A Life of Gratitude

This weekend Not Forgotten Ministries had our first annual Board Weekend Retreat. We planned this retreat several months ago so that we could get to know one another better, pray over the ministry, and plan for the year ahead. One of our volunteer's families hosted us at her family's gorgeous farm. The weekend was so beautiful! We were treated like royalty. It was truly perfect.  I adore this little welcome sign! When we arrived there were snacks and tea awaiting us.  We each had the most incredible chair massage while  the rest of the group drank our tea and enjoyed one another's company. I loved this flowering tea pot! \ We all had these precious gifts waiting for us in our rooms.  They were so thoughtful! We had an amazing dinner! Candlelight too! After dinner we walked outside for a bonfire. The house just looked so beautiful! This was one BIG bonefire! This morning a yummy breakfast. And this afternoon a delicious lunch! We spent the entire morning praying for the mini

 Things are crazy in our world right now. Wouldn't you agree?  I went to bed last night with a hundred questions and concerns rolling around in my mind. I woke up this morning thinking about several times in the Bible when wild things were happening and even though the people may have felt uneasy and alone, they weren't!  The story that God highlighted in my mind is found in Exodus. The Isrealites had just been freed from a life of slavery. They were fleeing Eygpt after witnessing God fight for them through a series of plagues. Exodus 13:17-18 tells us that God led His people a specific way because He knew they would be tempted to give up if they went the shorter way. He led them in a longer, more difficult direction for their own good! When the king of Eygpt found out that the Isrealites had fled and they had lost all the slaves to do their work, the pharoh ended up changing his mind and sent all of his chariots, horsemen, and troops to overtake the Isrealites.  As the Isreali

 Today is infusion day and I'm not sure I've ever been more grateful to recieve this treatment! I usually get Remicade infusions every 6-8 weeks to treat Ankylosing Spondylitis. For those who don't know what AS is, here's my definition (comprised of several official definitions but easier to understand).  Ankylosing Spondylitis is a rare auto-immune disease. Most typically the spine is the focal point of the disease but it also affects the ribcage, hips, feet, hands, and other peripheral joints. As with all auto-immune disorders, the immune system is attacking the healthy parts of the body. The difference with AS is that the body will try to heal itself by growing new bone in the spine and other joints. This can lead to spinal fusion. Chronic fatigue, extreme muscle stiffness, pain and difficulty when breathing, severe eye problems, muscle soreness, flare-ups on one side of the body, etc, also play a major role in AS.  The infusions, along with several other medications