7 years cancer free!

 April 2024 marks seven years cancer-free! I still amaze my doctors and sing praises to God's holy name. Remarkably, God did not heal me until the medical system gave up on me. 

My heart is overwhelmed by what God has done for me and thank Him for sustaining me and giving me purpose. As such, I dedicate my life to His service. <3

"O LORD my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me. 
O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave;
You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name."   Psalms 30:22-3

The bottom line is that life is better with Jesus as it gives us hope and a life filled with the Holy Spirit which comes with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,  kindness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

May 2024 bring blessings to all. 

Love and peace, Holly <3

Single-handed Life

On April 5, I celebrated 6 years cancer free. Paise the Lord! Now, my checkup is booked once a year rather than every 6 months. 

It has also been 6 years of having no left arm. The first time I was referred to as an amputee was shortly after my surgery. A nurse said the word to me ... and it kind of just hung in the air as I pondered the potential of the label being part of who I now was. It did take time to adjust to this new label and certainly has made me look at normal life activities differently. 

I did not mourn the loss of my arm. I was so happy with the potential of continuing my life that mourning the loss did not even occur to me. My joy in being alive and my love of learning probably made adapting to my life as an amputee easier.  Six years later I still have phantom pain and yet I remain drug-free. I still handle the issue with mirror therapy for 10 minutes in both morning and night. Talking to other amputees is cool because they understand being an amputee because they too have lived it.

One of the first things that I had to learn to do was brush my teeth. After that, I began to figure out the intricacies of getting dressed and even doing up buttons. The next effort was figuring out basic things in the kitchen like peeling carrots. Driving was interesting. With the amputation, they took away my driver’s license, and I had to take a ‘course’ through the AMA before I could drive again and take a driving test. The impressed driving course instructor told me she would let me 'drive with her children'. I am not sure what she wrote in her report but when I got the letter from Alberta Transportation all I had to do was go into a registry office for an eye test – there was no need for a driving exam.  

Some people do take a second look at me and that is fine. Some do not even notice that I am wearing a prosthetic and that is also fine. It does not happen too often but there are those who try to decide for me what I can or cannot do based on how they perceive my physical limitations. I live outside the 'box' and decide what and how I do things. Thus I do not let the opinions of others define my abilities. This is weird that I find a need to say this but avoid telling anyone with a perceived disability what they can or cannot do.  I definitely have decided that I live outside the traditional box of limitations although I do happily accept and ask for help when needed. Being a single-handed individual does make things slower for me; however, it has also created an opportunity for me to demonstrate adaptability and flexibility rather than disability in my approach to my life as an amputee. 

Proverbs 23:7  For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Happy Spring!

Happy New Year 2023!

Happy New Year! 2023 and I am still here! I am so very grateful for each day and, frankly, quite high on life. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  tells us to "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." So rejoicing and finding the good in uncomfortable circumstances have influenced my reactions to life events. I also have developed the ability to trust that everything is for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28). This is a good way to be. Trusting that we have a sovereign, powerful God who works everything for our good is a great way to live. 

We do not have to do this ourselves because God promises, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart
of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). 

I continue eating well and exercising. I took a nutrition course this past summer that got me sprouting more of my food before I cook or eat it. Sprouting equals an increase in nutrition. For exercise, I still run sprints, do squats and lunges, and when there is not too much snow on the trampoline, I jump on the trampoline.

In 2023, I look forward to spending more time with my family. Today, I will spend some time organizing and enjoying some sunshine. For my New Year's resolution, I intend to spend extra time during the week reading, studying, and writing. This will hopefully add some pages to my neglected book that I have been drafting for five years. 

Blessings to all. 

Secret to True Happiness

At the core of human existence is a desire for happiness. People do all kinds of crazy things, sometimes even destructive things looking for personal satisfaction and joy in life. 

I sit here in chronic pain and with one arm; yet, I am happy. There is a secret to my happiness that I need to share. It is simple but true. We have a mighty God who wants us to live abundantly (John 10:10) with lives filled with joy (Romans 15:13; Galatians 5:22-23). 

I ask God to fill me with the Holy Spirit daily. Each morning I get up and pray while I do my mirror therapy (used to control phantom pain because I want my brain to work so I refuse drugs).

It is during this time that I ask for the Holy Spirit to fill me and direct my steps and path for the day. Lately, like Elisha of the Old Testament, I ask for a double portion. I do this not only because of the times we are living in but because I know that joy will follow.

So if you are seeking happiness and purpose no matter what is going on around you then ask for the Holy Spirit. God denies no good gift from His children (Psalms 84:11) and being happy is a very good gift. All we need to do is ask.

May you continue to be blessed in your life journey! <3 Holly 

Be Thankful in Everything!

I always have loved spring. This spring of 2022 is extra special because Tuesday this week I celebrate five years of being cancer-free! 

Five years is a goal line for all cancer patients to get to. There is nothing that I can I say but, "Thank you, Lord!"

May all the glory for my preserved life go to God!

1 Thessalonians 5:16- 18 says, " Rejoice evermore. Pray without creasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." KJV

After being bluntly told three times that my life was over, I am humbled by the fact that God had different plans.

Life is not perfect. I still struggle with nerve damage from chemo, the phantom pain from my amputation, and waning levels of energy; however, I praise the Lord for the wonderful gift of extending the days that God has provided me. So in everything, I will give thanks. I am able to work, I enjoy my family and friends, I participate in my community, I dance with joy, and the best gift of all is that I get to tell others how much God loves them!

This evening as I looked out the window, I could not help admiring the beauty of the sky as the spring sun reflected in the clouds creating a stunning glow. Our southern Alberta snow has melted teasing us with the prospect of an early spring yet I am sure we will be blessed by the moisture of a spring snowstorm most likely at an inconvenient time. However, there is one thing that I have learned is to trust in God's timing. He has each of us surrounded by angels and in the palm of His mighty hand if that is where we wish to be. 

May we always, "Rejoice evermore. Pray without creasing. In everything give thanks".

Blessings and hugs, Holly 

Sabbath ... the blessings of rest

Dreams do come true! In June, I finished my Master of Education in Educational Research: Adult, Community, and Higher Education. And now on Monday, I am starting a job as a full-time instructor at a local community college. As I embark on a new chapter of my life, I cannot help but reflect on the gift of rest that has been given to each of us.

The seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday) is my pause to remember my Creator. My
once-a-week day of rest. A day to worship my God and rest in the knowledge of His love for me. It is a day to shut off my busy life and find rest. It is a protest against the commercialism of our culture and is meant to simply shut the noise of the world out to enjoy communion with God and His people. The rest comes from trusting in the fact that God has provided this day for us and so I need not work or worry but only rest in His loving arms on this day of our Lord. 

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will. - Romans 12:2

The roots of the seventh-day Sabbath come from the 4th commandment. 

8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labour and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Exodus 20:8-11

Christ tells us ....

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20

Christ himself worshiped on the Saturday Sabbath and rested on the Sabbath day in the grave after his crucifixion. 

It is a reminder in this modern age of the everlasting covenant between God and His people even to the end of time. 

12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Revelation 14:12

The Sabbath was twisted in 321 AD when Roman emperor Constantine, in a political move, changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday.  Hence Sunday has through the centuries has unwittingly been adopted by many Christians as a false Sabbath. 

Malachi 3:6 tells us "For I am the LORD, I do not change;..."

There are more sinister implications with the change of Saturday worship to Sunday worship when studying Daniel and the beast of the end times is identified.  

25 “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
And shall intend to change times and law”. Daniel 7:25

However, that is for another discussion.

Praise the Lord for his many mercies and may we all find rest and peace in this upside-down world. 

Blessings to all, Holly

 

 

Do you know Jesus?

He fulfilled Bible prophesy as the Messiah.

He came to earth so that all could know who God truly is.

He lived a perfect life as our example.

He said, "love one another as I have loved you" John 15:12.

He suffered and died so that everyone can live.

After resting in the grave, He rose. 

He left the Holy Spirit for us on earth. 

He has returned to heaven where He is preparing a home for us.

He is coming back for His people.

He has something for you beyond all imagination. 

Jesus is the key to our salvation and redemption, as well as a life of joy and purpose.

I encourage you in this time of uncertainty to open your Bibles and find out who Jesus is for yourself. Start in the book of John, if you are not sure where to start.

If you prefer to watch a video, I recommend Cami Oetman's videos from AWR.

Maybe you wish to start with this one ... The Great Controversy

May God bless you on your search. :)