Thursday, June 30, 2011

Honor one another above yourselves.

Still looking to honor my husband for our anniversary tomorrow.  Benefits of living with an organized man. It really is a blessing.  
Our see through garage doors...in which you only see cars and one wall of organized stuff.

My laundry room.


Labels, labels, labels! "It makes life easier," says Vic.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

My 16th Anniversary Friday, July 1st

I started getting mopey about this a couple of days ago.  I told my S-I-L that I was trying to be understanding with my healing hubby, but I knew the anniversary wouldn't really be much.  She told me to go get a cake, some flowers and maybe watch our wedding video.  Good for her!  I needed that.

Also to celebrate the good things about my marriage, I will be posting some of the great things about Victor up until Friday. 
Victor working on his latest project.

V putting together my daughter's futon-couch.  Notice the gold vanity on the right that he spray-painted and inserted fabric that matches the rug where the mirror (that broke) should be to make a bulletin board.
***
Oh yes, he designed and built this cool house we have lived in for 12 years.


Sunday, June 26, 2011

Winning!

 06/23/2011  Misc. CreditChase Savings Boost Sweepstakes Winner!  $500.00  


But this time it's for real!  Eventhough I had such a terrible day on the 23rd, what I didn't know is that on that same day I won $500 from my bank!  Has anyone ever heard of this kind of sweeptstakes? 

I'm still working on the iPhone/$849 mixup.  One thing for sure, I'm not sending the phone back until the $$ is back in my account. 

Aside from blogging a bit, I'm working on my short stories.  I started about 3 years ago during Community Bible Study.  There was a random assignment that asked me to "imagine you are there in the crowd when the woman who had been bleeding for 18 years touched Jesus' garment." So I did.  I wrote a two page story.  I asked myself what her life had been like to lead her to that moment.  What motivated her?  What were her inner thoughts and responses before, during and afterwards? I called it A New Direction. It was FUN!  So I did another. 

Victor had been listening to Joyce Meyer preach.  Her message was about Jesus talking to the paralytic who languished by the Pool of Siloam for 38 years!  When she recited Jesus' words to the man, "Do you want to be healed?" Victor was so convicted.  He said it pierced his heart.  I was encouraged that my husband had been touched like that, so I thought I'd write this story next. I titled it In the Shadow of Mercy. I made it into a handmade book and gave it to him for Christmas that year. 

Bible Study intervened again about "Let the little children come to me" story. Mark 10. It asked us to do the imagining-you-are-there exercise again, so I wrote this one from the perspective of a 12 year old girl (the same age as my daughter at the time.) It was fun and easily flowed into "The rich, young ruler" story from the girl's perspective. It's called Go to Him.

I kept going.  Next I wrote about Mary of Mary and Martha.  It was when she annointed his feet with the perfume, which I entitled The Alabaster Jar. That one lent itself to flashbacks of when Jesus raised Lazarus, so it was a two-fer. Somewhere in there I wrote about the 1 leper who went back and said thank you to Jesus.  Why would he do that?  I wanted to explore his motivations.  I had fun with this title, Grateful Dead.

I know it's fiction, but I guess it's more like historical fiction.  I pray and ask the Lord to give me insight and wisdom.  I know I'm not writing a Holy Spirit inspired Gospel, but I do believe the Lord helps me write them.  I like to read Francine Rivers, the Thoenes, Lynn Austin and other Christian Fiction writers--especially when they write about Biblical times.  To my knowledge, there are novels of great Biblical stories, but not many of the short encounters with Jesus. 

I've posted these stories on FB in my notes section if you care to read them.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/?sk=mynotes&s=10

The two I'm working on now are about the paralytic let down from the roof by 4 men.  This one has taken me a long time... mostly because I needed to research roofs in Caesarea... I even went to Jerusalem hoping to find info out!  Not really, ha ha! Eventhough it was in the back of my mind, I went to Jerusalem to help my friends. We never made it to Galilee!  Anyway, I'm almost finished with that one, but I can't seem to end it.  I mean, if you were healed like that, it would be a total life changer!

The most current one is about the centurion who asks Jesus to heal his slave, but has the faith to receive the healing if Jesus just gives the command, not having to go and touch her. I am adding a lot about Jewish history, because he's going to have to love and respect the Jews.

Is there any chronological timeline here?  No, I don't have that kind of mind.  It's very hard for me to be linear like that... It will all come together knowing God is in this thing.  I'd love any feedback or suggestions for publishing, editing, organizing, etc. 

So we win again.  Victor's confinement home and my subsequent cloistering provides lots of time to write.  Now if I just don't "waste" it on FB or blogging!  :D

Messages from Heaven

Everyday I get a Verse of the Day from  http://www.biblegateway.org/ and Word of the Day from http://www.dictionary.com/.  There is almost always a message that pierces my heart or prods my soul.Today's Verse is:  “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." Leviticus 19:12.  (Insert husband for neighbor.)

I'm thinkin' "nailed on that one!"  The only way to continue to be gracious to someone in pain--think migraine, but in your back--is to be filled with God's presence continually.  I'm talkin' peace that passes understanding.  Because I'm too selfish and defensive to be nice this much.  I fail more than I succeed... But what did Paul say, I die daily? This is often what it feels like to look for appreciation where there is little.

Like Fireworks! Messages from heaven.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

I Need Breaks

Having breakfast with my mom and step dad.  It was a nice break from caretaking.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Wha?

Ok, so my identity wasn't stolen?  I get an iPhone 4G in the mail...Do these cost $849???  I DID NOT order it.  Why would someone fake order an iPhone and have it sent to me? I paid for it, but the bank says they will pay me back tomorrow... I call the guy who sent it and he said it seemed like a legit transaction on eBay.  He wants me to send it back to him and he will refund my money.  But 1) I no longer have a Paypal acct.  and 2) I no longer have an eBay acct.  Cancelled my credit card too. 

Weird.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Healing Husband

I love watching my husband heal.  He used to be a man of information: NYTimes, NPR, ever scrolling his iTouch.  His favorite saying that my kids quote back to him is, "I read this article..."

But with a contusion (bruised brain) this past 5 weeks, he doesn't read well right now.  Perhaps it's the dizziness, perhaps it's another aspect of the injury.  He just watches tv.  Mostly shows from when he was a kid:  Mary Tyler Moore, The Brady Bunch, The Lucy Show...  I know it's just to distract him from the pain.  When you break 10 ribs, you are in a LOT of pain. 

That's not fun to watch.  Shifting around, trying to find a comfortable position, standing, sitting, lying down, trying to break the monotony.  Too weak to go anywhere, but bored.  Needing some stimulation, but not much.  I can't fix it. 

Today I was reading blogs, trying to get an idea what's out there, what's interesting. Wanting to see designs and content.  I stumbled across some that just wrench your heart out.  Women living with debilitating diseases, a recent widow trying to celebrate Father's Day with her 2 year old, a young woman who died of cancer (her mom finished it for her.)  I was humbled. 

My husband is alive.  He may be cranky, but he will come back.  His injuries are big, but all will heal with time.  How can I mope or fret?  I love that cultural saying, "It's all good."  I'm sure it has all sorts of connotations associated with it, but for me it means more like "All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and who are called according to His purpose."
Flowers = Smiles
Given to me on Mother's Day from my "adopted daughter"
 (that is if I married and had children when I was 20 or so...)

Plans to Harm Me?

June 22nd
Woke up late
Rain storm (good for Houston, bad for traffic)
Son across town to U of H computer camp
Daughter to writing camp 25 minutes late
Garage door breaks
Won't open
Fight with injured husband ensues (guilt floods me)
Dog has diarrhea
Doesn't want to pee or poop outside
Doesn't want wet feet
Or is it because I've ignored her?
Cleaning up poop and pee.
In the cracks of my wood floor
Glasses broke in middle of yoga class
At least I know what to do
Identity Theft
$849 drained from account
Negative balance over $400
Credit card cancelled
Can't give to orphans overseas without it
Orphans account closed :..(
Son angry about Dad
Can't play video games on big screen
Husband on couch in front of tv all day
Moaning in pain
Husband not able to negotiate finances
Called Paypal
They say I must call my bank
Called bank
They say call this number
Everything will be ok
Called number
It's Paypal
Long waits with muzak droning
To hear can't handle $$
Without husband's permission
Poor Paypal guy
Listening to my sobs.

All the while
I am praising God
Not suffering
Praying for a troubled friend
Praying for issues in Israel
And persecuted throughout the world.
In the afternoon, after
being on hold to bank
Late to yoga class
and the glasses break,
I think, "This is ridiculous!"
I see Satan's attacks so clearly
But they keep coming
I dodge and weave
Fight back.
I may have sobbed to Paypal guy but
I quote Jeremiah 29:11 through gritted teeth
I know the plans I have for you
Says the Lord
Plans, not to harm you, but to
Give you a hope and a future.
HA! Take that!
You have not won!



But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3

Sunday, June 19, 2011

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/victorperez1

     We have been sojourning since birth; many chronicling our trails through letters, journals, poems, memoirs, autobiographies and more recently, emails, websites, Facebook and blogs.  If you'd like to catch up on the beginning of my newfound relationship with blogging, go to the above site. This is what started me on this Blogging Sojourn...a journey into the wild world of hospital care for my husband after he fell 18+ feet while trimming the tree in front of our home. I will be making several referrals to those posts and even probably repost much of it here.  But before I continue, I need to lay a quote down:

   Here I pause in my sojourning, giving thanks for having come,
   Come to trust, at every turning, God will guide me safely home.
   Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God,
   Came to rescue me from danger, Precious Presence, precious blood.

   Robert Robinson (1735-1790),
   Calvinist Methodist preacher and hymn-writer.
   New Century Hymnal (1995).
   "Come, O Fount of Every Blessing," l. 5-8 (1758).