His Pleasant Place : April 2019

Friday, April 19, 2019

WE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN- TAKE TWO

Well, we should have known...

Jonah's mid-April labs came back showing he still is hyPERthyroid.

This means his May 7th surgery is still on.

Nervous...

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

WE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN

In a previous post, we talked about scheduling Jonah for surgery on May 7 to have his thyroid removed.

This is because his Grave's disease or hyPERthyroidism can no longer be controlled by medication.

And Jonah's body had not started to self-correct which is sometimes what happens after being on the medication. Jonah has been off the medication since January so his endocrinologist thought self-correcting would have happened by now.

However, we should have known that Jonah never does anything the way the experts expect things to happen.

As part of the surgical consult appointment in March, the surgeon had thyroid labs ran just to verify what Jonah's levels are before surgery. While Jonah's TSH is still low which is expected with hyPERthyroidism, his free T3 and T4 are in the normal range. Usually with hyPERthyroidism, the free T3 and T4 are high.

This means there is a very good chance that Jonah is moving into the sub-clinical category of hyPERthyroidism and possibly on his way to being in remission. Which would mean no surgery!

So in mid-April, we will rerun labs. If levels continue to be in the sub-clinical range to possibly even normal range, surgery can be cancelled! Yeah Jonah for possibly fixing this on his own- with a little help from the Lord, of course :)

This would be great news! Sometimes quirkiness is exactly what works best!

If Jonah's Grave's is in remission, there will still need to be monitoring done to make sure it stays that way. Also, there will be the question of Jonah's difficulty with focusing and staying on task: will this get better because the thyroid is functioning normally now? Of course, we are praying we see an improvement for Jonah in this area.

And now some photos of the boys playing in the park on one of our beautiful spring days. I really notice an improvement in what they can do as far on the play equipment since the fall. They can now slide down the "Batman" pole and swing on the "George of the Jungle" zip line swing. These are things they were too scared of and not strong enough for last fall. So much fun for them-even though Ben doesn't look very happy in this 1st photo:

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

WHAT EASTER MEANS TO ME

Please READ to find out

WHY EASTER MATTERS by Focus on the Family.

Please WATCH the following video to see

WHAT THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST MEANS:

Please READ the following to find out

WHAT EASTER MEANS TO ME:

I became a Christian when I was a sophomore in high school.

I grew up going to church and having the Bible read to me by my parents almost every day at the supper table. I always knew my parents had a personal relationship with the Lord because I would observe them praying and reading their Bibles during their quiet times. I also grew up watching my parents make their decisions based on their faith and what the Bible said. They treated others with love and respect and were always willing to serve and help others whenever help was needed. They always were grateful for the blessings from the Lord and willing to share and give of those blessing to others.

What prompted me to accept Jesus as my Savior as a sophomore in high school was the question being posed to me, "If you would die tonight, where would you go: heaven or hell?"

Not only did I realize that I was sinner, but I also realized that living a life captive to my sinful desires would not bring me an everlasting joy and peace. The things of this world are temporary and fleeting.

Only God's love and grace could make me whole and complete.

And there was nothing I could do on my own to make

myself right with the Lord.

Further, because of my sin, I would face eternity out of the

Lord's presence if I would die.

This was not something I wanted.

So I guess you could say that initially I became a Christian mostly for the reason of wanting the assurance of eternal life in heaven.

Over the years, however, the Lord has helped my faith become so much more than just an insurance policy for my death. My faith is now the guiding force in my life, it directs how I treat others, how I spend my time and money, and it guides and directs me in making decisions. My faith is a source of strength and comfort during difficult times, and helps me to always give thanks to the Lord for His blessings in my life, in good and bad times. My faith is what helps me have a second chance when I goof up and not make good choices (using the language we use with our boys). I can ask for forgiveness from my Lord Jesus, and He forgives me and helps me get back on my feet to try again. I try to study God's word every day and spend time in prayer. I try to use what I read in God's word and apply it to my life: how can I better serve the Lord using what I learned today from the Bible?

In other words, my belief in the Jesus as my Lord and Savior gives my life structure and purpose. I try to live each and every day for Him, to bring Him glory and honor.

Do I fail often? Yes.

Am I forgiven always? Yes.

Am I loved by Jesus no matter what? Yes.

Would I live my life any other way? No.

So Easter is the time of year where I really try to focus on what Jesus did for me by dying on the cross for my sins. How much love He showed me by taking the blame for my sins. And then to celebrate that my Lord is more powerful than death because He rose again and conquered the grave!

Easter is truly a beautiful time of year!

Please LISTEN to the following song

which explains what Christ means to me: