Peace With the Psalms, Week Forty-Three

 

This is a planter outside one of the entrances to our church.  A few ladies were planting them when I went to book club yesterday.

Happy Friday, Friends!  How was your week?

Mine was fairly busy.  I substituted for my art teacher while she's been in Spain.  I'm trying to stay busy because I have my annual MRI this morning at 10:30 CDT.

This week's repeat lesson is from Kitty:  Psalm 34,  and it's located on page 21 in our book.  

This lesson is also one of my favorites, too, because it's about how God is near to the brokenhearted, even when we don't call out to him nor recognize that he's near us.  God is always faithful, and I think that reality is so hard for us mere mortals to comprehend because we usually have stipulations with our faithfulness and love.  

So far, this year has been challenging for all of us, and yet we can see how God is with us, how he has been moving in our lives.  We are truly blessed that we have each other for friendship and prayer.  We are also fortunate to have each other for encouragement, too.

Here are the scriptures for this lesson.  

If you want to reread the lesson from earlier this year, go to the homepage and scroll to the bottom and read The Favorite post!  

Speaking of brokenness, here's a little reflection from Matt Haig's The Comfort Book.

It's okay

It's okay to be broken.

It's okay to wear the scars of experience. 

It's okay to be a mess. 

It's okay to be the teacup with a chip in it. That's the one with a story. 

It's okay to be sentimental and whimsical and cry bittersweet tears at songs and movies you aren't supposed to love. 

It's okay to like what you like. 

It's okay to like things for literally no other reason than because you like them and not because they are cool or clever or popular. 

It's okay to let people find you. You don't have to spread yourself so thin you become invisible. You don't have to be the person always reaching out. You can sometimes allow yourself to be reached. As the great writer Anne Lamott puts it:  "Lighthouses don't go running all over an island for boats to save; they just stand there shining." 

It's okay not to make the most of every chunk of time. 

It's okay to be who you are. 

it's okay. 

Prayer Requests

• Pray for Kris's husband Terry to find something here in Illinois full or part time so they can stay there for a few more years.  UPDATE:  Terry is up hopefully for a good job in Illinois. Prayers he gets an interview. 
• Continue praying for Kitty's son Mike as he continues on his journey of no pain meds.  Mike is off of pain meds for several weeks and is now off all other meds.  Mike can obviously do very hard things, but let's continue to pray for his health, especially his mental wellbeing.  PRAISE:  Mike is appreciative of our prayers, and he feels like his mental acuity is returning 
• Please lift up Rita in your prayers!  She is getting PT for her wrist.
• Pray for Rita's brother's companion Betty who was diagnosed with squamous cell from her lung biopsy.  Betty has started radiation.  Also pray for Rita's brother Joe.  UPDATE:  Joe's results came back, and he does have cancer.  Please pray that his scheduled 10/23 pet scan will result in localized cancer.  Please lift them both up in prayer. 
• Kitty's brother is home from the skilled nursing care.  Please pray that he can manage.
• Pray for Kris's SIL Tim who still needs a job.  He has to test into another hospital system and they do not have an opening until the middle of this month.  
• Pray for our male Westie Finlay.  His vet found a large mass on his bladder.  He will need further testing to determine the type of tumor and how to proceed.  UPDATE:  Finlay had further testing this week, and his tests have been sent to Auburn University.  
• Kris made it through surgery like a trooper!  She is already starting PT.  Let's pray for her test results to come back benign, and that she will recover quickly.  PRAISE!  Kris is home and receiving PT at home.  
• Please pray for Trip.  He is still recovering from knee surgery, and pray that he will fully recover full motion in his foot.
• Please pray that I can get better sleep and rest.
• Pray for Kitty's grandson Connor (the one that was a Marine and was in Afghanistan when the thirteen Marines were killed). He has cluster migraines, and he needs to get an appointment at the VA to get referred to a neurologist.
• Rita has an urgent, unspoken prayer request.  
• Please pray for our friend Eddy who will be having surgery for colon cancer soon.  Pray that he will choose the best surgeon for him.
• Kitty's daughter Molly is moving soon.  Pray that she will have stamina, and get the job done!
• Kitty asks that we pray for her youngest son and family.  They are pursuing a move to Durango, CO, which would take her two youngest granddaughters from her.  Kitty asks that we pray to surrender this decision to God for He knows what’s best for them.  God's will be done!
• Praise:  Carla did an amazing job with her speech at the women's retreat.  :D
• Please pray for good test results from my MRI this morning.  This is my annual breast cancer follow-up MRI.

I will be having coffee with a couple of HS friends this afternoon.  I can't wait!

Also, if you haven't had your annual mammogram yet this year, schedule it before the end of the year!

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill