I'm Walkin' Tall Again!

I am so very thankful for the quick healing of my back! After two and a half days of walking at a ninety degree angle with agonizing pain, I am pretty much back to my height of 5'8". Not that the pain is all gone, but it's completely bearable; even without any medicine! Between the prayers said on my behalf, the ice & ibuprofen, and the fact that I forced myself to stretch, and not stay in a single position for too long, all helped & worked together to bring such a speedy recovery. I have never hurt my back like this before (I was also reminded how I fell hard on the ice recently, & that may have been the root cause to the injury), and I hope to never hurt it like this again! Excruciating, agonizing, and debilitating pain is not much fun!

Now, I'm seeing all I have to catch up on from being down. Not to be confused with what I needed to catch up on before I hurt my back. I've run the stick vacuum a couple times since standing straighter, but even as lightweight as it is, my back has complained a bit. I figure mopping is out of the question, too. Such a bummer. If you know me, you know how much I LOVE to mop (can you feel the sarcasm dripping from that one?).

Elise has been pretty mellow today, so that's been nice. After a very full day yesterday, I'm glad to have a day to rest a bit. Well, resting in between laundry, anyway.  Hey - I'm even getting a post in AND changed the look to my 'blah-g.'

On a different note, the school our kids are in will be extending the school day by 40 minutes. It's actually a good thing; we had so many missed school days because of this harsh winter, that without doing this, the kids would lose a bit of their summer. So, how it works is every eight extended days makes up one full school day. The only downer: setting the alram an extra half hour early as they are starting the day 20 minutes earlier. The other 20 minutes is added to the end of the day. It will make for even more "fun" mornings as Abby and Trevor aren't morning kids. :)

I just want to say a few words about a very dear friend of mine that passed into the loving arms of Jesus last week.

The world lost one of the few people who are completely genuine, completely joyful, and completely complete in Jesus, on March 3, 2010.  Jo Ann lived a hard life. I have never known anyone who has survived more tragedies and heartbreak than she had. But, no matter what happened, she clung to Jesus with all her might. When many others would waiver, or even turn from their faith, she only held on tighter.

Jo Ann has been a long-time family friend. She even remembered changing a diaper or two of mine. My dad worked with her husband (who died only 6 years ago) at the popcorn plant when we had lived here in Iowa. When Robert & I moved our family to Iowa, my grandpa connected me with Jo Ann's daughter, who was in a Bible study with Jo Ann and another lady, telling her I really wanted to get into a Bible study. We first met at Jo Ann's home, but with having small children and Robert's work schedule, we started to meet at my house. I am so grateful for that year and a half when I was blessed with the gift of growing such a sweet and loving bond with Jo Ann. Many times, I'd have her stay for lunch, and we'd just chat. Chat about life, worries, struggles, joys, hopes, and prayers. Jo Ann was my prayer buddy. We always prayed together, and for each other.  My journal is full of prayers on her behalf. All that have now been answered forever. She is with Jesus. She is in a home we could not ever even try to imagine. I know she heard the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant." I know her rewards are so very, very great. I can just hear her oooing and aaahing, and see her gazing into her Savior's eyes. She is perfected now. She is experiencing her Savior, her God, in ways we can never know this side of heaven.