My Brave New Joyful World

 I have released the cane! Yes, I'm finally walking without a stick in my hand and I like it! It has been years in the making and I cherish each day and enjoy even the littlest accomplishments. I try not to take anything for granted, like going up and down steps (still a bit hesitant but much better now).

This past week I helped Danny move a bush in the yard. We divided it into thirds and planted three new bushes. I was grinning like a possum the whole time even though I got so tired so quickly. I was thrilled when he let me use the shovel and push down on it several times. I was very very careful, but gosh it was so much fun!

My neck therapy is going OK. My pinched nerve seems better; it doesn't fire off in my arm like it did in the beginning. Now, if I look up it feels like water running down my arm instead of hot sparks. I doubt if it will ever be normal without surgery, but at this point I'd have to be a lot worse to pursue surgery.

I've cut back on my weekly chiropractic appointments. I'm trying to stretch them out to 10 days now to try and clear our calendar somewhat. Between chiro and therapy we were out just about every day for the past year.

The colonoscopies are over and done with for another 5 years. We both were on cancellation lists and both ended up having our procedures done in the same week. Neither of us had any issues, so check that one off the To Do list!

Of course, I've been crocheting baby hats for the hospital, reading, and doing genealogy research. I've also been changing passwords that I've had since I started using a computer. It was just time to change some things and these days there are more and more people who seem to make it their life's work to steal from others and hack accounts and whatever else they can do to cause trouble. I've been contacting companies I haven't used in years and deleting accounts and personal information. Most have been very easy to do with a few that aren't even in business anymore. I like a good purge, don't you?

Danny has started building my garden boxes from leftover deck materials and it's not a moment too soon. I had recently asked him to get me a package of lettuce seeds. Being the sweet guy he is he came home with lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, basil, and okra along with a seed starting tray and a bag of dirt. Most of the seeds are coming up nicely now and will soon need transplanting.

We finally got our cables installed on the deck and I'm so glad we decided to use them instead of regular vertical rails. Our view of the back yard is not impaired at all!

On Friday we went to visit my cousin and pick out granite counter tops for our bathrooms. It's always good to see Hunter. He's a great guy and I'm lucky to be kin to him. I took him some paintings his mother had done that she had given to mom. I also took a couple of vintage quilts that my great-great and his great-great-great grandmother had made. I'm hoping that his nephews' children may end up cherishing these heirlooms.

We've been praying about church and I think we're ready to commit to the new church we've been attending. At the end of March it will be a year since I was at my old church. With that said, during today's sermon the preacher mentioned that Jesus couldn't do many miracles in his hometown because everyone knew him and thought he was just the carpenter's son. Later, I was thinking how in the church I grew up in it was always a bit intimidating to be bold in praising God. Most people don't raise hands or say Amen there and if you did it felt like you stood out and everyone was watching you. Maybe it was just me, but today's message gave me much to think about of my own praise life. So maybe it's a good thing that God has given us a start fresh elsewhere. I'm excited to see what God does in our lives now.

Aren't these peach blossoms gorgeous?