ALL THE WORLD

As I play the song, “All The World” by Point of Grace, over and over again (full blast), I am reminded of all the times I spent on the tread mill, all the times I was filled with grace, all the times I was given strength, hope, peace, trust and joy through this journey. I have also come to realize the journey is not over…in fact, it has just begun. This song has encouraged me to be a voice, to give an answer, to shine God’s light for ALL THE WORLD TO SEE. What a privilege He gives each one of us to be a voice. As I struggled with patience, the past couple weeks, the Lord truly brought me back into focus. He reminded me that believing in Him does not guarantee freedom from pain or loss, but it does guarantee strength in my time of weakness, pain, or sorrow. It is my hope to be a “page,” for all the world, as I assemble my journey into a book. Months before I was told I had a tumor, I began writing, not realizing that this was how the Lord was preparing me for this journey. In the summer of 2008, with a small group of close friends, I confided that I felt the Lord calling me to write a book and possibly speak publicly. Today, looking back at all that has been written, all that I have learned, and looking forward to what will still be written, I am filled with joy and a purpose knowing the Lord wants me to shine His light for ALL THE WORLD TO SEE. (For all you BLOGGERS, it would make me so happy if someone knew how to put this song on my playlist, even though it is not listed in the choice of BLOG songs.)

I must share the many blessings that have poured out on me these past couple weeks. Shortly after my last post, Dave and Miriam Keesey set out to try to expedite my visit to the ophthalmologist. Dave works for Kaiser and happens to know, personally, the head of the ophthalmology department. Just 3 days after my post, I got a call from Kaiser, on January 5th, wanting to know if I could come in that same day, rather than wait until January 27th. Over the next few weeks I am getting prescription glasses, (one pair for distance and another for close up) that will be fitted with a prism. Hopefully these glasses will work better for me than my first prism glasses. In the meantime, I have devised a way to see, single vision, by putting a small piece of tape on one lens of my sunglasses. I CAN ACTUALLY DRIVE SAFELY while wearing my sunglasses. This has been a giant step forward in learning how to adapt as well as learning how to accept there are no guarantees I will regain normal vision.

The pain in my tailbone is gone. Ice and patience are beautiful things! I no longer ice to reduce the pain, I just ice as a preventative measure. For the past 3 days I have been pain free! Also, I am finally able to open my mouth wide enough to get my teeth fixed, and I am back with my Fit Together group, at work, to help encourage me to eat well and exercise often. Speaking of work, my last day of disability is Friday, January 16th, then it is off to work I go. Ready or not, here I come!!!

I owe my new patience and attitude to II Cor 12: 8-9, as I realize life is not always easy and may not always go the way I want. This verse has been a lifeline to me as it has truly given me strength in my weakness. The lesson I learned from this verse is to endure my pain, loss, frustration, anger or impatience by trusting in the Lord. When things don’t turn out, just as I hoped or prayed for, like my double vision, I will find a way to accept the circumstances and draw hope from all of God’s promises to me. No matter what the trial, God’s grace is sufficient and will provide all the strength I need to endure, and He will give me an open heart to adapt.

I am no longer slow dancing in La Mesa. I have picked up the pace and plan to stay on the dance floor for a very long time. It is my hope and prayer that you will join me and dance, long into the future, as we dance our way into eternity!

Love,

Laura