Friday, March 25, 2011

Heartache No One Sees: Faith Blog Hop

Welcome to the last stop on the Heartache No One Sees Faith Blog Hop. :) (my appologies for posting late!)

if you are hopping with us you should have come from Kari's blog.

if you're a daily reader and just happened to find this post first, you can start from the hop from the very beginning at Paper Tree House Studio.

by now you know the purpose & the prizes.....if not, click that link above and read all about it over at the Paper Tree House Studio blog. :)

for completing the hop and leaving comments along the way, you'll automatically be entered to win prizes. i'd love to have you as a regular follower of this blog too.


In order to qualify for the GRAND Prizes just leave a comment on my blog and become a follower of this blog (if you are not one yet). If you're so inclined, also become a follower of paper Tree House Studio on Facebook so that you can stay updated with our challenges and contests. It can be very humbling to share our hearts with the world, yet the Bible says that our troubles come so that we can console another going through the same thing. My prayer is that the Lord would use this for His Glory as He heals all of our hearts.


GRAND Prizes:
Paper Tree House Studio: Cuttlebug V2 Machine
Scrapbook News and Review Magazine: One Year Subscription
Bella Blvd.: $45 retail value worth of their yummy product
Echo Park: Love Line
Scrapbooks & Stuff: Cricut Your Story
Punky Sprouts: Sweet Mini Book
The Paper Blossom Shop: $25 gift certificate to their shop.
Bonita Rose Life.Love.Color.Art: Seat in her self-paced Color 2.0 workshop

Here is the list of bold and beautiful women that were willing to lay it all out there:
My Paper Tree House, Nana Campana, Rebecca, Sueli Pinheiro, Kacee, Jessie, Selina, Arlene, Natalie, Christel, Bonnie, Dolores, Kari, and Tania.....that's ME!



Here is my story:


if you've been a reader here for a some time, you know that i'm one of those participating that is quite open about the trials we face.


if not, the short of it is this:

i have a 6 year old daughter named Emma, often referred to as Spidergirl, who struggles with allergic reactive asthma when exposed to over a dozen environmental allergens. normal every things, like grass, trees, dust, mold, cats, dogs, hampsters, horses, cockroaches, oak, and on and on. she spent the first 5 years of her life battling chronic ear infections, strep throat and upper respiratory illness with many trips to the ER for breathing treatments. thanks to weekly immunotherapy injections (aka: allergy shots), she's been somewhat healthy....until her recent trip to the allergist. she also suffers from esophageal reflux disease. between these two conditions, she takes 3 medications on a daily basis.


i have another 9 year old daughter named Ashlyn who struggles with Sensory Defensiveness (a Sensory Integration Disorder), extreme anxiety, pediatric migraine, and an autoimmune condition called Morphea. she's on chemotherapy for the Morphea and daily medicine to counteract the side effects of the chemo.


and i, myself, have a number of health issues that i've learned recently are all attributed to an autoimmune condition called Rheumatoid Arthritis.


SO.......
i'm sure you can only imagine the amount of doctors visits we attend. so, yeah. we have a lot of trials on our plate. i mean, afterall, my blog address says it all: through trials, i am being purified.


and that's what i humbly believe.

i find myself unconciously singing "i need Thee oh, i need Thee....every, hour i need Thee" or resting in the assuring words of "His strength is perfect, when my strength is gone. He'll carry me, when i can't carry on."

i've had a number of people email or comment upon hearing my story saying....."you are such a strong woman." but honestly, my strength is in the Lord. it is God who carries me through on the daily.

so then, what's my heartache that no one sees?

beyond what i've already shared there is one struggle that leaves me ripped wide open on a daily basis. one that i'm not quite ready to be as open about. mainly because it's one that i'm still trying to find the words to describe.

what is it? well, it's the strain all of these things have caused and continue to cause on my marriage. marriage is hard enough with dealing with these things, don'tcha think?


thank God, thank God, thankkkkkkk God, i have a husband who's in it for the long-haul.


but i have the typical nature of a mother still embedded deep within who just wants to hurry up and fix all these medical issues and make it all better. sometimes i let the anxiety-induced fear of what tomorrow might bring grab hold of me and let anger well up inside of me. that doesn't bode too well for an already chaotic household with my daughters sensory issues.

i feel like i fail every.single.day. as a woman, when you can't just fix it and make it all better, it's a hard pill to swallow. am i right? well, for me it is anyway.

but, God gives me hope.
  • i still have the hope within me that this story and these struggles aren't my 'forever.'
  • i still have the hope within me that ashlyn will continue to grow out of some of her unpleasant defensive behaviors and i'll find her pleasant to be around all the time.
  • i still have the hope within me that i'll be able to let go of how i thought my life should have played out.
  • and i still have the hope within me that someday i'll be able to embrace how my story is being written.

if there is only one thing i know to be true.....it's that God is good, people! He will meet you where you are. He'll dry up your tears. He'll empower you to use your heartache for His glory and share your heartaches that no one sees.

He'll even show you how to find joy in the journey and how to expect the unexpected. life is all about the unexpected detours. you can read more of my story and our unexpected detours here.

i found it so ironic that the first thing i heard as i was typing out this post, was this song called Stronger by Mandisa.

take a listen. i'm sure you'll find encouragement in the words.



26 comments:

  1. Beautiful post and testimony. God bless you and your daughters and husband. That everyone can enjoy the joys of the Lord and have renewed strength every day.
    Kisses from Spain.

    ReplyDelete
  2. According to my hubby, the man are suppose to fix things. I know how you feel in wanting to make your children all better and a simple kiss and hug doesn't cut it. You are a strong woman because you know God and you are lending on Him with your life and all the troubles and joys you have.
    Blessings!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for sharing all that with us. IT is so hard as mum's when we can't fix everything for our kids (Mine are both on the autistic spectrum, one also has epilepsy, migraine, dyspraxia and learning difficulties)and when we worry about their futures. We want so much for them and it hurts to see them struggle, to see them ill and not to be able to make their world right.
    It is good to know that God is always there.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I just want to send you some fresh air and a big hug across the ocean.
    From Spain,
    Mariangeles

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for sharing your story. You are a strong woman. God gave you that strength. Your blog work is beautiful. Im a follower
    kacee
    mcvicwif@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow, what a wonderful testimony to God's goodness and sovereignty in ALL circumstances. Thank you for your openness and for sharing your unabashed faith.
    God is so good!!!

    ~natalie

    ReplyDelete
  7. Never - ending hugs to you my friend!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. You are an inspiration to me always. Hugs, friend!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Stand strong in your faith...God is good and He will see you through ALL of this. And at the end of the day, he never sees you as a failure, you are perfectly made and loved by Him!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. wow that testimony!
    I think my faith in your God that fills you with strength to face the day to day.
    I know God will lighten the weight you carry.
    I will pray for your daughters and your are healed by the mighty hand of Jesus Christ!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I too have two daughters and am so thankful they have not inherited my genetic medical disorder. I can only imagine how it must feel to have children with medical issues. I truly believe that God know you would be a loving, caring and faithfilled mom to give his girls to you to raise. You ARE doing one amazing job! Blessings to you....

    ReplyDelete
  12. Erma, Thank you so much for your testimony! I'm so sorry to hear about all the trials your family is going through and know that You can do & get through anything with Our Father in Heaven on your side! Keep your eyes on him all ways!!! You and your are in my prayers:)
    new follower
    ~Kim
    http://crazyaboutscrapin.blogspot.com
    kfordyce6638 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a touching story. I pray God's blessing on you, your children, and your marriage.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is my 1st stop---I've always been a little backwards I guess!

    ReplyDelete
  15. incredible story and testimony...thanks for sharing with us.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for sharing your struggles and your strength.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Que lindo testimonio ...
    cariƱos desde Chile Dios te Bendiga Siempre ...

    ReplyDelete
  18. You are incredible!!! I'm so proud of you working through the challenges that come with health issues-- they seem so unfair! You are brave. And I love that you find peace and comfort in music. Love it.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank you for sharing your story! (((HUGS)))
    sweetheartcopper at msn dot com

    ReplyDelete
  20. God is Good, all the time! thank you for your story! I say many times that I can never understand how someone without faith ever makes it through the trials that we have in life, I know that I cannot make it through all that life throws me without my faith! Looking forward to getting to know you more from following your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thankyou for sharing your story! I'm praying for you and your girls and hubby. I looove your site.
    Blassings - Narelle

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you for sharing. My DD13 just started allergy shots, her lung function was at 64% before therapy, now at 96%. I lost my DS to cancer when he was 3.
    Hummer Hugs,
    Misty
    http://deliteful-gifts.blogspot.com/
    hummingbird204 at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thanks for sharing your story! Be blessed.

    Cindy R

    ReplyDelete
  24. In our weakness...that's when God can show himself strong! You go girl! Continue to stand strong. Much love and scrappy hugs.

    Love in Christ,
    Christel (Scrappin' Sista)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thank you for your honesty… that does take courage. I, too, struggle with medical conditions and it does take its toll on everyone in a family and especially a marriage. I have been married 23 years, and we still have to ride out the ups and downs (ups are more fun) and we have to fall in love again all the time. Sticking it out together is what makes everyone stronger. Thanks for sharing. I have a blog too (I am new at it) and it's http://dontforgettochecktheporkchops.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

thank you for taking time to connect with me in this space! i will do my best to leave comments answering any questions you may ask. if you are commenting on an older post and you dont see your comment publish right away it is because I have comments set to be approved before publishing on any blog posts older than 10 days old due to a recent influx of comment spammers. i will see your comment, approve it and reply to you....if it isnt spam. xoxo :)

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails