I can't believe it has been almost a year since I last posted. 2010 was an unbelievable year. It has been the most difficult year of my life. But God being God has made it the most awesome year of my life. That sounds strange, I know, but that is the best way I can explain it. I will try to sum it up. In January, Hannah developed a strange illness. She had terrible pain in her joints. Some mornings she could not even lift her arms. After seeing several different doctors, we found that she had Parvo virus at some point (yes, I thought that was a dog killer). As a result, she had developed reactive arthritis. Then, while her system was down as a result to taking steroids, she got pneumonia. She missed so many days of school that she barely graduated. It was terrible making her go to school when she felt so bad. We had several meetings with her teachers, guidance counselor and assistant principal to work things out. But she made it and was able to graduate. I started to have some new symptoms in March that I knew indicated a new MS attack. I was so involved with Hannah that I didn't go to the doctor until May. I had IV steroids in May. Having just finished the IV treatments and a couple days before Hannah's graduation, I went to New York for a photo shoot. Go to http://www.mslifelines.com/, then click on the News and Events tab. I made it through that. We had family over after graduation. The next Monday (Memorial Day), we had a party for Hannah's friends. After her party, she called at about 10:30 to tell us she had a wreck. She wasn't hurt, but her car was messed up. All through the summer, I traveled all over the place to speak to groups of people with MS. I continued to struggle with my MS. I lost alot of weight. I went from a size 10 to a size 6. My doctor told me that the heat was the problem. She said that I would feel better as soon as it cooled off. I finally went to a different doctor. He did an MRI in September. He found that I was still in the same MS attack that had started in March. He gave me more IV steroids. While taking those, I could not sleep more than 3 or 4 hours a night. While I was awake, I decided to spend that time with God instead of whining about not being able to sleep. Some nights I would have a 5 hour quiet time. Wow! God taught me so many things about Himself and myself. He started a completely new work in my life. I have been a Christian for a long time. I can look back and see how I have grown. But I am at a completely new place. I can really say that I am thankful I have MS. My health continued to decline. I was out of work (the bank and speaking) for about 6 weeks. I still can only work 3 hours a day. I have dealt with all kinds of symptoms this year - the worse being problems with my eyesight and my hands. My biggest struggle now is that my hands and feet cramp and draw up. My hands continue to get worse. I can't write, use a computer mouse, or grip things very well. Think about how many things you needs your hands for. It is tough to be so limited. My doctor says that the steroids are no longer working. We are trying other things. Hannah went to college this fall. She was about an hour from home. Without going into detail - it did not go well. God brought her home to Alabama. She is going through a tough time trying to figure things out. She is seeing a Christian counselor. Doug and I are praying for wisdom to handle every thing correctly. Oh yeah, this summer Ti swallowed a quarter. It stuck in his throat. He had to be taken to Children's Hospital in Huntsville by ambulance. There is so much more that has happened this year. These are just the highlights. Ha! In the midst of all of this, God has allowed me to feel His Presence and His amazing love. He has taught me what it means to really trust Him. We say we trust Him, but do we really? He has taught me what it means to pray without ceasing and how to walk in the Spirit. He has used me at a time when I had absolutely nothing to give - so I knew it was all Him and none of me. I am teaching a Bible study in my home on Thursday mornings. It has been so awesome (what God is doing). God hand-picked the ladies He wanted to be a part of this precious group. He is really working in their lives. It has nothing at all to do with me. He is just graciously allowing me to be a part of it. I would like to blog periodically so that the ladies in my group can read it. However, I don't know if that is God's leading or just something I thought would be a good idea. So we will see. If I don't post again until this time next year, then it was obviously my idea not His. If I don't blog again for awhile, I urge you to let 2011 be a year that you go to a new place with God. Don't waste this year on things that really don't matter in light of eternity.
