An Introspective Week

Hello faithful family, friends, and followers and thank you for joining us here. We have had a good week filled with “new normal” things. Joy has been working feverishly on projects for Bundles of Love ahead of their upcoming holiday Craft Fair, completing not only her normal baby projects, but also items for sale at the Fair. I’ll post information about the Fair below.

In addition to her creative efforts, Joy has also been sharing more introspective thoughts about life in our new normal. I will often lament, after the fact, that I was not recording her because she does a beautiful job of expressing herself, but then I know she won’t retain it to possibly write down later. While I gently encourage her to consider another blog post, it’s hard for her to multi-task when she’s so focused on her crafting projects. At least for now, I’m the one blessed to be the recipient of her thoughts.

Coupled with her times of introspection, Joy has also shared more, "observations," which are such a blessing for me. Recently in our Bible reading we read Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians where he speaks of his, “thorn in the flesh,” which God would not resolve, expressing that his (God's) power was, “made perfect in weakness,” with Paul then concluding, “when I am weak, I am strong.” Then a couple of days ago, we read in Galatians the passage where Paul acknowledges his readers willingness to offer him their own eyes if it would have helped him, leading to the speculation that Paul’s “thorn” may have actually been poor eyesight. Despite reading the passages over a week apart, Joy tied them together and shared with me how she could identify with Paul due to her own rightsided blindness and the limitations that brings. Considering that just a year ago Joy was struggling to recognize basic words, I’m amazed and thankful for the healing she has experienced.

At the same time, one of the areas that I would really appreciate your continued prayers for, is Joy’s ongoing struggle with aphasia. While on the one hand, we have seen tremendous gains, it is also an area of continued challenge and one of the things Joy frequently laments over in her times of introspection. Just yesterday she told me, “The TV’s not working." Knowing she had not tried to turn on the TV and that it was in fact working, I asked, “What’s not working?” To which she replied, “The TV, the TV, above the bookcase.” There is a clock above the bookcase, no TV, she meant the clock was not working. Then last evening, as she was doing her Bible reading, which she does out loud to me and which has generally been going very well, she came across the word, “once,” and was suddenly and totally stuck. She could not figure out how to say, “once,” until I eventually helped her. While these are small examples, they point out what we live with on a daily basis and what is one of the areas most challenging for Joy to live with in this new normal. So thank you in advance for your continued prayers.

In asking for prayers for Joy, let us return the favor by sharing some of our most appreciated Bible passages from this past week. Please read them as our blessings to and prayers for you all…

From Psalms:

I wait quietly before God,

for my victory comes from him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will never be shaken.

Let all that I am wait quietly before God,

for my hope is in him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will not be shaken.

My victory and honor come from God alone.

He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

From Isaiah:

Have you never heard?

Have you never understood?

The LORD is the everlasting God,

the Creator of all the earth.

He never grows weak or weary.

No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

He gives power to the weak

and strength to the powerless.

Even youths will become weak and tired,

and young men will fall in exhaustion.

But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength.

They will soar high on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary.

They will walk and not faint.

And from Ephesians:

I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,

the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources

he will empower you with inner strength

through his Spirit…

That you may have the power to understand,

as all God’s people should,

how wide, how long, how high,

and how deep his love is…

And who is able, through his mighty power

at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more

than we might ask or think.