God's Canvas

God's Canvas
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.~~John 15:13

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

I feel so slack for being unable to update this post these past few weeks. I have two Yorkies. In truth, one is mine and the other belongs to my dear friend (in my heart he is mine, though). The one whom I own has diabetes and pancreatitis and is considered a senior dog (age 8). Two weeks ago, he became very ill and, of course, this meant immediate attention to his needs. Pancreatitis, when ignored, usually ends their lives. Therefore, as in-love as I am about my baby boy, off he went to the vet's office and subsequently into the clinic's hospital for observation. Sammy hates being away from me. He is very co-dependent when it comes to me. This is a nature of their breed, not a behavior I enjoy nor encourage. The stress he feels from being away from home magnifies his diabetes and pancreatitis conditions. Therefore, we were able to bring him home after two nights and three entire days. His blood sugar monitoring is extremely important. For some reason, his vet will not allow me to check his blood sugar, although I am sure I could with no problem with my medical background. Nonetheless, Sammy is doing much better and seemingly adjusting to the addition of probiotic powder on his food (yum!) and his new insulin dose. He has to go back for a full day next Monday (May 10th) and hopefully after that he will be home-free for about 2-3 months. Rajah, our little boy who comes daily for daycare, suddenly developed gastroenteritis issues this weekend and today he was sick enough that he stopped eating. Last night, I was up with him just like a little child for nearly the entire night. His vet makes house calls, so she saw Rajah around 12:15 p.m., and by 12:35 p.m. he was back in the house having had his treatment for what she feels is a "little virus." He has eaten for the first time in about 16 hours and is resting in my lap. Okay...that's the Yorkie update and part of the reason for my absence.


This is my Sammy

And this is tiny Rajah...don't let his size fool you!

I have begun to notice that the bone in my left ankle has shifted. What I thought was swelling is actually the result of osteoarthritis. The bone has shifted and it is incredibly painful. So, now along with my other maladies, I am dealing with crippling arthritis...yet another surprise in my life. But, I will deal with it like I have dealt with all of the other things thrown at me. One day at a time, and through my faith in Christ Jesus, along with His eternal grace and favor, I am living my life regardless of the physical threats. It may be different than I had planned and certainly more painful, but nonetheless I don't give up easily!

Sadly, all of these circumstances cost me time at the computer, and it takes a lot to keep posts up-to-date and photos current. I will make no more promises regarding this blog, other than doing my best to keep it more current until my knee surgery happens in September, when I will undoubtedly be away for several days/weeks. Thanks to all of you who follow me and understand. I ask for continued patience with me, for this will become a much more interesting blog as my body heals and is relieved of some of this pain.

For the past few weeks, I have at least been able to crochet and knit. As most of you know, this brings me great pleasure and joy. The ladies of my church have developed a "basket" ministry. This involves making custom gift baskets for people who have celebrated a new baby, a new marriage, a new home, or on the down side, perhaps a health issue, a death in their life, or an ongoing need in their lives. This has been a pure joy for us as women of our church to bless others. In so doing, the blessing is truly ours. My part in this has largely been crocheting or knitting baby items. Since the blood clot in my leg has been an issue and I have been prescribed to rest, the needlework has been a real blessing for many reasons, mainly being able to bless others, but also the pure joy of creating something beautiful for a baby boy or girl to wear. I plan also to knit some dishcloths for other baskets if people ever stop having babies!








I have been diligently working on my friends' scarves and it is obvious that they will not use these until next fall/winter, but they are gorgeous and are a pure joy for me to work with and eventually complete. Two of the three are nearly done.

I do hope that this post finds you all blessed and happy, healthy and whole, and again I am so happy that you give me the time I need to heal and recover without being so critical of me. This has taught me a real lesson in being judgmental, such that when I see blogs that are not updated I have been frustrated by this; however, I now realize that sometimes there are circumstances beyond our control that dictate how much time we can afford at the computer and therefore designing our blog information.

You are all so special to me, and I adore the opportunity to pray for you. Blessings and joy to all of you who read this!