When I want clarity and direction, I turn to my Bible and read any number of devotions on whatever topic is troubling me at the time. When I want distraction, I turn to my knitting and YouTube for any number of topics that pique my interest. Yesterday was a mixture of both. I read the Bible and my selected devotionals every day but yesterday I spent a good deal of time on the topic of finding strength in the Word and reminding my monkey brain that anxieties are nothing more than thoughts and they cannot hurt me. 

My reward yesterday was working on the first sleeve of the sweater I’m knitting. I got about seven or eight inches done before I put it away to write. My other reward was YouTube videos. Whenever I want to feel soothed and comforted, I look for videos about Appalachian life. I found a full length documentary on mountain talk…the interesting words and sayings and superstitions of my ancestors. (You can see the VIDEO HERE.) 

There’s something about listening to the older generations talk about their upbringing that takes me back to a simpler time when I didn’t have to worry about much of anything. Watching these videos takes me into my grandma’s kitchen and to the old country store with the wooden floors and the glass case with penny candy on display. If I was good, I got a little paper sack of Maple Nut Goodies or Peanut Butter Logs or Chocolate Covered Peanuts. (My people called a bag a “poke”.) These videos are sheer escape and soothe my mind which was just what the doctor ordered.

I’m so glad we drove up here Wednesday and not yesterday. Even though the weather down towards West Virginia and Southeastern Ohio was rainy, the afternoon began to bring freezing rain, sleet, and slick roads. The farther the day wore on, the slower the cars were going on the four lane out our window. Around 3:00 or so, I suggested we get out of the room and walk around the hotel. We checked out the gym and pool and stuck our heads out the front door to see if it was really as slick as they said it was on TV. It was, but listen…I didn’t spend all those years in Colorado for nothing. I’m a good driver in the snow. If you didn’t drive in the snow in Colorado, you didn’t go anywhere for over half the year.

We ate light yesterday. I made baked potatoes for supper. I also suggested Mr. FixIt might want to go out and make sure we could open the doors and warm up the truck to get the ice off the windows. We have to be at the hospital at 5:00 this morning, so he said he would go out at 4:00 to warm the truck up again. Have I told you what a gem he is? This will be short today as we needed to get to sleep early. 

I’m calm and peaceful and going into this surgery with great hope that I’ll come out the other side feeling better than I have in years…once I heal, of course. If I’m feeling up to it, I’ll at least check in tomorrow to let you know how everything went. I want to thank you all so much for your prayers and concern and uplifting support as I’ve walked this particular path. I appreciate you all more than you will ever know.

Now…let’s get this done!

❄️❤️❄️

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Mark 11:24 ESV