Preparing a Place

I had a great conversation with my daughter over dinner this evening and I needed to write it down somewhere.

David had gone to help with the youth at church so it was just the girls for dinner. Mia sat eating, seemingly consentrating only on the mac and cheese in front of her when suddenly she said, "Mommy, God is making me a castle." I was a little surprised by her comment and simply asked, "Who told you that?" She replied, "Jesus".

I went on to tell her that the bible says that if we love Jesus and we follow him and trust him that God really is making a place for us in heaven that could be like a castle. I said that God was making one for Mommy and for Daddy and when she trusted Jesus and understood and believed that he died on the cross for her that God would make one for her too.

I realized later that she may actually be confusing God and Santa...she had asked Santa for a princess castle for Christmas, Santa makes toys--so Santa is making her a castle. But despite that, it provided a means for me to share the gospel with my two year old daughter and we'll work on clearning up the Santa/God confusion.

Contentment

This year my husband bought me a short devotional book that God has really been using to change my heart. Contentment: A Godly Woman's Adornment by Lydia Brownback has challenged me on a daily basis. This book has so much wisdom pack into 107 pages...I found myself many times wanting to highlight every word on the page, every sentence felt like something I never wanted to forget. I am currently half-way through it and wanted to share some of the wisdom God has poured upon me from this insightful book. (I will simply give the info to you in bullet points to avoid getting too wordy...I could go on forever about each point and how God is working and has worked in my life relating to each one, but I won't right now. I'll save it for another post)

• If we trust in God wherever we find ourselves, we will know contentment whether the season is easy or hard...He will lead us in, through and out of any situation
• If your circumstances feel frustrating it may be God's way of getting you to deal with sin...turn to God and examine your heart
• If we focus only on what we hope tomorrow will bring, we miss all the pleasure of today
• We may not be able to change out circumstances but we can change the way we think about them
• God is the only remedy for our unhappiness...anything else we cling to for comfort is only robbing us to blessing
• Real contentment comes when we willingly embrace the loss of our maximum benefits and let go of our entitlement to them
• Good things are not worth it if God is not the giver. If we let go and allow God to work in His time, we will be content with or without our hearts desire
• Lack facilitates closeness to God in a way that prosperity rarely does--the more we have, the more self-sufficient we deceive ourselves into thinking we are
• Our problem isn't that we need something we don't have, our problem is that we don't find God to be enough
• God comes in the place of our desires to give us something better...joy, peace, guidance, love, security and communion with Him
• We should enjoy the material things God gives us but hold them loosely
• Home cannot be our comfort and security because it is constantly shifting (especially when you are a pastor's family). Contentment comes when we discover that home is much more about where we are going (Heaven) that where we have come from. We have the contentment of home right now, wherever we are, because home is where God has us...home is Christ who unites us to God--this is the only home we will never have to leave
• God may choose to bless us with things we plead for or he may not...getting out of misery is guaranteed if only we will give our heart to God
• When we get the "if only" (if only I have more money, if only I were thinner, etc.) we want so badly, it fails to satisfy so we set our sight and energy on getting the next thing. Only God can ultimately satisfy. When we pour our desires into God and His purposes, we find deep satisfaction that nothing else can gives us.

20 Cute Things My Daughter Does

1. She stays in bed for at least 30 minutes before and after sleeping to fill her bed full of books and read

2. She says "sutu duty" instead of sleeping beauty and "blanklet" instead of blanket and "moofie" instead of movie

3. She thinks "I love you" and "I miss you" are the same thing

4. She loves to have her fingernails painted and to wear a tutu, a million necklaces and bows all the way around her head

5. She says that her brother's name means "God gave us a present"

6. When going to bed she looks at me with sad, puppy dog eyes and says, "Lay, Mommy, lay" and wants me to lay with her for a few minutes before she reads...and of course I find it impossible to say no

7. She finds a way to sing everything to the tune of "Twinkle, twinkle little star"

8. She has started saying, "Oh, wait a second" and "Five more minutes"

9. She sings very loudly at church with her eyes closed and her hands raised up to the sky...on many occasions she also dances

10. She makes up names for characters in her books...such as "Buki, Zoofa and Masa"

11. She always tries to find a way to make people feel better when they are sad or sick...like once I was sick in bed and she came in to see me. She didn't know what else to say so she said the happiest thing she could thing of, "Happy Birthday, Mommy!"

12. She LOVES babies...even the doll she found at Target that only had one eye. She would not put it down and rocked it and pretended to give it a bath and sang to it.

13. She talks about what Zane is going to do when he gets here..."Eat and POOP and sleep and POOP and cry and POOP"

14. Everything makes her super excited...suckers at the bank, hot dogs for lunch, wearing her panda shoes, going on a walk. And that she has started saying "Best day ever" or "Best book ever"...or best (anything) ever

15. She would look at pictures for hours...in picture albums, on the computer, on the camera, on someones phone

16. When listening to music in the car...it has to be turned up and can never, ever be turned off and sometimes everyone in the car is required to sing along

17. When going out on a windy day she immediately yells, "Oh no, my hair". What a girly girl! I don't know where she came from!

18. She is learning how to use her cuteness to get what she wants (thankfully, I'm learning not to give in everytime she is cute, or she would always have candy for breakfast). So, she asks for something once in a normal tone and then turns her head to the side, grins really big and changes the tone of her voice to small and cute and asks again.

19. Right now it is cute that she wants to act like a baby...she gets one of her baby doll bottles, a blanket and a pacifier and wants me to hold her while she whimpers and cries like a baby. I'm sure it will get a little old after Zane arrives.

20. I love that she is already a runner...when we go on walks, she jogs out in front of us with her arms pumping. She looks so cute and actually has really good form for a 2-year-old

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

I have found it difficult lately to memorize scripture and have made excuse after excuse for why I am not doing this much need discipline:



1. I have a two-year-old who not only demands my time when she is awake but leaves me a million chores to do while she is asleep...although I've seen young women with more children than I have find the time. Above is a picture of my little distraction.

2. Like many other people I know, it does not come naturally for me to memorize anything. At times I unintentionally sink into the philosophy of "why memorize anything that you can look up on your laptop or cell phone within seconds of needing to know it?"

3. I fill my mind with so many other things...although I haven't been so guilty lately of wasting time with TV and internet, I have rediscovered the library and historical fiction and have spent the hours of Mia's nap held captive by the curious combination of hard facts and an entertaining story.

But as I have found out, the benefits of memorizing scripture far outweigh the difficulties. The Lord has challenged my faith so much through the scripture He has placed on my heart in combination with the trials that I have had to go through. For example, I memorized Romans 8:18 "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" and Romans 8:28 "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" and Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not me anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" And soon after, our precious girl had to have spinal surgery. These verses, along with others sent to me by dear friends, became my strength. The Holy Spirit used the Word of God to calm my heart and build my faith in God.

The verse I am currently working on is 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things are are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." I look forward to seeing how the Lord will use this verse in the future as He has used so many others.


I pray that by the Lord's strength I will overcome all obstacles this week in order to memorize this verse...I will be intentional about waking up early, I will guard my heart against wrong, wordly philosophies that convince me that I don't need to have the scripture in my heart, and I will guard my mind against any other thoughts or activities that could keep me from God's word.

100 Things that make me happy

I've found myself complaining a lot lately. I grumble about people, circumstances, our house, the government, my cell phone, my clothes...you name it, I was finding some way to complain about it. For awhile I blamed it on pregnancy hormones...but even if that truly is the cause of my rantings, giving in to those effects can soon become a habit that is hard to break long after the hormones have settled down. So, in an attempt to rescue my discontent heart I decided to compile a list of 100 things that make me happy. It seems like a lot of things to come up with but I feel that I'm in need of some serious intervention. So, here it goes...



1. My relationship with Jesus Christ

2. David

3. Maleigha

4. Baby Dunham

5. Maleigha's health

6. Finding out I was pregnant after being told I was infertile...twice

7. My family (parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, nephews, etc.)

8. Laughing so hard that I cry

9. Catching up with old friends

10. Knowing that heaven awaits me

11. Meeting new friends

12. Guacamole

13. Understanding and applying the word of God

14. Watching Maleigha play

15. Finishing a book

16. Writing a poem

17. Finding free shoes...yes, that really did happen to me once

18. Everything about the fall (candy corn, leaves changing, wearing a sweater, waking up to the windows open, pumpkins, decorations, cool breezes, apple picking, hayrides, football games)

19. Decorating (or re-decorating) a room in our house

20. Date nights with my husband

21. Staying in a hotel with free breakfast

22. Making homemade bread and eating it with apple butter

23. Learning that Jennifer Knapp is coming back

24. My zebra print shoes

25. Shopping with my mom and sister

26. Eating outside

27. Reading to my daughter

28. Listening to my daughter "read"

29. Singing in the car

30. Hobby Lobby

31. Spending the night at my parents house

32. Sharing stories with my siblings from when we were growing up

33. Checking facebook and blogs

34. Making lists

35. Grocery shopping...I know it's a chore for some people but I look forward to it every week

36. Going on a walk

37. Riding my bike on the bike path in Athens...I miss that

38. Peanut Butter

39. Louisville, KY...I love that city

40. Hearing someone pray for me

41. Listening to Maleigha talk about Jesus

42. Winning a bid on ebay

43. Writing a story

44. Trying a new restaurant

45. The enthusiasm of a new Christian

46. Singing with my praise team

47. Watching Maleigha sing and dance on Sundays

48. When my husband comes home from work

49. Maple cream filled donuts

50. My favorite pink blanket

51. Finishing a sewing project

52. Running

53. Recalling the victories God has given me in my life

54. Pancakes and cartoons on a Saturday morning

55. Family gatherings

56. My Granny's noodles...and spaghetti sauce (which my mom has now perfected as well)

57. BBQ sauce...on pork, tacos, hamburgers, chicken, or baked potatoes

58. Sitting in the corner of our sectional sofa
59. Going to the fair...but it makes me sad it only happens once a year
60. Hearing my husband preach
61. Making a really cute outfit out of the clothes I already have
62. Getting a new magazine or catalog in the mail
63. Watching David and Mia play "critters"
64. Coloring with new a coloring book and crayons
65. Trying a new recipe
66. Having a whole afternoon to read and listen to music
67. Hearing news from our old church....3ABC
68. Going out for ice cream
69. Making s'mores over a real fire
70. Stopping at a gas station for snacks on a long trip
71. Looking through albums full of pictures
72. Hearing my favorite song on the radio
73. Listening to a new CD
74. Listening to an old favorite CD that brings back floods of memories
75. Coming home to a clean house
76. Fresh, clean laundry
77. Holiday traditions
78. The beach
79. Seeing other people happy
80. Tickling Maleigha
81. Finding out that Mia's surgery was a success
82. The grace of God
83. Thinking about my friends and family I will see again in heaven
84. Vacation
85. Hot chocolate and coffee cake
86. Ordering pizza and watching movies
87. Homegrown tomatoes
88. Coupons
89. Parades
90. Funny youtube videos
91. Chatting with friends while the husbands have the kids
92. Nap time
93. Visiting places with good memories
94. Finding a bible verse that really fits in my life
95. Reconciling with someone I feel I have wronged
96. Daydreams
97. Seeing pictures of my unborn baby
98. New clothes
99. Cookbooks
100. Sunsets....

and I could keep going. God is so good to me! Why should I ever complain?

Death

This morning I received the news that a young woman I went to school with had died. Though I don't know all the details and haven't had any contact with her over the years since we left school I do know that she left behind family and friends that cared about her very much. She grew up in Lucasville and went to the same school as me. There were people who worried about her, prayed for her and depended on her. She was the same age as me, she had children, parents, grandparents...so, if all these factors were the same, what brought her death before mine? How can I be so arrogant to live my life every day like I have a million more to waste?

Over the years I have seen death more times than I would ever want to in my lifetime. I've lost a cousin and a grandparent. Close friends have lost relatives as well. I've prayed for the dear lives of little children, only to have to stand by as their parents grieve over their deaths. I've heard of numerous people my age dying...one in particular of an undetected heart problem that took him suddenly. Though I act as though I could not possibly be next...there is no way for me to know that.

Though I cannot know when I will die....I can know without a doubt where I will go when I die. Because I have trusted Jesus Christ with my life and I believe in his death and resurrection I don't have to fear death. Though my time could come today or 60 years from now...I will always know where I will be when that moment comes. Since I have this confidence in my own life, what worries me most when I hear of tragic deaths is...what if that were my unsaved family member or what if that were my neighbor that I never took the time to talk to about Jesus? It is not so terrible for me to live my life as if I will never die as it is to ignore the fact that it could be the people around me who have never heard about Jesus.

So, when faced with death, I pray that you will 1. Reflect on your own life...do you know where you will go when you die? Do you live as if your death will never come? and 2. Reflect on the lives of your family, friends and neighbors...is there someone in your life who doesn't know Jesus? Speak to them about it before it is too late.

I Will Rise

There's a peace I've come to know

Though my heart and flesh may fail

There's an anchor for my soul I can say "It is well"

Jesus has overcome And the grave is overwhelmed

The victory is won He is risen from the dead




[Chorus:] And I will rise when He calls my name

No more sorrow, no more pain

I will rise on eagles' wings

Before my God fall on my knees

And rise I will rise




There's a day that's drawing near

When this darkness breaks to light

And the shadows disappear

And my faith shall be my eyes

Jesus has overcome

And the grave is overwhelmed

The victory is won He is risen from the dead



[Chorus]



And I hear the voice of many angels sing, "Worthy is the Lamb"

And I hear the cry of every longing heart, "Worthy is the Lamb"[x2]



[Chorus]



I heard this song the other day on the way home from Cincinnati after a long day of tests for Mia. We spent hours at the hospital watching kids being pushed in wheelchairs, wearing masks, hearing aids and leg braces, and pulling IV polls along with them...and these were just the ones that were there for check-ups or would be leaving the hospital very soon. From our experience with Mia's surgery in May, I knew there were hundreds more who were not leaving the hospital that day because they were under much more urgent care and there were even some who would never leave that hospital in this life. My heart aches every time we have to make another visit to Cincinnati Children's Hospital and not just because I hate to see my little girl in pain but because I see all these precious little children walking around and think of the ones that are upstairs in their hospital rooms struggling with whatever is ailing them and I feel there is absolutely nothing I can do.

But as I drove home on Wednesday, listening to Chris Tomlin sing, "...no more sorrow, no more pain..." I began to realize that there truly is coming a day when there will be no more wheelchairs, or medical masks, or hearing aids, or leg braces, or IVs, or heart defects, or spinal surgeries and absolutely no death because Jesus has truly overcome and the grave is completely overwhelmed. The victory has already been won because he rose from the dead. And though heart and flesh may fail here on earth we know that one day those who know Jesus will leave this failing world and join him in heaven. And there is certainly something I can do about these sick children and all the people who are struggling in this life...spread the good news that heaven awaits them if they turn to Jesus and trust in his death and resurrection. This life is hard, but one day those of us who know Jesus will rise to be with him and leave the hardship of this life forever.

Mia's going to be a big sister

There has been so much going on with us lately! But the biggest news of all is that there is going to be an addition to the Dunham family. Mia is going to be a big sister at the end of February. She is really excited and loves to pray for "mommy's baby" before she goes to bed. (And just to clarify, none of those band-aids are actually covering any wounds...she just likes to decorate her arm)

This is Mia giving her "baby" a bottle...just getting some practice in so that she will be able to help Mommy when the new baby comes. (This is actually her cousin, Collin, who is only a year younger than her and out-weighs her by a few pounds)

We have been extremely blessed this year and it is only half over...a new house, a new church, Mia's sucessful surgery, finding out I'm pregnant without any medical intervention....I can't wait to see what God has in store for us!

Isaiah 26--Perfect Peace

Chapter 26 of Isaiah brought me such peace that I felt I needed to share it. After already reading in chapter 25 that the Lord will destroy death and bring us to a wonderful banquet in heaven, chapter 26 brings us encouragement that we don't have to wait for until Jesus comes. The peace that is offered in this chapter is open to us now.

Verses 1&2 speak of salvation as a wall and the gates are open to those who keep the faith. And verses 3&4 go on to say that "[God] will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on [God] because he trusts in [God]. So trust in the Lord forver for the Lord God is an everlasting rock" Though it may be difficult to stay strong in the faith when there is every sort of temptation pulling you away from it, God has brought you into his wall of salvation and will protect you. God will give you perfect peace...something that is very hard to come by in a economic crisis, or in the midst of a child's illness, or when the future of your spouse's job is uncertain, or while simply struggling to stay patient with a 2-year-old.

But God promises to give us that perfect peace when we keep our mind stayed on him. Though the world is telling us to be afraid, though our friends and families may be trembling in fear, and even if we have a tiny bit of doubt creeping in our minds...when we intentionally fight to keep our hearts and minds fixed on the Lord God, our everlasting rock, he will give us a peace that is not just satisfactory or simply acceptable...it is a peace that is perfect, without flaw. Verse 12 even says that God ordained peace for us. He already planned for us to have peace. And we can have all of this (salvation, peace, a place in heaven, freedom from death) because as verse 12 goes on to say he has indeed done for us all our works. We don't have to count on getting any of those things I have mentioned because we are good enough or we have done something to deserve them. God has done the work for us and offers those things to us by his grace.

Verses 13-15 remind me that I shouldn't worry about the state of our nation and I shouldn't have doubts about who is leading our country. These verses say that even though other lords have ruled over us, the name of God alone will be remembered. The rulers of this world have and will all die and will not be remembered. As Christians, God is our one true ruler and we know that when Jesus returns every knee will bow to Him. God has placed those rulers above us, he is in control of their plans, and ultimately their plans will be destroyed and God will continue to reign.

I am so thankful for the peace that is offered to us through the grace of God!

Isaiah 25

I have been reading through the book of Isaiah (something I attempted once before but without the proper tools, I gave up only a few chapters into the book). I would strongly recommend reading this after finding a copy of the commentary on Isaiah by Ray Ortlund. He makes a theologically dense book very applicable and easy to understand. God has taught me so much and I'm not even half-way through the study.

Chapter 25 is a great encouragement when life seems overwhelmingly hard. Upon reading the first five verses I could think of nothing else but the glorious things that God has done and how He stands high above all earthly powers. The world can often take over our thoughts so that we feel defeated and frustrated. The events in our life can pile up and seem unsurmountable...but even in these times, we can choose to exalt God and praise His name. Even in these times, God's plans are being carried out and we can trust Him to be faithful and sure. In difficult times God is a stronghold and a shelter. But God's plans do not end with the power and strength He can give us while we are on earth...

In verse 6, Isaiah goes on to say that the Lord will make a feast for us in heaven. We will receive every wonderful thing and there will be absolutely no disappointment. Everyone at this banquet will be happy and nothing will ever make them sad again. Verse 8 says that "He will swallow up death forever and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces". We will never again have to experience the pain left behind when someone we love dies, we never again will have to shed another tear over those we have lost. I know people who long for the day that Jesus returns more than I do. I have not experienced death as closely or deeply as others...I have not held a child after she has drawn her last breath, I have not stood by my spouse's casket with tears on my cheeks...but because of Jesus Christ these pains will be removed one day and not another tear will be shed because of them.

And finally, verse 9 says, "It will be said on that day 'Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation'. As we think upon the day of the Lord's return, may we always be glad and rejoice in the salvation that He has given to us. I tend to let the tiny frustrations of my day steal my joy...I often forget that if I had nothing but my salvation that should truly be enough because I don't even deserve that.

I pray that Isaiah 25 will remind me today of the power that God has on earth, the joy that is waiting for me in heaven, and the wonderful gift of salvation that God has given me.

3 weeks after Mia's surgery...God is amazing

I am doubling up on blog posts today because I realized that three weeks ago from this very moment we were waiting for Mia to go into surgery. I am amazed at how quickly she has returned to her normal routine and activities. She is now dancing and running and playing even better than she was before the surgery.

I am amazed at the work of the Lord leading up to Mia's surgery. She was born with a birth defect of her spine and was diagnosed at 3 months with tethered cord. God had us in the right place at the right time. She was born at a large hospital in Louisville, KY...I strongly believe that if she had been born at a smaller hospital in a smaller city they would not have caught her condition. When she was 5 months old we moved back to Ohio, so her pediatrician in Louisville referred us to Cincinnati Children's Hospital where we eventually met up with Dr. Mangano who is one of the top doctors in the state of Ohio for dealing with tethered cord. We saw God's hand working even down to the last appointment she had before her surgery. Dr. Mangano actually looked Mia over and told us we could wait a few months to see what would happen...but after he finally was able to get ahold of the urologist she had been seeing, he sent a nurse out to find us to inform us that he would strongly recommend surgery. We signed all the papers and were later given a date for the procedure. Only weeks after this appointment, I noticed Mia's feet starting to turn in...a sign that her mobility was starting to be affected. Had she missed this appointment or if any information had not reached the neurosurgeon in time, she could have had the surgery months later and we could have seen much more drastic and permanent affects.

I was amazed at the work of the Lord during Mia's surgery and hospital stay. We had so many people praying for us and keeping up with her progress on facebook. We could tangibly see the love of our Christian brothers and sisters. The surgery went well--no complications and it even went by a lot faster than we thought it would. God gave David and I such a peace as we waited for our little girl to come out of the operating room. God even saw fit to give Mia a fabulous nurse who went above and beyond what was expected of her...she did her job and truly showed interest in our lives and showed such love and care for our baby. Mia even got to go home sooner than we had expected because she was doing so well. It was an exhausting and trying experience but God brought us through it.

I am continually amazed at the work of the Lord now that Mia's surgery is over. When I look at my little girl I am reminded of the grace that God showed to us. I think about how bad her condition could have been...I've spoke to people who have children who are permanently disabled because of the same condition that wasn't found early enough and I've read of numerous people who will have a lifetime of catheterizations and surgeries. We are not completely sure that Mia won't have any more problems because of this...but I'm truly amazed at the grace of God and what he spared us from. But besides what God spared us from, I am truly amazed at what God has taught me. I learned to trust God's sovereignty more, to pray harder and the importance of memorizing scripture. I found deeper truths in His Word and learned more about helping those who are suffering.

I can't believe it was only three weeks ago! God has done so much since then and continues to work in the life of our little Mia! Praise God for His amazing work in her life!

Philippians 4:6-8

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Many things come to my mind today as I read Philippians 4. God has taught me much and yet He is still doing so much work in me. A few months ago I set at the task of memorizing verses 6-8 in this chapter. I knew that I am instructed in the word of God to memorize scripture but I honestly didn't feel in my heart that I really comprehended this to the full extent. But after already having these verses stored in my heart, when I read them today they really meant something to me. And not only that but I truly felt like I finally understand why it is important to memorize scripture. When I read verses 6 and 7 I was excited and began to think, "this is what God is doing in my life right now!" I memorized these verses and God is putting them to action as I'm dealing with the news of Mia's surgery.

When people ask about her or find out about the surgery or what we've been through, often the response is, "I can't imagine going through that" or "This must be really hard" or "I'm so sorry that you have to go through this". But honestly, I don't feel like it is a trial or even a hard thing to deal with because through memorizing these verses God has changed my heart...at least in this situation I am not anxious. I have, as the verses say "by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let my requests me made known to God" and in return He has given me "the peace of God which surpasses all understanding". And truly this peace does surpass all understanding...it doesn't make sense to me that I should be so calm about my baby having spinal surgery. If this had happened even just months ago I would have been in total despair over the situation...but God has brought me so far through even just my small obedience of memorizing a few verses. Which makes me think, "what could God do with my full commitment to Him?"

But as the time approaches for Mia's surgery in the next month I must, as verse 8 instructs, think on whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise and avoid thinking on the "what-ifs" and focusing on my own doubts and worries and frustrations. I pray that God will keep these verses in my mind as we wait and make plans for Mia's surgery.

Update on Mia

I haven't been able to blog since Mia had her test on Monday so I wanted to update everyone on what is going on with her. A few months ago she had a urodynamics test which had determined that her bladder could hold very little fluid so it was refluxing onto her kidneys. And the ultrasound she had on the same day showed that her kidneys were both swollen and urine was collecting on top of them.

On Monday Mia had a cystogram which required her to be catheterized like she had been for the urodynamics test but this time they filled her bladder with fluid and took x-rays of her bladder and kidneys. They determined that on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being normal and 5 being really bad)her bladder was refluxing at a 3. They told us that this type of reflux can either be a primary issue and it will just get better on its own. Or it could be a secondary issue caused by her tethered cord and it would require surgery. The urologist seems to think that it is probably the latter but has ordered an MRI to help determine that.

Right now Mia is on an antibiotic that she has to take every night to prevent any infection due to her bladder/kidney issues. She is scheduled for another ultrasound and consultation with the urologist on June 8 and we are waiting to hear back about when she is scheduled for an MRI and a consultation with the neurosurgeon. We are currently in monitoring mode...if anything changes with her (good or bad) we will know more. Because of all the tests that she has had done we at least now have a reference point to work from. She'll be going back to the hospital about every 6 months so that they are able to monitor her condition.

Thanks for all the prayers! I have really felt them in the last few months and especially on Monday. Eventhough Mia was distressed and screaming during the test, I felt like I could stay calm and strong for her. I don't worry about her as much as I once did because I know that God is in control and he has a perfect plan for all of this.

Rude People

I haven't blogged in awhile but it wasn't until yesterday that I had something that I passionately wanted to blog about. Even after living in Athens (known for drunk college students who only care about the next party and opinionated liberals who aren't afraid of hurting people's feelings), I have never seen such rude behavior until I came in contact with some disgruntled customers at the restaurant where my friend and I met for lunch yesterday.


My daughter had sat for 45 minutes or so, eating and looking at a coloring book while my friend and I talked. I must also add that this friend was one of my best friends in junior high who moved to another school and we have now been reunited because she married one of my best friends from high school and we go to the same church. We hadn't had a chance to sit down and really talk since 8th grade...so I was excited to have a chance to talk to her again. Mia started getting restless and began interupting our conversation, so I let her get down and wonder around the tiny cafe. The place was small enough that I could see her and there weren't very many people there so I thought this decision was pretty harmless.

Well, apparently I was wrong because suddenly a woman sitting at the table next to us blurted out..."Excuse me, you might want to get your daughter. She is into something back there and has gotten it everywhere." Her tone let me know that she was not trying to help me, she was criticizing me. So as not to cause a scene or upset another customer, I went back to rescue Mia from a situation, that sounded from the angry lady's response, to be pretty tragic. Upon arriving at the scene of the crime, I found a miniscule pile of tiny flowers lying beside a basket. I calmly swept them up and threw them away and led Mia back to the table. I thought the problem was over, but after arriving at my chair, I realized I was wrong yet again. The other woman sitting at the same table had taken it upon herself to tell my friend exactly what she thought of the situation.

I didn't hear all of it but what I did hear went something like this..."It just sends fire through me when people don't watch their kids. She's just sitting there talking and not paying a bit of attention to that child. She could have just walked right out the door and she wouldn't have known." My initial reaction was actually just to cry. I have insecurities about being a good mom anyway and I often let the things that random strangers say to me make me upset. But then I just wanted to yell at her...but I knew that wouldn't be very pleasing to God. So, I just sat there. My friend spoke up, "I think it's fine and it's really none of your business." And then she leaned to me and said, "I have never seen someone act so rude." I agreed, but didn't know what to say for myself.

After leaving the restaurant and having time to think about it, I came up with a pretty hateful response that would have certainly put those ladies in their place but then as I had time to pray about it and pray for them all I could really feel was sadness. I felt sad that there are people out there who talk to others like that every day. They don't know the person's situation or what is actually going on, they just jump to conclusions and start giving their opinion. I have the priveledge of having a husband and a mother that I could run to when I was upset about what those women had said, but what about a single mother who is trying really hard and has no one to support her? What if they had said something like that to her...? And I felt sad because people like that live that way every day. They don't enjoy watching a baby toddle around the room because they're too busy being angry and upset. I just felt sorry for them that they had to be so miserable.

So, if I do ever see those women again I would like to say to them, "I have prayed for you and I forgive you for wrongly judging me. It may have looked to you like I wasn't paying attention to my child but I keep a close eye on her, in fact I enjoy watching her and I thank God for every step that she takes. When she was diagnosed at 3 months with a spinal condition, I decided then that I was going to make it a constant effort to enjoy the things she did because I didn't know exactly how her condition would effect her and what she would be able to do. And I would just plead with you to be careful what you say to people because you don't know how badly your words can hurt them...you don't know what they've been through or why they are doing the things they do." I will keep these thoughts in my mind because I'm sure that will not be my last encounter with rude people.

Snow Day

The thick blanket of snow that God sent our way could not have come at a better time. Everyone in my little family has caught the horrible cold that is going around and we needed an excuse to stay in and watch TV all day. We don't do very well with resting...David and I keep our schedules pretty busy and Mia's favorite thing to do is to "Go, go" (usually to Walmart). David's meeting at the church was cancelled and SSU is closed for the day and I absolutely hate to drive when there is even a little bit of snow on the ground.

Mia got up at 6 and her cold has already knocked her out for a nap this morning. She and I snuggled up in bed and watched Little Einsteins. I rubbed her back and before I knew it she was sound asleep. So, now David and I have a great opportunity to catch up on our movie watching (thanks, Mom, for Netflix!). When I ignore how much my throat hurts, it feels like the perfect day. I love snow days!

My blog is back...I have high speed internet!

I know, I know...if you didn't know better, you may think I had disappeared off the face of the earth. I have been absent from my blog for a very long time. The frustration of dial-up finally got to me and I gave up on a lot of my internet hobbies for awhile. But the great news is that David and I finally got high speed internet and I can now do all the things I was missing before.


This is the run down of what has been going on in the lives of the Dunham family...

David is still teaching English at Shawnee State University. After our pastor at Bigelow Church left, David felt that he should step up and put his application in for the job. He went on to fill the pulpit for a few months but upon realizing his lack of experience in everything but preaching he decided to follow our former pastor to Christ's Community Church which is also in Portsmouth. David is currently employed by CCC and is beyond excited at all the learning experiences is has had and will have there. The current pastor started the church and has been there around 50 years...and a few of the other pastors are very experienced as well. David gets to attend sermon reviews, planning meetings and just gets to see all of them in action. We are enjoying the preaching, the people, the involvement the church has in the community and the music...among other things. We are very happy that God has led us to CCC!

We just moved into our new house on Friday and are still getting uppacked. We have gotten pretty good at the moving process and I think we would already be done except that I got called for jury duty and actually got picked to serve Monday and Tuesday for a case that has gone on for 15 years, is well known in the community and involved some very graphic details...so, it ended up taking from 9am-6 or 7 pm on both days and it really drained me. But when it was all over it felt good to know that I contributed and helped to bring justice...it was interesting, I got to practice being assertive and I made 8 new friends.

Maleigha (who will soon be 18 months) loves our new church and our new house. She likes having so many new friends to play with at church and she loves the music. She is really enjoying our new house...every time she walks into her new room she says, "Oh WOW!". At our old house all of her toys had to be spread out everywhere but her new room is big enough for everything...and it is pink! Her time is divided between playing in her room and walking up and down the stairs (with parental assistance, of course).

And relating to her health--we are still in the process of getting a neurological consult for her (something we have been attempting since her diagnosis at 3 months). We keep hitting speed bumps along the way...there have been so many more tests than I ever thought there would be. I thought she would be diagnosed and then we do something about it. I didn't know we had to find out so much more info in other departments before we could move on to the neurological aspect of it. And I never imagined they would cancel so many appointments. But in the last couple days we have experienced hope. My mom contacted a lady that our family knows that is on the board at Cincinatti Children's and she has given me someone to talk to that may get some things done for us. God has a plan for all of this...even if it has been just to teach us some patience.

Now that I have filled in the blanks of the last few months I will take a break for now and hopefully be back to blogging another day this week.