Let me show you a photo!

Whenever I leave my home, I am very cautious. I constantly look at the ground. I stay on the driveway and sidewalks. I do not travel through the grass unless it is absolutely necessary. I will go out of my way to stay on paved walkways. People may think I am a little bit crazy, but I know there are slithering creatures around.

The one place I am always very nervous about is the garage. There are many nook and crannies in which flexible animals can find their way into. I do not like surprises, and I do not want the “joy” of having an acrobatic critter leap out at me. I try to spend as little time as possible in the garage. If I need something from the car, I will get into the car and close the door. I do not want any company while I am on my mission.

Today, I was still only half awake even though it was after 1 p.m. I went to the kitchen to make some tea. My mom asks if I had been on Facebook. I said, “Yes, but only to check for messages.” My mom then thrusts into my face a photo she took on her phone of a rattlesnake! The rattlesnake got caught in a mouse trap. The snake was still alive, and it was in our GARAGE! Well, ladies and gentleman, my heart nearly leaped out of my chest. Now, I no longer desired a cup or tea. I needed to go to bed to allow my adrenal glands to calm down and my fight or flight hormones in my body to degrade.

Unworthy to receive so much communication

 I sit in my bed, exhausted from a long day. I am alerted to messages which are streaming in to my Facebook, YouTube and email accounts. Words or praise, questions and concerns, each word I read carefully, trying to understand the writer’s intent. People ask, “Will my father ever get better?” or "Will this tracheostomy tube be permanent?" Others sing shouts of “Thank you!” and “Praise the Lord!” as they rejoice over finding valuable information in one of my videos.

I am overwhelmed with emotions. Who am I to affect so many people? Who am I to be worthy of this much electronic communication?

A friend of mine reached out to me and told me how her life has not turned out as she had hoped, and a recent video I released helped her during a dark time. I am dumb-founded by my impact on the world. I could have never imagined people would find so much meaning from my work. It inspires me to keep on keeping on, even if I am struggling to find energy.

A Blessing After a Long Day of Sewage Cleanup

Yesterday, I decided to take a shower. For most people, this is a normal, every day affair. For me, I only shower once a week…sometimes it is less frequent if I am sick or tired. I turn on the shower water. After the water warms up, I enter the shower.

I notice the shower drain seems sluggish. Then, the drain starts backing up water faster and faster. I end my bathing time and get out. To my horror, when I exit the shower, there is water on the floor. Oh no! The shower backup is causing the toilet to leak water. I carefully sludge through sewage to get to dry floor. I dress and go to bed. I tell myself it soon will all be dry.

I lie down. A few hours later, my bathroom is submerged in water. The water was draining from my shower into my bathroom. A long night of clean-up commenced. It really did not matter how much water I scooped up and put in a bucket, any water poured down the drain from most of the rest of the house, the sewage would drain into my bathroom. My dad contacted a plumber.

I had a restless night of sleep. I had to go to the bathroom several times during the night. Every time, I had to traipse across the house to another bathroom in order to do my business. I was very tired by the time I made the trip back to my bed. Sleep was fleeting.

I was half asleep this morning when my dad came into my room and said the plumber would be here soon. I got out of bed and moved my medical equipment out of the way. I just got everything arranged when the plumber arrived. Twenty minutes later, the blockage was cleared. I was praising God for having a working bathroom again.

I went to bed for the rest of the day.

As I laid on my bed, I receive a phone call a prescription is ready for pickup. I am confused I do not have any prescriptions ready for pickup. I look online. The pharmacy contacted a doctor for a prescription refill. I have not seen this doctor in over a year. But, the doctor gave me a one year refill on a medication I use daily. I was thrilled. It saves me from having to make an appointment and get the medicine through my primary care physician.

I smiled and thanked God for His kindness. After a long day, I appreciated this wonderful blessing.

There’s a HUGE cockroach on my toothbrush!!!

On Sunday night, I am blurry-eyed and ready for a long night of sleep. I begin doing my nightly routine of setting up my IV nutrition called TPN, washing my face, putting my pajamas on, etc.

I open the cabinet in my bathroom to place my hair tie inside. I take my dental floss, yank out a small strand, and place the dental floss back in the cabinet. I floss my teeth. I set down my dental floss strand and am now ready to brush my teeth. I look into the cabinet to grab my toothbrush. There is a HUGE cockroach crawling right toward my toothbrush. I am stunned. Where did this massive bug come from? I look at the cabinet. In the back, there is a small hole which allows an electrical wire to run from an outlet on the side of the cabinet to the wall behind the cabinet. Is that where this creature came from? How did it fit its gigantic body through such a small hole?

When I regain my faculties, the cockroach is now hanging out on my toothbrush. “Rats!” I think to myself. I was hoping the cockroach would crawl out of the cabinet, but now it seems to be taking up residence on my toothbrush. I am growing impatient waiting for the cockroach to move. I do not want to disturb it. I want it to crawl forward out of the cabinet.

The cockroach finally makes it way toward me. I am dying from exhaustion. All I want to do is go to bed. I have a sandal in my hand, poised to strike the cockroach. When the massive critter crawls out of the cabinet, I strike too soon. The cockroach is shielded from a direct blow because my sandal hit the side of the cabinet. My exhaustion greatly impeded my cockroach killing skills. The cockroach, as quick as lightning, darts back into the cabinet. I am overwhelmed with disgust. I shut the cabinet door and hope however the cockroach got into the cabinet, he can find his way back out.

I hurry out of the bathroom and close the bathroom door behind me. I do not want the cockroach to find its way out of the bathroom and crawl into bed with me. I push aside the thoughts that a massive cockroach is throwing a party in my bathroom cabinet. I quickly fall asleep.

In the morning, I search for the cockroach, but I do not find it. I am happy I did not discover the roach, but I am a little concerned where the bug might have traveled to. Hopefully, the creature found a new home somewhere else…in a dark place where I do not have to see it.