Love Your Friends! – Sharon Smail
Lightning Strike Journal Entries: 23-24 April 2021
April 23
700 broken sleep all night. Stinging pain thru body is great. Headache very slight. Eyes blurry and feel like they’re filled with mucus.
Sinuses congested. Hands and arms stinging throbbing and swollen. Legs throbbing stinging. Feet sting the most. Low back throbbing. Neck hurts with chilling sensation down spine.
Bible Reading: 2 Kings 6-8; Romans 14:11, John 3:14-17
Went to college to see Jakob. Given tour of college. Chapel with Jakob. Guys got pretty loud so I had to put my ear plugs in to muffle sound in order to not get a migraine.
Ate lunch with Jakob at the college.
Dropped sister & kids off at hotel. Taking Jakob to get a car. I forgot how long the process takes. I’m so exhausted and hurting all over. Almost came close to starting all over – payments higher than they expected bc they forgot about interest rate. Jakob proud owner of 2013 Chevy Equinox.
Dinner at Cheddar’s restaurant. While waiting to get called in, stepped one step backwards not realizing there was dip in sidewalk lost balance and almost fell. Thankfully Joe caught me. Made rt hip hurt exponentially. Had to sit.
Took seemingly forever to get our food and I’m draining quickly. Let everyone know that I wasn’t mad at anyone I’m just hurting and pushed to max on my goings. Need to go back to hotel room and crash.
Slight headache. Neck hurts. Whole body aches. Legs & feet sting. Rt hip throbbing. Lft hip aches. Sinuses congested. Hands swollen and throbbing. Feet freezing. Exhausted. Starting to slur words and stutter. Difficulty thinking straight. Low back throbbing. Severe pain in lower rt abdomen. Stinging pain from low back to feet.
Thankful for precious time with family. Jakob got a dependable car. Joe & I are having fun picking on each other and he still treats me like a queen.
April 24
700 slept fairly good. Dreams but don’t recall details. Whole body aches deeply and fiercely. Sinuses congested. Tummy hurts.
Bible Reading 2 Kings 9-11, Psalm 60:20
Going to the Ark Encounter today with Uncle Dale and Aunt Annabelle.
7:42 back in hotel room. I’m exhausted, face is hot, whole body hurting, low back throbbing, feet are freezing. Laying down to rest a bit.
1130 crashed for about hour or so. Woke in time to get ready for bed.
I’m exhausted and hurting from head to toes. Feet freezing. Stinging burning pain throughout body. Lower back and hips intensely throbbing. Sharp pain in lower rt abdomen. Sinuses congested slightly. Headache, but not a migraine.
Thankful for the blessed day and amazing adventure.
Enjoyed spending the day at the Ark Encounter. I was awestruck to see the life-sized replication of Noah’s Ark.
It was encouraging and thought-provoking to see and hear not only of the amount of Noah’s faith, but also of all the people involved in the coming together of this exhibit.
I even enjoyed challenging a random teenager to a race while I was in the electric scooter (I won ). We all had a great laugh.
I’m exhausted and hurting, but thankful for this wonderful opportunity!
Jesus the GREATEST GIFT by Geri Jean Sanderson
Finding JOY in the Storm
Be Carefull for Nothing by Joannie Rodriguez
Be Ye Thankful
Lightning Strikes – Memoirs 24-25 June 2020
June 24
Ok. I need a listening ear. My family has been awesome in helping me post LS but sometimes even they just don’t understand. Mind you I’m just calming down from another traumatic event today and my emotions are all over the place.
My daughter and I were in a car accident today. A fast moving thunderstorm had just passed while we were at the store. The roads were still wet. We were on our way home. A black car turning into a vet clinic. A maroon car following too closely to black car was not paying attention. I foresaw possibility of an accident and decided to slow down making more distance between us and then I moved to left lane. Seconds later maroon car swerved into my lane and almost hit me causing me to apply more breaks and move into turning lane. In doing so, the wet road caused me to hydroplane which caused me to do circles in middle of busy road and next thing I know I’m sliding towards oncoming traffic head on. My car hit the curb and stopped before falling into ditch. I thought for sure the car was going to flip.
I said quick thought prayer, Lord please protect us.
We were quite shaken but not physically hurt. My car may be totaled because back axle is quite bent. Had to have it towed. Police called. Maroon car left the scene after she checked to see if I was hurt.
Some of you know that I have a tbi from my LS. Is it normal to be thankful that I feel God helped me keep my wits enough to keep my baby girl safe?
530 In auto accident. Managed to avoid hitting anyone else but ended up damaging my car pretty bad – had to have it towed. Dezirae & I are all shook up but not hurt. I’m starting to hurt from nerves and muscles tensing up. Able to invite police officer to church. Thankful for God’s protection. My car will be disabled for quite a while if not longer.
I’m quite sore but okay. I feel like I’m still in a daze. I actually foresaw it happening seconds before it happened not thinking it would happen or that I would be the one in it. Dezirae & I had our cries.
Bro Chuck is going to come check my car out tomorrow to see if it can be fixed or needs to be totaled.
It has been such a help and I’ve shared it several times with others. . .
While sitting on side of a busy road waiting as police officer filed report, I was praying thanking God for His protection and asking Him to help me hold it together as I could feel a melt down oncoming. The verse Proverbs 18:10 – The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe – came to mind. I was able to thank Him for being my strong tower and for my friend that shared the verse just a week before.
830 Told Joe with tears in my eyes that I was thankful that God helped me keep aware enough to steer the car and keep my daughter safe.
1040 going to bed. I hurt something awful from head to toe. Drank chamomile tea, used sleepy time lotion on legs and arms. Applied biofreeze to lower back. Took naproxen. Took night meds. Realized I forgot to take am meds.
June 25
940 not as sore as I thought I’d be today.
Soaked in Epsom Salt bath last night, drank cup of chammolie tea before bed, applied biofreeze to lower back, and used sleepy time lotion on legs and arms. Slept pretty good last night. A bit sore today and low back hurts a bit but I’m not hurting near what I expected.
Headache. Low back throbbing. Bit foggy feeling like in a daze. Low rt abdomen has sharp pain. Stomach cramping, but aunt flo’s in town. Whole body aches like it’s gonna rain again.
Count Your Blessings
As we observe this Thanksgiving day, let us not only remember the Pilgrims who made the treacherous journey seeking to find a new home in order to worship freely, but also remember to thank God for His many blessings in our lives. May we count them one by one that we may remember what He has done!
A Grateful Heart
Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Children are a Blessing
Psalm 127:1-5 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
I am thankful for the children that God allowed me to be a mother, especially when the doctors told me that I couldn’t have children. I claimed Psalm 37:3-5 trusting God would give me the desires of my heart. And He Did!
Striving to raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4) is a difficult task. It is also a very rewarding one.
*Teach your children to love the Lord with all their being and to respect His house and His Holy Word (Deut 6:4-9, Proverbs 22:6).
*Help them hide God’s Word in their hearts (Psalm 119:11, Joshua 1:9).
*Show them how to study and apply His precepts to every day life (2 Timothy 2:15, Psalm 19:7-10).
*Pray for God to surround them with angels to protect them from harm (Psalm 91:11, Matthew 18:10).
*Encourage them to climb every obstacle and become courageous followers of truth (Joshua 1:9, Ephesians 6:10-20).
*Motivate them to live lives of purity, kindness, and compassion that they may shine as bright lights in the world (Matthew 5:13-16, Philippians 4:8, 1 Timothy 4:12).
