The surprise came 2 weeks later when the doctor’s nurse called to read the results to me.  Bad cholesterol, LDL, was low enough – great.  Good cholesterol, HDL, was low, too low.  After telling the nurse thanks for the good news, she promptly told me this was NOT good news.  That a person with low cholesterol had as many health risks as someone with high cholesterol.  And my blood sugar was on the high end of okay.  100.  And I was 20 lbs over weight. 

This was really surprising to me, and not really surprising at the same time.  While we had made a lot of changes in our diet over the years, there was plenty of room for improvement.  So I did a little research, found a few changes that we could add into our life (small steps) and moved forward.  A big items is that we have decreased the amount of sugar, including from soda a great deal, although I am still overweight, more so even.

When the doctor handed me the lab order 3 weeks ago, I actually felt nervous, and took it home, set it on my desk and ignored it for 2 weeks.  Life slowed down and I decided that I did want to know where things are now.  And JOY, small changes did bring happy results.

My HDL is 47, one point above 46 (evidently it is best to not be lower than 46)
LDL is 113
Blood sugar 94!
Vitamin D deficient (something new to me, I need to learn about this one!)

These happy results have inspired me to pursue a few more small changes.

And in case you wonder about those “first” small changes…

**Avocados, as often as possible.   I love avocados and have no problem spending a little extra at the grocery store to have 1 or 2 a week, even when they are not on sale.
**Olive oil for almost all cooking, and slowly still getting accustomed to the taste in our homemade salad dressing.
**Coconut oil for baking instead of butter (much of the time)
**Fruit & Veggie smoothies with plain yogurt several times a week
**Significant decrease in the use and consumption of sugar, using honey and maple syrup when we need a little sweetner
**More beans and lentils in our weekly diet.
**Increased our use of fresh garlic in our cooking
**More varied vegetables, we plant more different kinds and try new ones from time to time
**More active lifestyle, but that is a work in progress

So, if you are struggling with the need for changes in your lifestyle, diet, for the good of your health, I encourage you SMALL STEPS!  The list above was not made all at once.  Those changes have taken place over about 4 years, little by little.  You can do it, and the results will be HAPPY  🙂

Hugs from daughters, so tight and full of love
Thunder and lightning
An upcoming baptism
Dog snuffles and laughter from the children
More books that we can read
Blossoms on the fruit trees
New berry and grape vines (she considers a field and buys it, or she looks at her big yard and choses fruitbearing landscape)
Exciting summer opportunities!
Cookies by Mae
Happy celebration of Grandma’s 90th!

So very thankful that the seeking and finding of moments filled by grace and love and hope and joy isn’t forgotten, even when the written list is for a time.

It’s funny, most of us can remember back when we thought “40 is so old”. I had such a different perspective the year that I looked toward “that” birthday.

When my dear friend Vickie turned 40 year before, I started to tease her a bit when she gently set me straight. Vickie told me how THANKFUL she was to have made it this far, to be alive, to be healthy, to have her family. That quickly turned my teasing to rejoicing, as I realized all too well what she was saying.

About 20 years ago Vickie fought a fierce battle with cancer. After she won that battle, she went on to marry her sweetheart and to miraculously have 2 fabulous kids.

And, she reminded me, I have much to be thankful for too. Just 8 years ago I was dying from Congestive Heart Failure and was quite spiritually sick. In May 2003, when Chica was just shy of 5 months old, I had valve replacement surgery. After the surgery, the surgeon didn’t give us much hope for recovery, he felt the damage to my heart was too extensive.  He told me to go home and enjoy the time I had left with my family.

Oh what Joy! God wasn’t taking me Home quite yet. Eight weeks after the surgery I received the wonderful news that my heart was healing, returning to normal size and function! April of 2008 I was released from cardiac care, but in December of this past year, tests showed new changes in my cardiac health.  What these changes mean, I don’t know, but praise God, the old fear hasn’t been able to take root in my life.
I have been given so much more than the physical healing and extra years, I’ve been given new life in Christ! During that time 8 years ago, God did some major heart surgery on me. For the work He has done in my life I am so grateful. The way he scraped so much of the ugly past out of my heart, fully healed many old wounds, softened the scars and in place of it all, put his joy and peace.  And today I have confidence that I can face whatever lies ahead, with His hand holding me and giving me every beat of my heart that HE has ordained.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord, Who gives and takes away. My heart has chosen to say, Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

One of the books I’ve read is  Too Small to Ignore, Why Children are the Next Big Thing, by Dr. Wess Stafford, with Dean Merrill.

In this book, Dr Staffords tells of his childhood in West Africa, from the nurturing African village where his parents served as missionaries, to the horrors of the Missionary Kids boarding school  he was sent to at the young age of 6. 

It is so hard to understand why God allows children to suffer such wicked things, but I am thankful for what HE has produced in Dr Stafford through that suffering, a compassionate heart towards the smallest, the weakest, and those broken.

I loved reading how Dr Stafford’s heart has been moved on the behalf of the smallest of humankind, and was very encouraged that he clearly stated that compassion for the least of these starts in our homes, with our own God given children.  If you are interested in learning more about the heart of the man who leads Compassion International, I encourage you to read this book, or listen to the audio recording which is available at iTunes.

This term Petal Rose took part in a Musical Theater class with the Academy of Children’s Theater.  What a BLAST she had!  This was a class full of really great kids, and the most fun, cute teacher (Heather) a 10 year old girl could ask for.

The most remarkable thing on the night of the actual performance is this…these kids truly looked as those they were have the best time of their life!  Their lines were flawless, their voices beautiful, their acting great, but that chemistry of comradery and delight in what they were doing is what blessed me the most!

after casting and a good night’s sleep

figuring out how to play her recital piece, with one hand

So in the last 3 years there has been a night stick fracture, a buckle  fracture and now a greenstick fracture.  And I’m hoping that’s the end of the broken bones!

What treasure we have in these ladies

Oldest Kelly cousin Amber, and her 2 boys have recently moved to our city and we greatly enjoyed having younger cousins to share the TREASURE EGG adventure with!

These pictures really capture the personalities in our youngest 3 daughters.  They are so much fun to watch!

This SWEET book arrived in last week’s mail.  When GOD Created My Toes, is as I just said, very sweet.  A perfect storytime book to share with the little ones in our lives, as we begin to teach them all about the wonderful GOD who did create us, fearfully and wonderfully, and who loves us tremendously.

There is a lot of rhyming and very vivid illustrations to engage children, and to help encourage conversations about how perfectly God has made us.

Disclosure: I received this book free of charge with the hope that I would share an honest opinion of the book.  This honest opinion is all mine.

FOXES!

Chica added a bat…the youngest 2 girls just completed a short chapter on bats!

508. Tulip greens in our yard

509. Warm evenings to work a bit in the yard

510. An evening visit to the chicken coop. Pretty, colorful birds.

511. Happy helpers who now clean the kitchen, and keep laundry going.

512. Safe travel

513. An exciting summer opportunity.

514. Hints that prayers are being answered.

515. Fellowship

516. Chocolate chip banana waffles

517. Laughter over the “cone of shame”

518. Writing letters