finish the job, a year is long enough. Still no response. So I put in one last phone call to her answering service and this time I asked them to write down word for word what I was saying. "If I do not hear from you by the end of next week... I will be calling the headquarters of this company and filing a formal complaint." No response. So I called the headquarters... they acted like there wasn't much they could do, but that they would call her and let her know that we were trying to get a hold of her. (Oh brother, I am ready to punch something or someone by this point) Wouldn't you know that she answered their phone call and I heard back from them the same day saying she'd be calling me. About a week later she called and had a list of excuses 5 miles long about why she couldn't get out here in the last year. (I'm thinking SAVE IT! I know... you've already been paid and you just don't care about our problem) She promised me that she would definitely be out here and have the job completed before Christmas. Guess what... it's still not done. I put in another phone call this morning to the answering service. Any bets on if I get a call back?

So... what is integrity and where can I find a person that has some?

Look Mom... NO HANDS!

We are thanking God for the healing that's taking place in Luke's leg. The first of February, he began mostly walking (limping) without assistance! WOO HOO!! The kids and I are so proud of him. He's worked really hard at gritting his teeth and dealing with the pain and discomfort. The pain is under control for the most part and it's been weeks since he's taken anything for pain, but sometimes after a long day he really feels it.

He got a good report at his appointment on the 10th. The doc said that the bones are fusing and rebuilding and that he's very pleased with the progress. He did say that it's not good for Luke to walk with that foot out rather than straight forward and he is doing that to compensate for the discomfort of walking with it straight. Doc thinks this is cuz he is walking on the inside of his foot because the arches have broken down some since he hasn't been walking on the foot for months. He's giving him an arch support that he says should help with that and Luke is just supposed to conscientiously walk properly so that things continue to heal right. Overall we were really thrilled with the outcome of that visit. We were a little bit disappointed that the doctor never suggested compression stockings to help with the swelling in his ankle and foot though. He just began wearing them on his own and it's made a world of difference, he can even wear normal shoes. It's incredible how that thing keeps the swelling under control.

Well... I promised myself that I'd keep this shorter than several of the last ones so I guess that's it for now. Just wanted you all to know how awesome Luke is doing and to ask you to continue praying for total healing - and more specifically, please pray that he never has to have that steel rod removed! Thanks in advance.

Oh, one last thing... I'm really thankful for my "Valentine" of 18 years. What a blessing he is to me this Valentine's Day and EVERY day! I love my Lukie! Just thought you'd like to know. ;)

Love n Hugs,
Jami