Thanksgiving

[Guest guest]

Cathleen,

On this Thanksgiving morning, 3 years into our journey, your words ring true

for our family as well.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Mom to 10, 5 (n24 4/00) and 2

and Winfield, my husband and children's Dad (he doesn't get mentioned much

but I am thankful for him.)

I just wanted to say that I am very grateful for Listen-up. I have learned

so much and received so much support from this community.

I can honestly say that we have come to a point in

our journey where her deafness is a blessing to our family. It has made us

better parents, appreciate joy in our lives, increase our strength as a

family, and we have met some wonderful people who have endeavored much more

than we have and have done so with great resolve and fortitude. Thank you

Kay and all the members of this community for the wonderful information

shared here, the occasional shoulder to cry on, and ear to rant and rave in.

We hope that all of you have an abundance of blessings to count this

Thanksgiving holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving,

[Guest guest]

Cathleen,

On this Thanksgiving morning, 3 years into our journey, your words ring true

for our family as well.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Mom to 10, 5 (n24 4/00) and 2

and Winfield, my husband and children's Dad (he doesn't get mentioned much

but I am thankful for him.)

I just wanted to say that I am very grateful for Listen-up. I have learned

so much and received so much support from this community.

I can honestly say that we have come to a point in

our journey where her deafness is a blessing to our family. It has made us

better parents, appreciate joy in our lives, increase our strength as a

family, and we have met some wonderful people who have endeavored much more

than we have and have done so with great resolve and fortitude. Thank you

Kay and all the members of this community for the wonderful information

shared here, the occasional shoulder to cry on, and ear to rant and rave in.

We hope that all of you have an abundance of blessings to count this

Thanksgiving holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving,

[Guest guest]

Cathleen,

On this Thanksgiving morning, 3 years into our journey, your words ring true

for our family as well.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Mom to 10, 5 (n24 4/00) and 2

and Winfield, my husband and children's Dad (he doesn't get mentioned much

but I am thankful for him.)

I just wanted to say that I am very grateful for Listen-up. I have learned

so much and received so much support from this community.

I can honestly say that we have come to a point in

our journey where her deafness is a blessing to our family. It has made us

better parents, appreciate joy in our lives, increase our strength as a

family, and we have met some wonderful people who have endeavored much more

than we have and have done so with great resolve and fortitude. Thank you

Kay and all the members of this community for the wonderful information

shared here, the occasional shoulder to cry on, and ear to rant and rave in.

We hope that all of you have an abundance of blessings to count this

Thanksgiving holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving,

[Guest guest]

---Cathleen wrote:

>I just wanted to say that I am very grateful for Listen-up. I have

>learned so much and received so much support from this community.

>Although a is only 3-1/2 years old, I can honestly say that we

>have come to a point in our journey where her deafness is a blessing

>to our family.

It is sooooo wonderful to see others think like that! I tell people

everyday that although we would love to have had Sara hearing, it was

the best thing to happen to us as people. We, and our friends, have

learned soooo much more and have learned soooo much more from Sara

than we can ever provide her.

Tolerance, compassion, advocacy for others, it goes on and on. Sara

is my hero.

>It has made us better parents, appreciate joy in our lives, increase

>our strength as a family, and we have met some wonderful people who

>have endeavored much more than we have and have done so with great

>resolve and fortitude.

Amen.

Don, Charlene, Sara and

[Guest guest]

---Cathleen wrote:

>I just wanted to say that I am very grateful for Listen-up. I have

>learned so much and received so much support from this community.

>Although a is only 3-1/2 years old, I can honestly say that we

>have come to a point in our journey where her deafness is a blessing

>to our family.

It is sooooo wonderful to see others think like that! I tell people

everyday that although we would love to have had Sara hearing, it was

the best thing to happen to us as people. We, and our friends, have

learned soooo much more and have learned soooo much more from Sara

than we can ever provide her.

Tolerance, compassion, advocacy for others, it goes on and on. Sara

is my hero.

>It has made us better parents, appreciate joy in our lives, increase

>our strength as a family, and we have met some wonderful people who

>have endeavored much more than we have and have done so with great

>resolve and fortitude.

Amen.

Don, Charlene, Sara and

[Guest guest]

---Cathleen wrote:

>I just wanted to say that I am very grateful for Listen-up. I have

>learned so much and received so much support from this community.

>Although a is only 3-1/2 years old, I can honestly say that we

>have come to a point in our journey where her deafness is a blessing

>to our family.

It is sooooo wonderful to see others think like that! I tell people

everyday that although we would love to have had Sara hearing, it was

the best thing to happen to us as people. We, and our friends, have

learned soooo much more and have learned soooo much more from Sara

than we can ever provide her.

Tolerance, compassion, advocacy for others, it goes on and on. Sara

is my hero.

>It has made us better parents, appreciate joy in our lives, increase

>our strength as a family, and we have met some wonderful people who

>have endeavored much more than we have and have done so with great

>resolve and fortitude.

Amen.

Don, Charlene, Sara and

[Guest guest]

>Happy Thanksgiving everyone...

Happy Thanksgiving. I am VERY thankful for this group. Thanks to all for

sharing your stories, advice, suggestions, information, and news articles.

Many blessings,

(7 wks. post-myo!)

[Guest guest]

>>Kay and all the members of this community for the wonderful information

shared here, the occasional shoulder to cry on, and ear to rant and rave

in.<<

It's certainly my pleasure to provide everyone a place to do these things

in. We all know what it's like to be where you are, and know the need to

have a place like this community. It is I who should be thankful to our

wonderful members who make it the kind of place it is. I couldn't do that by

myself. Thanks to every one of you!

Hugs,

Kay

[Guest guest]

>>Kay and all the members of this community for the wonderful information

shared here, the occasional shoulder to cry on, and ear to rant and rave

in.<<

It's certainly my pleasure to provide everyone a place to do these things

in. We all know what it's like to be where you are, and know the need to

have a place like this community. It is I who should be thankful to our

wonderful members who make it the kind of place it is. I couldn't do that by

myself. Thanks to every one of you!

Hugs,

Kay

[Guest guest]

>>Kay and all the members of this community for the wonderful information

shared here, the occasional shoulder to cry on, and ear to rant and rave

in.<<

It's certainly my pleasure to provide everyone a place to do these things

in. We all know what it's like to be where you are, and know the need to

have a place like this community. It is I who should be thankful to our

wonderful members who make it the kind of place it is. I couldn't do that by

myself. Thanks to every one of you!

Hugs,

Kay

[Guest guest]

Hi Rita and ,

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Enjoy and many more. Take care.

God Bless

Yolanda

Thanksgiving

I am going to be very busy for the next few day, cooking and all kinds

of stuff like that, so I want to take this opportunity to wish each and

every one of you a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.

Rita &

Luv & Hugs!

*************************************

Some people succeed in spite of their handicap. Others succeed because

of them.

It's better to have Laugh Wrinkles than Worry Warts!

[Guest guest]

THANKSGIVING ROSES

This is a wonderful story... enjoy...share with everyone...

felt as low as the heels of her Birkenstocks when she

pulled open the florist shop door, against a November gust of

wind. Her life had been as sweet as a spring breeze and then

in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a " minor "

automobile accident stole her joy. This was Thanksgiving

week and the time she should have delivered their infant son.

She grieved over their loss.

Troubles had multiplied. Her husband's company " threatened "

to transfer his job to a new location. Her sister had called to

say that she could not come for her long awaited holiday visit.

THEN! 's friend suggested that 's grief was a

God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize

with others who suffer.

" She has no idea what I'm feeling, " thought with a

shudder. " Thanksgiving? Thankful for what? " she wondered.

" For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched

when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life,

but took her child's? "

" Good afternoon, can I help you? " was startled by the

approach of the shop clerk.

" I.... I need an arrangement, " stammered .

" For Thanksgiving? Do you want the beautiful but ordinary,

or would you like to challenge the day with a customer

favorite I call the 'Thanksgiving Special'? I'm convinced that

flowers tell stories, " she continued. " Are you looking for

something that conveys 'gratitude' this Thanksgiving? "

" Not exactly! " blurted out. " In the last five months,

everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.”

regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the clerk said,

" I have the perfect arrangement for you. "

Then the bell on the door rang, and the clerk greeted the new

customer, " Hi, Barbara...let me get your order. " She excused

herself and walked back to a small workroom, then quickly

reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and

what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the

ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no

flowers. " Do you want these in a box? " asked the clerk.

watched for the customer's response. Was this a

joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers? She

waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed. " Yes,

please, " Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. " You'd

think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so

moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over

again. " She said, as she gently tapped her chest.

stammered, " Ahh, that lady just left with, uh.... she left

with no flowers! "

" That's right, said the clerk. “ I cut off the flowers. That's the

" Special " " . I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet. "

" Oh, come on! You can't tell me someone is willing to pay for

that! " exclaimed .

" Barbara came into the shop three years ago, feeling much as

you do, today, " explained the clerk. " She thought she had

very little to be thankful for. She had just lost her father to

cancer; the family business was failing; her son had gotten into

drugs; and she was facing major surgery. " “ That same year I

had lost my husband, " continued the clerk. " For the first time

in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no

children, no husband, no family nearby, and too much debt to

allow any travel. "

" So what did you do? " asked .

" I learned to be thankful for thorns, " answered the clerk

quietly. " I've always thanked God for the good things in my

life and I NEVER questioned Him why those GOOD things

happened to me, but when the bad stuff hit, I cried out,

" WHY? WHY Me?! " It took time for me to learn that the

dark times are important to our faith! I have always enjoyed

the 'flowers' of my life but it took the thorns to show me the

beauty of God's comfort! You know, the Bible says that God

comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we

learn to comfort others. "

sucked in her breath, as she thought about the thought

that her friend had tried to tell her. " I guess the truth is, I don't

want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God. "

Just then someone else walked in the shop. " Hey, Phil! " the

clerk greeted the balding, rotund man. " My wife sent me in to

get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement...twelve thorny, long-

stemmed stems! " laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue

wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.

" Those are for your wife? " asked incredulously. " Do

you mind telling me why she wants a bouquet that looks like

that? "

" No... I'm glad you asked, " Phil replied. " Four years ago, my

wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a

real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we trudged

through problem after problem. The Lord rescued our

marriage. , here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of

rose stems to remind her of what she had learned from

" thorny " times. That was good enough for me. I took home

some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each

one for a specific " problem " and give thanks for what that

problem taught us. As Phil paid the clerk, he said to ,

" I highly recommend the Special! "

" I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life. "

said to the clerk. " It's all too...fresh. "

" Well, " the clerk replied carefully, " my experience has shown

me that the thorns make the roses more precious. We

treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at

any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that

Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the

thorns. "

Tears rolled down 's cheeks. For the first time since

the accident, she loosened her grip on her resentment. " I'll

take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please, " she managed

to choke out.

" I hoped you would, " said the clerk gently. " I'll have them

ready in a minute. "

" Thank you. What do I owe you? "

" Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your

heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me. " The

clerk smiled and handed a card to . “ I'll attach this

card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it

first. "

It read: My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I

have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never

once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear;

teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have

climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that,

through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more

brilliant. "

Praise Him for the roses, thank Him for the thorns And have

a Blessed Thanksgiving.

With thanks to LARRY RICHARDSON

[Guest guest]

Hi dcwilson,

I've mentioned the passing away of my mom the 2nd of this month. She lived with

me all my life. She helped me bring up my 3 children and was there to help out

with household chores. She contributed monetarily and helped with our finances.

She never said no to anyone in need. She has a servants heart. She was 87

years old. One day, about 6 months ago, I started to have feelings that seemed

strange. I sat down with her and told her that from now on I would be going out

alone with my husband and the children from time to time. I would go in my room

and cry because I did not understand why I was doing this. Then one day in

prayer, I told the Lord that I was going to include her in my trips, you know

what His response was? " I AM SEPARATING YOU FROM HER " , and in my spirit I saw

what seemed like a cutting away of an umbilical cord. I thought maybe I'm going

to die and he wants to make it easy on her. But you see, He was preparing me

for her departure. She became ill, had two heart attacks and pneumonia. Her

hospital stay lasted for one month and on her last day here on earth as I walked

into her hospital room I saw her talking to someone and looking straight up.

After trying to get her attention 3 times she finally looked at me twice and

then continued her dialogue with whoever. That night she went home with the

Lord and though I miss her, the Lord did separate me from her because I have

peace and joy. Yes, the thorns are there, and they hurt sometimes, but the

thorn-wearer is there to comfort us. Sorry for going on, but your story was

touching and I thought I would share mine. Take care.

God Bless

Yolanda

Thanksgiving

THANKSGIVING ROSES

This is a wonderful story... enjoy...share with everyone...

felt as low as the heels of her Birkenstocks when she

pulled open the florist shop door, against a November gust of

wind. Her life had been as sweet as a spring breeze and then

in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a " minor "

automobile accident stole her joy. This was Thanksgiving

week and the time she should have delivered their infant son.

She grieved over their loss.

Troubles had multiplied. Her husband's company " threatened "

to transfer his job to a new location. Her sister had called to

say that she could not come for her long awaited holiday visit.

THEN! 's friend suggested that 's grief was a

God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize

with others who suffer.

" She has no idea what I'm feeling, " thought with a

shudder. " Thanksgiving? Thankful for what? " she wondered.

" For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched

when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life,

but took her child's? "

" Good afternoon, can I help you? " was startled by the

approach of the shop clerk.

" I.... I need an arrangement, " stammered .

" For Thanksgiving? Do you want the beautiful but ordinary,

or would you like to challenge the day with a customer

favorite I call the 'Thanksgiving Special'? I'm convinced that

flowers tell stories, " she continued. " Are you looking for

something that conveys 'gratitude' this Thanksgiving? "

" Not exactly! " blurted out. " In the last five months,

everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. "

regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the clerk said,

" I have the perfect arrangement for you. "

Then the bell on the door rang, and the clerk greeted the new

customer, " Hi, Barbara...let me get your order. " She excused

herself and walked back to a small workroom, then quickly

reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and

what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the

ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no

flowers. " Do you want these in a box? " asked the clerk.

watched for the customer's response. Was this a

joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers? She

waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed. " Yes,

please, " Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. " You'd

think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so

moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over

again. " She said, as she gently tapped her chest.

stammered, " Ahh, that lady just left with, uh.... she left

with no flowers! "

" That's right, said the clerk. " I cut off the flowers. That's the

" Special " " . I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet. "

" Oh, come on! You can't tell me someone is willing to pay for

that! " exclaimed .

" Barbara came into the shop three years ago, feeling much as

you do, today, " explained the clerk. " She thought she had

very little to be thankful for. She had just lost her father to

cancer; the family business was failing; her son had gotten into

drugs; and she was facing major surgery. " " That same year I

had lost my husband, " continued the clerk. " For the first time

in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no

children, no husband, no family nearby, and too much debt to

allow any travel. "

" So what did you do? " asked .

" I learned to be thankful for thorns, " answered the clerk

quietly. " I've always thanked God for the good things in my

life and I NEVER questioned Him why those GOOD things

happened to me, but when the bad stuff hit, I cried out,

" WHY? WHY Me?! " It took time for me to learn that the

dark times are important to our faith! I have always enjoyed

the 'flowers' of my life but it took the thorns to show me the

beauty of God's comfort! You know, the Bible says that God

comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we

learn to comfort others. "

sucked in her breath, as she thought about the thought

that her friend had tried to tell her. " I guess the truth is, I don't

want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God. "

Just then someone else walked in the shop. " Hey, Phil! " the

clerk greeted the balding, rotund man. " My wife sent me in to

get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement...twelve thorny, long-

stemmed stems! " laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue

wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.

" Those are for your wife? " asked incredulously. " Do

you mind telling me why she wants a bouquet that looks like

that? "

" No... I'm glad you asked, " Phil replied. " Four years ago, my

wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a

real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we trudged

through problem after problem. The Lord rescued our

marriage. , here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of

rose stems to remind her of what she had learned from

" thorny " times. That was good enough for me. I took home

some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each

one for a specific " problem " and give thanks for what that

problem taught us. As Phil paid the clerk, he said to ,

" I highly recommend the Special! "

" I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life. "

said to the clerk. " It's all too...fresh. "

" Well, " the clerk replied carefully, " my experience has shown

me that the thorns make the roses more precious. We

treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at

any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that

Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the

thorns. "

Tears rolled down 's cheeks. For the first time since

the accident, she loosened her grip on her resentment. " I'll

take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please, " she managed

to choke out.

" I hoped you would, " said the clerk gently. " I'll have them

ready in a minute. "

" Thank you. What do I owe you? "

" Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your

heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me. " The

clerk smiled and handed a card to . " I'll attach this

card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it

first. "

It read: My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I

have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never

once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear;

teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have

climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that,

through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more

brilliant. "

Praise Him for the roses, thank Him for the thorns And have

a Blessed Thanksgiving.

With thanks to LARRY RICHARDSON

[Guest guest]

Anyone have a good recipe for pumpkin bread or banana nut bread? This will be the first Thanksgiving for me that I can cook.

ren

[Guest guest]

Dear Ren,

I go on www.foodnetwork.com , type in my request for a recipe and they give you many choices, which are rated by "stars."

How'd it go with your CAT scan?

Best,

[Guest guest]

Dear Ren,

I go on www.foodnetwork.com , type in my request for a recipe and they give you many choices, which are rated by "stars."

How'd it go with your CAT scan?

Best,

[Guest guest]

thanks for the recipe web sites, no news yet on the scan.

ren

[Guest guest]

thanks for the recipe web sites, no news yet on the scan.

ren

[Guest guest]

thanks for the recipe web sites, no news yet on the scan.

ren

[Guest guest]

oh my, I LOVE THEM BOTH!!!

please ladies, share!rendurall@... wrote:

Anyone have a good recipe for pumpkin bread or banana nut bread? This will be the first Thanksgiving for me that I can cook. ren

Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click.

[Guest guest]

oh my, I LOVE THEM BOTH!!!

please ladies, share!rendurall@... wrote:

Anyone have a good recipe for pumpkin bread or banana nut bread? This will be the first Thanksgiving for me that I can cook. ren

Yahoo! FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click.

[Guest guest]

Ren, go to www.recipesource.com - they have a recipe for just about any

and everything!

>

> Anyone have a good recipe for pumpkin bread or banana nut bread?

This will

> be the first Thanksgiving for me that I can cook.

>

> ren

>

[Guest guest]

Ren, go to www.recipesource.com - they have a recipe for just about any

and everything!

>

> Anyone have a good recipe for pumpkin bread or banana nut bread?

This will

> be the first Thanksgiving for me that I can cook.

>

> ren

>

[Guest guest]

Ren, go to www.recipesource.com - they have a recipe for just about any

and everything!

>

> Anyone have a good recipe for pumpkin bread or banana nut bread?

This will

> be the first Thanksgiving for me that I can cook.

>

> ren

>