praise

we are officially "decorated". for us that means the christmas tree is up. its a full-time job keeping toddlers and preschoolers out of it, and i can't imagine adding any other decorations to the mix. i did attempt to put a candle snowman out on the table this year, but nadia has already pulled his arms off. we have ma barbie to thank for our tree this year. our old one finally bit the dust. after christmas i might look for a small one that could be set on a table. that would eliminate the kids pulling ornaments off the lower branches problem.

on a different note...as many of you know, i have been sick at my stomach regularly since august. when i say "sick", i mean everyday type of sick...not just an occasional pain here and there. no matter what i ate, i was getting sick with pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. its amazing that i've continued to grow so "plump" this pregnancy because at times i felt I was wasting away to nothing. the sickness caused me to not want to leave the house. i cancelled plans with friends on numerous occasions, had to leave places, and even sold tickets to the wvu pitt game that i had looked forward to going to on my birthday. i just was so weary of being sick that at that point, i could not imagine driving all the way to morgantown and being sick at the game or in the car. whatever the problem was had become a hinderance to everyday life. and then two weeks ago someone told me that God wanted to heal stomachs and that they would pray for me. bear in mind, i had prayed and prayed and prayed. i basically had just decided that for whatever reason this sickness was going to stick around and had made the choice that in sickness or in health i would glorify god in my body. but, by the grace of God, his plan for me was different. i was prayed for, and my stomach was healed. i do not know what the problem was that plagued me for weeks, but it has been gone completely for two weeks now. there is no explanation except that by God's power it was healed. i have tried everything to make myself sick again--eating ice cream, overeating, eating junk, eating quickly, not eating, etc, etc, etc, and NOTHING makes me sick. now, maybe its insane to put God to the test like that, but its something i had to do for myself. so this morning i give praise to God. by his power and his mercy, my stomach is healed and functioning as it should. i am able to enjoy my days without fear of being sick, and i can make it through nadia's breakfast and homeschooling without having to run to the bathroom 20 times. and i can spend my afternoon rest time reading or knitting rather than having to sleep from the sheer exhaustion of being sick. hallelujah!!

i am reminded of hezekiah's poem in isaiah 38:
Lord, your discipline is good,
for it leads to life and health.
You have restored my health
and allowed me to live!
Yes, it was good for me to suffer this anguish,
for you have rescued me from death
and forgiven all my sins.
For the dead can not praise you;
they cannot raise their voices in praise.
Those who go down to destruction
can no longer hope in your faithfulness.
Only the living can praise you as I do today.
Each generation can make known your
faithfulness to the next.
Think of it--the Lord has healed me!
I will sing his praises with instruments
every day of my life..."