It's it funny how things turn out. I am amazed at how my life is progressing. It is so different from what I envisioned 15 years ago, 10 years ago even. Just tonight I made a batch of refrigerator pickles for my nephew's birthday. Why pickles, you may ask? Well, because he asked me to. I'm no longer the cool Auntie that I was when he was little. It's pretty cute, he still comes to me if he has an injury or wants more cookies, but he has pretty much outgrown me and now his Uncle is much more fun. So, when he sends me a message saying that my pickles are awesome and he was wondering if I would be making more anytime soon, you know darn well that I am going to use every last cucumber from the garden to make him some more!
Even hearing myself say that I am making pickles sounds a little nuts. It is far from the driven career woman I used to be. Now I live in the country, stay home with my son and take care of my family. I have a garden. I preserve things. I bake. I make pickles. My son asked me yesterday for a pig and we might just get one. My high heels were replaced by Georgia boots and I dress more for practicality than fashion....who is this woman? Whoever she is, I like her. My life is hard and messy with a whole lot of blessing mixed in. I wouldn't change it for anything, so tonight I'm making pickles! Here's to life and everything that goes with it! May you be blessed with pickles, or whatever suits your fancy! Love, Danielle
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As individuals, each of us have our own unique personality traits and characteristics. Some of them we may like, some of them we may not. Either way, it is these qualities that make us who we are. One thing you may have noticed about me is that when I am faced with a difficult situation, I tend to turn into a bit of a hermit. My first instinct is to look inward to reflect and really think about the situation. I become more of an introvert and much less of an extrovert. I did find recently that this isn't always the case when it comes to my feelings towards other people, especially their safety. I experienced this this weekend when I was picking up my sister and I thought she was lost in the airport. Apparently I also have a personality trait that includes a crazed mother bear. Let's just say it I will be working on that part of my character because no one needs to see that again. At least I can say that I fight for my children, but in most cases my closest friends and family know that if I haven't talked to you for a while, it usually means that something is going on. I realize now, that this might not be the best quality to have when you are a blogger. I had a great talk with some friends about this topic today. I find that having new perspectives is helpful. My main goal for this blog is for it to be inspirational. I write as a form of healing, but I also write with the intention of helping people. Not everything I write is positive, but for the most part I try to keep it that way. That becomes hard sometimes when I am facing personal difficulties. This brought up the topic of social media, and the Facebook effect for example. People have a tendency to post only the happy things, the most flattering pictures, their best family vacation. Life is almost perfect, according to Facebook. I have a tendency to do this exact thing. I don't want to look like a hot mess while others look like their lives belong on Pinterest. "Oh look at her, she looks like another Pinterest fail." But it's not real. When we really get down to it and get to know each other we will find that we are not perfect, none of us are. Each of us has something we are working on or battle we are fighting. One person's struggles might be bigger than another's, but each of us are working through something. My friends were kind enough to point out that sometimes it is the truth that makes the difference. Sometimes experiencing someones struggle along with them and being able to relate to them is what helps the most. I took those words to heart. My life is not easy. Having a chronic disease does not define me, but it does make even the littlest tasks that much harder. My intentions are to help you, to encourage you, and to be a friend. I will not shy away from the truth, instead I will share with you my experiences, even if they they are raw and ugly at times. Thank you for following along with me in this journey. Here's to another day! Cheers my friend! On to tomorrow! Tough! I like this word. It means strong and durable, not easily broken, and capable of great endurance. I often use to describe how things have been going lately and I have even used it to describe myself a time or two. "If life is tough, I must be tougher!" I'd say.
I didn't feel tough yesterday though. Yesterday was a hard day. I received a phone call bright and early from my GI Doctor. He wanted to go over the results of my recent Abdominal MRI. Apparently there were some images of my ilium (part of your small intestine) that came back abnormal. He is now wondering if I have Crohn's Disease on top of my Esophageal Dysmotility. The next step is a colonoscopy and multiple biopsies of intestinal tissues. Sounds like fun right, because who wouldn't want to do that? I don't know what results I was expecting to hear, but I wasn't exactly expecting to hear that. Although I try to find a positive in every situation, this situation was a little harder than usual. So I asked my son if we wanted to go for a walk. He requested a bike ride, so we put on our coats and headed out to brave the rain. We had a blast. He ran through every puddle he could find and the bigger the better. Of course, right? Right. We ended up walking two miles with friends, and by the time we reached the house again I was beyond exhausted. I sat down to take my shoes off and immediately became overwhelmed. My body hurt, my house was a mess, I was too exhausted to start dinner, the recent results were still in my head, and I missed my mom. I lost it and turned into a puddle of tears. I don't know if this has ever happened to you, but at the exact moment I was wishing that I had someone I could call for help, I got a message from my Aunt. She happens to be one my most favorite people in the whole world and her timing could not have been more perfect. We ended up having a great conversation and I could not have been more thankful. The afternoon ended with me snuggling up with my son and the two of us falling asleep during an episode of Sherman and Mr. Peabody. I think that was exactly what both of us needed. If you have been following along with my quest to walk 1000 miles this year, this where I am: So far I have walked 80.46 miles and have 920.54 to go. I don't know how this journey will turn out, especially with all the testing that I will be doing soon, but I am still determined to get out there and walk. Even if it is just a little bit every day. Have a great start to your week my friends. Talk to you soon! Danielle Have you ever listened to someone speak and their words changed your life? That happened to me recently. I've said before that I believe that there is power behind the words you say and I believe that now more than ever. Earlier this week I listened to a man speak about noticing goodness and reaching out and connecting with people. He was amazing. His words were genuine and powerful and I walked away thinking about life differently.
The first think that stuck with me was how he talked about connecting with people and reaching out. For many people, this may be easier said that done. Sadly society has a tendency to stereotype people and all too often us as individuals go right along with what society says and judge people before we actually get to know them. I am guilty of doing this exact thing. Wednesday I was at the park with family and friends and a group of bikers came riding in and parked not to far from us. They seemed harmless enough to me at first, but I still kept a watchful eye out and had my guard up. Then one of them came right up to my friend and me and asked if he could give our children a sticker. I was a little taken back and my first thought was "why?" This questions was followed by more questions like "what's on the sticker?" or "what's it made of? Is it laced with anything?" My friend said "sure" and I said "sure, but let me walk over with you so my son knows that it is okay." (We are practicing stranger danger.) The man then hands our children a red and black sticker with gears and a fist on it and the letters B.A.C.A. Bikers Against Child Abuse. He then hands us a pamphlet and explains that the intention of his biker group, B.A.C.A, is to create a safer environment for abused children and if we know of anyone or any circumstances that their help might be needed to please let them know. I found out a little later that they are known as the "Keepers of the Children." Let me tell you, this was not at all what I was expecting. I stereotyped that group of people the first time I laid eyes on them and I couldn't have been more wrong. I most definitely learned a lesson today. Another thing that I think happens all too often is that we get so caught up in life that we forget to notice the good things. Life isn't the easiest right now, for I am struggling with many things. I struggle with my health, Mommyhood, being a Godly wife, a good friend, and supporting my husband while he follows his dream. Starting a new business from scratch is incredibly stressful. I'm constantly thinking about my husbands next job and what the paycheck will be while still giving him the positive support he needs to continue on with his dream and my son hawked a loogie in my hand today. It was a great mommy moment, just in case you were wondering. I had a great moment of noticing goodness that came one night this week when I was playing the "what's in here" game with the refrigerator. You know the one when you are standing in front of the open freezer and refrigerator doors looking between each to determine what items you can throw together for dinner. The fridge was looking kind of bare, but as I searched I noticed all the vegetables I harvested and froze this summer. I had potatoes and beef broth in the pantry and thought to myself, I have 4 ounces of ground lamb, 6 ounces of ground pork sausage, vegetables and potatoes, I bet I can make Sheppard Pie. So did. I filled it full of peas, sliced green beans, cauliflower, summer squash, onions, garlic and I even threw in some beet greens...all from the garden. I started out thinking I have nothing to make, but was able to make something wonderful out of the ingredients I had. I may not be able to do a lot of things, but when it comes to providing meals for my family, give me a few ingredients and I can make something out of nothing. This is a talent that am so very thankful for and I thank God every time my family sits around the table and fills their bellies. We have family coming in from out of town this weekend and they are staying with us. Two weekends in a row we have had family come to visit. This is another thing I am thankful for. We have a tiny little house and live a ways out of town, but our door is always open and you are always welcome here. I love it when our family gets together and the house is full. It never feels small when it is full of people. Instead it is warm and cozy and brings us together. Last weekend we explored the country and went for a walk as a family. I must admit that the busier life gets, the harder it is to find the time to walk. I haven't been feeling 100% and my little guy was sick so we spend more time than usual indoors this week. I have not been hitting my daily target miles and I need to get back on track. It felt so good to accomplish my daily goal. I do notice that it is much harder to find time for myself on the weeks where my husband works extended hours or is out of town. It is very much like I am a single parent those weeks and it makes everything more difficult. This week I was able to log 17.5 miles making my total miles walked 62.46. I have 937.54 miles to go. Thank goodness I have time to play catch up. Yesterday's walk was a great one. We added a new friend to our walking group and walked someplace new. I don't know if I will be able to get out to walk today since I have a house to get ready for company, but maybe. I hear the kitchen timer going off. That means that the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are ready to come out of the oven. I pulled out my sister in-laws birthday cake right before the cookies went into the oven so the house smells heavenly. She loves pumpkin so I made her a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dump Cake to celebrate. The house smells like pumpkin, cinnamon, and chocolate......yum! I better run before the timer wakes up my little guy from his nap! I hope you have a great weekend! Danielle Ps. Just in case you were wondering, the links for the cookie and cake recipe are below. Cookie Recipe by TheVegLife at http://theveglife.com/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies-vegan/ *I doubled the recipe. It came out great! Cake Recipe by YourCupofCake at http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2014/09/pumpkin-cream-cheese-dump-cake-got-dumped.html *We are yet to dive into the cake and taste it, but it smells amazing! |
AuthorHi there! Welcome to Grace In A Glass. My name is Danielle and I am so happy that you are visiting this site today. We all have something in life that we are working to overcome. I began blogging about my struggle with overcoming Esophageal Dysmotility and Crohn's Disease with the hope of reaching others with words of encouragement and hope. Thank you for letting me share my stories with you, and hope you have the most wonderful day! Archives
November 2022
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