I think God must have a wonderful sense of humor.  I hope you don’t think me sacrilegious when I say that.  Because I say it with much respect.  I happen to think that a sense of humor is one of the things needed most to survive this world with the mind somewhat intact!  If we can not laugh at the funny, the absurd, the quirkiness of life…we miss a whole lot of fun!

Just look at some of the creatures He created…they are hilarious!

“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouting.”  Job 8:21

Well,  in my life, there are always funny coincidences.  And, sometimes, I can just imagine He is laughing with me when I ‘get it’!  Do you remember that old joke….”Wanna know how to make God laugh?”…..”Just tell Him YOUR plans!”  I’m sure we crazy humans amuse Him quite often.

“A joyful heart is good medicine…….”  Proverbs 17:22 a

Well…before we go on a trip, we always have a prayer after we get into the car.  We ask for safety for us as we travel and for others travelling as well.  And, because I believe in praying specifically, I ask Him to put His angels all around our car as we go.  (Doesn’t it make you feel safe to think of His angels travelling along with you?  It does me.)

So, as Joy and I were travelling home from Birmingham, we saw something we never thought we would see…RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR CAR!  Exactly what we had prayed for!   We both just laughed and laughed and laughed.  And, then I made her slow down so that we could get a picture.  I mean…I had no doubt at all that God had done as we asked.  But, to SEE them…that’s another story!

Yes, there they were!  Just like I had prayed for!  One is sitting upright and two were lying down.  But, I’m sure they, too, were on guard, nonetheless!

And, then I imagined God laughed and laughed and laughed.

“Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”  Psalm 126:2

May I just tell you, my dear friends, I have ‘been there and done that’ concerning my cataract surgery.  And, I didn’t even get a T-shirt!  The cataracts are gone…and all that’s left for me to do is put drops in my eyes for another month!

Now, I want to be real honest with you about this procedure.  I’m gonna tell you exactly how it was…and is.  But, first, a disclaimer:  Everyone’s surgery experiences are different and just because I tell you it is this way for me doesn’t mean it will be this way for you!  You and your doctor should make all decisions concerning your health.  I just want to share with you the things I experienced.  OK?  OK.

Joy took me in for the first surgery.  Everything went fine.  All the nurses who got me ready and prepared my eyes were super.  The anesthesioligist and the doctor were tops.  But, the surgical nurse who came to roll me down to the OR was a nasty little twit.

SHE:  So you are going to be put to sleep?  There’s really no need for that.

ME:  My doctor and I decided that this would be the best thing for me.

SHE:  Well, we do this surgery every day and we don’t usually put someone to sleep.  It’s really unnecessary.  (all this while she is rolling me along to surgery)

ME:  (getting a little miffed)  What is your name again?

SHE:  Sandy

ME:  Well, Sandy, I’ll be sure to tell Dr K that you think the decisions he made for my surgery are all wrong.  I’m sure he’d like to know what you think.

SHE:  Now, hon, don’t go getting nervous and upset on me.  You just have to do what’s right for you.

Yeah, she changed her tune quite quickly!  And, by the way, I didn’t tell on her, but I should have.  None of her business!  Anyway, I was returned to Joy who put me in the car and headed home.  I was fine but feeling a little ‘loopy’.  And…I did see some things quite amusing on my way home from the hospital.

ME:  Joy, I feel like I am hallucinating.  I keep seeing things I know are not there.

JOY:  Things like what, Sweet Sister of Mine?

ME:  I actually think I’m seeing PINK ELEPHANTS!

JOY:  Why, Darling Sister, you know that is impossible!  We are in Alabama and the only elephants here are RED (ROLL TIDE)!  Besides, I don’t think they like to walk along a busy highway such as this.

I pulled out my telephone and snapped away.  You see them, too, don’t you?

 Today (8-24) is Joy’s birthday.  I’m only sad that everyone cannot have a sister as special as mine.  She is gentle and kind and always available to anyone in need.  The best gift my parents ever gave me was her as my sister!

So, home to recuperate, and to prepare for phase 2.    There was no pain.  But, the glasses I had were not right anymore and I had to go a week without really seeing well.  But, that passed and it was time for us to head back.  That is until Joy called me late Sunday evening and told me she had just come from the doctor and was very ill with a nasty URI.  So, Don had to be called into escort duty.  We went up to Birmingham a day early and were able to have a very nice dinner with Ian.

The second surgery went well.  Sandy was no where in sight, thank goodness!  And, recovery went well.  No pain…just trying to remember not to lift anything and not to bend over.  More drops all day and trying to adjust to a ‘new normal’ with my eyes.  I have much better distance vision, but all my close up vision is gone.  I didn’t realize this would happen and I am not dealing with it too well.  I  need my glasses to see  anything up close…anything. I can’t read my cell phone, or a prescription bottle or anything close to me at all.   I was used to bifocals before the surgery, and wore my glasses all the time.  Now it’s just hard to remember to keep glasses around my neck or on my head or in my purse or …you get it.  And, I will, too.  I’m thankful for my vision and the cataracts had to come off.  So, I just have to ‘get a grip’ and adjust.  God is good and I am thankful I have eyes to see.

And, for the record… you remember I said I wouldn’t wear the glasses?  Well, I did wear them home from the hospital…just in the car and to go into the motel…but I held my head down.  And, then I fixed them in case I had to wear them again.  Don’t you think they look better now?

Well..I didn’t wear them again.  So, if YOU are having cataract surgery and want to borrow them…I’ll be happy to share!

There are things we experience in this journey called ‘life’ that help us mark the time.  Things we look forward to like starting high school, getting our driver’s license, graduating high school.  Or maybe we look forward to going off to college, that first job or living on our own for the first time.

It’s hard to believe I’ve gotten to this point.  Seems like only yesterday I was a young bride, young mother, young everything!  I still feel the same way on the inside.  Do you feel that way, too?  I guess the essence of a person…our very soul…never ages.  And, isn’t that nice?

Oh, I can fool myself for a while.  But, then I’ll pass by a mirror or catch a glimpse of some older lady in a store window reflection.  And, I realize it’s me.  But, you can be sure of this.  You will not find my reflection anywhere with those ‘OLD LADY CATARACT GLASSES!’

And, if, per chance, Joy should tape them to my eyes or do some other gosh awful thing to me while I’m asleep and helpless and depending on her to care for me in my altered state…she just better remember that turn-about is fair play and her time is coming!  And, my memory is sharp as a tack!

No words are really necessary for this post.  Just seeing Adam and Levi playing, loving one another and creating beautiful memories is enough to lift me to the heights!  These faces are filed with pure joy!   Love these boys!

                       Adam, please forgive me.  I didn’t ask you first, but this pic deserves to be seen!

This is the continuation of a story I started writing a week or so ago.  It sort of took on a life of its own and became waaaay too long for one post.  So…here’s the rest of the story.  As you remember, I have quite an affinity for handmade jewelry and I’m sharing some of my favorite pieces with you.

Just to show you what can be done with old jewelry, notice the chain on this bracelet.  This was a choker chain that I had several diamonds on.  I had designed it and had it made years ago and was tired of it.  So, we removed the diamonds, and doubled the chain.

Then I had this little charm that Mom and Pop bought on a trip they took around the world.  This blue stone is called ‘LAPIS LAZULI‘.  Have you ever heard of it?

(Sorry, it’s the teacher in me…I have to tell you about this stone…)

*****It is mentioned in the Bible, in the book of Exodus.  Before Moses went up into Mt Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, the Lord instructed him to come to the mountain with several leaders and elders. . . . .  “⁹ Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up ¹⁰ and saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. ”  Exodus 24:9-10  *****

*****Strangely enough, the stone ‘lapis lazuli‘ was also referred to as a ‘sapphire’ in Biblical times.  This is not to be mistaken for the sapphire of our day, which is the corundum, a stone that was not known in ancient times.  So remember that when you read the word ‘sapphire’ in the Bible, you are actually reading about ‘lapis lazuli‘.

*****Theophrastos, a Greek scholar, in his book on stones, refers to Lapis Lazuli as ‘blue with gold-white specks.’

*****Sapir (“sapphire” Ex 28:18). In the OT this is referred to among the most precious stones (Job 28:16).  Ezekiel sees the firmament as resembling the sapphire and his vision of the Garden of Eden includes the sapir (Ezek 28:13).   “You were in Eden, the garden of God;  Every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz,and emerald, chrysolite, onyx, and jasper, sapphire (lapis lazuli),turquoise and beryl…”

LAPIS LAZULI Lapis Lazuli is a beautiful, rich ultramarine-blue stone consisting largely of lazurite and speckled with yellow pyrite. Lapis was one of the most sought after and prized stones of ancient times. It was used for jewelry, ornamentation, seals, and amulets. It was also used extensively for inlaying. Egyptian blue paint was made from finely ground lapis. This stone has been found in abundance in archaeological digs of ancient civilizations, including King Tut’s tomb which held many beautiful specimens of lapis jewelry dating to 1350 BC. Mines in Afghanistan have been producing gem lapis lazuli for nearly 5000 years and are still the worlds largest producer of the material. Most scholars agree that lapis lazuli is actually the stone meant for the term “sapphire” in the Bible. Sapphires were not known before the Roman empire and were initially considered to be jacinth. The Elder Pliny (AD 23-69) gives a description of sappir (translated by most as sapphire) as being like the night sky, spangled with stars, and Theophratus (372-287BC) describes “sappir spotted with gold.” These descriptions definitely indicate the lapis lazuli.

*****FROM- Answers.com

I am so enjoying wearing it!  I had it on an old charm bracelet, but for many years it has lain in an old jewelry box. And, to have a precious stone around my wrist that is the same as God had under His feet gives me an incredible feeling of gratitude for the beauty He created in His world.

This is one of my favorite pieces from Hawaii.  It is all hand braided and contains beautiful natural pearls and sterling silver pieces.  The clasp is a teeny bird on a branch with a birdcage.  This is such a beauty!

Can you tell how very tiny the work on the braiding is?  (Please ignore the red nail polish)

Next is a fun piece that I bought at one of my all time favorite boutiques in Birmingham, White Flowers.  This piece is all sterling silver and  handcrafted by an artist the shop represents.  I love the hammered heart and the tiny crown sitting atop it.  Even the chain is handmade, as well.

And here is merely gathered and strung.  Also from Hawaii, these little shells are gathered in a very hard to access area on the island of Maui.  These are so beautiful, nothing else is needed.  Each shell is different and full of color.  It’s true that the Master Designer makes things that are more beautiful than we can even imagine!

Next is a series of bangles that I bought in Maui.  The black stones are lava rock from the volcanoes that formed the islands.  They are cut into chunks and rounded and polished into these lovely beads.  The white are tiny shells with a natural hole formed from the ocean waves, and the green ones are sea glass found on the beach.  The bangles are hand hammered and the stones are all found by the artist personally.

And, the final one is a beautiful hand hammered simple cross bangle.  The cross is integrated into the design, not just added on.  Love this!

And that winds it up for Part 2 of this post.  I love this beautiful jewelry.  But they are all just things.  My worth and value in this world is not tied to these.  They are fun to wear and pretty to look at, but not extremely valuable, other than the enjoyment they bring me.

I love jewelry and enjoy wearing it, but it is not my treasure.  No, my treasure is my relationshop with my Heavenly Father.  My treasure is the knowledge that I will live in Heaven with Him one day.  That is the only thing I can leave this world with.  Praise the Lord!

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matt. 6:19-21