Happy New Year!

I wrote this post a few days ago, but Blogger and my computer gave me all kinds of trouble and froze multiple times, so I walked away from the situation until we could all settle down. (LoL) We are all getting along much better now, I'm happy to say, so here is another update :)


It is now 2013... we made it! This is going to be a great year, I can feel it. A year of miracles, healing, favor, good things!

I managed to stay out of the hospital through Christmas, and oh how sweet that was! However, I had a bad UC flare at that time and with my low platelets, lost too much blood. Got my blood counts checked (CBC) on December 26th, and we were hardly out of the lab before my doctor called (I'm used to this by now) saying, "Your platelets are low!" etc etc...
It took some convincing by my Hubs, but finally we got my doctor and his nurses to understand that I got my labs done in order to check my red blood counts - hematocrit and hemoglobin - because I knew I had lost much blood and was feeling dizzy, seeing spots and getting winded walking a few steps across the room. One day later I was in the hospital for thirteen hours and got transfused two units of blood.

Here is where I give a huge shout out to blood donors - thank you!!! It is so cool to me that when I have to get blood (once every few years it seems), there are multiple people in my world that volunteer to donate their blood to me, or share with me that they regularly go to donate their blood, especially those with rare types like O negative. You guys are my heroes, thank you so much!!! Donating blood is such a neat thing to do if you are healthy and strong; you really are saving lives!

After my blood transfusion I felt much improved with a lower heart rate and breathing easier, but I have lost so much weight in the past few months, my muscles are just so weak. It is no fun! Then when we got home, Hubs was so kind as to share his cold with Victory and me, and with my low white count, mine turned into the worst sinus infection ever. I was wishing to be in childbirth labor the other night, instead of the sinus pain, it was that bad! I avoid antibiotics, but in this case it seemed really important to get them, so I went to the doctor the other day and started a ten day course. And praise God, every day since then has been a small improvement. Being a transplant patient with already suppressed immunity, I always take longer than average to recover even from a cold, and this isn't any different. But it could be a lot worse, and I am thankful I have been able to rest every day and focus on getting well!

So needless to say, we had a quiet New Years' Eve and Day at home, but it was good to rest and just be together. I'm grateful I was not in the hospital over Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Years! It has been a challenging season, but things are getting better every day. I'm seeing it and also believing to continue seeing it! I have lots to do still in this life; I'm not going anywhere anytime soon :)

A huge part of why I am grounded through all the health crises I face, is that I look for and allow people of God with wisdom to speak into my life. I want to keep things in perspective of my faith and God's P.O.V., not get caught in emotions or negative thought patterns. Through conversations, books, podcasts, whatever the resource, there are so many opportunities out there in this age for us, at our fingertips. I challenge you to dive into some great books or download some podcasts this year. Some of my favorite authors/speakers are: Kevin Gerald (his books Mind Monsters and Forces That Form Your Future are must reads!), Steven Furtick (his books Sun Stand Still and Greater will grow your faith and your vision for life),  Mark Batterson (I just read his book The Circle Maker in November/December. If you'll forgive my paraphrasing, it is based on the legend of Honi, who in a horrible season of drought, drew a circle in the sand, started praying for rain, and did not leave that circle or stop praying until God answered his prayer. The book is full of stories of persistent, courageous prayers leading to miracles, and it will give your prayer life a great kick in the pants!)


I got a Barnes and Noble gift card for Christmas, and just bought Joel Osteen's I Declare: 31 Promises to Speak Over Your Life for my Nook. This book is so encouraging. I am excited to learn new ways to speak God's promises of life and health and promise into my future. In many places throughout the Scripture, we're reminded that our words have creative power, so use your words for good things. "Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit - you choose." Proverbs 18:21


I think the best resolution we can make every year, even every day, is to continue to grow and develop ourselves, our faith, our vision for the legacy we want to leave behind. When we achieve that, we affect not only ourselves but everyone and everything in our lives, in a good way. What an awesome privilege we have in life, to get to grow and become better!