MarysLaryVibes

I was one of those kids that liked to put everything in my mouth. I'm not exactly sure which item took me to the ER. It was either a marble or a penny.  I think it was a penny.  I think with the marble I swallowed it and spent several long minutes in the bathroom trying to cough it up.  That was probably after the penny and I didn't want to tell my mom I had once again swallowed something after I had been told multiple times to stop putting things in my mouth. I did eventually cough up the marble. Not vomit it up. It didn't go to my stomach. It was STUCK. Really stuck. Parents give us guidelines for a reason. They want to protect us. As a laryngectomee, I was given new guidelines; also there to protect me. Drink lots of water, keep the air I breathe humidified. I learned the hard way what happens when you don't do that. Short story is I let my airway get dry and I was coughing up blood. (To tell you anything else would just be gross.) The Bible is the same way. It shows...

  Proverbs 26:20 (Updated NASB, Copyright 2002) "For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperers, contention quiets down." I thought I had a pretty good understanding of what "contention" is but decided to look it up.  Here ya go: "Some common synonyms of contention are conflict, discord, dissension strife, and variance. While all these words mean 'a state or condition marked by a lack of agreement or harmony,' contention applies to strife or competition that shows itself in quarreling, disputing, or controversy. I still wasn't quite satisfied so I looked up the verse in a different translation: (NIV, Copyright 1985) "Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down." So there you have it.  I know for myself, that if I quit talking with others about something that's bothering me  I am much more at peace. And if I focus on praying about the situation it's even better,  I had a co-worker one time ...

 Proverbs 24:17-18 "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Or the Lord will see it and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him." I 'm not sure who needed this today. I felt like the Lord wanted me to get this out there. At first I thought this was beyond "loving your enemy". But on second thought, this is exactly what "loving your enemy" is. Not just doing kind things for them, NOT being mean, or NOT saying bad things about them.  This Proverb is saying to have compassion for your enemy.  Now you may say that I would have an ulterior motive to obey this scripture because if I obey this scripture, then God will continue to be angry with our enemy. But I suggest we look at the 3rd line, "or the Lord will see it and be displeased". I, for one, do not want to purposely do what will displease the Lord. Sure, I screw up. My thoughts and words don't always align with Gods. But I need to ...

One of my favorite times of the day is early morning. I don't know what that means for you but for me that's around 7:00ish. I love to sit outside and enjoy the coolness before the heat kicks in. Sometimes I just sit and listen to the birds. Sometimes I'll bring my bible out here and do my quiet time out here. This morning, well, I brought my laptop out here and wanted to share this beautiful day with you. I mostly enjoy these mornings on my patio because they remind me of mornings as a kid. My mom would be pulling weeds in her flower garden and I would be on our large patio riding my trike. Sometimes I would help but mostly I played. Sometimes I played on the swing set. It was a small basic one but the swings worked just as well as the fancy one we got later on.  When I'm out here I'm not as distracted. I don't notice a kitchen that needs cleaning or a craft room that needs organizing. When I read my bible I am distracted by so many things and it's hard to ...

I was leaving my granddaughter’s graduation and I saw the 2 nd part of a 3-car crash. My vehicle was in the middle of cars #1 and #2. (See diagram below.) Traffic was moving very slowly as there were a lot of cars leaving the parking lot. Mostly we were sitting there, occasionally creeping forward. I heard a very loud bang behind me on the right side. It was so close I jumped and could swear I felt it. Then car #3 flew by me and its right back wheel swerved into the curb. Car #3 bounced off the curb and hit car #2. Cars #1, #2 and #3 were all in the right lane now and I was in the left lane blocking traffic. I pulled forward and past car #2 to allow traffic to pass. I checked my car for any damage; there was none.  I determined that there were probably multiple witnesses that saw more than I did so I left. I reconsidered and decided that what I heard and saw might be helpful in some way, be it ever so small, so I turned around and made myself available at the scene. As a larynge...

I was reading today in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 14. The end of the chapter recounts Peter denying Jesus 3 times before the rooster crowed twice. Jesus predicted it ahead of time but Peter vehemently told Jesus that he would never deny him. But then he did. As soon as the rooster crowed the 2nd time, Peter wept. Peter screwed up. But how is that different from us. I'm trying to remember a time where I denied Christ. I get a sense, not a real memory, that I was afraid of being laughed at or called a hypocrite. I could be gallant and claim I was trying to get the focus off of Jesus because He wasn't the one that messed up. It was me. I don't know. Maybe I thought if I distanced myself from Jesus, then Jesus would look better. Jesus didn't need a spokesperson like me. Peter could have been afraid for his life. They were going to kill Jesus. What would they do to him? But there isn't a good reason to deny Jesus. I CAN be a spokesperson about what Jesus has done for me...

I breathe through a hole in my neck. We laryngectomees often use a device called an HME (heat/moisture exchange). This helps keep the airway moist. A dry, irritated, airway can be deadly. I found that out last Thanksgiving Day. I got bronchitis a week before and I hadn't been following the care protocol of squirting saline into my stoma that helps keep it moist. I started coughing up small amounts of blood. I wasn't too concerned until things went south. (It was gross so I won't say anymore.)   I was struggling to breathe. I did what I could to clear my airways but that wasn't working so I dug my suction machine out of the closet, hooked it up, and began suctioning. When I could catch a little breath, I went to the living room and told my husband to call 911. I've mentioned earlier that my husband has some physical and mental issues. He didn't call 911. Instead he wheeled himself to the door and told someone outside that I had asked to call 911. My kids were try...

I have 4 kids and 11 grandkids that bring so much joy to my life. I love spending time with them all but it is difficult to get everybody together at the same time. We don't even get to spend holidays all together these days.  When that first grandkid arrives you have all the time in the world to spend with them. You don't have to think much about it. It's effortless. When my first granddaughter was 6 years old I asked her what she wanted for her birthday. She had just seen "Princess Diaries" and what she wanted for her birthday was for me to take her to that movie and spend time with her. She wanted to share something that she enjoyed so much with her grandma. What a blessing.  Time is short. My voice box was removed in 2022 and that took care of most of my cancer. I still have cancer in my lungs albeit so small I'm on watch and wait. In the time I have left on this earth, I want to show each grandchild how special they are to me. But more importantly, I need...

I was listening to one of my favorite speakers the other day and she referred to a story in Mark that comes AFTER the crucifixion. BEFORE the resurrection. Peter had denied Christ 3 times. They were all feeling kind of lost and not knowing what to do next. Peter said he was going fishing. His friends were aware that he had betrayed their leader-friend, Jesus, yet they all said they would go with him. This speaker said that could be a week's worth of lessons at a women's conference. I think what she meant is that what his friends did was a wonderful indication of the friendship they had. They weren't stuck on his betrayal of Jesus, but knew he was hurting and decided to stick together. Personally, I struggle with this. I can count on one hand the friends I've had for more than a few months. I think I'm lazy. It takes a lot of effort to keep a friendship going. I had one friend who called me every single day just to chat. I had 3 kids of my own and took care of 2 oth...

Life as a laryngectomee (no voice box) is hard.  I'm sure we all have doubts about whether there is a God. Some embrace those doubts and refuse to believe. To be honest (I seem to say that a lot), I have been struggling some with my faith. I attend a wonderful church. I serve when and where I can. It is somewhat difficult with no voice box, but I do what I can. The people are wonderful. I have found some real friends for the first time in a long time-apart from work. There is one couple who even invited us over for dinner. Other than family, that hasn't happened since---I can't remember when. But unless I stay consistent with my Bible reading and prayer, I feel lost and lonely. I want to give up.  Focusing on what needs to be done is hard. I think there's something in my brain that makes it hard. If I have a list I do better. When I stay on task I feel better. I get around people and I feel less alone. So I want to encourage you, whatever your situation is, pray for gui...