Motivation March- Colon Cancer

So my Theme for March is all about Motivation and today was the start of Colon Cancer Awareness month so today was "wear blue day"

I have a dear friend that I met through my work with the Cancer Coalition, last year. We have something in common, both of us have lost a parent to cancer. So today I wanted to share with you the story of her mother, and of her and her family. My friend, Belinda, and her family are very inspiring and I'm honored that she's allowing me to share her story... So here you go:

"May 30th will make two years since we laid my mom to rest. She had just turned 43 when she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, and our lives were turned upside down. I had always said we were such a blessed family because we hadn't had anyone with cancer, then it seemed like I ate my words twice. In just 5 weeks my moms cancer had spread from her colon to her liver and bones. She was determined to beat this thing, and always tried to smile, but I know how scared she must have been. She began chemo and radiation in January 2011, and it quickly took a toll on her body. A scan after 4 treatments showed that the chemo wasn't stopping the cancer growth. The initial tumor in her colon was nearly 8 inches long at this point. She came to stay with me and my husband and kids each time she took the chemo, and that time is something I would never trade for anything. My girls were everything to my mom, and they didnt quite understand why mammaw was so sick. I remember her yelling for me when she was in the shower and noticed her hair coming out by the handfuls. She said she didn't think it would be coming out so soon, and it really took a toll on her emotions. By April, her dr had told us there wasn't any hope and we only had about two weeks left with her. My dad, not ready to give up, had her sent to another hospital with better cancer experience. There, they decided to operate on her to remove her bowel obstruction. At this point she had stopped acting like herself. She talked out of her head, didn't know us at times, and didnt remember things from her past. Because of her mental changes, when they operated to remove the blockage, she never really gained consciousness again. I didn't get to be there with her before her operation because my little girl was in Cincinnati children's hospital with a staph infection, so I never got to tell her that I loved her again and be able to hear it back. We stayed in Lexington a couple more weeks with her, then we brought her home with Hospice. After three days, we each got time alone with her to talk to her and tell her how much we love her. Then around five in the morning she passed, while we were all surrounding her with love. My girls were in the next room sleeping, and didnt have a clue of what was in store for our family, and how their little hearts would be broken when they woke up. She had told me once that she had waited so long to become a mammaw, but only got to be one for 4 years. Our lives have forever been effected by colon cancer. A mother truly is the pillar that holds a family up, and cancer took that from us. Since her passing, she had had two grandsons born and it seems so unfair that they will never meet the grandma that would have spoiled them rotten, and this is because of cancer. We now have some emptiness at each holiday, and at times find it hard to enjoy them. I can't watch commercials about cancer without crying, I can't see a mother daughter themed movie without crying ( Disney's Brave), and when each of her grandchildren reach a milestone or say something amazing I get so mad at cancer because I can't call her to tell her about it. Cancer has taken do much from us, but there are things it could never take. It could never take the memories I have of her walking to the altar in tears asking Jesus to forgive her of her sins and come I to her heart, this was three days before her diagnosis, so I know God was preparing her for her fight that night he laid conviction upon her heart. It can't take my memory of her standing in severe bone pain and testifying to the church that if God took her or let her stay, she would be a winner either way. Cancer cannot take the memories of our family, our conversations, good times and bad, or my faith that I will see her again some day. My heart was broken when I wasn't at the hospital before her surgery to say goodbye, but I believe I know why now. I believe I didn't get to say goodbye because God wants me to serve him everyday and strive for that day when ill see her again and get to say hello. Cancer took my best friend, but it cannot take my faith and my joy in knowing that my mom isn't suffering anymore and that she will never know sickness again. The pain of losing her is still here everyday, but knowing how we can testify to others and inform them helps to know that through it all, we can make a difference. Early screening and detection truly does save lives. My mom had several screenings before her diagnosis because she had odd symptoms, but nothing ever showed up until it was to late. I urge everyone to get screened at the first sign of something odd because colon cancer is preventable, treatable, and beatable." -Belinda Riley

I hope this story has touched you like it has me and others who've heard it. I stand with Belinda as she urges everyone to get screened! Take part in regular screening when your Doctor starts suggesting it and if there are signs PLEASE DON'T ignore them. If you've been touched by your own family member who has or had cancer know that you are not alone. Look at the strength of Belinda and her family and know that she fought hard for that strength, please stay strong too. Until next time... 

February's Theme

Today I'm doing something unusual! You are getting two blog posts. This first one is to talk about last months "Friendship February." I really enjoyed being able to share God's love for His people, WITH His people. On top of that I shared with my friends and family what they mean to me! What a blessing! A lot of people returned my message with what I mean to them and my heart was touched! I love every single friend I have and have enjoyed sharing February with them :)

Last Months Theme

So I started a Theme thing for each month in November of Last year, There is that thing where you post what you are thankful for every day of the month of Nov. So in December I made that all about Prayer. Every day I prayed for people who gave me special prayer requests. In January I went with the theme of New Beginnings but called it Rejuvenation January.

In January I learned A LOT. Each day was full of a new lesson for myself and my other friends. I also learned something I already knew No matter how much you do something there will always be people dissing you and saying you are wrong. Just because they can.

January was great but now I'm moving on to Feb which is all about friendship and love. I'm going through the loss of a friendship right now but through that I'm celebrating my other friendships. I look forward to sending love to many of my facebook friends! God bless

Jewelry news

Hey yall!

New page for my jewelry is on facebook...if you haven't yet PLEASE go "like" it: https://www.facebook.com/SmilesAndWishesJewelryByLynnea?fref=ts

December

Anyone that knows me knows that as Months go December is my favorite.

First of all I love Christmas, I love the cheery, colorful, elegant feel of this holiday season. Some of you may be thinking "cheery?! Really?" Because Christmas has become commercial and brings out the millions of scrooges who deal with money and moodiness. However- yes. CHEERY. I love the music, the movies, and the overall happiness that Christmas brings. I love what Christmas means in the Christian universe. Christmas is about the birth of our savior and how He came to be. How can one not be cheery thinking of the beauty of that Christmas story.

Also in Dec...I grew up in a house full of December birthdays. My fathers was Dec. 29th. My nephew who lived with us for years has a birthday on Dec. 12th and then My own birthday on Dec 6th. In my home Birthdays were celebrated and loved. It was amazing. 

Then of course theres New Years Eve. I have to wait a whole year for my favorite month to come...and where it is at the end we end it by celebrating a new beginning! How AWESOME is that?

I said all this to share with you why I love December. I hear songs about the coldness, the winter feeling of it...but December represents nothing but happiness and beauty to me. So for that reason, it is no surprise or mistake that I made December my prayer month. This month I've asked my friends to share with me a prayer request that they would like me to pray for and each day I do just that. I spend time with God lifting my friends and family up in prayer. I'm loving this time with my Savior. He is using my favorite month to bring me even closer to Him which is just another reason to love this month!

We're only 8 days in and I've seen God answering prayer! It's powerful and beautiful in one swift motion.

Some other things I'm doing in my life is- reading a book called The Anger Diet, and another called Managing Your Moods. I'm trying to get a peacefulness in my life among the difficult moments... and Praying about my path... 

Something that God just keeps laying on my heart- that I feel He's about ready to yell at me- is to write a book. If you know me well you know I've been thinking about this for a while...but for some reason as I read the books I'm reading, as I get to know myself more than I already do, and as I spend more time with Him and listen to more music... The need to write a book is getting stronger... December is my time, my month, and it's time I step up and listen! 

Something else God is dealing with me on is- don't accept fear- just go for it! I know that I'm ready! Are you? What is God laying on your heart to do? Join with me- lets do this together! It could be something small , or something big but I encourage you to do your thing as I do mine. We can help keep each other accountable and just encourage each other in Christ! How exciting is that?! ....Oh boy... it's time to Go and get started on that next path.... Blog at you later! 

Have a Merry Christmas and happy New Year if I start to slack on the blogging again! :) 

Thoughts about Christianity due to recent events

This is a post from an August 2012 note that I posted on FB and I thought I'd share it with you all! :)


I've been thinking a lot lately about Christianity and how we as Christians give ourselves a bad name in many ways. We are human it's true but just the very name of Christian USED to hold us at a higher standard. Now the very name Christian tends to come with the following words attached to it: hypocritical, judgmental, and overbearing. There are more but these are the ones I want to touch on. 

The Bible gives us Guidelines on certain things that are right and wrong but it also says not to worry about whats in our brothers eye since we have something in our own (I'm not quoting directly. Matthew 7:3. 

We are to look at a persons fruit but to look at someones direct sin and say they are going to hell it's WRONG. Instead we should love that person, and be there for them, through actions GUIDE them to the right path. We, as humans, can fix NO ONE. But God can work in the people we ask Him to. If we ask him to guide us He'll give us the right way to handle it. 

It is time for us, my Christian brothers and sisters to stand up and start doing this the right way! The way Jesus wants us to. Do you REALLY think Jesus would chastise someone who didnt have the same belief as him? What about the Woman at the well? http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+4%3A1-42&version=NIV He talked to her on her level. He gently guided her to the truth! WHAT a success story. Our Savior wants our passion, not our aggression!  

That being said- meeting someone for the first time and wanting to convert them...Not a good idea! That has "lets scare them from the Gospel" written all over it. Stop that! 

I've seen a lot of passionate Christians who want so desperately to bring Christians to Christ that they jam the gospel down everyones throat EVEN fellow Christians. We need to be compassionate as well as passionate. Take care,  my family in Christ, be there, be understanding, and know when to flip the switch that says "not right now" 

Another thing is...I've met Christians who don't often give themselves time to grow. They feel as though they need to be on ALL the time. If they forget to read the Bible once or skip prayer it scares them SO bad. I understand your concern...I do! But you are not far from God if you start to not do them so much. Find an accountability partner, ask them to help you. Find God in the smaller things. When I forget something I will often look out side (day or night) and just praise God for his Creation, or I'll glance up at my family and thank God for them. Perhaps I sign online and look at my facebook friends and pray for them...and sometimes I just read devotional if I can't bring myself to pick up my Bible (it happens sometimes) And sometimes I just write! I'll write silly things, or deep things...but it's OKAY to go through these times, because they teach us and they grow us...if we didn't have them we wouldnt go through those times of getting even closer to God! Don't be afraid to go through these times because here is something you may not realize...you WILL get through them and you will most likely be stronger because of it. I need to finish getting ready for church now. So have a blessed Sunday. I'm praying for you.

Angry- A book "review"

Hey- So I don't normally post my opinions of books that I read but seeing as I've already read like 5 books this summer maybe I should start! lol.

My most recent read is a book called Angry written by a very dear Twitter friend of mine. Mrs. Laura L. Smith. In the last year Laura has tweeted me and we've gotten to know each other. She's become a mentor and a prayer warrior in my life and I treasure the friendship that she has offered me so much.

I was finally able to read one of her books- as I just stated it is called Angry. If you haven't read it I suggest it so much! It's free today on Amazon for the Kindle but if you miss the Free copy of it- it is SO worth buying.

Angry is about a teenage girl- Emma and her life that continuously get disastrous ranging from her home life to her social life this girl gets thrown for loop after loop in situations that would make any and ALL of us ANGRY. She argues with God and just tries to figure things out. Emma is a character that we can all identify with especially young women (even young adults)  Her search for that something that she is passionate about is a fascinating journey and she finds not just 1 but two passions that change her life. Our Emma is an actress you see and she tries out for the musical "Les Mis" So if you are a fan of that musical or musicals in general I suggest this book! Laura's descriptions in this book are exquisite! She takes you through each part of the book describing everything just as though we are right there with Emma experiencing everything she's experiencing.

Before reading the book I told Laura that I thought Emma and I could probably be friends...after reading it I saw so much of myself in Emma that I was shocked, amazed and just WOWED. But like Emma I have my passions and my love for God that help defuse my anger. My crafts, writings, blogging, love for musicals & black and white movies as well as Bing Crosby music...oh and lets not forget my love for reading! :) Check it out here: Angry by Laura L. Smith

Enjoy!! :) <3