thread for middle age to older Christian women.

Blessedteacher37

Hello dear sisters,

Praying for blessed days, comfort, healing, peace and strength for all. We saw this late today, and my first thought was sharing its beauty with you as a reminder of the hope we have in Christ. It was one of the clearest in color I have ever seen.

May God bless you with a wonderful weekend...

Ellen

bandwoman1234

Thanks Ellen. It has been a very tough week here and I needed to see that. Beautiful!

bandwoman1234

Spring is tomorrow and this banner seemed very appropriate. Of course rejoicing everyday is the answer to life's challenges.

Have a great day dear sisters.

Love,

Nancy

Faith-840

Thanks dear friends for the rainbow, sunflowers and butterfly and the beautiful 🌹. This has been a tough week for me mentally and also physically as I'm more tired than usual this month. Now, I'm also asking for prayers for my son-in-law, Bill, and his family as his father just died today suddenly at home. He hasn't been in good health but no one expected this to happen so suddenly. It's a blessing for him not to suffer any more but terrible for his wife and family, especially my son in law as most of the burden will fall on him.

Thank you all for a place to come and ask for prayers.

Hugs, Faith (in the future).

bandwoman1234

Love the banners Joanne and especially the butterfly.

Faith, I am sorry for your loss and that you are not feeling well. I have prayed for Bill as it is so hard to lose a parent and it is harder when it was unexpected. It has been a very tough week for me as well. We had a tragedy in our neighborhood this past week which I won't go into but it has shaken me.

Life is hard and yes, Joanne, it is sometimes feels like walking on glass. I had some revelation moments with God today in church and it really helped me to see how He cares for every single part of our daily lives and knows what we are going through.

Praying for you all and praying that this week will be more uplifting for all of us. As so many are in treatments I pray that you are dealing with your chemo and SE's and that those who are dealing with life's challenges in general will feel God supporting each of you along this journey. Have a good night's rest dear ladies.

Love,

Nancy

bandwoman1234

I pray that this season of rebirth will be a season of reawakening in our hearts as well to the wonders of all the blessings God gives us every single day.

Happy first day of spring.

Love,

Nancy

Ade

Beautiful rainbow & banners!

If I may, I'd like to share with you a moment of God's goodness relating to the rainbow. He wants us to tell of His wondrous deeds - so here goes...

Many years ago, back in the 80s my husband worked in a 'religious organization' run hospital in the E.R. One night an elderly woman was brought in and she was quite distraught fearing she was going to die. She saw the dove pin James wore on his lapel & asked if he was a Christian. He said he was and she asked him to pray for her. He very quietly and gently prayed for her right then and it brought her great comfort.

The next day James received a phone call and was told not to report to work until further notice. We had a mortgage and three little ones to feed and didn't have a clue if he would continue to be paid or what. He asked why and got no response. Finally he was told to report to a meeting where he was confronted with the prayer incident. He didn't deny it of course - but was sternly told that ONLY the PRIEST was allowed to do that - even though the incident was in the middle of the night and it would have taken a long time for him to finally get there to see the woman. James was told he would have to promise he'd never do it again - which he did not agree to. He was not told he could return to work.

I was really anxious at this point and told my mother who was a nursing supervisor over 4 departments in the same hospital. She was not a believer. She told me he HAD to agree never to pray there again and I told her that the Lord said that if we deny Him He would deny us and James would not agree never to pray for someone who ASKED him for prayer. SHE HUNG UP ON ME!

At that point I was in tears. I went outside to the side of the house where James was, and said boldly to the sky, "Our God shall supply ALL our need according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus!". At that point a piece of a rainbow appeared bright and beautiful right overhead in the clear blue sky!

I said to James, "Do you see that?", to which he replied that he did. I told him, "That is God's promise of His covenant and He WILL take are of us no matter what as we trust in Him!".

James was actually sent to a PSYCHIATRIST and I had to go in and talk with them too!!!! In the end the psychiatrist reported that James was far more stable than any patient he had ever seen! - And James' job was restored to him. He asked for a face to face meeting with those who had objected to him - and NOT ONE would show up.

Not long after that the Lord provided another position at a different hospital with far better pay and hours!

God is SOOO good and He loves us! Just keep trusting Him!

Ade

bandwoman1234

Ade, that is a BEAUTIFUL story and so full of how God takes care of us. I admire James for standing up for what He believed. It is a sad commentary on "things of the world" but it is a wonderful testimony of how faithful God is. Thank you for sharing that. He will never leave us or forsake us!

Love,

Nancy

Faith-840

Ade, that really is a beautiful story. Thank you so much for sharing. These are the stories we all need to hear.

Faith (in the future)

magdalene51

Ade, what a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing that.

I had my last scheduled chemo last Thursday and I think the bone pain is from the neulasta shot. My sister came for the weekend, and she was going home today because she had an MRI scheduled for tomorrow. Well she got a call, they wouldn't do the MRI until she paid off her balance at the hospital. She was distraught, as her only income is social security and she doesn't have that kind of money to spare. So my husband told her to call them back, and handed her his debit card. The amount was not big for us, but insurmountable for her. Later my cousin showed us a portion from her devotion about how we pass on God's blessings to others. Sometimes it's material, as weigh us today, sometimes it's spiritual, as with Ade's husband. It's about listening, and being obedient

bandwoman1234

I am loving hearing stories of how God is providing.

Mags, thank you for sharing that. God is good and I am glad your DH was able to bless your sister. I am so glad to hear you had your last chemo. I hit a key on my keyboard and am going to have to stop. satan obviously doesn't like our victory stories.

Psalm 9:10New International Version (NIV)

10 Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Ade

I

These 'deer friends' watched a gorgeous sunset with me tonight as DH was on a bike ride with the guys. What peace I found in God's presence. Just wanted to share this with you.
Ade

Ade

This wasn't even the sunset! It was behind our house. See the rainbow? The Lord is so good!

Ade

bandwoman1234

Wow Ade. I guess rainbows have blessed all of us this week. You have sunsets like I have never seen here! Beautiful.

Love the deer too.

zjrosenthal

Good morning ladies. Prayed for all your needs to be met. We are back from a few days respite in Florida. It was nice to get away briefly from the snow. A non cancer prayer request for my grandson Bob searching for a job when he graduates this May. Also for my granddaughter Alexia when she is released on April 6th. For my freedom from anxiety and increased trust in God. It is a battle only Jesus can win. He already has! Love, Jean

"Resist the devil and he will flee from you." James 4:7b

Lita57

I just wanted to post a big THANK YOU to all of you for providing a safe place for us to post our thoughts, concerns and fears, no matter what.

If we can't post what we feel and think about on this cancer forum, where are we supposed to post It?

Another note...be careful what you say out there, but ALWAYS stand up for Jesus. If you deny Him before others, He will deny you before the Father.

As sister Christians, we can talk about "walking through the valley of the shadow of death" without upsetting or offending anyone because we know we are saved by our Lord's grace, and we know our TRUE home is with Him. Death has lost its sting for us because we know we will spend eternity with Jesus. Of course, it still saddens us that we will leave our beloved families and dear friends behind for a time, but they will eventually be with us.

I write these words because some people get very upset when you talk about death and Heaven. They don't want to think about it. They think we have a problem, but sadly the problem is theirs because they refuse to get to know our Lord and Savior.

Please pray for them, dear sisters. And may the victory be His.

L

bandwoman1234

Psalm 36:7-9New International Version (NIV)

7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.

Welcome back Jean. I hope your trip to a warm climate invigorated you. Will be praying for your family's needs.

Joanne, love the banners. If we could see in the heavenly reams just how Jesus does support us in our weaknesses I think it would give us hope and strength but He wants us to trust His word because it says just that.

Lita, amen. For those who know the Lord there should be no fear of death. I was at a meeting last night where we ended up talking death because of some that has touched some of us lately. I didn't even know one of my elderly neighbors around the block had passed away six months ago. She was 97. This lady was unbelievable. Her mother lived to 104 and I thought she might make it to that as well. She walked everywhere and even when things got tough she would be out there walking with her cane.

I had shared about reconnecting with one of my college professors in the past. We wrote back and forth when I found out he was still living. He was in hospice for well over a year and completely defied the odds and got stronger for a while. He just died at 101 last month. I shared my testimony with him and did as much as I could in my letters. I did get to share my photography with him which was an honor. He was my clarinet teacher while majoring in clarinet many years ago.

My living room makeover which I started planning a year ago in January has been completed. I just had my new drapes installed a few minutes ago. However it is not done because they did not tell me there would be obvious holes left from the previous hardware. So it looks like some painting and repair of the wall will be next. Sigh. So much for the best laid plans.

Aurora, how are you doing?

Cindy, praying that doctoral thesis will be overcome and the Lord will give you strength to persevere.

G, I think and pray for you often. Praying that this season will be one of blessings and renewal for you.

Have a great day dear sisters.

Love

Nancy

auroaya200882

Hi Nancy and thank you for checking on me. I'm glad your living rooms almost ready.

I'm feeling a little weak and nauseaus due to the chemo but hanging in there.

I'm anxiously waiting for April to get here as my mother is coming to stay with us for a month. I haven't seen her since my father passed away two years ago. She's 84.

I continue to pray for all of us here.

Aurora

bandwoman1234

Aurora, I continue to pray for you and I am sorry this chemo is so rough. I am so glad your mother is coming for a nice long visit. I know you will enjoy that and hopefully will be a good distraction to the SE.

Faith, how are your eyes doing. I imagine you are still doing the drops. How is Rosemary? Praying for you and her and her family.

Here a few pics I took at this orchid nursery that I wanted to visit one more time before going to my mom's next week.

Love,

Nancy

Faith-840

Nancy, thanks for checking on me. Yes, I have a few more days on the drops and my sight is good but the dry eyes really are bothering me still. I sure hope that improves. It feels like I'm still wearing contacts and just want to take them out.

The last I heard on Rosemary was almost a week ago when hospice told the family it would happen in a day or two. I can't believe she hasn't passed yet but she has defied all odds to this point. I'm just so sorry this is taking so long for her and her family. I can't imagine their pain at losing her. I think I've been in mourning for several weeks now. I just feel so sad about everything right now.

My daughter's family from Idaho is coming for a visit this weekend and I want to enjoy them and I'm sure I will but I just feel sad right now. Their youngest daughter is going to look at St. Mary's College in South Bend. They've offered her a great scholarship and I hope she goes to school there so we can see more of her and her parents. Right now they don't visit too often as it's so expensive to fly here.

How nice for you that your living room is almost done, it's been a long process for you.I'm sure the hole patching can wait but I imagine you want it done. Your orchid pictures are beautiful. Hopefully It won't be long before we can get outside and then you can really get some new pictures and put your new photography studio to use.

Jean, I'll be keeping your granddaughter in my prayers and your grandson's job search. One of my granddaughters is also graduating and will be looking for a nursing job this May.

Aurora, I pray your Chemo does it job and also that the side effects get better. I'm sure you'll enjoy having your mother there. I also pray for all of us here.

Jo, as always your banners are very uplifting. Thank you for posting them.

Lita, you are my hero. You are showing us all how to live and die with cancer. Your trip to Hawaii sounds wonderful and I pray that your health allows you to enjoy it.

Have a goodnight dear sisters.

Faith (in the future)

zjrosenthal

A word from Him this morning....
Let me hold you while I take care of your concerns. Just be still in my arms.
""For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." —ISAIAH 41:13"

Love, Jean

bandwoman1234

Isaiah 41:13New International Version (NIV)

13 For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.

Jean, I can't believe this is the same verse as you posted. I guess the Lord wants us to hear this one.

Faith, my heart aches for what you are going through. Know I am praying for you and I hope your visit with your daughter's family will be an uplifting time for you and a good distraction for your grieving over your friend. Thank you for your nice comments.

Have a good day dear sisters.

Love,

Nancy

bandwoman1234

bandwoman1234

I love this verse.

Lamentations 3:24-26 New International Version (NIV)

24 I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.

Teka

Nancy,

The following pic of a friends lovely orchids was taken from Facebook.

I keep all of us in evening prayers!

bandwoman1234

Hi Teka,

Welcome back. I love the orchid pic. I bought my first orchid plant a few weeks ago and have really enjoyed it. Mine is sitting on top of my refrigerator which seems to be the only place that has good light for houseplants.

Thanks for your prayers.

Love

Nancy

Teka

I look at potted orchid plants with lovely blooms and feel no way able to get a plant to rebloom at home.

bandwoman1234

Teka, this is what the top of my refrigerator might look like if I went by my old adage that you can never have too many flowers. LOL I took these at an orchid nursery.

Teka

Lovely!

I would go with the white orchids. ;o)

Faith-840

Dear friends, thank you for your prayers. I'm asking now for peace for Rosemary's family and friends. She has finally gone to see our Dear Lord and her loving husband early yesterday. Everyone is sad but grateful she is no longer suffering. All her children were with her at the end and she can be very proud of her beautiful family and the care they took of her. We should all be that lucky.

It is so nice to have one of my daughters and her daughter here for a few days but unfortunately my SIL couldn't get on the oversold flight and my daughters flight was delayed for hours, and they ended up taking a red-eye flight from the west coast and arriving here at 6:30 am. Travel is not fun but at least they made it.

I love all your beautiful flower pictures, but I'm also in the category of not being able to grow much. I buy a beautiful orchid and can keep it alive for several months but never get it to rebloom. So then I just start over with another one. :-)

Have a beautiful day and let's pretend the sun is shining somewhere.

Hugs, Faith (in the future)