Faith Through the Journey

I’ve been thinking about blogging for awhile now, and the reason I hesitated is that I didn’t know if I had anything anyone besides me would want to read. If nothing else, this will be therapeutic for me. I’ve been told that I write well, so feel free to check my spelling, grammar and punctuation. I’m a former stay at home mom–former because all of my “responsibilities” have left–so I worked myself out of a job. My husband of 30 years still likes having me around,so my position is secure. When our youngest left home about 4 years ago, she left behind a Brittany Spaniel mix named Riley and we’re best buddies, mostly because we’re all we’ve got during the day. She livens up to play with her squeaky toys or chase cats and squirrels that frequent the backyard, and then she proceeds to sleep about 18 hours a day. The life of a 6-year-old dog in the suburbs is pretty cushy–it’s good to be Riley.

I consider myself to be a woman of faith–faith that is constantly being challenged, stretched and exercised–sometimes to a degree that I must ask “Why, Lord?”. I realize that compared to many I lead a very good and heaven-blessed life, and for that I am eternally grateful. I have 3 wonderful children, 2 in-law children that I love as my own, and a husband who never lets more than a few hours go by without telling me he loves me, an extended family who, when we are able to gather, truly enjoy one another, a church family who is truly that, and friends who always know just when I need to hear from them. The thing that keeps me aware of my humanity more than anything else is this illness that keeps coming back just when I think I’ve heard the last of it. During one week in 1974, I turned 18, graduated from high school, and learned that I have Crohn’s Disease. I find myself in a recurrence now. That is the thing in my life that drives me to blog at this point in time. After 38 years of having this illness, there are important things God has taught me that may be of encourage