Isn't He lovely?

 

So Tuesday was a sad day for us all. My sister and son had a lovely black cat called Missy. After weeks of expensive vet trips and medications that didn't help, it became obvious that she had succumbed to cancer and  needed to be put to sleep.

Those of you who love a cat or dog know that they become family and the bond when broken hurts so much. There is much grief. 

Even knowing that you have done your best for the animal doesn't really assauge the grief, so I suggested they get another cat as soon as possible. The problem with that is that most cats from a rescue shelter cost a lot of money and they had used their rent money on Missy.

Free cats aren't readily available anymore and my son badly wanted another cat. I suggested we pray about it. We prayed that God would lead us to a new cat who needed the love and spoiling that he and my sister could give... and at the right price...

We didn't have to wait long. A lady in the suburb next to us saw their FB group post for a free cat to be loved and private messaged them.

It turns out that the previous tenants left their cat when they vacated, and she had been feeding it. She couldn't keep it as she already has a cat who doesn't like not being 'top cat'. She had been praying for someone to want it!

So as I speak, this cat should already be in her/his forever home. They are not sure of the gender but my son and sister don't care. They will get it neutered in due course.

As I wait to hear about the cat and maybe see it in a few days, I marvel at the speed that God answered our prayers.... My sister and son, Chris and I and this lovely kind lady who prayed for it as well.

I am once more amazed that we love and serve a magnificent God Who cares about everything in our lives, both large and small. He has created love, for He is Love and He has demonstrated great compassion for all people and creatures...

I can hardly wait to see this cat blossom as it's loved...and to return the love to them. 

Happy endings always make me glad and I am in awe of our wonderful LORD. Loving. Compassionate. Gracious. Good. Isn't He lovely? 

 © Glenys Robyn Hicks

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. -Matthew 10:29-31

Between my nana naps!

 

Today is Saturday morning here. I have had a busy week with doctors appointments and physio for my daughter who is doing really well. 

My son had a possible cancer in his bowels, but the first test was a false alarm and to be honest, it made me anxious. I didn't realise how anxious until he was cleared. 

This son was born with a forceps injury to his eye- it looks normal but he has very little sight in it. He has developed a pterygium or sun damage in his good eye and has surgery next Friday to remove the growth because it is growing across his eye and may interfere with his vision. I will be glad when it's done and his eye has recovered. 

All this has given me the Mother of all Flares. My fibromyalgia is killing me at the moment and I am taking frequent naps to cope with it. I have a few housework chores to do and some folding up of clean washing. I will do it- in between my nana naps! 

Heinous acts

heinous

/ˈheɪnəs,ˈhiːnəs/

adjective

1. (of a person or wrongful act, especially a crime) utterly odious or wicked.

   
   

   "a battery of heinous crimes"

   
   

   synonyms:

   odious, wicked, evil, atrocious, monstrous, disgraceful, abominable, detestable, contemptible, reprehensible, despicable, horrible, horrific, horrifying, terrible, awful, abhorrent, loathsome, outrageous,  shocking, shameful, hateful, hideous, unspeakable, unpardonable, unforgivable,  inexcusable, execrable, ghastly, iniquitous, villainous, nefarious, beneath contempt, beyond the pale;

With the advent of the latest abortion law passed today in New York which allows abortion of a baby for any reason until its due date,  and now allowing infanticide of a child up to 28 days after birth, I thought this word heinous described it to a tee.

To wilfully kill a child that is viable and days away from being full-term is murder, pure and simple. To kill it post birth is an abomination. I cannot fathom the depth of depravity of the carrier of the fetus- I refuse to call her a mother,  that she could nurture the life within her only to terminate it just before it comes to see the light of day. 

Not that the length of gestation matters because a person is a person from conception. But to feel that life within, to endure any hardship socially, physically or financially until the final hours of that pregnancy and then to kill that child beggars belief. I simply can't fathom it. The darkness of the mind of that "mother" is perplexing to me.

Furthermore, the very act of abortion at any stage not only brings death to the baby, but potential death to its carrier, and a very real grief in most women at some stage later in their lives. There is also an increased risk of breast cancer in women who have had abortions..At a late stage like the third trimester terminations, surely it would be better medically if the woman just gave birth and relinquished the baby?

Surely having endured a pregnancy with or without social or financial pressures and having felt the child's movements and steady growth, there would be some interest in the baby's future, and well being? Sufficient to birth it and give it up for adoption?  There are so many people longing to have a baby or adopt one, but sadly there are not enough children given the chance of life to meet that need.

I am flummoxed to understand how medical people can inflict such violence on innocents. Human life to them must be so cheap! And as they hold a new family member in their own arms, I wonder if the faces of suffering children they have destroyed come to mind, and if so, does it not move them? I suspect not.

I know I am not alone in feeling sadness, anger and dismay at the destruction of so many babies, and I also know that it strikes at the heart of most people, both saved and unsaved. But I cry for how Father God must grieve for each lost child and for their lost "mothers",  for a woman who can destroy her child on a whim is lost until or unless she repents and seeks God's forgiveness. 

I truly am in despair for the world right now. It has sunk to an all time low as the fires of Moloch on which innocent children were sacrificed reach an all time high.

Let us all pray for this law to be repealed and for the saving of the innocents. Let us pray for women tempted to utilise these heinous laws that they are given a heart of flesh instead of stone. For make no mistake, this heinous law is a crime against humanity and God. Maranatha! 

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee;  Isaiah 44: 2

Keeping a home with chronic illness

This is an encouraging letter from a chronically ill woman. Mrs White of Legacy of Home

I have struggled with chronic illness for many years. In 1997, I was diagnosed with cancer and have not been the same since. However, I have many months of seeming perfect health, but then I have periods of total weakness and feeling like an invalid. There are times when I cannot walk and need crutches to support myself.

Most of the time, I "take it" cheerfully. It is like a forced break from all the things I try to do. It is time to sit quietly and enjoy some rest. Yet, I will do it with grace and glamor!

I love the above photograph of Donna Reed. In her day, women kept up their looks even when ill. This morning, I swept my hair up, into a french twist, put on some extra makeup (like the 60's look), and have on my pretty red house-robe. I will rest in style.

I plan to give the children lists of housework to do for me. Someone will take charge of the kitchen. Another will take over laundry. I will also have one of them plan a special supper. If I see them keeping up the house, I will be able to rest content.

My grandmother had multiple sclerosis and, for as long as I can remember, lived in her wheelchair. She also lived with us from the time I was 3 years old until she died when I was 11. She was wonderful! She directed and managed the house, and everyone, from her chair. She had dignity and spunk and knew how to run a house. She also continued to do whatever work she could from that wheelchair. She could sit at the table and work on preparing dough for tortellini. She is my inspiration.

If I am to be an invalid, I will still have a lovely home. I will manage from my chair and I will be grateful even in this trial.


Blessings,
Mrs. White (in gentle tears)

When you have a blood test

Most of us who suffer from chronic illness are used to having blood tests on a fairly regular basis. For those of us who have veins that disappear as soon as a finger is placed on them, it can be a nightmare.

I have a few tips for when you have your next blood test.

Drink lots of water at least 2 hours before your appointment. Even with a fasting test, water won't mess with the results, and it hydrates the body, thus plumping up the veins.

Keep your arm warm as this also helps wimpy veins stand out. When my daughter was having daily chemo for leukaemia, they often put her arms in a basin of warm water to bring the veins to the surface. It worked. 

Take note of which area is the most successful in previous attempts, and don't be afraid to let the phlebotomist know. He or she only gets three attempts to draw blood, so pain-wise and time-wise, being proactive in your blood test will ensure the greatest chance of success.

Also take note of what they actually use on you that has been OK in the past and if they used for example, the butterfly instead of vacutainer  syringe, tell them. 

After all, it's no fun being prodded and pricked, and anything we can do to assist the process is a good thing. Especially if you are like me and have wimpy veins.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

Jesus Christ the Righteous

We all give way to fear at times.... chronic illness in ourselves or those we love tends to do that... but it does give me great comfort to know that we have Jesus Christ the righteous interceding on our behalf...

I fear possible heart surgery and the probability that I may not grow to be old bones, and when I dwell on that, it can consume me with fear... and it is then that I make myself consider Whose I am and Who holds me in His Hand...

With many trials for myself and the illness almost unto death of my youngest daughter with leukaemia 2 years ago, I can testify that God made His Presence known in a tangible way... and when I was too emotionally spent to pray at my daughter's sick bed in ICU, His Holy Spirit was not only hovering around me but inside me... the peace that passed all human understanding was very, very real..

We do  not  need an intermediary  nor do we need to pray  to Saints... we have a High Priest with our best interest in His loving Heart, praying to our Father- His Father, for us...

Let's keep that in mind when we fall into fear... Jesus Christ the righteous is always there, and perfect love casts out fear ...

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1

A heinous crime against humanity and God

heinous

/ˈheɪnəs,ˈhiːnəs/

adjective

1. (of a person or wrongful act, especially a crime) utterly odious or wicked.

   
   

   "a battery of heinous crimes"

   
   

   synonyms:

   odious, wicked, evil, atrocious, monstrous, disgraceful, abominable, detestable, contemptible, reprehensible, despicable, horrible, horrific, horrifying, terrible, awful, abhorrent, loathsome, outrageous,  shocking, shameful, hateful, hideous, unspeakable, unpardonable, unforgivable,  inexcusable, execrable, ghastly, iniquitous, villainous, nefarious, beneath contempt, beyond the pale;

With the advent of the latest abortion law passed today in New York which allows abortion of a baby for any reason until its due date, I thought this word heinous described it to a tee.

To wilfully kill a child that is viable and days away from being full-term is murder, pure and simple. I cannot fathom the depth of depravity of the carrier of the fetus- I refuse to call her a mother,  that she could nurture the life within her only to terminate it just before it comes to see the light of day. 

Not that the length of gestation matters because a person is a person from conception. But to feel that life within, to endure any hardship socially, physically or financially until the final hours of that pregnancy and then to kill that child beggars belief. I simply can't fathom it. The darkness of the mind of that "mother" is perplexing to me.

Furthermore, the very act of abortion at any stage not only brings death to the baby, but potential death to its carrier, and a very real grief in most women at some stage later in their lives. There is also an increased risk of breast cancer in women who have had abortions..At a late stage like the third trimester terminations, surely it would be better medically if the woman just gave birth and relinquished the baby?

Surely having endured a pregnancy with or without social or financial pressures and having felt the child's movements and steady growth, there would be some interest in the baby's future, and well being? Sufficient to birth it and give it up for adoption?  There are so many people longing to have a baby or adopt one, but sadly there are not enough children given the chance of life to meet that need.

I am flummoxed to understand how medical people can inflict such violence on innocents. Human life to them must be so cheap! And as they hold a new family member in their own arms, I wonder if the faces of suffering children they have destroyed come to mind, and if so, does it not move them? I suspect not.

I know I am not alone in feeling sadness, anger and dismay at the destruction of so many babies, and I also know that it strikes at the heart of most people, both saved and unsaved. But I cry for how Father God must grieve for each lost child and for their lost "mothers",  for a woman who can destroy her child on a whim is lost until or unless she repents and seeks God's forgiveness. 

I truly am in despair for the world right now. It has sunk to an all time low as the fires of Moloch on which innocent children were sacrificed reach an all time high.

Let us all pray for this law to be repealed and for the saving of the innocents. Let us pray for women tempted to utilise this heinous law that they are given a heart of flesh instead of stone. For make no mistake, this heinous law is a crime against humanity and God. Maranatha! 

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee;  Isaiah 44: 2