Obtaining Mercy

Happy 12th Birthday to Isaac

 

 

Because of you, I know my God better.

Because of you, I know myself better.

Because of you, I love life more.

Because of you, my joy is full.

 

Thanking God for these 12 years, and for the young man that you have become.

Happy Birthday, Ikey Doo!!!

When God Answers, He Answers BIG!

We went to the car dealership, signed papers and came home with this vehicle - free and clear.  I have no idea who all was involved or what deals were made...I'm absolutely sure it was all legal and Christ-honoring, though!!! :)

This is a 2012 Ford Transit Connect.  It is brand new, as you can see by the odometer.  Right now, it seats Isaac beautifully, as well as stores his chair completely upright in the back.  Our little ramp fit right across the back for storage, as well.

We are in the process of applying for a grant that will hopefully allow us to have it modified with a ramp/lift for when Isaac gets bigger.  That will cost between $16,000-$20,000, and we will be without the vehicle for a month as it is shipped to Indiana for the conversion.  It will be a while before that happens, obviously.

So, I leave you with pictures and verses of praise and amazement.

"Our God is so great, so strong and so mighty...there's nothing my God cannot do!!!"

~~~~~

Isaiah 48:6 "Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them."

 

 

 

Job 42:2-3 "I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.
 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not."

 

 

 

 

Psalm 84:11 "For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."

 

 

(of course, we had to try out the Sync program and call Doug's mom in Ohio to tell her the good news!!!)

 

 

And THIS...

...this makes it worth the wait.

I am so full of gratitude and we are overflowing with thanksgiving!

Our God is worthy to be praised.

Please join us tonight by leaving a comment in honor of His mighty work on our behalf!

AND tomorrow is Isaac's 12th birthday...could the timing have been any better?????

HopeFULLy,

Alesha

Finding a Van for Isaac - It Takes a Family, Not a Village

 

We are in the process of trying to find a wheelchair-accessible vehicle for our family.  Our truck died on May 8th, and we have been without a vehicle since then.

I know intellectually that family is incredibly important, but to see family spring into action on our behalf has really been amazing!

 

• My mechanically-inclined brother, who has done the physical labor on our truck the past several times that it needed work, and who had the wisdom to say (as did Bones on StarTrek) "It's dead, Jim!" when our truck blew it's head gasket last Tuesday.
  
• My fiscally-responsible brother and sister-in-love who unselfishly pick me up for choir practice each week, and bring me home from church on Sunday and Wednesday nights, who pick up groceries when we need them, or prescriptions when we have no way to get them, and who support me emotionally when I feel the need to let off steam, by simply listening or by taking me to the beach for a day (and thereby rescuing my sanity.)
• My extended family who are praying and watching for deals and encouraging us that God will meet our need.
• My brilliant husband who can tell you which car/truck/van has the best and poorest Consumer Report ratings for the past 15 years, and who is humble enough to accept rides back and forth to work but is independent enough to walk to the drugstore and grocery store when we needed something.
• My sweet mother- and grandmother-in-laws who give advice and encouragment to Doug each week and who help us pray for answers.
  
• My servant-hearted cousins who are willing to do anything at all for us from toting a wheelchair, to physically helping Isaac in and out of his wheelchair, and who act out the belief that "Pity is a benign form of abuse, " and therefore do not pity Isaac, but accept him just as he is and help him to be a true part of their junior church ministry every Sunday.
  
• My dad who has worked unfailingly to help us find a vehicle, who has loaned his vehicle for runs to the bank and the grocery store, who drives alone to church in his work truck so that the rest of us can fit in the "nice" vehicle, who believes in a fair price and a good work ethic, who has friends all over town because of his own work ethic, and who has blessed his family for many generations to come by following Christ's example and keeping a good Christian testimony.
• My mom who has taught all of us by her incredible example that PRAYER WORKS, and who is continuing to live out that truth by praying a MIRACLE down for us!!!

 

All these combine to make this time of waiting, bearable. 

As we sink our faith deeper into the mind of Christ, and trust Him to meet this incredible need, we are propped up and encouraged by these in our family who have come along beside us.

Of course, we have sweet friends who minister to us, too, giving us ideas and telling us about vehicles they've seen, and encouraging us with reminders of Who God is, and that He promises to meet every need.  These are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and so, by that definition, are FAMILY, as well!

 

The world has swallowed the lie that it takes a government, a society, a village of people to raise a child.  This is wrong and unScriptural.  It takes individuals who are committed to the success of the child and to the spiritual growth of the child, to properly raise that child to be a Child of the King.

In Isaac's situation, he is "safe" in the Lord, because he does not have the understanding to make a personal decision for Christ. 

So, in his case, we are not coming together to teach him about Jesus and salvation in a mental and spiritual way; but rather we are coming together to teach him how Jesus IS by meeting his physical and emotional needs.

 

I John 3:16-18 "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."

 

My family is loving Isaac, and loving us, "in deed and in truth."

That is very humbling and encouraging and is - quite honestly - just blessing my socks off!!!

Thank you, Lord, for my family!

 

 

HopeFULLy,

Alesha

Alive and Well in Central Florida

Well, hey there!  Did you wonder how things were going over here on the east coast?  I know I've been quiet for a little while, except for my devotional posts each day, but we are doing very well. 

The school year is winding down, and as usual, there are many extra things in the schedule during the month of May.  Some of those activities are planned and expected every year. 

Other things, like funerals, are not expected.  This week I attended the funeral service of one of God's choicest servants, Dr. Gary Herring.

He was a mighty man of God his whole life, even though he had only served with us at our church and college for the past 11 years.  He pastored in his hometown for 32 years!  Isn't that amazing?! 

It was wonderful to hear stories of those who knew him "back when" and to realize that his faithful service had been well established, even before he came to bless us with his ministry at our church.

His wife, Mrs. Earla, showed amazing fortitude and graciousness at the service.  Her spirit of faithfulness and cheerfulness have been a real blessing to us as well.

 

Our prayers are with her now, as she goes through her first weekend without her best friend.  I'm thinking that the first church service without him will be difficult.  If you think of it, would you pray for her this Sunday?

On the home garden front, our cucumbers are doing quite well on the front porch, but we had to move the tomatoes outside.  Just yesterday, Doug woke me up an HOUR BEFORE my alarm to tell me that we had our first cucumber blossom!  It IS exciting, but boy - his timing needs a little work!!! :) (Apologies for the less-than-spectacular photos.)

Isaac has been doing well.  He is sleeping a LOT these days.  I think it must be that pre-teen growth spurt.  He turns 12 this month, can you believe it???

He has been very healthy the past few months and we are so, SO grateful for that!  This summer, he will be having some dental work done, under sedation, but other than that, he is having no problems at present.

We are getting pretty desperate to get a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.  Poor Doug has had severe tendonitis in his left elbow and forearm.  It has been very difficult for him to get Isaac in and out of his carseat with the injured arm. He's left-handed, so it is particularly bothersome to him; but fortunately, he is very ambidextrous, and can write on the chalkboard with either hand for school! :)

I am having good days and not-so-good days with my back, but I am trying to stay busy every day.  I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis, but I am not discouraged about that.  It could have been a much worse diagnosis when it comes to back problems!  I am continuing to try to eat in a healthy way, take all my supplements and get exercise.  The exercise is coming along very slowly, but I am determined to keep at it.

The dogs are doing very well.  We've been able to go out in the evenings and let them run for a while.  They really love that.  Newton can still run Kepler into the ground.  She just cannot keep up with his long legs; but she sure does have fun trying! ;)

I did manage to catch a really fabulous video of them running with the dogs next door, but unfortunately, my phone won't download it into an email.  It says I don't have enough memory.  I'll keep working on that, and maybe I can share it with you later.

By the way, I have a coupon code that is active right now in my Etsy shop:  ILUVMOM  Feel free to use it for 20% off any purchase:  Alesha Kay Jewelry

I pray that you have a wonderful weekend.  Ours is supposed to be a hot one with temps in the 90's.  I will be attended a family reunion outdoors tomorrow...we are praying that we will be blessed with a nice breeze!

HopeFULLy,

Alesha Kay

 

 

Just Call Me "Isaac's Secretary"

Happy Monday, y'all!

I'm just popping in with a quick prayer request.

We are in the process of trying to procure grant money to purchase a wheelchair-accessible vehicle for Isaac.

I contacted my local Children's Medical Service and was sent a list of links to applications and 3 paper applications.

There were 10 sites on the list.

• 1 site doesn't have their application online yet, although it says it will be up by late April 2012.
• 1 site grants only $25-$200 for assistive devices.
• 1 site is only for Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties.  I do not live in those counties!
• 1 site is a loan site. I was looking for grants.
• 1 site is only for grants for ABA therapy which is for kiddos with autism.
• 1 site is from the UK.  I sort of doubt they are going to send off money to a kiddo in the US.
• 1 site is only for members of the Down Syndrome Association. Ike doesn't have down syndrome.
• 1 site's link did not work. I figured out the site, finally, but they had no grants on the site.
• 1 site was simply a list of agencies in my area, none of which mentioned that they had grants.
• 1 site does not cover vehicles.

Did you keep count with me?  Yep, 10 of the 10 sites listed don't work for us!!!

None of them can help us at all!  (I will be checking each day to see if the site that didn't have its application up, has it up yet.)

Of the three paper applications we were sent, 1 of them will not grant money toward a vehicle, but will grant money toward a lift, but no more than $5000.

The other 2 are very vague and give very limited information about what is covered and how much they will give; so I am not very hopeful about them either.

This is all very discouraging.

A vehicle for Isaac will cost upwards of $30,000.  This is a massive undertaking.

Would you please pray that God will give us wisdom and understanding about the process; and that He will lead us to the precise organization that will help us.

I despise wasting time pursuing dead ends, especially when my time could be so much better spent doing other things for my family, friends, church and business.

Thank you for praying for us.  We really appreciate it so very much.

HopeFULLy,

Alesha

 

Whew! What a Week!

We have had such a great and busy week this week; and today my mind is tumbling and twirling with so many thoughts that I thought I'd stop by and share some of them with you.

Shall we do a Bullet Blog?  We haven't had one of those in a while, and I find those little round dots are very freeing...no need to connect the thoughts as we go along!

• We had an AMAZing Bible Conference this week.  I mean we literally had several services in-a-row where we listened to preachers preach the Bible!  There was no grand-standing.  There were no overinflated "preacher" egos.  There were no personality conflicts.  It was just GOOD BIBLE Preaching!!!  (For the record, we don't usually have all those negative things in our conferences any way.  I just wanted you to know what kind of services we really had!)
• My tomatoes and cucumbers are growing so well.  I am really pleased.  I put the lattice work in to the cucumber pots this morning, and we moved the tomatoes outside to get a little more sunshine.
• Ike's caregiver is not here today.  She is "caregiving" for her son.  He broke 3 fingers yesterday and is making all the necessary doctor's visits today.  Please pray for Nathan's fingers to heal quickly and completely.
• I am so SO weary of reading CHRISTIAN blogs with CURSE words!!!  You know, I expect it from the world, but NOT from fellow Christians.  I think this whole "being real", "being transparent" trend is just giving us excuses to live and act according to the flesh.  I know there are times when we all slip and say (or think) a "cuss" word.  However, to type that word out and proudly hit the "publish" button???  Shame on you!  You ought to know better!  It shows a lack of class and a serious lack of imagination and creativity.
• Isaac is sleeping the day away today...and has done that several times in the last few weeks.  I think he's going through a growth spurt.
• We are attending a family reunion on Saturday, and for the first time in years, I am excited to cook for it --- because of PINTEREST!!!  There are just so many easy recipes that it makes it really fun to pick out a few things to try.
• Next Tuesday I will be posting a "Do Over Challenge" post on my jewelry blog.  I am looking forward to that!  I re-made the necklace that was sent to me a couple of weeks ago, and have already worn it twice!  Now I just have to discipline myself to take some pictures for my post!  I'm looking forward to seeing what the other jewelry bloggers have done with their "do over" pieces!
• My cousin Joy, of Case Crossings, had her baby girl on Monday!  We are all so excited about her.  Joy and her husband like to "meet" their babies before deciding on a name, so we have called her "Tadpole" for months.  It was very difficult for 3-year-old Josiah to accept that his baby sister is now called "Joanna"! LOL!  Hopefully, he will pick up on it quickly, as he hears other people say it! :)

Yep, we've had a fun and busy week!  So now, I'd best get up from here and see what I can get accomplished!

HopeFULLy,

Alesha Kay

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party

 

 

Welcome to Obtaining Mercy!

I am Alesha Kay and I am so excited that you have dropped by my blog for the Ultimate Blog Party!

 

 

 

I started blogging in 2007, which was a particulary difficult year for our family.  I was just looking for a place to unwind, to share my thoughts and feelings, and to connect with other likeminded women.

I have been greatly blessed by the people I have met since then.  I love my bloggy friends!

I blog quite a bit about the men in my life: My husband Doug and my son, Isaac.  In fact, Isaac has his own page here, because he is such a special kiddo - in more ways than one.

 

 

I also write about running a household, living with chronic conditions (fibromyalgia & osteoarthritis) and about our ongoing goal of fitness and health.

The writing that I am most passionate about is my A Door of Hope posts.

I reached a point in my life, when Isaac was so sick in 2007, that I felt absolutely hopeless.  I had never experienced that kind of emptiness and pain before, and I was shocked and saddened by my inability to rise above those feelings.

So, I ran to God's Word, and I sunk myself into It to see what I could find about hope; and of course, the Bible's pages are brimming with verses and stories about the Hope that we can only find in God alone.

The Lord is so gracious and kind to give us all that we need to meet life's trials, when we read His Word.  He wants our lives to be joyful and filled with hope.

As we come to know the character of God, we come to realize that as long as God lives, there is hope!  It is ours for the asking, and it is bountiful and everlasting in its supply.

If you are hurting today, I pray that you find some words of comfort and assurance here at Obtaining Mercy and A Door of Hope.

Thanks for coming to the Ultimate Blog Party!!! 

Be sure to head to Party Central and visit with the other bloggers there.

 

Hopefully blogging,

Alesha Kay

 

 

What a Wonderful Weekend

Managing My Monday - Ike and I are hanging out by ourselves this morning.  Julie is not feeling well today.  I did manage to get all of his dvds back in their jackets and videos rewound and on the shelf.  That's something that Daddy doesn't manage to keep up with on the weekend, and it is no problem to do them on Monday morning. :)

We had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday together yesterday.  As I stood up in the choir and looked out at the church congregation, in their spring-colored clothing, singing "I serve a RISEN Saviour.  He's in the world today!  I know that He is living, whatever men may say, " it seemed to be the happiest holiday ever!!!

Really, it is a day of such victory, such triumph, such incredible sacrifice ending in Christ's resurrection.  How can we not LOVE the celebration of all of that?!

Of course, I also indulged a bit over the weekend in my favorite Easter candy eeeeever - Robin's eggs.

We didn't get any pictures yesterday.  We were focused on the basics - all of us getting to church together. :)  So some of the fun extras were dropped; but we had a good day!  The weather here was just gorgeous!  Ike and Doug spent some time out on the front porch while I was at church for the evening service.  They were able to listen to the service on the radio out there. :)

I do have a pic of our newly planted veggies, though!  Our friend, Mike, potted some plants for us and Doug brought them home last Tuesday.  I am trying really hard not to kill them! ;)

 

 

From left to right these are Yellow Brandywine Tomato, Yellow Pear Tomato, Boston Pickling Cucumber and Straight Eight Cucumber.  He also sent this little pot of Basil.

 

 

They are on my front porch, but are getting plenty of sunshine and fresh air.  This is really an experiment of sorts, to see if I can grow things on this porch.  We do have bamboo stakes and a mesh that is used for gutters that we'll be inserting into the pots for the cukes.  The tomatoes are a determinite variety and will not need to be staked.

I just got an email from him, reminding me that these will need to be pollenated, since they aren't outside to get the help from the bees.  I'll be researching that to see what needs to be done.  If you are knowledgeable about this process, I sure would appreciate some advice or perhaps a web site that might help.

Well, I have several more things listed on my "To Do" list on my phone for today, so I'd best get busy!

Wishing you a happy week,

Alesha

 

 

Happy Anniversary to Isaac, Doug and Me!!!

 

It is the 10-YEAR anniversary of Isaac's Gotcha Day! 

I remember that day with as much clarity as a mommy who shares her child's birth story.  What a wonderful day, and what a miracle it was to bring home our baby boy.

We love you, Ikey-doo!  Thank you for bringing so much joy and laughter into our home!

 

 

 

 

So What's Going On with Isaac?

I know you all like to know how's he doing, so here's a nice, long update for you.

On the sleeping front - Isaac has slept several nights in a row.  We are ecstatic about that, as you can well imagine.

About three weeks ago, his neurologist increased one of his meds, and we have seen wonderful results.  He is sleeping at night.  His vision to his left has increased.  He is looking to the left and is noticing things in his peripheral vision on both sides.

~In our backyard, reaching for a potted plant~

There are also some results that are not so wonderful.  He has an opinion about everything.  He wants all of his needs/wants met NOW, and he doesn't like to be corrected.

~I call this his "I can't believe she just told me 'No!' face"!!!~

His manual dexterity has increased and his strength has seemingly tripled.  Both of those things lead to pinching others and grabbing his tubes and syringes during feeds.

So the seizures are under better control, but Ike is NOT!!!

I know --- it's kinda funny and kinda not.  I'm glad his little brain is working better; but it's hard to figure out how to discipline and train a child who has no idea how strong he is, does not understand he is hurting other people, can't reason right or wrong, and has no concept of time.

We are using many of the same phrases we used when he was younger before the seizures started.  We figure those may at least sound familiar:

• "No pinching!"
• "Easy..."
• "Be patient."
• "No tubie!"
• "No hands."
• "First...then."
• "Inside voice."

It seems like a lot of negative things, doesn't it?  But most of Isaac's interactions are very positive.  We rarely have cause to scold him, except when he's experiencing these new levels of mental clarity and he has to be reminded of things.  Honestly, he still doesn't fully understand some of the phrases we use, but we try to be consistent and firm and show him what we mean.

I would guess that is much like parenting a "normal" toddler, right? :)

On the nutritional front - Isaac weighed in at 68.3 pounds at his weigh-in last month.  We have had to accept a new formula for him, and we were not happy about that.  The only all-food based formula (Compleat) is no longer covered by his insurance company.  We did check into buying it ourselves, but it would be roughly $600 a month!

So we are giving him a formula that his insurance company will cover, but we are not pleased with the amount of sugar and synthetic additives in it.  We talked to the gastro doctor about that today.  He said there was no way to get the insurance to cover the other formula. :o(

Some things we can change.  Some things we can't.

On the vehicle front - we still do not have a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.  Doug is still carrying Isaac to the truck and quite precariously getting him into his carseat.  It is getting harder and harder, because Isaac is getting so heavy and so long.

We are doing research right now, and have heard about a company that may alter a mini van for him at no cost.  Now we just praying that the Lord will bring a van to us that we can afford...um, basically a free one would be really great! :)

On the mommy and daddy front - Doug is enjoying teaching SO much!  I am so grateful that the Lord has given him this opportunity.  I have been doing "ok."  My back has actually not been too painful lately.  I started taking a couple of supplements that seem to be helping.  I thought I was finally going to get back to church and singing this past week.  Unfortunately, I was sidelined with a horrible cold and sinus infection.  I am finally feeling better now.

Doug and I had a really nice morning today, as he had the day off.  We went out to a yummy (completely unhealthy) breakfast at Denny's.  Then we went to a couple of quaint stores in a nearby town.  One was an antique store, where I found some fabulous vintage buttons to use in my jewelry; and the other was full of all sorts of cutesy stuff and an entire wall of Vera Bradley!  It was ni-i-i-i-ice!  I was finally able to see the purses "in real life", instead of just pictures online.  I definitely found a style that I really liked and made sure Doug saw that one, too! :)

Afterwards, we took Ike to Orlando for the visit with the gastro doctor I mentioned above, and made one important stop on the way home:

~I've discovered I like Barnie's caramel macchiato and that we love Whole Foods hummus!~

Well, I guess that's it for us...congrats to you, if you persevered to the end!

Thanks for reading,

Alesha