A Good and Holy Purpose

I awaken and in those first few moments of morning light, everything feels normal in my life. Then I remember that things are out of my control. I remember that I have cancer and that my dear husband has been in the hospital for over six weeks now.  It’s a jolt to my heart and mind when I realize this each day. It’s then that I also remember I have a choice. I can rely on my own strength and wisdom or I can rely on the strength and wisdom of God. This seems like a simple choice really, but my first inclination is that I need to fix things and figure things out myself. Why do we do this when we have a great God who reminded us over and over in His beautiful Word that He is our rock, our strength and our shield? There is still that pride within ourselves that we know best. However, only God’s way is perfect and only He can make my way perfect. So, after a few moments of the inner struggle, I bow my heart and head to give it all over to the Lord. 

As of today, my husband is still in the hospital. I believe the issue we took him in for has finally been addressed but it’s been an up hill battle (literally) to get anything done.  They are so focused on his age that they didn’t even look at the obvious. It was only after he had a bleeding episode that they finally got him in for the colonoscopy that we had been asking (demanding) be done. That was when they found 3 ulcers in his colon and an open, bleeding blood vessel! The doctor cauterized them and fixed the blood vessel and we are all so happy to see my husband improving day by day. That being said, because they waited so long to deal with this, he has a long road of recovery before him. We are most anxious to get him home and help him regain his strength and health. He longs to be home, too, and talks about it all the time with all of us.  Of course, since I’m in the process of doing chemo, I haven’t been to the hospital to see him.  My immune system is too compromised, and with all these horrible viruses going around in my area, it would be foolhardy to do so.  I have talked to him on the phone so I’m thankful we have been able to do that. 

Speaking of my immune system, this last blood test showed my white blood count dangerously low so now I'm even more compromised and being more careful than ever. The shocking thing is that I cannot eat any fresh veg or fruit because of the chance of bacteria being on them even after being washed.  I miss the fresh stuff but am making sure to eat my frozen veg, which has a lot of good stuff in it.

I have one more chemo treatment before surgery I am so anxious to get it over with as I am getting sicker and weaker with each treatment. My fingers are so numb now that I can barely type this. There are so many side effects to chemotherapy that we don't even realize until we're in it. I thought going into this that I would be able to get a lot of cross stitch and crochet done but my hands won't work well enough to do so.  I am trying to do other things, but honestly, I'm getting to the point where I sleep a lot because of the weakness and exhaustion.

The hardest part of all this is that some don't understand. I have been judged because of my husband being in the hospital so long. I have been judged for not being able to visit him. It's not easy to walk this road but it's even harder when you feel the judgement of others over things you can't control. This is when knowing Jesus is with me makes all the difference. He understands and has my circumstances under control and I have to trust Him in this journey. It's the same for you in your circumstances, whatever they may be.

I long for the normal days again. I long for days when I'm not so exhausted that walking from my bedroom to the kitchen feels like a marathon run. I long for feeling my fingers and toes again. I long to hold a needle in my hands without dropping it. I just long to feel like ME again. This person with cancer doesn't feel like me but it is.

God has a purpose in all this. He has brought other cancer survivors into my life to comfort me and I know that I will turn around and be a comfort to others on their journey. It's what we do. Our purpose is to know these hardships, just as Jesus did, so we can stand beside others, just as He does us. That, my friends, is a great and holy purpose that brings good out of the bad. In that, I can find joy.

Blessings - Julie 

My Heart Is Overwhelmed

It's been a difficult week during what should have been a week of joy and celebration. We didn't have our Christmas as a family this year and the presents are still unopened. My heart is overwhelmed and my body is weak.

The dramas started with my CT scan that was scheduled for December 16th.  I got there an hour early as I have to drink that contrast liquid that helps them to see things. It's not very good and it's really hard on the kidneys but a girl has to do what a girl has to do. I was called back and then the tech went to put the IV in for the iodine that allows them to see the organs (and the cancer on the organs). She could not get the IV in! She then called another tech and she couldn't get the IV in either! Now, I've never had anyone not be able to put an IV in my two veins that are very prominent, but neither could do it. So guess what? They sent me home! I was in tears and just devastated that my test wasn't going to be done. As I went out, I stopped at the desk to see if I could have it done the next day at their other clinic.  Thankfully, they had one appointment left and I was able to take it. I went the next day and it was like a totally different experience. This tech got the IV in immediately and we got the scan done. What an experience!

The next day my husband started getting sick. Not like a cold or flu, but just not feeling good and we couldn't figure out what was wrong. He would be fine one minute and the next not. He is a diabetic and his sugars were all over the place. He wasn't eating well or drinking enough water and I thought it was a reaction to all the stress that we have been under with the cancer and then the two days of trying to get my CT scans. We were also waiting with bated breath for the results of my scan and that was stressful.

I didn't hear and I didn't hear and finally called the nurse, who is my contact for getting results or for getting help if I'm having chemo side effects and such. Let me start this by saying that I have called this nurse infrequently as I only call if I really need help. The problem is, she NEVER calls me back.  I tried calling her the Thursday after my scan to ask if they had gotten the results. No call back. I tried again on Friday morning as I was scheduled to do my chemo the following Monday and I needed to know if that was still going forward. No call back. I finally called the office manager and complained about her. I really don't like doing that but it's not good when I'm two hours away from my doctor's office and I can't get her to call me back. Anyway, the office manager said she was very sorry and that she would look into it. I got a call back twenty minutes later from my doctor's PA and was told that the cancer was gone from my lungs but that I still had a spot on my liver.  It has gone down a lot but I will have to continue with the next three chemo treatments.  I was kind of disappointed but I know that the Lord knows what is best and I'm trusting that He is working this out for my best. My PA also thought it would be good for me to have Christmas with my family and have a relaxing week so she said we would put off my chemo for one week to the 30th of December so I could have a good Christmas. Little did we know then that that was not going to happen but that it was a blessing that she put it off one week anyway!

On the 23rd, my husband took a turn for the worst and my oldest son took him to the ER. They couldn't figure out what was wrong and admitted him.  They did all kinds of tests and his white blood cell count was high, his red blood cells low, and everything just seemed out of whack. Unfortunately, the doctor they have at this hospital doesn't seem all that competent and we were never sure what was going on. They did give him antibiotics, which seemed to help him, but we were not told why. Also, I have not been able to go and visit him at the hospital because of my own immune system being compromised by the chemo. Thankfully, both my sons have been there taking turns to be with my husband. Yesterday, the 26th, they moved him to the hospital in the next town over. They told us they thought it was a cardio issue and that hospital specializes in that. When my son got there, the doctor immediately said to him, "He has pneumonia, we see." Evidently, they knew this at the hospital but no one ever told us! They gave him antibiotics for this and he sounded so much better when I talked to him last night. However, my husband has high anxiety when it comes to being in the hospital and he had a rough night. They called me to talk to him during the night but he was too anxious for it to make a difference. Finally, they were able to give him something for this and he did fall asleep but not before my son had to go up there and try and help him feel better. It makes for a very stressful situation for us all - especially me as I'm not able to go to him and be with him. We have no idea how long he will be there but I'm sure it's going to be at least a few more days.

We decided we didn't want to have Christmas without him so all our presents are still wrapped and waiting. We have all been exhausted and, while I know the reason for Christmas is still the most important thing, the sadness we have all felt as we go through not only my illness, but my husbands, has been very difficult. Let's be honest - we all have such high expectations of Christmas and spending it together. I have no idea at this point when we will actually have our family time together.

I go for my next chemo treatment on Monday and it's stressing me out because I know that not only will my sons have to help my husband, they will have to help me. There will be times that they can't be in two places at once and they both work so I'm trusting God to work it all out.

Would you please keep us all in prayer? I am clinging to the Rock with all my might and trusting Him because I know that He will take care of us. My heart knows this truth but my mind doesn't always follow what my heart knows and fear creeps in. I truly need your prayers and thank you for them!

Blessings - Julie

Counting Our Blessings - LinkUp!

Hello, dear friends!! I'm a little late in getting this post up, but it's still Tuesday so all is good, right? :)  It's been a rather tough week for me again. I had a back injection last Tuesday and all did not go well. The doctor used a different sedation than I normally have and it didn't feel exactly right. Plus, I got the hiccups! The shot went a little wonky as the needle hit the spinal fluid and I had a headache all week and was rather sick to my stomach. Anyway, I am feeling better today and that's my number one blessing for the week!

34.  I have to tell you all, again, how very thankful I am for my husband. This man has been through so much himself and then all these things that happened to me in the past few years. Most people would be just sick and tired of dealing with someone with the health issues I've had, but not my hubby. I spent this last week pretty much in my jammies either sleeping or doing nothing and he never complains. In fact, he will check on me and see if I need iced tea or water and listen to me when I'm needing to lament my sad fate. lol I am so thankful for such a loving man who cares so much for me, no matter what. Huge blessing, that man of mine!

35.  When I was able, I did pull out the little ornaments I'm working on. I'm stitching a fox for my oldest son and here's my progress.

I love little foxes and I will probably make myself one of these ornaments as well. I love these little ornaments from the British magazine, "Enjoy Cross Stitch". They are wonderful for when you want to do something small and lovely! My cross stitch has always been such a blessings to me and continues to be something that I adore and brings me such peace.

36.  Speaking of cross stitch...I decided to move my cross stitch stand from my bedroom to the living room. I have been feeling rather isolated of late and realized that I spend way too much time in my bedroom alone. It's been easy to get into that rut in that past couple of years but it's not a good thing. I will be able to sit out in the living room, with my hubby, and do my cross stitch. I should have done this a long time ago but am so glad that I finally realized I needed to do this.

37.  We didn't celebrate Easter on Easter day because I wasn't feeling well. In fact, we are celebrating today! I ordered this adorable cake from Safeway about 2 weeks before Easter when I saw it in the case in the Bakery. I couldn't resist!! We picked it up on Saturday an did have that on Sunday. Here's a picture of the adorable thing...

Isn't it cute? The sides have flowers all over them, which I thought really added to it.

We don't really order cakes like this, as a rule, but it was really fun to do so and it brightened our Easter! We need to do more of these types of these things in our lives, once in a while, as life is too short not to be enjoyed. Blessings!

Share your own blessings on the linkup! Thank you so much for being a part of my blog and my life!

An InLinkz Link-up

Blessings - Julie

A Lovely Christmas

We had such a lovely Christmas! It was a relaxing day and such a fun day with my family. We had a yummy meal of ham, cheesy potatoes, creamed corn, green beans and dinner rolls. I didn't do a dessert as we had cookies to munch on. As an appetizer, I had a veggie tray and shrimp with cocktail sauce. It was easy but it was great!

I got this for Christmas!

It's an instamatic camera that takes tiny little photos! I also got extra film for it. I'm so thrilled because now I can take little pictures for my journals/planners! They also got me an adorable carrying back for he camera. I have been really wanting one of these little cameras for a long time and it will be so fun to take special photos for my journals.

Here's a pictures of my sons. My youngest is wearing his new Broncos hat he got for Christmas and my oldest is showing the set of books he received.

My hubby got lots of pj's and he was thrilled.

My son insisted that we get him the cookie monster pj bottoms. LOL!

I hope your Christmas was wonderful and that it was fun filled!

Blessings - Julie

30 Thankul Days

Even though I haven't posted every day on my blog for 30 thankful days, believe me, I've been thankful! I've had some pain filled days but, thankfully, I'm feeling better the past couple of days.

I know I shared that my birthday was last week but because my son had to work, I decided I wanted to celebrate on Friday. We had a lovely day! My family took me to Red Lobster where I had yummy lobster and shrimp. The waitress staff came and sang, "Happy Birthday" to me and brought me a little ice cream sundae. They even gave me a birthday card they all signed! It was so nice!

We then went over to Target and I found a few things in the "Dollar Spot" including this adorable dress for our pug.

It was only $3.00 and the best thing is, Muffy likes wearing it. She usually doesn't like clothing but this is very light weight and she was just prancing around with it on. It was so cute! She is 13 years old and still going strong, thank goodness!!

I got some lovely presents for my birthday! I had seen these cute little things at Walmart when I was with my hubby and he surprised me with them. They are for Christmas and they light up. I thought they were very unusual and was thrilled when I opened my gifts.

Then my sons surprised me with this beautiful nativity set I had looked at.

I love this because each piece has a Scripture written on it about Jesus. It's just beautiful and I was so surprised to receive it!

I had such a lovely birthday! I'm so thankful for each and every day that the Lord gives me and how He blesses me so much with such a wonderful family.

Blessings - Julie

30 Thankful Days

It's been such a long day and I am really glad that I can sit down here and focus on being thankful. It really helps me to let the cares of the day fall to the side while I focus on the good.

I am so thankful for my husband. He has gone way above and beyond the call of duty in caring for me over the past year and 9 months. He has been patient when I have been less than kind in my attitude. He has understood that I'm hurting and gives me allowances that I don't deserve. He has taken over some of the household duties because he knows I can't do them. He even does the grocery shopping (which I loathe) and I know he doesn't like doing it anymore than I do, but he never complains. I've been very blessed for 34 years being with my husband. Here's some pictures from throughout the years.

So thankful for so many happy years!

Blessings - Julie

31 Days of Hope - October 7

Today is my hubby's birthday. It was a big birthday! lol He's been a little funny about it all day, but that always happens when we hit those milestone birthdays. Like I tell him, he doesn't look his age at all so don't worry about it!

I'm not going to write too much today - I'll just share a picture from today and tell you how important this man has been in my life and how thankful I am for him. He has stood by me and been such a huge support through everything. He's a wonderful man of God and I am so blessed.

I'm going to leave you with one of my very favorite Scriptures for today about HOPE.

For I know the plans I have for you”  — this is the LORD’s declaration — “plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11 HCSB 

Blessings - Julie

Look Up!

 As I have walked this road this year of health struggles and pain, I have come to realize that without God, there is no going forward. God gives hope where there is none. When I have no one on this earth to put my faith in, God is the One who is faithful. He holds my entire life in His hands and I can trust him and have faith in Him that He knows what He's doing when no one else does.

It's been a hard journey, not only for me, but for my family. In the blink of an eye, something can happen than can change the course of your life and you are helpless to do anything but go forward and pray each day that you will make it through.

Thankfully, I have had no new infections for which I am so very grateful. Unfortunately, the wounds are not healing properly and they are a concern to my doctor. He at first talked about another surgery at which time my heart dropped to my toes. I have had four surgeries this year and another one seems so daunting. I personally think the reason I'm not healing well is because my body is worn out but I digress. He brought another doctor in as well as his PA and they thought stem cells might work. So, now I wait to see if my insurance will approve this and, if they do, they will place stem cells in the wounds to give them a boost. Oh, how I pray that I'm allowed to get this procedure and that it works! If it doesn't then I will have to have another surgery.

I try to live as normally as I can. I plan out my days and, more times than not, I don't accomplish but a 10th or less of those plans. I'm still house bound so these are things I want to accomplish at home. I celebrate even the little accomplishments because they are huge for me. Putting a meal in the crock pot, dusting, or decorating are reasons to feel good. I was looking at it before as all the things I couldn't do, but that will bring me down lower than I can handle, so I focus on what I can do.

There are people that sustain me. My husband, who is my rock when I can't do anything but cry. He waits on me - not because I ask - but he does it out of love. Ice water, a grilled cheese sandwich, carrying my books from room to room, making sure the pillows are perfect under my legs when I get into bed; these are the things that remind me of how Jesus washed the Disciples feet. My youngest son who drives me two hours away to my doctor appointment despite being tired and in pain himself. My oldest son who comes over and takes on some of the household duties on his days off because I'm unable to. My sweet friend who writes me a Scripture and devotion every morning in a text so that I wake up to God's Word and a reminder that I am loved by her. My sister who emails me with encouragement and prayers, calls me to check on me, and prays continually for my healing; she has known me all my life and loves me in a way no one else can and she sustains me. These are the people who reach out to me, love me even on the hard days, and keep me moving forward. God has blessed me with a loving core group to get me through the hardness of this journey.

I do not forget you, my dear friends. So many of you email me to check on me, leave comments of encouragement and to tell me that you're praying for me. These are lifelines and I am so grateful. You are also the hands and feet of Jesus to me even though I have never met most of you in person.

The key is not to look down at what I can't do, what is left undone, but to focus on the accomplishments and to look up to the One who holds the whole situation - and me - in His mighty and loving hands.

God bless you - Julie

Counting Our Blessings - Link Up!

I'll be honest - it's been a tough week here at the homestead. I have been going through some kind of "anger stage" with all that's happened to me and I've been trying to keep to myself as much as possible so as not to bite someone's head off. Unfortunately, I still do that, especially to my hubby, who deserves it the least. He is very understanding, but it makes me feel about 1 inch tall. I've been praying that the Lord would fill my heart with His joy and peace, but I'm still having this anger about all this. I think a lot of it is that I'm really, really tired and I don't feel like doing much of anything. I'm also gone most days of the week because I have to - not because I want to - and that adds to my frustration. I would love nothing more than to just stay home but I have to go to two different therapists and multiple doctors. Most of my days during the week are filled to capacity and that just wears me out. It also leaves me no energy for going where I'd like to go (like church) or to do the things around the house I'd like to do. I know....would I like a little cheese with my whine? I know things could be so much worse for me, but this is a stage I'm going through and I'm sure it will pass soon.  Okay, more than ever, I need to count my blessings for this week and I hope you'll join me!

30.  I was finally motivated to pick up a crochet hook and do a bit of crocheting. It felt so wonderful to do something I enjoy. Although I didn't get as much done as I normally would have, I did get a good start on my new shawl. Here's a picture.

The color is actually a lavender, although it looks more blue in this picture. I really like this pattern because it's so lacy looking. It was a blessing to crochet a bit.

31. I haven't had an Easter Lily for years (they are usually so expensive!) but we have a new WalMart here in town - another blessing - and they had Easter Lily's for $6.68 and so my hubby thought I should have one. Here's a picture of one of it.

It's gorgeous and is such a blessing to me!

32.  Holly is doing okay. I can tell she's not as frisky as she normally is, but she doesn't act as if she's in pain and she is eating and drinking good. Poor little thing has to wear her cone all the time, though, or she messes with the tumors on her tummy. I tried to take a picture of her, but she knows what the camera (and my phone camera) is and promptly turned her little back to me! That little scamp! lol Anyway, here she is with her cone.

She cracks me up how she will just turn her back to the camera like this! She's such a blessing to me and I'm so glad she isn't suffering and that I'm getting to have this time with her to love on her.

33.  I love having my toenails painted and I was lamenting the fact that I just couldn't do it and so my hubby said he would do it! Now mind you, in the 32 years that we have been married, he's never painted my toenails but he got down on the floor and did just that! He did a good job, too, and it made me feel like more myself again. Here's a picture of the finished paint job.

What a blessing my hubby is! To do this for me, without me even asking him to, was such a blessing and just brightened my life a bit!

34.  I think I shared that they had tried wrapping my leg at which point my foot turned purple. The therapist promptly stopped doing that and she is now using this special tape that athletes use for injuries. You wouldn't think it would do anything to help with the swelling, but I'm here to tell you that it helps a lot! Here's a picture of what it looks like.

She has it in the areas that are the most swollen. It comes in a 2" width and then she cuts those "v's" into the tape and puts them where she feels it will help the most. I have three of these on my leg right now. She's trying it out on an area that is really giving me trouble behind my knee and I'm hoping that we will see an improvement when I go into therapy tomorrow. I'm so thankful that there are other options and so blessed that I have caring therapists that figure things out to help me.

Now it's your turn! Please link up with me below and you can grab a button from the top of the page on the tab that says "Grab My Buttons" (clever, huh? lol) Can't wait to read your blessings, too!

An InLinkz Link-up

Blessings - Julie

Looking Forward With New Plans

It's been a quiet week here on the homestead. Part of the reason for this is because I'm still dealing with fatigue. However, I have great news in this direction. My wonderful doctor referred me to have a sleep study done because she heard my symptoms and thinks something is going on in that direction. Once she explained it, I'm thinking she's right! I'm hoping so, anyway, because when I'm tired, I'm very unproductive! 

I know I shared about our trip to Williams on Monday. I forgot to take many pictures (I really hate when I do that!) but I did get an individual picture of everyone sitting at the table at the restaurant. My hubby....

My oldest son...

My youngest son...

There is a picture of me my son took, but I'm afraid I don't approve of that picture, so it will not be shown here! LOL  Next time I take a trip (a rare occurrence, for sure!), I will make sure I take more pictures! 

I have mostly read this week (look for upcoming book reviews) and I did finish the stitching of the scissor holder I showed you last week. Now I just need to put it all together and then I will show it in all it's glory. :) I really love it now that I'm done. I just have to stitch the two bobs that go along with it and I'll have a wonderful new project to hold little items like needles, scissors and such. 

We've been blessed with some cooling rain over the last two days. The fire that took those firemen, is now 100% contained. Many homes were lost, but there was no greater loss that those lives. I am happy that the fire is out, however. It was such a horrible fire and so many people have no home to go back to. Such devastation in so many ways. 

I have been praying about what direction the Lord wants me to go. I'm definitely hearing from Him and I'm seeing that He is moving me into a new direction. It's rather exciting, actually, even though it's hard to let go of the old things. My feeling is that God knows best. He sees the future and He definitely knows what I should be doing and where I should be. Relying on my own "wisdom" is never good. I am in His hands and have such a desire to be obedient to His callings on my life!

We plan to have a quiet weekend. My oldest son will work a 24 hour shift tomorrow but will be home on Sunday. We are in the process of planning to move things around in our home but we will have to wait to move the big things until he's home for a few days. I'm excited about our plans but also dreading the hard work of moving furniture and other items around. No, I don't move furniture anymore, but even doing the other things is hard. It will be worth it in the end though!

Many blessings ~ Julie

Glimpses of Spring & Walking!

The last couple of days have been simply amazing for me. I have felt very energetic and less tired than I have felt in months! When you go through life in pain and tired all the time, you don't realize how very hard it is until you have days without the tiredness!

So, today I did so many things that I've been talking about doing for so long. One of those things was to go outside for a walk. Yes!! A walk! Me - with the bad knees and back! I didn't go far, mind you, but I did it! I walked around enjoying the sunshine and looking at all the beautiful things that are opening their "eyes" after a long, winter's nap.

First thing I had to check out was this

Look at all those beautiful yellow irises! So many blooms! Tomorrow hubby will fill the birdbath with water for all the gorgeous birds we saw today. Next I walked up the road and saw all these...

That's just a small snapshot of all the iris down our road. Hubby spent countless hours planting and planting iris down the road and now we have these beauties to greet us, and others, as we drive to our home. This wasn't the only exciting thing on the road. Look who came along with hubby and I on our little walk...

In case you can't tell, here's a closer look...

My youngest son! He had a back shot yesterday and was miserable, but today, he felt better - good enough to come along on our little walk. Praise God! Here's some more pics of things we saw...

That last picture is a bit fuzzy but I still had to share it because it's my lilac bush! We have about 5 of them around the property and I love, love, love them! They should be out in full bloom by tomorrow or the next day at which time I will be going out to gather a nice bouquet to enjoy inside. The smell of lilacs is so lovely!  Here is a favorite picture - the hubs and my son in front of the Blue Spruce - one of my favorite trees.

We also had another family member along for the walk. Look at that happy "smile"!

Sammy loves to go for a walk with his family and here he is with "his boy". Two of MY favorite boys...

I also saw these guys. I'm not sure if you can see them, but I had to share this pic...

Can you see the quail? You can see two of them to the left of the picture and then there is one next two the wire ring on the right side of the picture. I tried to get closer, but they were too fast. I love quail! We have so many here now.

I rejoice in the "small things". The small things can sometimes be the big things when you haven't been able to do them for awhile. I really love going out in God's creation and enjoying all the sights, smells and feeling His cool breezes that remind me He is there. Thank you, Lord.

God bless you - Julie

A Wonderful Wife

Who is your favorite character in a Christmas movie - and why? I can tell you exactly who it is that I admire from the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life".

I've loved this movie since I was first introduced to it in the early 1980's. I had never seen it before I was married (amazingly!) but when I got married, my husband and I had something I'd never heard of before - cable TV - and with it came the classic movie channels that I still love. (This was before NBC bought the rights to this movie and now you can only see it on that network).

My favorite character in the movie? Mary Bailey.

Here is a woman who loves her husband, George with every fiber of her being. She knew she loved him as a little girl and even tells him in his bad ear, "George Bailey, I'll love you til the day I die," and she does.

She stands by him through up and downs. On their wedding day, there is a run on the bank and the Bailey Building and Loan, and she is there, with the money for their honeymoon, to save her husband's business.

When her husband realizes that he has a shortage in his books - that his uncle Billy has lost some money, and he has no way to replace it - he goes into despair.

He doesn't share with his wife what has happened. Like a lot of men, especially of this time period, he wants to protect her and shelter her from his troubles. He comes home grumpy as an old bear and then leaves the house again in a huff. Here's where Mary becomes my favorite. Her children come to her and say, "Shall we pray for Daddy?" Her response, "Yes, pray very hard."

Her first thought is to pray for her husband. She has obviously taught her children to pray, so that is their first response, too. We hear her and her children praying for George in the beginning of the film. Prayers filled with love and concern for her husband and the father of her children.

This should be our first response, too. When our husbands are struggling with despair or they are facing difficult circumstances, we need to turn to the Lord and put these things before his throne.  Psalms 40:2 says, "He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps." We need to pray that the Lord will set our husbands feet upon the rock of Jesus and to help him out of the pit of despair. I like how the Bible calls it a "horrible pit". Isn't that the truth? When we feel depressed or in despair, it's a horrible pit!

Mary then goes on a mission to help her husband by being His hands and feet in the situation. She contacts Uncle Billy and finds out what is going on. She continues to pray (as do her children) but she is also actively contacting family and friends to let them know what's happened and to help her husband. Mary has faith in God and faith in her earthly family and friends. She reaches out to others to pray and, in the process, they are blessed with the money they need from these loved ones. 

We shouldn't just be praying for our husbands during a crisis, though. Colossians 4:2 tells us, "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving." Mary was earnest and vigilant in her prayers for George. We must be the same. When we pray, be thankful for all the Lord has done and will continue to do. 

Yes, "It's a Wonderful Life" is about the fact that a man who has friends is a rich man indeed, however, I think they missed an important blessing. George is rich and blessed because of his wife, Mary, who prays for him, springs into action when she needs to, and is teaching their children to pray and believe in the Lord.

It's a wonderful life, that's true. However, I also think George has a wonderful wife.

Lord, help me to be the kind of wife that Mary is. I want to be the kind of wife that prays for my husband daily, who is his helpmeet in this life, who is his encourager when he is discouraged, who prays first and acts/speaks second.

I think I can learn a lot from Mary. How about you?

God bless you - Julie