Friday 15 December 2023
It's OK to have a simple Christmas
Tuesday 12 December 2023
Sufficient to the day
As a woman who suffers from chronic illness and pain through fibromyalgia, I often succumb to bouts of depression. I have a few tips on overcoming it.
First and foremost, start your day in prayer. Ask God for the strength to face the day and play worship music to lift your spirit.
Try to be in the moment and take one day at a time. That's all we can tackle otherwise, the sense of failure can be overwhelming. We aren't meant to take it on all at once.
If you try to just focus on the next task at hand and not dwell on the future, it will help your attitude to realise that you have accomplished something. It will then snowball as you progress through the day.
With chronic illness, I set myself just one or two daily goals that are achievable: for me it is wash the dishes and put away the clean clothes. I only focus on those goals that I know are achievable and if at the end of the day, they are done, then I feel a sense of accomplishment instead of defeat.
Nothing depresses me more than a feeling that I have achieved nothing all day. I don't worry that others may say "for goodness sake, it's only washing dishes..." for us in the throes of illness, be it mental or physical- it's a big deal. Delight yourself in small victories.
I find that in setting small goals it knocks the cloud of gloom off its perch and makes me hopeful that I will be able to rise above the depression. Give yourself a high five and see that any job you do is a step in the right direction. It still blesses your family and serves the LORD.
I think when we are depressed and/or in pain, the desire to go Home to the LORD is strong. After all, we are tired of living in a world of pain and we look forward to our redemption. But in saying that, we still have a work to do until that time.
As FlyLady says, baby steps. But just taking baby steps lead us out of our rut and it is that first baby step that will hasten our healing of depression and sense of failure.
© Glenys Robyn Hicks
Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:34
Thursday 30 November 2023
God's got this!
He wants to do a stress test on the bicycle but I can't because of my ligaments being torn in my knees. My last chemically induced exercise test saw them do a code blue for me as it gave me a heart attack.
So I said no to that and to angiograms.. it's kind of freeing to know that I get to call the shots in my life... it's sad that I got to old age before I said no to doctors... anyway, he waived the $300 fee for video consultation yesterday. Medicare will pay him. So I am very happy and relieved about that...
Thanks to God, I can relax, God's got this!
Wednesday 29 November 2023
This is a great help
Saturday 25 November 2023
Being your own doctor
When the fog clears, tea's on the list.
Thursday 23 November 2023
"We give You thanks"
May we be truly grateful
For the bounty You have given us.
We thank you for the earth and rain,
The good harvest and the wholesome grain
That went into our daily bread
And kept the stock that kept us fed.
Thank you for the hands that cooked and baked,
And for the water that our thirst slaked.
Please accept our thanks as we honour You
For Your goodness in giving us this food.
© Glenys Robyn Hicks
Monday 20 November 2023
We're going for a run
As you know, I have had to resort to using a wheelchair when I go out. It is not something I am happy about, but it is a necessary part of adapting to my new normal.
Along with walking, there are a few other things I have had to adapt to as well.
I sit on my shower seat. When I get out, I sit down again and dry off. That's about all the time I can stand.
Most times, Chris stacks and unstacks the dishwasher and this has stopped me having to stand and bend.
I always use the dryer even in good weather. I miss the smell of sun-dried clothes, but it is what it is.
I do make my bed for company, but even so it is just pulled up quickly, nothing fancy. I can't stand to tuck it in and I can't bend either...
With the ageing Australian Government Package, I have a support worker come every two weeks. She changes our beds.
Also within this Home Care Package, I can order ready cooked frozen dinners from Lite N Easy. The meals are designed by a dietitian and cooked by a chef. They are quite delicious and save me from having to stand to cook and I know we are eating well.
I am grateful for all this as it allows me to still be mistress of my home in spite of illness, pain and disability. But even so, I find myself longing for the soon rapture of the Church.
It will be so glorious to not only see my Saviour, but to be able to breathe easily, feel joy and go for a run...
Sunday 19 November 2023
Not falling off the vine
Since turning 70 last May, I have noticed a rapid decline in our health. Heart issues are worsening, pains are hurting, fibromyalgia is making spoons are scarce and my mood is darkening.
We both are enjoying the peace in our home that has been jealously guarded and nurtured. Quite simply, we cannot cope with other's dramas.So much so that we have become reclusive.
The days when we don't have to leave our home are cherished days. And even though we make a point to get dressed each morning, we are not adverse to having a couple of Pajama Days occasionally.
In short, we are wearing out. Physically, mentally and emotionally, we are spent. I can say that we aren't spiritually spent because we pray and worship a lot. It does help.
I have been posting a little spasmodically because of excessive fatigue, and I have decided that from tomorrow onward, I will post in a diary form recording bloods, blood pressure and so on. Plus anything else the LORD puts on my heart.
Today is Sunday and I have just done the least I can do to keep our home manageable. With the fatigue being bad and no spoons, I took a nana nap and it turned into a grandma nap. Three hours.
But I woke up and felt a bit better and managed to fold some clothes that had spent their new clean life in the laundry basket...
Anyway, I had a comforting thought which I will share: there's an old saying that the aged say... "I am so ripe that I am falling off the vine!" Not very comforting.
But the next thought was comforting- physically, yes I am- but spiritually, not so. Instead I am grafted into the Vine- Jesus and He sustains me and gets me through this painful path called life...
So, with His help, I am definitely not falling off the vine!
Saturday 18 November 2023
Hear me roar
Eventually you run out of dishes and knives and forks and of course, pots and pans. You work harder by having to scrub really dried on food. It's a drag.
So the other day I woke up and decided that this would be the day I washed all those dishes and cleaned my kitchen. With both my knees with meniscus tears, I doubted I would be able to accomplish this.
Anyway, in stints of about 15 minutes each, I managed to knock over the dishes and clean the kitchen. It was a novelty to see the benchtops clear of dishes and I pinched myself to make sure I was seeing the empty draining board and not imagining it.
Life has been tough lately with torn knees, sciatica and fibromyalgia flaring. I haven't been able to stand much and my muscle pain has been horrible. But I did it!
To 'normals' reading this, you probably will be thinking it's no big deal- it's doing the dishes. But to me it's like climbing a mountain or going on a 30 mile hike. That's how my body reacts.
To my Sacrificial Home Keeping Sisters, you will be rejoicing with me because you know how even a seemingly small task can feel like a marathon.
It was a marathon and I won! you can't believe how extremely proud of myself I am feeling right now. And relieved. It's nice to prepare a meal in a well organised and clean kitchen.
I am savouring the moment and don't care if you are laughing at me! I can do anything!
I am woman-hear me roar!