Last week my older brother (who lives in the south) said that he wanted to surprise my mom for her birthday (which was Sunday) with a visit. He was going to be in the area because he was helping a friend move up to Vermont and it was the perfect opportunity to come and surprise my parents with a fun visit! So Saturday morning I drove over to meet him at the ferry - it was chilly and snowy so he got a good taste of the cold weather *smiles* and then we went to surprise my parents at Panera.
My mom was so surprised and shocked (my dad was honestly speechless) and we had a lovely time sitting at Panera for a while catching up!
This is a random side note- but y'all know how I love tea? Well warm water with lemon is a new favorite thing. Random, but true. For several years in the midst of my health journey I was allergic to lemon but have now found that in healing I am not anymore. Haha- a little random note in this post. *smiles*
In the afternoon my parents and brother went over to spend time with my grandmother before they drove him back to Vermont and I went home. Later on in the afternoon on my walk I passed this light blue house and each time I do it just makes me smile. There was a point several years ago where I couldn't even walk to this house and I had a goal of "someday" being able to walk to it. Now being able to walk past it with many steps to spare it brings a soft smile to my face and gently reminds me of how far I have come in the healing process.
I have needed that gentle reminder this past week as I have been frustrated with the slow healing process that one specific area is causing. In more ways that I can express I feel so "done" with this part of my health journey and when I see these gentle reminders of where I was to where I am they are a beautiful encouragement to me.
It also has felt so good to get out and walk this time of year. As a few of you know I wasn't able to ski this year and honestly it was so incredibly hard. I fell in love with skiing last year and to not be able to do it this past year felt a bit like a dagger in the heart. That sounds dramatic I know, but I think when you find something you love and it has been a long winter great for skiing it was really hard. Next year- I can not wait to be back out there!
Saturday afternoon I worked on shop orders (the Spring Collection in the December Caravan Shop launched on Saturday and will continue to have new items added to it in this week) spent time connecting with friends, and some bloggy world related things.
Sunday was my mom's birthday so we celebrated by heading over to Burlington and eating at JR's. If y'all haven't eaten there definitely do! It is so yummy! If you are gluten free they have gluten free pizza crusts and gluten free pasta too.
The owner was so sweet and gave my mom a piece of chocolate cake for her birthday. This lady loves her chocolate so she was giddy! Hahaha. My dad had to fly out for a business trip later on so my mom and I finished out her birthday by watching a movie she wanted to see. It was a sweet day celebrating this best friend of mine!
I can't believe that we are already into the final week of March y'all! I think I say this with every weekend recap post but this new year seems to be flying so quickly. I want to grab onto the moments and just hold time still in some ways, and yet it continues to march forward and with that I know will come new adventures and joys.
Did y'all have a good weekend? Did you do anything special this weekend? Happy Monday friends! I hope that you have a wonderful beginning to your new week!
PS- Recently I have been getting a lot of emails asking about where to purchase different items in my post so for those who are curious I will try to list the things that I can find. I do a lot of shopping at consignment and thrift stores so sometimes I can't find exact items but I will try to list those items I can find! Thanks friends!
J Crew Sweater (mine is from several years ago but there are lots of colors HERE)
Happy Saturday friends! Over this next week I am so excited to share with y'all the spring collection from the shop! Today I am excited to share about this adorable Hello Spring Junk Journal is now available for purchase! (You can find it HERE!)
Y'all know how much I love creating different and unique journals and altered books. These beautiful and unique journals are the perfect way to grab onto ordinary moments or days and remember special times in life, especially during this spring season!
This beautiful Hello Spring Junk Journal is a Spring Lovers Dream. I love the soft colors of the paper and knew it would make a special Junk Journal for this spring season.
This beautiful hello spring junk journal is a sweet spring Lovers dream. With approximately 100 pages of quality and beautiful scrapbook paper, adorable vintage and modern ephemera and tags, vintage children book pages, vintage sweetly tattered book pages, ribbon (both vintage and bespoke modern pieces from around the world) and pretty surprises, this Junk Journal will create a treasured keepsake for a lifetime and can be used throughout this beautiful spring season and year.
With this Hello Spring Junk Journal you can easily add in pictures and quick notes so that you can remember the special days forever. This Junk Journal would create a treasured keepsake for a lifetime! No matter how you would use this junk journal it would be precious. *smiles*
Oh and did I mention the size?!? At 6x4 it is the perfect mini junk journal!
If you are interested in this Hello Spring Junk Journal you can find it HERE! Or, if you are interested in looking at the spring collection in the shop you can find the entire collection HERE! You can find one of me talking about the junk journal on the shops instagram page by clicking HERE! A video of this junk journal will soon be available on my Youtube page which you can find HERE!
Happy Saturday friends! I hope that you have a wonderful day!
I know I say this all of the time but I am always so amazed and humbled by every single person who orders and read one of my books... and this past week it has an incredible honor to send several boxes of books out to various Lyme support groups across the country for these spring months and books to some different countries than I ever have before!
The main way that news about this little book (and all of my Lyme books!) has spread has been by so many of you who have thoughtfully and kindly shared it with your friends, loved ones, doctors offices, libraries, strangers, etc. The stories I hear about how you have shared my book truly are ones that I have kept and will be treasured for my life.
Another way that the knowledge of this book has been spread is through reviews. Honestly, the one thing that is a huge help to any writer are reviews, but it is hard as an author to ask people. We know that life is busy and we are asking people to take precious time (especially those who are sick!) to write and leave a review. But the time and thoughtfulness in doing this truly can change someone's life as they consider purchasing a book that they may not have before because they hear first hand from another Lyme patient that this was encouraging in this difficult and emotional journey. It doesn't have to be long- even a very short review is incredibly helpful! One of the recent reviews that touched my heart was from February and read:
February 7, 2019
Praying Through Lyme Disease is a perfect book for anyone struggling with Lyme disease or with a chronic illness. Each devotional is uplifting and reflects the real experience of Lyme. In addition, there is plenty of room for you to add your own thoughts, notes, or prayers on the added lined pages—this is one of my favorite features. The book is organized so that you can either read straight through, or read based on a struggle you may be experiencing, such receiving a diagnosis, loneliness, or dealing with financial stress. Ultimately, this book is a great comfort for a person devastated by Lyme disease. I would also recommend it for the family and friends of those who’ve been diagnosed with Lyme. Great book!
I have had several people contact me and share that by reading that review they were encouraged to by the book- including a family member! So thank you to each of you who have taken that time to read and write a review! It is TRULY a blessing!
If you haven't read Praying through Lyme Disease or a different one of my Lyme books and would be interested in receiving a copy in exchange for an honest review please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email and I will send you more details!
Thank you so much for all of your continued support of ALL of my writing and books and of Praying Through Lyme Disease!
Rebecca's Lyme Disease Books:
Thank you so much for all of your continued support of ALL of my writing and books and of Praying Through Lyme Disease!
Rebecca's Lyme Disease Books:
*Praying through Lyme Disease has also been translated into Polish, French, German, Arabic, along with several other translations. If you would like more information on these resources until they become available for purchase on Amazon, please let me know by emailing me at: caravansonnet@gmail.com. Thank you for your interest!*
There have been many, many, many scary times throughout this journey (including my diagnosis of skin Cancer almost six years ago), but heading into a surgery not knowing what would be found was definitely one of the most scary situations I have faced.
Waking up and hearing the news that it was NOT Cancer was an unbelievable gift that I remain humbly grateful for. As I laid in the hospital bed two years ago on this day I remember thinking how overwhelmed I was at the good news after so many years of hearing a bad health report one time after another.
I was thinking about this a lot today as I took a walk earlier. The last 10 days of this treatment round that I have been doing (and finished yesterday!) have been extremely rough physically and even emotionally as there has been a ton of pain and exhaustion. I was in a store earlier today and cried over frozen blueberry choices... *soft smiles* ... This round was messy and difficult and so on this first day of Spring as I was walking I found myself once again just marveling at the simple beauty of the sun and of miracles that happened in the past.
Remembering the miracles of the past gently reminds me of the miracles in the works that are to come.
These past 730 days have been a beautiful gift that I don't take for granted. Everyday is truly a gift that I treasure. This health journey has continued to remind me to value each moment, love big, and live in grace.
Remembering the miracles of the past gently reminds me of the miracles in the works that are to come.
These past 730 days have been a beautiful gift that I don't take for granted. Everyday is truly a gift that I treasure. This health journey has continued to remind me to value each moment, love big, and live in grace.
To you dear friends who are walking in difficult and dark times my heart breaks for you...may light flood your journey in new ways so the darkness disappears and may Spring bring a refreshing start to a new beginning.
"Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight, At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”
-CS Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia-
"Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight, At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”
-CS Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia-
Hearing loss, whether it is partial or complete is life changing. With the right help and support, there’s no reason why you can’t go on with your life as usual. But, there’s no denying that finding out that your hearing loss is permanent is a shock and that there will be a period of adjustment, to begin with. Living with hearing loss is a challenge, but it’s a challenge that you can win. Here are some tips to help you, or a loved one to cope.
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| Photo Source - https://pixabay.com/photos/girl-woman-female-lady-attractive-791686/ |
Get Out of the House
Hearing loss can have the unfortunate side effect of being isolating. Many people with hearing loss, or hearing difficulties, find themselves staying at home, avoiding noisy places or situations, and staying away from their friends and family because they feel as though things have changed.
This isolation can lead to depression and other conditions. It can affect your confidence and make it much harder to get back to normal life. Your hearing can become the controlling element in your life.
Don’t let this happen. Get out with your friends, try to stick to your usual activities, go out for walks. Try to get out of the house for at least a few minutes each day.
Get the Right Support
If you want to live with hearing loss, you need help. Make sure that your friends and family understand what you are living with. Speak to them, and educate them and they’ll be in a better position to help you. There are also hearing loss support groups that you can join, which can make the transition much easier.
You’ll also need the right medical help. The right doctor can help you to get a hearing aid that suits you, and finding troubleshooting hearing aids guides can help you when things go wrong.
Educate Yourself
Finding out that you have hearing loss can be terrifying, especially if it’s been sudden. But, part of this fear is that most of us know so little about conditions that cause the loss, and how to live with it. Education is a powerful weapon when it comes to coping. Read up online, ask your doctor for information, and don’t be afraid to ask further questions as time goes on.
Learning sign language can also be useful. With modern hearing aids, you might not think that you need it, but you might find that it helps you to feel more in control of your situation, that it gives you a backup, and that it helps you to meet new people and make the best of your situation.
Give Yourself Time
Losing your hearing, whether it has been a gradual process or it has happened suddenly, can come as a big shock. Don’t try to rush yourself back to normal. Give yourself time to adjust. You might want to introduce your hearing aid slowly and avoid noisy places for a while. You might find that you feel upset or angry. This is an entirely normal response. Give yourself time to adjust and tackle your new way of life in your own time.
*contributed post*
Birthday flowers from the sister who loves me well & indulges my delightful insistence in using "code names" 10 years later. I am convinced that there is a 6th love language and it is flowers. *smiles*
Thank you so much to each of you who sweetly remembered it was my birthday yesterday, for your lovely text messages, your facebook posts, the thoughtful and kind emails, and your incredibly kind words of prayers and well wishes for this birthday year. Your words truly touched my heart and were pockets of little gifts throughout the day that I treasured. Thank you again so much for making my birthday so special!
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While you might be lucky enough not to have many colds, stomach bugs or viruses because your day to day immune system is relatively strong, this doesn’t mean that you won’t be affected by a chronic condition. Chronic health problems might not be life threatening, massively painful or obvious to those around you, but they can be debilitating and affect your quality of life. As such, they can affect your mental well being and your mood. Take a look at the things you can do to maintain a more positive outlook on life even when dealing with a chronic health condition.
Take Your Mind Off Your Health Problem
It doesn’t matter whether you have a niggle in your back, tinnitus ringing in your ears or psoriasis on your arms, it can be hard to maintain a positive frame of mind. You might be able to get hearing aids to help with your tinnitus, painkillers to alleviate your back ache and steroid cream to combat psoriasis. However, because these conditions are chronic, they are never cured and can flare up when you least expect. This can make you live in constant fear of your condition.
To take your mind away from your health, it might be a good idea to try something new to focus your thoughts on something life enhancing and happy. You might want to enroll in a life drawing class, sign up for an initial taster lesson to learn the piano, or you might want to learn a new language. When you are in pain or struggling with your ailment, knowing that your class, lesson or new activity is on the horizon can lift your mood.
Be Social
While you might not feel like heading out and being a social butterfly when your face is looking blotchy or your knee is particularly stiff, it is wise to stay as social as possible. Your friends will understand what you are going through and will be an important support network to you. They know what makes you laugh, what can take your mind off things and how to help you have a good time. A simple coffee with pals or dinner out with family can lift your spirits. For those two hours or so, you might not feel any pain or even think about your condition because you are enjoying the company of others. It is the getting out of the front door that is the hard part. But once you are out, you are guaranteed to enjoy yourself.
Maintain Treatments
It can be difficult when suffering from a chronic condition not to feel like a nuisance when visiting your doctor. However, if you have a good relationship with your medical specialist, they will understand what makes you tick and how your condition affects you. If you feel like you are continually being fobbed off, then you need to find a new doctor. Converse with your doctor and ensure that you maintain a treatment regimen. If something isn’t working, change it. Feel empowered enough to speak frankly with your doctor. They will want to help you, and will want to find the treatment plan personalized to you.
Suffering from a chronic condition can be tough especially when you know there is no cure. However, life can still be worthwhile and happy and fun if you follow this guide and find ways to lift your mood.
*contributed post*
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