Two for you....

Hi Family and Friends!

Hoping all of you are doing better than I am right now! You know, most of the time when all of you see me, I'm happy (or try to be!) and making the best of my situation. Today is not one of those days! I'm not the brave person you think I am - I'm the person that is tired, very tired of dealing w/this avm! I was hoping by now the steroids I got would kick in and really make me feel better, but no ... not yet! My left eye is a little less puffy, but I have a piercing pain in my ear and the whole left side of my face hurts. I have spurts where I'm ok - but gosh, this evening I'm in pain! I had my little "I'm feeling sorry for myself cry" with Mark tonight and I called to talk to Celia. Celia can't talk right now - her voice has left her what w/her allergies and all! She is preserving her voice for an important funeral she needs to sing at soon! So, Greg and answered the phone and made me laugh - even though I did cry with him a bit. I told him, "Poor guy, first the wife and now the sister"! I felt better sharing some laughs with him ... and now I'm hoping that my feeling bad will mean that Mark will clean the kitchen tonight so I won't have to! Tee Hee! (That is the evil part of the avm talking)! Where does all our time go? Seems all I have time for now is washing my face and ironing the clothes I'll wear tomorrow!

I enjoyed the Stephenie Meyers books so much, I'm starting Twilight again, and enjoying it just as much!

Hey! Saba and I both did our good deeds today! Well, earlier, one of my co-workers came by (well she works on our floor) and was asking for donations for the Diabetes Walk that was going on soon. So I gave her some money and got a chance to invite her to view my blog and Shalons when she has a chance! She said she sees me often @ HEB! I'm hoping she'll look us up and hopefully learn more about avms! Also, on my way to have lunch with Mark, I had debated on taking Saba with me ... and opted to bring her and as I walked down the hall, one of her shoes fell off! As I bent down to pick it up, I said out loud, "Oh! My kid lost her shoe"! There was an older lady in the hallway and she looked up and said, "Oh what a pretty bear"! She asked where I got her, etc. and I told her that Saba was my therapy bear! I explained that having her around makes me feel better, so I bring her to work and other places! She said her daughter was recuperating from a hysterectomy and had not had children. I told her I was never much for having kids, but that my cats and Saba are all I need (besides Mark of course!)! She thought that the bear was a great idea and wanted to get one for her daughter! I told the lady that Saba was a nice distraction and that I had fun dressing her. She wears the preemie size from Wal-Marts baby department! See! I'm feeling better already! Just knowing that Saba and I are inspiring people!

You know, when I was talking to Greg, he was telling me that by Saturday, Davis would be able to go to Galveston and maybe look @ his stuff. From what they hear, there is mold everywhere! Greg was saying that his brother Mike Fossum had been helping his son, along with the Scouts, to get houses cleaned in Houston that had been damaged from Hurricane Ike. Mike had told him that they had gone to help one guy that had already been back living in his house a week or so and it had a LOT of bad mold everywhere! That could have been us! Bless these poor people and let us keep praying for them to recover from the damages of the hurricane!

We hear that Davis is in a nice apt. w/his roommate from Galveston and two other guys already in College Station! He started classes today, and will probably be @ College Station for the rest of the semester! Davis said his girlfriend Mackenzie will take him shopping for things for the apartment because he didn't even have sheets for the bed! Davis wasn't sure what kind of set up he would have when he got up to College Station, so he didn't know what to take! He is so well adjusted!

Ok folks! Thanks for letting me vent! I know there are a lot of people worse off than I am, so I need to pull myself out of the mood I'm in! I hear rumors that my Uncle Louie and Aunt Betty might be coming for Thanksgiving, so that makes us here all very happy! I also heard Gregs younger brother Terry will also be here! Wow, the holidays are around the corner! Happy Fall, Y'all!

Cyndi

P.S. Ok, ok! I can't blog and not include a photo! So here goes! I have to include a photo of my fabulous brother-in-law Greg, since he made me laugh tonight! I'm including a photo of him wearing a Farkle necklace that the winner of the game Farkle gets to wear! And ... since he doesn't win often.... just kidding! We have a running joke with Greg - he gets exasperated w/the dice when he rolls them and doesn't get the points he wants, he'll say, "Piece of junk"!

The other photo is the Awesome Mark Fossum - that will be turning 21 on September 28th! I still remember the day he was born! He is holding our fat cat Midori that Markie Poo Hoo (as Aunt Cyndi has been calling him since he was a toddler) has nicknamed "the ottoman"! Midori is a walking block of fur and Markie thought she'd make a nice ottoman! Hijole! I just had to add another photo of MPH - one where you can see his beautiful face! We were @ the Fossums - probably that same night we took that other photo of Greg when we played Farkle! For those of you who may not know ... to enlarge any of these photos, just click on it for a better and larger view!

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Entry for September 24, 2008

A Story of God’s Providence and Provision



This story begins 57 years ago early in the marriage of Jerry and Mary Powers. Unbeknownst to them in December of 1951 our Lord was at work. As HE tells us in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” These parents did not know they were about to have a son, they would name Charles Morton after his maternal grandfather. Nor did they know that the Lord in His wisdom had formed this child with a malformation in his brain. Even as each of these parents went to their graves, they still knew nothing of God’s plan.

You see the malformation called an Arteriovenous Malformation occurs in less than one percent of the population and will statistically manifest itself in a brain hemorrhage somewhere between the ages of 19-25. Here again God’s plan is clear. My brother Charles has led a very active and athletic life style. In High School he was a champion gymnast in floor exercise, in college he was on the diving team. His career path took him into Law Enforcement. Throughout his career in the Virginia State Police he was a trooper as well as a member of the dive team and SWAT team. None of these pursuits were mild in nature. How many lives have been saved or assisted by Charles’ life? We will never know. But Our Father in heaven does. Had Charles suffered from this AVM early in life the lives he has touched would not be the same.

In the book A Godward Life, John Piper recalls a quote he heard many years ago at the Congress on World Evangelism in Manila. The quote was from Henry Martyn. Henry Martyn was an Anglican priest and missionary. So venerated for his courage and selfless devotion, the Anglican Communion celebrates a lesser festival on October 19th in his honor. He said: “I am immortal until God’s work for me is done. The Lord Reigns.” I add AMEN!

God’s plan for Charles was not that he die young or even that the AVM be discovered earlier in life. No God’s plan was that Charles would work is his career and aid and assist others. More importantly God knew that my brother Charles and I both had considered ourselves Christians our whole lives and at times had even worked at being “good Christians”. Though we were being called by God we were not converted until middle age. It was not in God’s plan that Charles would die without a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we learn in Romans 8:28-30, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

At the age of 55 it was the Lord’s time for the hemorrhage to spring forth. Early in the morning of the 16th of July, as my brother Charles sat as his computer he realized he was unable to move his right hand, he stood up and moved to the living room calling out for his wife Barbara who had gone to bed for the night. When she came downstairs she realized that he most likely had had a stroke and called 911. Within a half hour my brother was in the care of the Doctors and Nurses in the Emergency Room of Johnston Willis Hospital in Richmond, VA. Johnston Willis was the closest hospital but was specifically chosen by God. You see Johnston Willis was the first JACO certified stroke center in Richmond VA. Definitely; a preferred destination for a stroke victim. As time went by it was determined that the reason for the stroke was not blood pressure as is so often the case, but was in fact the AVM formed 57 years before.

God’s timing as we know is ALWAYS perfect. Not only is Johnston Willis a Premier Stroke Center it is also one of only three Gamma Knife Surgical Centers on the East Coast. This has allowed for continuity in care unavailable in most cases like this. Though the first few days after the stroke were encouraging my brother did not make as much progress as we had hoped. After almost three weeks in the hospital and one emergency surgical procedure to relieve pressure from intracranial bleeding my brother was advised by the doctors he would have to have invasive surgery again as the bleeding continued. As with most brain injuries my brother was unable to keep much food down and this was weakening him. The doctors had said Thursday looked like the day to go in again. On Sunday the elders of the church my brother had recently begun to attend came and as the Lord directed in James 5: 14-15 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” They spoke to truth in love to my brother and warned that it would get worse before it got better. It did! On Wednesday morning my brother had his breakfast and lost it. As my sister in love Barbara entered the room my brother looked at her and by the faith our Lord had provided said; that is the last time I will get sick! Barbara replied that this was a good thought but how did he KNOW? And Charles replied that he had the peace of the Lord. Progressively throughout the day Charles improved. When the doctors came in they could not believe his improvement and stated it must be a miracle. Furthermore if he continued in this manner not only would there not be surgery the next day, but he could go home.

Not knowing the occurrences of the past few days I called home on Friday morning hoping to catch Barbara before she went to the hospital and alas she said Charlie is HOME! For the first time in over a month I was able to speak with my brother at home and not the hospital. Praise God!

My brother in keeping with James 1: 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. Had asked for God’s grace in faith and it was granted. Was granted grace and healed of the recurrent bleeding.

It was God in His wisdom, who placed this AVM in the Temporal Lobe of the brain; the center of function for speech, memory and understanding. Yet though the words were sometimes out of order my brother did not lose his ability to speak or think and certainly he never lost connection with his Holy Father in heaven. Interestingly the doctors have never treated an AVM in the temporal lobe. So as has been the case with many things in my brother’s life he will be a first.

On September 30th the doctors at Johnston Willis Gamma Knife Surgical Center will perform laser surgery on the AVM God placed in the center of my brother’s brain 57 years ago. We covet your prayers as the Lord continues to work in my brother’s life.

Many thanks to all of you around the world who have interceded before the throne of Grace on behalf of my brother and our family.



In His service, Cindy
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Well that is an opinion isn't it.

Hey I say anything that helps!

We all know that I have a AVM and it popped! It actually popped Twice...first time no real bad stuff... the second time... it f$%^& me up.

I was on a working holiday... looking for a reason to come home.... I like S. Fl. and for the most part hate were I currently reside. We I guess it got decided for me! After 1 month it was back to GR.

Well I am going to go...
Peace out!
R



and finally youtube!


M. Pokora & Danity Kane - HOT 2008 MUSIC.

So that will do ya.... I'll write more on my AVM latter.