tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-306068062024-03-05T19:35:16.207-08:00Walking With God By My SideWith God's help, He has enabled me to do a lot of things in my life and for that I am very grateful.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-85957607532444268272022-08-19T10:04:00.006-07:002022-08-24T14:45:23.391-07:00Resurrecting and slightly editing an old post from the past<p>This is a post originally from <span style="color: red;"><u><b>Sunday, April 7, 2013</b></u></span> that did not get published. Then today<b>, <span style="color: red;"><u>Wednesday, August 24, 2022</u></span></b>, I decided to go ahead and share it. This was over nine years ago or 3,425 days.</p><p> </p><p style="text-align: left;">I am not that smart as to be able to know how many days have passed since April 7, 2013, but I used the following website to calculate the difference between these two dates. </p><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">3,421 days<br /><br /> Source: https://www.vercalendario.info/en/how/subtract-two-dates.html</div><p><a href="https://www.vercalendario.info/en/how/subtract-two-dates.html! ">Calculate difference between two dates.</a></p><p> </p><p>Wow, where in the heck does time go? I need to get back on track with this blog and stick with it, because life does not stop for anyone, especially me!</p><p> </p><p><b>Once again, what happened on April 7, 2013...</b></p><p><b> </b></p><p><b>I'm walking on sunshine...</b> </p><p>I enjoy walking, not just because it's good physical activity, but it's one of the few things I can do like everyone else. I'm the first one to admit that I do not walk fast, but I can walk and for that I am very grateful that God has blessed me to still be able to get up and move.</p><p><br />
<b>I love the great outdoors...</b><br />
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 29th, 30th and 31st, I got the chance to get outside. It took me a little over an hour to walk a little over a mile each time, but to me, speed is not my sole purpose of walking, because in the realm of things it does not matter and I learned that simple fact in the past after injuring myself when trying to surpass my times. Now my goal is just to get outside and walk so my legs get stronger and I get healthier.</p><p><br />
<b>I'm lagging a bit with this post...</b><br />
When I wrote the above, I was going to write more, but then I got sidetracked and forgot about it until today, Sunday, April 7th, a week after Easter. I have once again been trying to walk this past week, but the wind as been an issue for me, which always is every spring. With winter, I'm not too crazy with the snow and with spring, the wind can be bothersome, so I just have to pick the calm days and get out and walk as much as I can and on the windy days, I walk in the house.</p><p><br />
<b>Walking twice in one day...</b><br />
Last week Tuesday, April 2nd, I went a little nuts when I walked 1.108 miles in the early afternoon from about 2:00 to 3:00 and then I walked the same route and distance later in the afternoon and early evening from about 5:30 to 6:45. Altogether, I walked about 2.216 miles and I've got to admit that I was really tired, but it was a good tired, because I slept really well and most of this winter I have had insomnia because I could not get tired enough to sleep well.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-15721720434934201442013-03-27T17:15:00.001-07:002013-03-27T17:15:33.066-07:00Spring is here? Yeah, right!<b>First day of spring...</b><br />
That would be Wednesday, March 20th. Yeah, they say it's officially spring, but you can't really tell by the frigid temperatures. It's still so cold that the last time I even stepped out the door was Sunday afternoon, March 17th. Yes, it was St. Patrick's Day, but I did not go to a parade or anything like that, I just went outside to try and get some fresh air because I thought it was going to be nice, but by the time I returned from a short 20 minute walk, I was about frozen through.<br />
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<b>The best part about winter...</b><br />
Well, since I don't hardly ever have to go out in the winter time, I guess the only good thing to say about it, is that I don't have to go out in it. On second thought, there are two good things about winter... it's also kind of pretty when there is snow on the trees. I say kind of, because that can also be a problem if the snow gets too heavy on the limbs and they fall and bring down electrical wires. Yikes, I do not like being without electricity since the dentist chair I sit in requires electricity and if that does not work, then I have to lie in bed until it returns.<br />
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<b>Should be our last snow of the season...</b><br />
Monday, around 10:20, it started snowing again. The weather forecasters made it sound really bad, but by the time it ended at around 1:00, we may have gotten two inches. Below are some pictures that were taken across the street from our home at the St. Louis Catholic Church. The snow covered the grass and cement, but the road and parking lot was clear.<br />
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<b>It wasn't over yet...</b><br />
But then Monday evening, March 25th, it started snowing again, sometime after 7:00. I guess the snow in the morning and afternoon was just a tease, because Tuesday morning when we woke up, we found the following (see picture below) - about six more inches. As the day went on, we probably got another three to four inches. My brother Bob is squatting, not standing behind that pile of snow. He was shoveling when my friend and aide, Dianne, took his picture. A few feet from Bob is a blue scoop shovel that I found on the internet. Bob and Rick, my other brother, have been using it and they like it because they do not have to shovel and pick up the heavy snow to move it, but they stand behind it, and push the snow away with their arms and legs and then unload it off the driveway.<br />
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<b>Where the heck is spring?</b><br />
The only reason I am reporting about this snowfall, is because it's supposed to be spring and I have really been looking forward to warmer weather so I can get out and walk all the time instead of just once a week. So, this afternoon I decided to get out again so I bundled up a little more than usual and walked about 45 minutes. I was wearing an extra sweater under my hooded jacket and I had socks on my hands. Yes, you read right - I said socks. I know that sounds very strange, but I can not wear mittens and especially not gloves because the rheumatoid arthritis has adversely affected my hands to the point that using socks is the only thing that works.<br />
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<b>Getting out to walk again...</b></div>
I really hope that the last snow was the last snow because I am so tired of this winter weather. In my humble opinion, it stinksaroni. I know, that word doesn't exist in Webster's dictionary, but it's better than saying some other really bad word. Getting out much more frequently and walking every day with warm weather is kind of a dream come true at this point. I enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, exercise and yes, even sweating, because when I'm doing all of these things, I am also getting stronger and healthier.<br />
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<b>Weighty concerns...</b><br />
I weighed myself last week and I'm up to 125 pounds. Even though I'm 5' 9", that may not seem like a lot, but having rheumatoid arthritis and a smaller bone frame, that's about 15 pounds more that I would like to weigh. Weighing 110 instead would just feel better and my clothes would also feel more loose too. I don't have a problem buying food and supplements, but when it comes to clothes, I usually buy most of my clothes at Good Will because they are much more less expensive.<br />
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<b>First day of summer...</b><br />
That day is going to be Friday, June 21st. I know, I'm jumping the gun a bit, because first we need to get a lot better spring weather before we can get on with summer. Hey, you can't blame me for looking ahead. What else do we have to look forward to but more snow? YUCK!!! I say, come on sunshine, we're waiting for you!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-2440548114435058262013-01-01T07:24:00.000-08:002015-02-12T09:24:20.590-08:00Woohoo!!! Happy New Year!!!<br />
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<b>Out with the old and in with the new...</b></div>
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Yep, it's that time of year again, to celebrate the beginning of yet another year. I don't know about you, but 2012 went by a little too fast for me.</div>
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<b>My favorite times of the year...</b></div>
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I'm not a big fan of the winter months, mostly because I just cannot get outside when there's snow, ice and frigid temperatures. BURRRRR!!! On the other hand, I really prefer spring, summer and fall, with April, May, June, September and October being my favorite months. The reason I left out July and August is because when it gets up to 85° and higher, sometimes the heat can be a bit overwhelming and I'm also not fond of becoming overly sweaty. Since I enjoy walking outside and I don't really like having to wear a coat when walking with my elbow crutches, that is why I prefer temps ranging from 65° to 75°.</div>
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<b>Sharing my family life...</b></div>
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Since I started this blog July, 2006, I have primarily focused it on my own personal life, but that is going to change this year. Within the next few weeks, I am going to start sharing pictures and stories of my parents, Alvin and Joann (Meyer) Bensman and five siblings: Richard (Dick), Robert (Bob), Ruth, Russell (Russ), and Roderick (Rick). My parents were married on November 27, 1952 and they shared 49 years of their lives together until my dad passed away on July 28, 2002 from a combination of emphysema and congestive heart failure.</div>
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<b>The name of my blog...</b></div>
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When I started this blog and decided that I wanted to call it, "Walking with God by my side", it was and still is how I truly feel about God being a part of my daily life. He has truly guided me throughout my life, giving me the strength and determination to overcome many obstacles. I cannot do anything without Him and feel so fortunate and blessed with everything He has given me and for everyone whom He has brought into my life over the years. He is an amazing God and for that, I am so incredibly grateful.</div>
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<b>Listening to God speak to my heart...</b></div>
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Over the last couple of months I have wanted to share this with anyone who reads my blog. To tell you the truth, I have not even shared this with my family and friends, so I am revealing it here for the first time. Believe me, I was just as skeptical as you are now when I first heard about the possibility of God speaking to my heart and me transcribing the messages from Him. It's really very simple. I just sit quietly and do not let my own thoughts take over, but let God speak to me. I do not hear an audible voice, but God comes into my heart and speaks as loud and clear as if He was sitting right next to me.</div>
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Below is a message that I would like to share with you here for the very first time:</div>
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Dear Rebecca,</div>
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I do appreciate you taking this opportunity of sharing your blog about how you listen to My messages to you. I do speak to your heart and everyone's heart every single day that they take a breath. It's My unique opportunity to share with them how I feel about their very existence, which is always very precious to Me. It goes without saying that I wish everyone would take the opportunity of listening to Me talk to them also, so maybe in your own way you will start a trend of sorts.</div>
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I wish the very best for all of My children, but sadly sin and misguiding ways are a treachery to so many people. Unfortunately, so many people do not take their moral obligation to live a life of righteousness seriously, you included. Everyone has room for improvement, including the ability to become a better person throughout the span of their life. It is never, I repeat, never too late to turn away from sin, any and all sin, and turn to Me as a guiding light of protection, love, true guidance and belief that when people trust and believe in My ways of love, hope and charity, they can do the most amazing things in their life.</div>
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I want, I always want my children to be self reliant and self sufficient, but when people steer away from what is truth and light and turn to darkness and sadness, they are going in the deepest and worst part that life is offering, which is Satan's ways. He wants, no, he is constantly pulling at the hearts of humanity and I strive every single moment of every single person to keep away from Satan's darkness. If you and every one on earth would do one simple thing, to seek the light and kindness of My most loving heart, there would be no more wars, no more abortion and more importantly everyone would be at peace with themselves and the world around them.</div>
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Love really does make the world go around and it saddens Me deeply when people, for the sake of My love, criticize true love and true happiness and seek the dark side of life. It is my hearts desire that as 2013 begins, everyone would pray to Me more often, sin much less, but when they do sin, turn to Me and ask for forgiveness for I am the one God who loves everyone unconditionally.</div>
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I created mankind to have a conscious for I want them to know when they are wrong. Guilt, in many ways is a good thing for it has turned many, many people away from the dark side and to Me, the brightest light that was ever created in the universe. Nothing has ever shined brighter, and nothing will ever shine brighter.</div>
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So for those who are reading this and are skeptical of the message being typed by my daughter in Christ, Rebecca, it is true, it is authentic and it is real. I am the true God who loves you now and will love you forever. Now please take your own opportunity to sit down at a computer or a writing tablet and as you listen with your heart, you too will hear Me talking to you. It is not difficult for I live there in the deepest recesses of your heart, which is pure and enlightened with My true love for you.</div>
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Now go in peace my children and remember to always trust Me, love Me and share the message of My love to your friends, neighbors and relatives. Everyone has an opportunity to listen to Me and hear what they need to hear from Me. It is possible. Just go and believe and you will find My love lives deep inside of you too.</div>
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<b>Back to you, from me, Becky...</b></div>
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I just wanted to point out that as I typed the above message from God, I made many typographical errors (which I corrected), because even though I am hearing God speak to my heart, my hands and eyes still do not type correctly. I never changed a word that I heard and simply listened word by word as I heard the message from God.</div>
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I believe this is a gift that God gives to all of us. I hope you will do as God asked and listen to your heart as I did mine. May God bless you and your families in 2013.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-30358717657365965102012-12-30T17:25:00.000-08:002012-12-30T17:25:02.076-08:00Long time, no write...<b>Guilty as charged...</b><br />
Six months and one day ago, I wrote a post on June 29th. Yeah, I know, I'm so incredibly bad for not writing sooner!!! (Note: that's with three, count them, three, exclamation marks.) I have no real excuse, except that I've just been downright lazy about posting. <br />
<br />
<b>Mayan's and the election...</b><br />
The good news is that the world did not end on December 21st as the Mayan Indians predicted. The bad news is that we have another four years of Barack Obama in the White House. To tell you the truth, I don't even like calling him the head of our country, because he has made an absolute joke of this title. I have talked to many other relatives and friends and they feel the same way. I am not picking on him because he is black. On the contrary, that is not my issue with him at all. I dislike him because he really does not respect the United States of America, it's people or it's beliefs of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I believe that the election was rigged with many, many people voting more than once for Obama.<br />
<br />
<b>Digressing...</b><br />
OK, enough of the world ending and the stupid election, I will talk about something else.<br />
<br />
<b>August 9th...</b><br />
On this day, Mom unfortunately fell down three steps and fractured her right hip. She was taken to Wayne Hospital in Greenville and stayed there until the 16th. Even though the fracture caused Mom a great deal of pain, it did not show up with an X-ray, but they had to do an MRI to see it. Mom was also diagnosed as having a mild case of pneumonia and after doing a swallowing test, they found out that with every swallow she took, the liquids were going directly into her lungs. <br />
<br />
<b>Backing up a bit...</b><br />
About two years ago Mom saw a neurologist, Dr. Rabindra Kitchener in Troy and he diagnosed her as having chronic progressive external opthalmoplegia. Basically, it affects the muscles of the eyes and limbs, as well as causing choking when swallowing, because those muscles are also weak. Dr. Kitchener discharged Mom, he told her to walk a mile a day and sent her home with a canister of powdered Thick-it that Mom used once and did not like the consistency which it made the liquids, so she stopped using it. She also did not feel up to walking every day, so that never happened either.<br />
<br />
<b>Simply Thick to the rescue...</b><br />
While Mom was still in the hospital, the speech therapists started putting Simply Thick in all of her liquids at a pudding consistency. Right from the start Mom was not too thrilled with having to drink such thick liquids, but the goal was for her to regain the swallowing muscles so she would no longer choke and would eventually be able to drink liquids without the Simply Thick. <br />
<br />
<b>The Gardens of St. Henry...</b><br />
Mom recovered another eight weeks at the nursing home where she had more physical and speech therapy. For about the first six weeks, Mom could only put 50% of her weight on her leg, which was difficult, but at least she was able to use a walker with wheels. By the time Mom was released on October 12th, she was once again able to put her full weight on her right leg, while still using her walker on wheels to help her keep her balance and move around the house a little easier. Mom is still not doing as well as she was prior to falling, but considering that she's still able to dress herself, go to the bathroom and do a small amount of cooking every day, she feels fortunate.<br />
<br />
<b>Home, sweet home...</b><br />
For many years Mom wanted to get new bedroom carpet and her walls painted, so while she was hospitalized and having rehab in the nursing home, I told my brothers and sister that it was time we get her bedroom done for her. On October 12th, Mom returned home to a de-cluttered bedroom, new carpet, painted blue walls and white ceiling and two framed paintings. The bathroom/utility room behind Mom's bedroom was also revamped and now it's also looks so much better.<br />
<br />
<b>Timing is everything...</b><br />
When Mom initially fell, I was really concerned with how difficult it was going to be for her to recover, but then as time went by and she was getting stronger and really getting some much needed help for the swallowing and choking problems that she had for at least three years, I realized more and more that the fall was God's divine intervention for three reasons.<br />
1) Mom fell down three steps, when she could have fallen down the basement steps, which would have really caused multiple breaks instead of just a small hip fracture.<br />
2) Since Mom's swallowing and choking problems were finally addressed, she is now getting some much needed help with it to help her stay healthier and stronger.<br />
3) Mom's bedroom and the bathroom/utility room, which she wanted redecorated for about eight years, finally got done.<br />
<br />
<b>Well, that's about it for now...</b><br />
As the old saying goes, "I won't put all my eggs in one basket." so I'll end this post and write more over the next few weeks and months ... I hope!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-62233122260051624952012-06-29T10:15:00.001-07:002012-07-11T19:14:53.378-07:00Helping Our Blessed Mother by praying the Holy Rosary...<span style="font-family: Verdana;">For too many years, our country and the world have been in a battle of good
verses evil. When it comes right down to it, Satan is sitting at the helm, steering us down a very hazardous
path with the injustice of abortion and the immorality of same sex marriage
taking the forefront.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's all very sad and scary, BUT there is some really good news. We
DO
NOT have to accept the way things are any longer. We can fight against
Satan and the
unruly tyranny that he is inflicting on us. The one thing that truly
sends Satan running to his hellish home, are our prayers, with the Holy
Rosary in particular.</span><br />
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<span class="yiv1782500370yui_3_2_0_19_134032720408871" style="font-family: Verdana;">We
have all heard of Fatima, Lourdes and Medjugorje, for these are all
well known cities where Our Blessed Mother Mary has appeared to men,
women and
children. There is also a lesser known apparition sight called <a href="http://walkingwithgodbymyside.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Holy Love Shrine</a>, located near Cleveland, Ohio, where Maureen Kyle-Sweeney, has
seen Our
Blessed Mother, Jesus and many angels and saints for over 20 years.
Since
Bishop Richard Lennon, who is in charge of the Diocese of Cleveland, did
not
give his personal "blessing", the shrine is considered an ecumenical
place of worship, which is actually a good thing, because many
non-Catholics have also felt welcome and congregated to the shrine,
producing many </span><span class="yiv1782500370yui_3_2_0_19_134032720408871" style="font-family: Verdana;">conversions back to God</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> and resulted in many people being healed.</span><br />
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<span class="yiv1782500370yui_3_2_0_19_134032720408863" style="font-family: Verdana;">After visiting the website, clicking on the Messages tab, and reading
the very first message from 2012, I felt overwhelmingly loved, supported, joyful, comforted, protected, blessed
and I even had goose bumps. Read Our Blessed Mother's message for yourself and
you'll see what I mean.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv1782500370MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #0060bf; font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0200ff; font-family: Verdana;">January 1, 2012 </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0200ff; font-family: Verdana;">Feast of Mary, Mother of God</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0200ff; font-family: Verdana;"><br /></span></b></div>
</div>
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</div>
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<b><span style="color: #0200ff; font-family: Verdana;">ARMY OF PRAYER</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0200ff; font-family: Verdana;">Blessed Mother says: "Praise be to Jesus." (Our
Lady is in white and gold.)</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0200ff; font-family: Verdana;">She says: "Dear children, it is important that you
realize that abortion is the key issue which is bringing about the demise of
mankind. If abortion was defeated, the path of reconciliation between the heart
of the world and God the Father would be laid bare. Then you would see wars
cease, economies stabilize under righteous leadership, moral degeneration
reversed, disease and famine greatly resolved and natural, as well as man-made
disasters, lessen."</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0200ff; font-family: Verdana;">"For I tell you, evil begets evil. Remember, dear children,
one Hail Mary said from the heart can stop wars, heal diseases, change hearts
and bring victory of righteousness over evil. Therefore, I have come to
mobilize an Army of Prayer - not just here, but around the world. I call it ONE
ROSARY A DAY FOR LIFE. This is your Heavenly Mother's call to arms. Be united
in this effort, dear children, as I call you to be. Jesus and I will help you
spread 'One Rosary a Day for Life' around the world."</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0200ff; font-family: Verdana;">"You do not need anyone's approval to pray or to
evangelize prayer. You should encourage people from every part of the world to
enlist in this 'army' of prayer."</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0200ff; font-family: Verdana;">"I am always your Mother, your support, your partner
in all that is good; but this Army of Prayer must be spread quickly to be
effective - and, so, it is My most precious and personal project."</span></b></div>
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<b><span class="yiv1782500370yui_3_2_0_19_1340327204088261" style="color: #0200ff; font-family: Verdana;">"Make it known."</span></b></div>
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<span class="yiv1782500370yui_3_2_0_19_134032720408863" style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="color: #0060bf; font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </span></span><br />
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<span class="yiv1782500370yui_3_2_0_19_134032720408863" style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span class="yiv1782500370yui_3_2_0_19_1340327204088271" style="font-family: Verdana;">So, it's that simple. Praying the Rosary every day for the rest of your
life can bring about the end of abortion and as Our Blessed Mother says... <b><span style="color: #0200ff;">"you would see wars cease, economies stabilize under
righteous leadership, moral degeneration reversed, disease and famine greatly
resolved and natural, as well as man-made disasters, lessen."</span></b><span style="color: #0200ff;"><span style="color: black;">and</span>,</span><b><span style="color: #0200ff;"> </span></b></span><b><span class="yiv1782500370yui_3_2_0_19_1340327204088237" style="color: #0200ff; font-family: Verdana;">"one Hail Mary said from the heart can stop wars, heal diseases, change hearts
and bring victory of righteousness over evil."</span></b><br />
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<div class="yiv1782500370MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">We can do this, I know we can!!! Just 20 minutes a day for one Rosary is
not asking for a lot. God created us in the womb and gave us 24 hours a day,
every day since we were born. Just start today and sit down with your family
and pray together. You don't have to kneel, just sit in a chair,
and peacefully enjoy the time with your family as you recite the Holy Rosary together.</span></div>
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<div class="yiv1782500370MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have been praying the Rosary off and on since my mid-twenties, but I
still get confused as to the order of the mysteries, so to also help you, click <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/images/rosary.pdf" target="_blank">here</a> and you can download a pdf file explaining in more detail how to pray the Rosary. It is free to print and share with others, as is noted
at the bottom of the page.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Our Blessed
Mother, Herself, has promised us that praying the
Rosary can and will change the world we are living in, but we have to
take the step of faith by doing our part. Do it for Our Blessed Mother
and do
it for yourself and your family and friends, especially young children,
teenagers and future children yet to be born. Our future and future
generations
literally depends on us praying the Rosary and then we will see our
world change and miracles
happen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">If you would like to read more messages, you can go to: <a href="http://www.holylove.org/">www.HolyLove.org</a></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Click <a href="http://www.holylove.org/about_visionary.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> to see Maureen visiting Pope John Paul II and giving him the Holy and Divine Love messages.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Thank you for your time and may God richly bless us all with His love and protection.</span></div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-75401840858698159392012-05-13T18:26:00.001-07:002012-05-14T12:24:12.685-07:00Taking time to enjoy the weather...<b>Slower, but surer...</b><br />
As I mentioned in my last post, I walk fairly slow - probably one-tenth the speed of the average walker. Whenever I have tried to walk faster in the past, I always end up hurting my feet and lo and behold I cannot walk for a few days until they feel better. Over the years, I finally came to the brilliant conclusion that if I want to walk every day, then walking at my own pace is so much better than trying to keep up with everyone's faster pace.<br />
<br />
<b>When it comes to using crutches...</b><br />
I can walk indoors without my elbow crutches, no problem. However, when I'm outside, I do not feel safe without using the crutches. I have tried to walk with just one crutch, but eventually my feet start hurting and I end up having the same problems that I had when I walked too fast. <br />
<br />
<b>My elbow crutches are my supports...</b><br />
Someone once told me that by using elbow crutches, I'm dependent on something to help me walk. I absolutely agree with them, because if I did not walk with crutches, I could not walk to the next door neighbors and back. But with them, I can walk almost a mile in an hour. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who has a difficult time walking, but want to get up and move, should try using elbow crutches. First of all, I enjoy walking and it's a lot easier because I'm not constantly worried about falling. Secondly, since the crutches weigh a pound and a half each, my arms also get a decent workout, making them stronger with every step that I take.<br />
<br />
<b>Nature in all it's glory...</b><br />
Over the past few weeks as I have walked, I have enjoyed looking around at nature. Have you ever stopped to look at a yellow dandelion? It may be a weed, but it has a simplistic beauty all it's own that is a flower in every sense of the word. The blooming trees have also put on a spectacular show. And unless you are living in a cave, you couldn't help but notice the maple trees discarding their "helicopter" seeds all over the place.<br />
<br />
<b>Really wacky temps...</b><br />
The real problem was having 80° temps in mid March, because we all got
spoiled and just wanted the nice weather to stay for good. Just when we got used to wearing shorts and short sleeves, we got zapped with cold weather making us go back to wearing jackets and even winter coats. Now that it's May, I'm pretty sure that the freeze warnings are not going to be happening until mid-November.<br />
<br />
<b>Road construction ahead...</b><br />
Since May 1st, North Star has been getting some major road construction on the far east side of town. The crew in charge have already ripped up the road and sidewalks and by September 1st, we will have a new road, sidewalks and curbs on both sides of the street. Since 1969, when the south side of the road had sidewalks put in, it will be much better having sidewalks and curbs on both sides of the street so residents and their visitors can actually park their vehicles in front of their homes.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-58732393860945620292012-04-13T15:48:00.003-07:002012-04-15T10:03:03.525-07:00Blessings after blessings...<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>A very special birthday wish...</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My mom, Joann Bensman, is 82 today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!! Mom is slowing down a bit, but she still has a lot of determination to get things done and has such a good outlook on life and a wonderful sense of humor. I call the funny things she says, little gems, because when we hear them, we can't help but laugh out loud. We are so fortunate to have an amazing mother!</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSff1NgNHgzitW40G2OBUyiDvbD79WTT_X8J9mVzMgrfmJc4BcifKSDz56qQizHJUJ1qNVLUF9sG6cHq5r-7GlllvpqVhfJmWd2g7LC2YB-E4bNiYWWeATB80jhfH3HrBaqQr/s1600/Mom+Bob+Kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSff1NgNHgzitW40G2OBUyiDvbD79WTT_X8J9mVzMgrfmJc4BcifKSDz56qQizHJUJ1qNVLUF9sG6cHq5r-7GlllvpqVhfJmWd2g7LC2YB-E4bNiYWWeATB80jhfH3HrBaqQr/s400/Mom+Bob+Kids.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b style="color: blue;">This picture of Mom, my brother, Bob, and Russ</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b style="color: blue;">and Barb's kids, Abby, Max, and Alex, was taken</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b style="color: blue;">in 2002. I have a lot of pictures of the kids when</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b style="color: blue;">they were little, but over the past few years we have</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b style="color: blue;">gotten out of the habit. Taking pictures is something</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b style="color: blue;">I really want to do on regular basis again.</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <b> </b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>The weather....</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Since the second week of March, it seems that this topic has been on the lips of everyone you meet. I just checked the AccuWeather website for March and from Sunday, March 11th until Friday, March 30th, the average temperate in that 20 day time span was 70°. Can you believe it? Yep, it's true. In fact, the highest during the day was 85° on March 21st and the lowest was 54° on March 26th. All in all, it was absolutely gorgeous and we all, quite frankly, were becoming very spoiled by the warm weather. And then on Easter Sunday, the wind started picking up, it got worse and colder on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then we once again returned to nice weather yesterday and today. I'm not a big fan of the wind at all, so when it gets over 15 mph, I pretty much stay in the house. When it was so calm and warm, the only problem I had was having to go back in the house, because I absolutely love that kind of weather.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Walking, slow but sure...</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Even though I probably walk one-tenth the speed of the average walker, I am still so incredibly fortunate to be walking. After all, considering that I did not walk at all from November 1977 to May 1979 - that's a grand total of 18 months or a year and a half - the fact that I am still able to walk 33 years later for up to a mile every day and doing that in a little over an hour, in my book is a true-blue, honest-to-goodness miracle. I will never ever get tired of saying how very grateful to God I am, because He has given me the strength and endurance to do so well. Wow, God is so amazing and He deserves all the glory!!!</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Big YouTube fan...</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The main reason I like YouTube so much is because there is such a wide variety of videos to watch, with my three favorite topics being religious, health and music. With just a few key words, finding a video is so quick and easy. Being a proponent of Pro-Life, I found the following two-part video by Gianna Jessen, an actual abortion survivor, to be so incredibly inspirational and moving. Gianna speaks so eloquently about her deep faith in Jesus and how He helped her overcame many obstacles in her life. You cannot help but get choked up as she touches your heart with her profound wisdom and sincerity.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPF1FhCMPuQ" target="_blank">Gianna Jessen Abortion Survivor in Australia - Part 1 of 2 </a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8B1nKGIAeg" target="_blank">Gianna Jessen Abortion Survivor in Australia - Part 2 of 2 </a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For anyone who justifies that abortion is a woman's right to choose, they quickly forget about the babies rights and Gianna really makes that point so strong and clear. Even though Gianna's mother chose to abort her, Gianna survived and is here to proclaim that she deserved the right to live, because she is a gift from God, and we are so very fortunate that she is alive to share her amazing life story. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Distracted by game playing...</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The fact that I have not posted a blog in two months, is a shortcoming on my part and the only excuse that I have is really lame - I have become addicted to playing Angry Birds on Facebook. I do not like admitting that playing an arcade game has become a major pastime and total obsession, but it's true and I am owning up to it. Maybe, by making this little confession, I can set it aside and get on with doing more important things - things that really matter, like praying, walking, eating healthy and working on this blog. I have said it before and I am going to say it again, I will be more diligent when it comes to working on this blog - at least I HOPE SO!!!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-65935166275886515532012-02-13T14:17:00.000-08:002012-02-13T14:24:55.011-08:00An Attitude of Gratitude...<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Absence makes the heart grow fonder...</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I am still so incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life: my faith in God, continual improved health, family and friends who have helped and inspired me tremendously over the years, and having the ability and knowledge to use a computer in a variety of ways. I am back and I will continue to share my love of God, who has given me so much in my life. I love my friend, Mary Ann, for sharing her passion of God with me. <u><i>Walking With God By My Side</i></u> is not just the title of my blog, it is the way I feel in my life and I want and need to share that gift with others. Amen!!!</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Moving forward, literally...</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Last summer was an amazing year for me, because for the first time in a very long time I had the chance to do a lot of walking with two new and improved feet and ankles that move and feel so much better. My life is good... no, my life is fantastic now! "Thank you, Jesus for sending me to surgeons, Dr. Thomas Lee and Dr. William DeCarbo from <b><a href="http://www.orthofootankle.com/" target="_blank">Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Center in Westerville, Ohio</a></b> and to orthopedic shoe guys, John Druckemiller and Dan Kimball, from <b><a href="http://www.hanger.com/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics in Lima, Ohio</a></b>." These four men have immensely improved my life overall. Thank you, gentlemen so much, for your valuable time, patience and understanding. My gratitude is overwhelming.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/RebeccaJB1960?feature=mhee" target="_blank"><b>Click here to see my YouTube Channel, RebeccaJB1960...</b></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On February 10, 2009, just a tad bit over three years ago, I set-up a YouTube account. I have only uploaded six videos so far, but I would like to add more this year. The following walking video is probably my favorite, because the song speaks so strongly of how I feel in regards to Jesus watching over me!</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOBNG6p5NoM&context=C33f2c2cADOEgsToPDskI5-opZrCTcQa07GDgtJqmB" target="_blank">Click here to see the video, "Someone's Watching Over Me".</a></b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Ralph Waldo Emerson speaks volumes...</b><b><i></i></b><i> </i></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>"For each new morning with its light,</i></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>For rest and shelter of the night,</i></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>For health and food, for love and friends,</i></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i>For everything Thy goodness sends."</i></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>I found seven more gratitude quotes on the internet that I would also like to share with you...</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1) "<span class="body">Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.</span> " — Brian Tracy </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2) "Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." — Marcel Proust</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3) "We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." — Thornton Wilder</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
4) "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." — John F. Kennedy </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
5) "At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." — Albert Schweitzer </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">6) <span class="body">Everything we do should be a result of our gratitude for what God has done for us.</span> — Lauryn Hill<span class="bodybold"></span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">7) <span class="body">"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.</span> — William Arthur Ward<span class="bodybold"> </span> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>To everyone from me...</b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlruzJNX-vqrJsexRP6Ri06CX0ZaI5B67WdyneDzR8-FKBPnQY6MW4rwDmPe5nGXsqr6fIXCeVSBDLNarrhwBuG8R-jBnB_hCQe39BJzUHbcYdbnqpyIrlA9oZFqAMIl6-0Jws/s1600/Thank+you+note.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlruzJNX-vqrJsexRP6Ri06CX0ZaI5B67WdyneDzR8-FKBPnQY6MW4rwDmPe5nGXsqr6fIXCeVSBDLNarrhwBuG8R-jBnB_hCQe39BJzUHbcYdbnqpyIrlA9oZFqAMIl6-0Jws/s320/Thank+you+note.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a class="cssButton" href="javascript:void(0)" id="previewButton" target=""></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-21879869349517641102011-04-21T20:56:00.000-07:002011-04-22T07:47:44.934-07:00Blessings abound in my life...<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Shirley comes to my aide...</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Over the past four weeks, my cousin Shirley, has been so gracious to help me one day a week for four hours. She even went to the trouble to do a lot of paper work and took special classes in order become my extra special home health care aide. Now that spring is here and I'm able to get out again, Shirley has already been a tremendous help. She has had a lot of experience helping others over the years and is an excellent cook and very conscious about keeping things clean and tidy. Between Dianne, who still works 16 hours a week, and Shirley working four, I am very fortunate to have two very caring woman helping me. Thanks to both of them, they make things a lot easier for my mom and I.</span><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My mom is always there for me...</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Speaking of my mom, Joann, she is the most important woman in my life. Despite slowing down a bit over the years, Mom is still very strong-willed and also has a wonderful sense of humor. God has richly blessed our family with an amazing Mother and Grandmother.<b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Jesus, I trust in you! </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A few weeks ago, I produced my last walking video using the song "Someone's Watching Over Me" by Hilary Duff. I included the Divine Mercy picture of Jesus, paying homage to Him for helping me recover from the last foot surgery, after the halo wire ripped through the bottom of my heal due to disuse osteopenia. While the halo was still on my foot and I was in a lot of pain from having the struts turned in order to correct the downward angle of my foot, there were many days that I held my rosary and sang the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which calmed me, allowing me to get some much needed rest. God also blessed me immensely by providing me with the caring nurses from Comprehensive Health Network in Greenville, who were very diligent is making sure my foot was healing. Father James Trick from St. Charles Seminary in Carthagena was also instrumental in my healing process when he visited me and gave me a special blessing.</span><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">God just keeps on giving and giving...</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Over the past few weeks, God has intervened in my life time after time, allowing me to go places with Mary Ann Badgett and experience blessings that I never imagined would ever happen. And the best part is that I feel totally at ease. To most of you, it's probably "normal", to be around others and not be afraid, but for me, it's a small miracle, which I am so grateful for, because over the past three years, I have actually felt panicky every time I went some place and was with a group of people. If I could stand on the roof, I was yell out, "THANK YOU, JESUS FOR BLESSING ME WITH SO MUCH!!! I pray that Jesus continues to intervene in my life so I can continue giving Him all the credit and glory for making my life so much better, for I am nothing without Him!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijH24GfHva5TaxkjG-z-1opRIJHnJQlWC5DEoUBwCnzPuKtFWQoG6tqQ5IEKRaeOyi1k5-3S_TuDSm9dzk2fE7CDHtwl5IiFcLXZnFyNwz-YtBMRZaz1bWbuBna79t5nL0yoa/s1600/faustina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijH24GfHva5TaxkjG-z-1opRIJHnJQlWC5DEoUBwCnzPuKtFWQoG6tqQ5IEKRaeOyi1k5-3S_TuDSm9dzk2fE7CDHtwl5IiFcLXZnFyNwz-YtBMRZaz1bWbuBna79t5nL0yoa/s320/faustina.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">St. Faustina...</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On Monday, April 18th, I attended a faith-filled evening at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Coldwater, Ohio with my friend, Mary Ann. The Sisters of Reparation of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, from Steubenville, Ohio, shared some very interesting information on the life of St. Faustina (see her photo above). They also brought relics and allowed everyone in attendance to touch and kiss them as well as have the relics touch personal items as a special blessing. I was so privileged to meet and talk to Mother M. Wendy McMenamy and Sister M. Grace Kelly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Sisters of Reparation are very enthusiastic about sharing the message of the Divine Mercy, which Jesus specifically gave to St. Faustina. There is so much vitally important information at their website that I highly encourage you visit it and learn more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">http://www.sistersofreparation.org/</span><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sr. M. Alfonsa </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">of the Child Jesus</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">...</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Sisters are also devoted to Sr. M. Alfonsa to become a saint. She had rheumatoid arthritis for many years, she passed away in 1994 and has already intervened in the lives of people by giving them healing miracles.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPLViLzU0gmHciJJFXmsXVcr6ig16zS0BL4E70omFlqQS6AveH61wRZeuI3J_b0ID2HwSBGK6rnJsCYMxAA9YiashI8It24ZIMw_nRo-SzSDvjyPff4czad-u-YFmzMW4JpVAv/s1600/SrAlfonsaNew.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPLViLzU0gmHciJJFXmsXVcr6ig16zS0BL4E70omFlqQS6AveH61wRZeuI3J_b0ID2HwSBGK6rnJsCYMxAA9YiashI8It24ZIMw_nRo-SzSDvjyPff4czad-u-YFmzMW4JpVAv/s1600/SrAlfonsaNew.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mary Ann already met the Sisters...</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mary Ann had attended presentations of the Sisters in the last two years so she had heard about Sr. M. Alfonsa. When Mary Ann received her special blessing on Monday, she told Mother M. Wendy that I had rheumatoid arthritis. I was so honored and felt very blessed when Mother M. Wendy took the time to talk to me about Sister M. Alfonsa. She said that in order for Sister M. Alfonsa to become beatified and become a saint, people needed to come forward and share their personal miracles. Just knowing that Mother M. Wendy personally knew Sister M. Alfonsa for 12 years and had assisted with her health care, gave me special hope that Sister M. Alfonsa will intervene on my behalf and ask God to bestow on me the special healings of inner peace and physical well-being.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">http://www.sistersofreparation.org/Spirituality/AlfonsaOne.htm</span><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Many, many blessings in my life...</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">God has already blessed me so much over the last few years by pointing me in the right direction with gifted orthopedic surgeons, Dr. Thomas Lee and Dr. William DeCarbo, who have helped me walk a lot better. Over the past few months, I have also met some very kind hearted people, who have helped me conquer my fear of getting out in the public. I am once again enjoying the fellowship of others and for the first time in two years, I am looking forward to getting out and meeting more people. THANK YOU, JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU!!!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-56945042949218557542011-03-27T11:02:00.000-07:002011-03-27T12:37:13.863-07:00So many blessings all in one day...<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Driving Miss Becky...</b><br />
Friday, March 25th was an amazing day. First of all, I thought it was going to be just another ordinary afternoon of catching up on some projects in my office, but instead it turned out to be an extraordinary day of getting out with my girlfriend, Mary Ann. <br />
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<b>A very special birthday...</b><br />
First of all, it was Mary Ann's birthday, a birthday that is also on the feast of the Annunciation of our Lord, which celebrates the angel Gabriel's appearance to the Virgin Mary, his announcement that the Blessed Virgin had been chosen to be the Mother of Our Lord, and Mary's willing acceptance of God's holy plan. (I found this on the internet, because I could not explain it nearly as well.) Nine months later on December 25th, we celebrate Christmas. It also just so happens that Mary Ann was named after our Blessed Mother Mary and Mary's mother Ann.<br />
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<b>Father James Trick has the gift of healing...</b><br />
First Mary Ann and I went to the St. Charles Seminary, near Carthagena, to see Father James Trick. For many years, Father Trick has has been having healing services in surrounding communities and has helped countless number of people with spiritual, emotional and physical healing. Even though Father Trick has Parkinson's and has a very difficult time walking, he came to see me last year when I was recovering from the foot surgery and he gave me a special blessing. By the time I was able to walk last November, the winter weather was too bad to get out so yesterday was the first time in many months that I was able to venture out and I really made the best of it. Father Trick once again anointed me with oil and gave me a special blessing.<br />
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<b>A cottage on the lake...</b><br />
After visiting Father Trick, Mary Ann and I went to Montezuma to check out a cottage owned by Mary Ann and her husband Steve. They have put a lot of hard work into fixing the place up and now it's a real gem.<br />
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<b>God speaks to Jackie...</b><br />
From Montezuma, we drove to Minster's St. Augustine church, where Mary Ann's niece Jackie made an unexpected visit last week and felt the very strong presence of God as He helped her with a health problem that she has had for many years. <br />
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<b>Where Our Blessed Mother has cried...</b><br />
Then we traveled back to St. Sebastian church where a parishioner, who's name is also Becky, saw the Blessed Virgin Mary statue cry a few years ago.<br />
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<b>Seeking inner peace...</b><br />
At both churches, I prayed to God to help me release pent up frustrations and anger that have been bothering me since 2008. I want more than anything to have inner peace and joy and I know God will help me overcome these feelings.<br />
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<b>Happy, Happy, Birthday Mary Ann!!!</b><br />
I hope you and Steve had an enjoyable evening out together. You made my day so very special just by sharing our friendship and building our faith. May God bless you and Steve, now and forever!</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC52qBJ6X0HyRpKYE8GAduRU0N-U7f3DhwJRTy-6LEbXJzcSczjZ7Djpdc8EBnT3IUE-NfniMMSpOz4kMx5ljJG5-HF_K7m5UkJYrc0MMqrRFpKn6_xXAdiZPmBLN-MKZjcHxT/s1600/Happy+Birthday+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC52qBJ6X0HyRpKYE8GAduRU0N-U7f3DhwJRTy-6LEbXJzcSczjZ7Djpdc8EBnT3IUE-NfniMMSpOz4kMx5ljJG5-HF_K7m5UkJYrc0MMqrRFpKn6_xXAdiZPmBLN-MKZjcHxT/s320/Happy+Birthday+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCrbi7J0AcvOlsIvUQWY8WI3VhRZq8xKbVsDb8XBgO4jo_qBLzoT-QIgdWULYvZf_WWL14jnGvWcY9EnBP02rbIJVqD4hNqT9NvBK7aFbRrJU18I6oS3fKwX8iOZAJmQkNwfm/s1600/Happy+Birthday+8.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span id="goog_1111063047"></span><span id="goog_1111063048"></span></a></div></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span id="goog_218483461"></span><span id="goog_218483462"></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-27238379991700740422011-03-12T15:59:00.000-08:002011-03-18T20:03:43.361-07:00Out with the old eMac computer and in with the new Mac Mini...<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold;">Almost seven years ago...</span><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"> On June 4, 2004, I had gotten my third Apple computer since 1989. My first computer, a Mac SE (Super Enhanced), had a 450 MB hard drive, the equivalent of about 112 - 4 MB mp3's today. This is very small by today's standards since a one inch security card can hold 512 MB.<br />
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</span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold;">In the very beginning...</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
Way back in 1972, when I was 12-years-old, I used a manual typewriter. You remember those, don't you? I had to push down on the keys </span><span style="font-size: 100%;">kind of hard </span><span style="font-size: 100%;">to get it to work. Then in 1974, at 14, I got an electric typewriter, which had a tape correction cartridge. Wow, now I didn't have to press down on the keys near as much, plus I could correct my mistakes without having to use the small correction papers. I thought I really had it made.<br />
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</span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold;">The age of computers...</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
In 1978, at 18, I got my first computer, a Commodore 64, with a floppy drive to save files, plus a daisy wheel printer which produced letter quality print. The printer was so much faster that I really felt like I was moving up in the world. I had no idea at the time how far technology would advance over the next 32 years.<br />
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</span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold;">Screen black outs...</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
Within the past few months, my eMac computer, which is a computer and monitor all-in-one (shown below) was gradually breaking down. First the screen would suddenly go black, so I had to shut it down and then turn it back on a few minutes later. I did some internet research and discovered this was happening to other users, but if another monitor was connected to the computer, it would mirror whatever was on the eMac. What a relief, it worked like a charm. Having a monitor that worked again, diminished my stress level a lot since I was able to get projects done without being interrupted.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdM6oQxI0M0XdsMpJv-jthxMRc4cP8M7mCJNMd4cUXU1cyQgftZdOV40MGMIpS6onVUIpbxDz4bmQxtoC5JsPE3bs3RWJ-2D80KOVUpb9BBZBFKyB8w5BvOQufPC3zOUT_XnO7/s1600/eMac.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583287984246963842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdM6oQxI0M0XdsMpJv-jthxMRc4cP8M7mCJNMd4cUXU1cyQgftZdOV40MGMIpS6onVUIpbxDz4bmQxtoC5JsPE3bs3RWJ-2D80KOVUpb9BBZBFKyB8w5BvOQufPC3zOUT_XnO7/s400/eMac.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 340px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 340px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold;">System crashes...</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
Then about two month later, I started having system crashes that happened once or twice a day for a couple weeks and then every 15 minutes to two hours for two more weeks. I finally had to face the fact that my faithful, but worn out eMac needed to retire and I had to get a newer model that would be more reliable.<br />
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</span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold;">Fourth Apple computer in 22 years...</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
When I got the new Samsung monitor back in December, I decided ahead of time that "when" my computer did finally conk out, I would replace it with a Mac Mini, which is a much smaller version of the PC computer "towers". Here's a picture with the exact measurements.<br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGFq1yg29KHIKuausc3xxuBOqCkXKzEbuCkvwyMpXb9jcMNZa7MFCXw1elbBZYB3UQhiXoTiIGJHW2eomA3vSxdecYHY3S_FsZYrfHdyO6BxGHBifWKkn6bBqMBE8eJEQzHXD/s1600/MacMini.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583284140717676914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGFq1yg29KHIKuausc3xxuBOqCkXKzEbuCkvwyMpXb9jcMNZa7MFCXw1elbBZYB3UQhiXoTiIGJHW2eomA3vSxdecYHY3S_FsZYrfHdyO6BxGHBifWKkn6bBqMBE8eJEQzHXD/s400/MacMini.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 127px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 303px;" /></a></span><span style="font-size: 100%;">Height: 1.4 inches<br />
Width: 7.7 inches<br />
Depth: 7.7 inches<br />
Weight: 3.0 pounds<br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
I got the Mac Mini the end of February and I've been getting oodles and oodles of work done again. I love it!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold;">Scanning pictures and 35mm slides...</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"> I really enjoy making music videos and I've made some for my personal use, as well as for family and friends, but sometimes it's mind boggling trying to get the pictures or videos to be in sync with the songs. Now that I have upgraded my computer, I have decided to start a new business venture called, Preserving Precious Memories, in which I will scan old and new photos, plus 35 mm slides, and put them on DVD's as a slide show presentation that can be viewed on a computer or DVD player. Since our family has a lot of old pictures, this will be my first project.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold;">Upgrading walking videos...</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">In my blog post from January, I included a walking video with three songs on it, but I decided to delete it and make two separate videos instead, (using two of the same songs) which I produced before my eMac gave out. The first video is from the song, Someone's Watching Over Me by Hilary Duff. As a Catholic, I believe in the Divine Mercy Chaplet, so I wanted to include the picture of Jesus in my video, because He inspires me every day and gives me so much hope. Jesus is the one watching over me. The second video is Footloose by Kenny Loggins. It's one of my all time favorite dance songs. I hope you like both videos. <br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">The links to watch these videos are below, which will redirect you to the Youtube website. After placing my videos here at blogspot.com, I wasn't really satisfied with the quality since they were more pixelated when the screen was made large. After experimenting with Youtube's quality, </span>it seemed more logical to upload the videos to their new home. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/RebeccaJB1960?feature=mhum#p/u/3/nOBNG6p5NoM"><b><span style="font-size: 100%;">Becky walking - <i>Someone's Watching Over Me</i> by Hilary Duff</span></b></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/RebeccaJB1960?feature=mhum#p/u/2/lU1XnN2RQS8"><b style="color: red;">Becky walking - <i>Footloose</i> by Kenny Loggins</b></a><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;">In earlier posts, I had included other videos, but because the quality was so poor for them as well, I decided to delete them and post them on YouTube instead. To watch my collection of videos, just click on the YouTube web page below.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?sf=added&sa=1">Becky Bensman' Video Collection</a><br />
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold;">Looking forward to spring and summer...</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
Fortunately, I did not have to tromp through the snow this winter, but for those of you who did, I would imagine you are even happier than I am to put the winter behind you, at least for eight months. Yoohoo!!!<br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold;">Spring into action...</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br />
My friend, Glenna, emailed me the following web link. Click on it and you will get a black page. Click your mouse anywhere (and everywhere) on the page and see what happens! Better yet, click (hold down) and drag your mouse over the black page... or do as I did and just click away. Enjoy!!<br />
<br />
<b style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.procreo.jp/labo/flower_garden.swf">Get in the mood for spring and summer!</a></b></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-8830351976171262222011-01-19T02:49:00.000-08:002011-03-11T18:48:50.317-08:00Long time, no write!<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Slow, but sure...</span><br /></div>Since October, my blog has taken a backseat to my top priority, which has been to get back in shape with walking. On November 8th, I got my right shoe and started walking again with both heels flat to the ground for the first time in 35 years. I used crutches most of the time for two weeks, then I was able to just use one and since early December, I've been able to walk without any for up to 45 minutes. However, when I first stand up, my left ankle is always really tight, but after about ten minutes of stretching it, I can bare my full weight and walk in the house without needing them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A great day for a winter stroll...</span><br />Yesterday, it got up to 39° so I took full advantage of the weather, and the mostly cleared sidewalks, and walked for about an hour. It was so incredibly invigorating to breathe in fresh air and feel the slightly misty rain on my face, that I didn't even want to come back in. I did use crutches, because I still don't trust my feet or legs enough to go outside without them, but just being able to walk again with heels that make contact with the ground and my ankles don't roll like they used to, is an incredible blessing. The pain in my feet while walking is at least 90% less than what they used to be prior to having both foot surgeries. The only thing that bothers me is after I've been siting for an hour or more and then try to stand up, my feet feel achy and tired. But they were ten times worse before, so that's another thing to be very grateful for.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Partitioning my hard drive...</span><br />I'm currently in the process of backing up my hard drive so I can eventually do a clean sweep and partition it using dual operating systems. I've been using Panther on my eMac for over six years now, but since Youtube and other websites work best with Tiger, I'm going to also add it. I've never partitioned a hard drive using dual OS's so I hope I get it right the first time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">New town headquarters...</span><br />In a couple of weeks I would also like to add another video, introducing the North Star Community Center. Since all of the elementary students and teachers have transferred over to Versailles, the home base of our local school district, our little town inherited the school building. With six classrooms, a kitchen, gym/cafeteria, office and a library, the town is making excellent use of the property.<br /><br />U<span style="font-weight: bold;">ntil next time, stay safe, healthy and happy!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-54574104329087599452010-10-07T17:19:00.000-07:002010-10-07T17:53:33.174-07:00A potpourri of topics...<span style="font-weight: bold;">Abby's Artwork...</span><br />My 11-year-old niece, Abby, has added three more drawings to her blog so if you have some time, you may want to check them out. Just click on the following link: <a href="http://abbyartwork.wordpress.com/">Abby's Artwork blog</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Six months ago from yesterday...</span><br />On April 6th, Dr. William DeCarbo, from Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Center in Westerville, Ohio, did surgery on my right foot; first cutting and flattening the nodules on the bottom of my foot and then putting a halo on it to straighten my ankle to a normal 90° angle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVZOwaGtef1WNCYVDfhKzaJAN_rwkXnkL1A1kpGTSKYWB4rUF5_roet6Pahrbv3mnZjSVq6rDWoaocXqRQrDYdH3uXWo9eVEUMwp8M9cTpNozgrN0mICCAxqDkHsXQLova4iJ/s1600/time-flies-colored.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWVZOwaGtef1WNCYVDfhKzaJAN_rwkXnkL1A1kpGTSKYWB4rUF5_roet6Pahrbv3mnZjSVq6rDWoaocXqRQrDYdH3uXWo9eVEUMwp8M9cTpNozgrN0mICCAxqDkHsXQLova4iJ/s320/time-flies-colored.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525464450894881506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Time flies, well, most of the time...</span><br />On the most part, the recuperation time went by pretty fast, which in some ways was a good thing since I was non-weight bearing for 70 days and spent the time in bed. Thank goodness I had my computer, TV, and a window to look outside, to pass the time. On the other hand, spring and summer went by way too fast. But then again, they always go by too quickly, but winter drags on and on and on. I'm not sure why it is that way, because the days are longer in summer and shorter in winter, therefore you would think the opposite would be true. But it probably has more to do with the cold and snowy weather conditions and the fact that me and a lot of other people just don't get out like we do in the spring and summer and that makes time go by more slowly. For those who have to go out in the wintertime, I would venture to guess that time goes by even slower than those of us who don't have to go out in it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Walking still improving...</span><br />Even though I'm still using the walking boot to get around, I managed to walk another mile yesterday and today. I didn't use the stop watch to time myself, but I just used my wrist watch and looked at the time before and after. Yesterday I left at about 10:32 and returned at around 11:27 so I cut my previous 59 minutes and 24 seconds time by about 5 minutes. I took my time yesterday, so today I wanted to see if I could step it up a little and I did improve. Today I left at 11:14 and returned at 12:03. That comes to 49 minutes and some odd seconds, but I'll round it off to 50 minutes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ever so grateful...</span><br />I want to point out once again that I am so incredibly grateful to God for still being able to walk. Considering that from November 1977 to May 1979, I could only stand for a few seconds at a time, being able to put one foot in front of the other, 31 years later, is a blessing from God, which I do not take for granted. God has been so good to me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My new right shoe...</span><br />I will probably get my new right shoe in about two weeks and it will probably take two more weeks after that to get used to it after wearing the walking boot the past four months. If all goes as planned, I would like to try and do another walking video before the colder weather sets in - hopefully by mid-November. I just hope the snow doesn't start flying until around Christmastime.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lovely to look at...</span><br />In the meantime, I hope you get a chance to enjoy the beautiful autumn leaves the next few weeks, because all too soon they will be gone. Oh, how I look forward to spring again!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMX9tGKOFoYsWDn53cunn4bbgFT1WucwmdRrfrMIXcEypDHrISddnLGh7SjCEJSYYIMWQ81lcOiGi78grMCD_NDmwh8iDuFMfAuCOGdJYcVjkk7lmvO9YT7H4THAal9uSFbenM/s1600/Autumn+leaves.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMX9tGKOFoYsWDn53cunn4bbgFT1WucwmdRrfrMIXcEypDHrISddnLGh7SjCEJSYYIMWQ81lcOiGi78grMCD_NDmwh8iDuFMfAuCOGdJYcVjkk7lmvO9YT7H4THAal9uSFbenM/s400/Autumn+leaves.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525468058878298354" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-64952621296851901632010-09-28T14:10:00.000-07:002010-09-28T17:16:36.667-07:00Artistic ability runs in the family...Ever since I was a little kid, I always admired my sister, Ruth, for her amazing ability to draw. Ruth graduated from high school in 1975 and I did in 1979. When Ruth had her school books sitting around, I still remember being very sneaky, and yes, nosy, looking through her art class book of drawings time after time. I'm the first one to admit that I couldn't even draw a simple stick figure without it looking crooked on the page, so I was awestruck with her natural ability.<br /><br />My Grandpa "Gus" Bensman, was also very talented when it came to drawing animals, so we always figured that Ruth inherited her talent from him.<br /><br />Then my niece, Abby, came along and the talent was handed down. Abby's mom, Barb, also liked to draw when she was growing up, so Abby received a double dose of artistic ability. Abby is only 11, as of May 4th, and this past summer she decided she wanted to have a blog so I helped her set one up. Below is the link to it:<br /><br /><a href="http://abbyartwork.wordpress.com/">Abby's Artwork Blog</a><br /><br />Abby is taking art classes after school so she will continually include a variety of drawings to her collection. If you bookmark her website, you can check out her art gallery of drawings every week or so. Enjoy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-59361839511650842952010-09-13T10:16:00.000-07:002010-09-13T11:42:48.240-07:00Reached another goal...1.0454 & 59:24. Do you give up what those numbers mean? Well, the first number is a little over a mile and the second set of numbers is how long it took me to walk that far; 59 minutes and 24 seconds. I'm happy with those numbers considering I'm still using the walking boot. My goal was to get under 1 hour, which I just barely made so once I get my new shoe and my foot doesn't hurt as much, I'm hoping to cut my time by at least 5 minutes.<br /><br />In case you're wondering how I came to that exact mile calculation, I used the Gmaps Pedometer website. After figuring out where and how much I was going to walk at the church parking lot across the street from my home, I simply zoomed into North Star, did a lot of clicking and came up with the answer. It's a pretty cool website in case you ever want to check it out.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/">Click here to check out Gmaps Pedometer</a><br /><br />Yesterday (Sunday) I actually did 2 - 1/2 mile walks instead of doing the full mile at one stretch, and my total time was 50:56. Today I was really struggling with the last four of ten laps so from now on I'm just going to do the 2 - 1/2 miles and play it safe as far as the foot pain is concerned.<br /><br />I've got to get some more things done so I better get to them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-84259354139362082322010-09-06T15:32:00.000-07:002010-09-22T09:34:30.676-07:00THANK YOU!Over the past five months, I have come a long ways, even though some days have been frustrating. I would like to thank my family and friends who sent me encouraging emails or left a message at my blog concerning my improved walking. I truly appreciate the uplifting comments, but I cannot take credit for doing as well as I am, because as my blog title suggests, "Walking With God By My Side", I could not have done anything without God's grace and His encouragement to keep believing that I will get better and stronger. God gets all the Glory!<br /><br />I am richly blessed to have a wonderful family and I treasure them dearly, because they have helped me in so many ways. Besides God and my faith helping me, my Dad, Alvin; Mom, Joann; brothers, Bob, Russ and Rick; sister, Ruth; in-laws Gary and Barb; niece, Abby; and nephews, David, Alex and Max; have all helped me a lot when I needed them over the years. Thank you all so much!<br /><br />Since Dad was the oldest of five brothers and one sister and Mom grew up as the youngest of five sisters and one brother, I had a lot of aunts, uncles ans cousins, who have always been genuinely kind and caring. Since I am not very outgoing, it's difficult for me to approach people. When it came to family gatherings, I have always appreciated it when my aunts, uncles and cousins would visit with me. In fact, one of my favorite things to do when I was a child, was visiting my relatives, but since my early teens, getting out became more difficult, so that is why I became more shy and reclusive.<br /><br />I also didn't have a lot of friends over the years, however, with the friends I do have, they have been very supportive and caring.<br /><br />I am fortunate to have Dianne, a friend and neighbor, who has been helping me since November 2005 via <a href="http://www.ohiohcp.org/">Carestar's</a> home health care waiver program. Dianne is an early bird, getting up as early as 4:30 AM, so by the time she comes in at 7:00 AM, I'm usually still tired and not in a real chipper mood, especially if I've had a restless night. On three of the five days that Dianne helps me four hours, she prepares food in the kitchen, so I can sleep. After an hour or two of resting, I'm ready to get cleaned up and dressed for the day.<br /><br />I also really enjoy visiting with Mary Ann and Diana, who have taken the time out of their busy schedules to stop by and visit me every few weeks while I've been recuperating.<br /><br />I've known Mary Ann since the mid 80's when Mom and I had the health food co-op. We enjoy talking about our faith and a variety of other subjects and the time goes by too quickly when we're together. Mary Ann is a lot of fun to be around, because we laugh a lot when we're together. Hopefully, next summer when I'm able to get around better, we would like to get out and do some "fun" things together. Mary Ann's, Dad, Alfons, who is 94, and stepmother, Lois, who is 88, also live next door to me.<br /><br />I met Diana for the first time around November 2009 when she helped me as an aide from <a href="http://www.comprehensivehealthnetwork.com/">Comprehensive Health Network</a> in Greenville. Diana actually knew me many years earlier from Darke County Right to Life when I helped with the newsletter. We never met back then, but she still remembered me. Diana also makes me laugh a lot and has helped me get out of some bad moods. She knows when I'm in a funk, because she'll scowl and grumble at me, which always makes me smile and laugh. As a nurses aide for many years, Diana has been gifted with a true passion for helping others and also enjoys sharing her faith in God.<br /><br />Our parish priest, Father David Zink, is an outstanding and joyful man of God to be around and has been an absolute blessing in my life with his weekly visits of bringing me Holy Communion. The qualities which Father Zink exhibits include, kindness, gentleness, understanding, a deep knowledge of our Catholic faith and knowing more about the Saints than anyone I have ever met. He also has an amazing singing voice, his sense of humor is refreshing and I really like to hear him laugh. He's very busy taking care of two parishes; St. Louis in North Star and St. Nicholas in Osgood, so I don't get a chance to spend a lot of time with him, but when he does visit, I enjoy them a lot.<br /><br />Even though North Star is fairly small with a population of about 400, every time I take a walk, someone always says hello. My neighbors are very kind-hearted and care for each other a lot. It's a wonderful community to live in and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to raise a family.<br /><br />Other people in my life who have really boosted my morale and encouraged me the past two years have been the following:<br /><br />My foot surgeons, Dr. Thomas Lee and Dr. William DeCarbo, from Orthopedic Foot & Ankle, have used their expert medical knowledge and amazing surgical skills, to give me back my ability to walk more normal, and for that I am very grateful.<br /><br />Vicki Binkley, my case manager from Carestar, has worked diligently on my behalf, making sure I have all my medical needs met.<br /><br />The nurses from Comprehensive Health Network: Glenna, Lil, Linda, Melissa, Charlotte, Lynn, Stephanie, Gail, Joan, Sharon, Kathy and Tracy, have all been very professional, kind and caring when it came to changing the foot dressings and helping me deal with other stressful health problems related to my recovery.<br /><br />Teresa and Shawn were two other aides who also helped me from Comprehensive Health Network.<br /><br />Since I was not able to walk from April 6th to late June, <a href="http://www.spiritmedicaltransport.com/">Spirit Medical Transport</a> from Greenville, took me to Dr. DeCarbo's appointments in Westerville, as well as transporting me home from the hospital. The EMT's were very professional and caring and always treated me with the utmost kindness and respect.<br /><br />To anyone whom I did not mention, just know that I also appreciate your thoughtfulness. Thank you, again!!!<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbR7axof1wk"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-46988579152871660802010-09-03T09:41:00.000-07:002010-09-03T17:21:32.557-07:00My walking stride has improved...On April 6th, almost five months ago, I had the right halo foot surgery. On the most part, the time went by fairly fast, at least it seems like it went by faster than it did with the left foot surgery, probably because the three surgeries for the left foot occurred from August 2008 to January 2009. Since some of my recovery time was during the winter months, I wasn't able to get out and walk like I did this time. I don't know about you, but winter days always seem to go slower than they do in the summer.<br /><br />On July 27th, I produced a video of myself walking outside with the song, <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The Climb by Miley Cyrus</span>. At the time, I took smaller steps and used the crutches with every step. Over the past seven weeks, my stride has gradually improved, but I still need the crutches, because my foot hurts a lot. I think most of the pain is caused by the walking boot, because it restricts my foot from moving and puts more stress on some of the muscles and tendons. Hopefully, after I get the new shoe, my foot will have more mobility and feel much better.<br /><br />Below is a second video of me walking outside, and this time I am able to walk a little faster and my stride is also longer. I chose <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">One Step At A Time by Jordin Sparks</span> as the background music.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw2HNAeB4a2R0DlzpYGtNeeXQ_VZdFjFE-Kv58tmb-dTrH57uUpETEMtpZQkiKfJPrFSxTwG39YSY0' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><br />The video clip from July 20th, was videotaped by my niece, Abby. Dianne, my home health aide, videotaped the rest on September 3rd. It was by sheer coincidence that I wore the same outfit, even though they were videotaped 45 days apart. I actually have more than two outfits.<br /><br />After I get used to walking in the new shoe, I'm going to produce the third and last video. I have already decided the song for it so you'll have to stay tuned to find out what it is.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-86214760746517026782010-08-19T09:43:00.000-07:002010-09-18T15:07:59.695-07:00Getting cast made for new shoe...On Tuesday, August 17th, I went to <a href="http://www.hanger.com/Pages/default.aspx">Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics</a> in Lima to have my newly re-constructed right foot fit for a new custom-made shoe. To most people, getting new shoes probably isn't a big deal, but it's a very big deal for me, because my custom-made shoes are the only shoes I have and wear.<br /><br />It's actually hard for me to believe that I walked on the front part of my foot for nearly 36 years, because having the rheumatoid arthritis, I was not able to flatten my foot. Then on April 6th, four and a half months ago, I had re-constructive surgery to return my ankle to a normal 90° angle as well as having the bones cut and flattened on the bottom. I've been wearing a walking boot since June 4th, and I started walking with it on June 15th, so I'm really anxious to wear a shoe again.<br /><br />Because I did not bear weight on my heel for over three decades, I had what is called disuse osteoporosis, making the heel bone weak and porous and causing the halo wires to pull away from my heel, which also caused some skin damage. I am so incredibly grateful that my foot is looking and doing as well as it is. I have to give Dr. William DeCarbo, my surgeon, a lot of credit for being so patient, supportive and positive the past four months.<br /><br />I'm also very grateful that Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics are able to make me shoes that enable me to walk more comfortably. They do an incredible job before and after I get the shoes, making sure I am a happy and very satisfied customer.<br /><br />Below are some pictures which were taken that day. I rarely get to spend much time with my niece, Abby, so she came along and was my photographer for the day.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HN3VqR5f4J2NroHt7vz0WA59fZ4ltryaOBNXYfx_AgxZ-IOMK16QV7tkateVoH1lGWCX5rxCaGI5GZKqi9GdaECU109X5e-jRLVf-xMd-vJ_D9ZqDw52FFBhwnwytk81D2zy/s1600/Hanger's-JohnDruckemiller.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HN3VqR5f4J2NroHt7vz0WA59fZ4ltryaOBNXYfx_AgxZ-IOMK16QV7tkateVoH1lGWCX5rxCaGI5GZKqi9GdaECU109X5e-jRLVf-xMd-vJ_D9ZqDw52FFBhwnwytk81D2zy/s400/Hanger's-JohnDruckemiller.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507163147119235442" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">This is John Druckemiller, the Orthotist<br />who</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> casted my left foot as well as this<br />right one. He's very friendly, he likes<br />to ride a motorcycle and is an<br />auctioneer on the side.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rcuU0udtPINB5Qe-BS7InyjN1Y-ZiaBQT6ayiJrEev2ojrsASkXW3d7sKeX7U0NiUt514byIMGKf-5naFQ8xwQ4rNLQvmfqxxAsxpTM_yKg2BRwPMXrwk-9yob-Iul7wWM1-/s1600/BeckyBensman-JohnD-CastingFoot-1-8-17-10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9rcuU0udtPINB5Qe-BS7InyjN1Y-ZiaBQT6ayiJrEev2ojrsASkXW3d7sKeX7U0NiUt514byIMGKf-5naFQ8xwQ4rNLQvmfqxxAsxpTM_yKg2BRwPMXrwk-9yob-Iul7wWM1-/s400/BeckyBensman-JohnD-CastingFoot-1-8-17-10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507164926299727698" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">John is molding the fiberglass wrap to<br />my foot, making sure to get every detail.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBvs_uB1RZRllW48_U9zBmBjo8a5UMafgNUzRnxQ0xPDxTH37mHo151Y4dlzyY3RtY3rB07LnqwsNVGEwe3Fs2C79JSRwdM18DS2TSx3urihIuINtAbdvvKNNym-6btTzJRKI/s1600/BeckyBensman-CastingFoot-3-8-17-10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBvs_uB1RZRllW48_U9zBmBjo8a5UMafgNUzRnxQ0xPDxTH37mHo151Y4dlzyY3RtY3rB07LnqwsNVGEwe3Fs2C79JSRwdM18DS2TSx3urihIuINtAbdvvKNNym-6btTzJRKI/s400/BeckyBensman-CastingFoot-3-8-17-10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507165858765361634" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The yellow strip is used to help cut off<br />the cast once it completely dried. He<br />just cuts down on it with a special tool,<br />removes it, slightly pulls the cast apart<br />and then quickly removes it from my foot.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjgVMXK3yaICv-tfHQ0hvzMhMPwtlQvbLi_nGBlkHoofLSVnSq1_36spkdbSvMkBrbwLqPCvj1GBgvG2-WwGGwCvksrE-zJyH7UP6967HF1c8Hs4MIJWL-qcQ0VDt3x4n-RUb/s1600/BeckyBensman-FootCast-Side-8-17-10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYjgVMXK3yaICv-tfHQ0hvzMhMPwtlQvbLi_nGBlkHoofLSVnSq1_36spkdbSvMkBrbwLqPCvj1GBgvG2-WwGGwCvksrE-zJyH7UP6967HF1c8Hs4MIJWL-qcQ0VDt3x4n-RUb/s400/BeckyBensman-FootCast-Side-8-17-10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507168428848653042" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">This is the final result of my right foot<br />casting for my new custom-made shoe.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOLp39RoinSt2eDtyHscJtgU45FB6_IJzwZ3_UUAPLBzO6SYKyaj5FpvmxXWSyjZF6DCLfn5IWvn03QoCbMGxrmCWEHgXvMYA-d7ZheKnQBmR4I3BzXnY5assW9RQNNg8bD5G/s1600/BeckyBensman-RightFootX-ray-6-14-10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdOLp39RoinSt2eDtyHscJtgU45FB6_IJzwZ3_UUAPLBzO6SYKyaj5FpvmxXWSyjZF6DCLfn5IWvn03QoCbMGxrmCWEHgXvMYA-d7ZheKnQBmR4I3BzXnY5assW9RQNNg8bD5G/s400/BeckyBensman-RightFootX-ray-6-14-10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507990549158701490" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">This X-ray was taken June 14th, nine<br />weeks and six days after I had the halo<br />surgery and two weeks and six days<br />after the halo was removed. When the<br />halo wire pulled away from my heel,<br />(caused by disuse osteoporosis) the<br />heel bone became slightly pointy. The<br />new custom-made shoe will have an<br />insert allowing my heel to rest inside<br />a hole, off-loading any pressure.<br />Hopefully, the insert will work so<br />I do not need surgery to have the<br />pointy bone shaved down.</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpQpRuzkV778uwFn_NVG7IStsbEnoGdo-LCLBUimgP_ruFgIAicRW4_u6XhYphL1QeTfgwlkx6Ppt4NjdDF6X1n8bcUPDkhmCv_CXY4_Znmg8YND2zq9rjwVmyNTWyzgun5dx/s1600/BeckyBensman-FootCast-Bottom-8-17-10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpQpRuzkV778uwFn_NVG7IStsbEnoGdo-LCLBUimgP_ruFgIAicRW4_u6XhYphL1QeTfgwlkx6Ppt4NjdDF6X1n8bcUPDkhmCv_CXY4_Znmg8YND2zq9rjwVmyNTWyzgun5dx/s400/BeckyBensman-FootCast-Bottom-8-17-10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507169064610020898" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">X marks the spot for the pointy heel bone in<br />my new shoe </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">where it will be off-loaded so I<br />don't put direct pressure on it when I walk.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">After going to Hanger's, Abby, Dianne, who is my home health aide, and I, went to Staples in Sidney, where Abby helped me spend a gift card, which I got at Christmas. Abby's quite the artist, so she got an easel and easel pad. Finally, we stopped by MacDonald's for lunch. It was quite a busy day and the first time since the fall of 2009 that I had a chance to do something extra fun. Yoohoo!!!</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-60546477870683744112010-08-10T18:32:00.000-07:002010-08-14T09:20:25.227-07:00TIMBER!!!On Monday, August 9th, our neighbors across the street had an evergreen tree cut down. Opal Subler, who is a grand lady of 100, and her son, Dick, who is 78, have lived in the home since 1948. Sadly, Opal's husband Alfred died in 1994.<br /><br />I don't know if the tree was planted the same year as when the house was built, but I do remember when I was a child and Christmas lights were hung on it, as well as another evergreen tree which was on the east side of the house. The reason the tree needed to be cut was because it was dying.<br /><br />Opal's youngest daughter of four, Dianne, who has been a long time friend and helps me Monday through Friday via the home health waiver program as an aide, did me the favor of taking pictures throughout the morning as the tree was cut down.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULRqPW6XbJ1U1f8UxKjzyCP9nxgVmIcGLUXraDRsm5MOqH19qqDgPsyQ5iGtL6KB1tEIKGdK3dFDM9sF1NG7lVoQFw8VLNk_Hztlb8F7Dswll_iX_SaLk2poUPJI32Be0blr0/s1600/Subler'sTree%232.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULRqPW6XbJ1U1f8UxKjzyCP9nxgVmIcGLUXraDRsm5MOqH19qqDgPsyQ5iGtL6KB1tEIKGdK3dFDM9sF1NG7lVoQFw8VLNk_Hztlb8F7Dswll_iX_SaLk2poUPJI32Be0blr0/s400/Subler'sTree%232.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503962357935679810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-style: italic;">Opal's other son, Bruce, stops by on his<br />way to coffee break to talk to the tree<br />trimmer soon after they started.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19MBfuko2SY2l1YV5pXxrd13mFeo3YI6K51Xh777y-RPAZPSpW-m579RsEHvibWPO1LBeBNSXAFfztXvVM9t2gfomSI5TevaLV-TFK3dfYiguL9EOajusHdSdl8Fd4Ia-zW4B/s1600/Subler'sTree%233.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19MBfuko2SY2l1YV5pXxrd13mFeo3YI6K51Xh777y-RPAZPSpW-m579RsEHvibWPO1LBeBNSXAFfztXvVM9t2gfomSI5TevaLV-TFK3dfYiguL9EOajusHdSdl8Fd4Ia-zW4B/s400/Subler'sTree%233.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503962714001892242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-style: italic;">The guy with the chain saw continues<br />to move up the tree as he gradually<br />reaches the top.</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGNuOghOS1FCXG7LBatdD_6ev5SHjyRdDrHzXy6Lo4FkKa0m8TIWxHMYrJV4A3T7-igr5wBsc2Cp2eTqTHhr5LnblFyuBXhHK0s4kRdC9QVRFxFY1tlI6ybcrnzw5GoPoDkfk/s1600/Subler'sTree%234.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGNuOghOS1FCXG7LBatdD_6ev5SHjyRdDrHzXy6Lo4FkKa0m8TIWxHMYrJV4A3T7-igr5wBsc2Cp2eTqTHhr5LnblFyuBXhHK0s4kRdC9QVRFxFY1tlI6ybcrnzw5GoPoDkfk/s400/Subler'sTree%234.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503963394583348802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKXnfwsUYnZ6AsWEJh38kWQkU6zsCv38LbRY0WpxdKz4lp4wubr6E2jpTwydNNkle9ebnKLS509GIEq45wLt5pcoRXizZ_7tfER8efQuFxQDsCBTwyNqTEe1sHoCAKcKByg6J/s1600/Subler'sTree%235.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKXnfwsUYnZ6AsWEJh38kWQkU6zsCv38LbRY0WpxdKz4lp4wubr6E2jpTwydNNkle9ebnKLS509GIEq45wLt5pcoRXizZ_7tfER8efQuFxQDsCBTwyNqTEe1sHoCAKcKByg6J/s400/Subler'sTree%235.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503963815092509346" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKTht88mDxpB-CHyRkDXMz9IEoalQRkglKhTbBnJ6EJRYVowhkNad5z5-9kkNeJsOLVLhuvG4idG8jlMaJnkPfYSwXr5lO3CUpyOefGc4UP9HKx9w5UOOt36d0O3D9K9ZK86W/s1600/Subler'sTree%236.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKTht88mDxpB-CHyRkDXMz9IEoalQRkglKhTbBnJ6EJRYVowhkNad5z5-9kkNeJsOLVLhuvG4idG8jlMaJnkPfYSwXr5lO3CUpyOefGc4UP9HKx9w5UOOt36d0O3D9K9ZK86W/s400/Subler'sTree%236.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503964081404387346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-style: italic;">And then he cuts down the logs for firewood.</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVswxJdtVuRe-uYgEB4WfmsiV07rURcZILuxLs0tNq2rDwbjNiWVoIHbI_m5mB9_dpZCh6k7chi9h59V5T7Ulsg3Q3ZpIEyNypUcsFDavVqZJLMMMcVEoJaWVvAUEI1AKIqokm/s1600/Subler'sTree%237.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVswxJdtVuRe-uYgEB4WfmsiV07rURcZILuxLs0tNq2rDwbjNiWVoIHbI_m5mB9_dpZCh6k7chi9h59V5T7Ulsg3Q3ZpIEyNypUcsFDavVqZJLMMMcVEoJaWVvAUEI1AKIqokm/s400/Subler'sTree%237.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503964623505066690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00dKx8XkVZkHglRav8MWobAiKGwSn1AuEb8LAqNcfcstHKC98hMl2wnQNXGlyH3H4NgWACVp-NQNgp0Xypk6NUR6mi7_exz_OWOWTgvg8_duiEwRdwKnGM00x626zJTO6rE4b/s1600/Subler'sTree%238.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00dKx8XkVZkHglRav8MWobAiKGwSn1AuEb8LAqNcfcstHKC98hMl2wnQNXGlyH3H4NgWACVp-NQNgp0Xypk6NUR6mi7_exz_OWOWTgvg8_duiEwRdwKnGM00x626zJTO6rE4b/s400/Subler'sTree%238.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503964998477521266" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbz-oP3rLzz9Z6HYQWMmZrpYIJPn8v4Yg804evMe676hH8upxr-8-myo8M-ZiAYwV0L6UhzPbgNCIPth_OWWSQTOEr8_fB8geyTdfFHMZWqmS-tNoORxDClXQpBSNaQo7Zwi3/s1600/Subler'sTree%239.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbz-oP3rLzz9Z6HYQWMmZrpYIJPn8v4Yg804evMe676hH8upxr-8-myo8M-ZiAYwV0L6UhzPbgNCIPth_OWWSQTOEr8_fB8geyTdfFHMZWqmS-tNoORxDClXQpBSNaQo7Zwi3/s400/Subler'sTree%239.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504250462649811106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">This tree that was standing for close to<br />60</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> years, took less than two hours<br />to be cut down to a stump.</span><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-73126908281971511412010-07-27T16:23:00.000-07:002011-02-20T19:49:55.579-08:00Pursuing goals...<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Climb...</span><br />The first time I heard this song by Miley Cyrus, I felt that it was a personal anthem for me to not give up on myself. Over the past few weeks as I have been walking again, I have been slowly and steadily getting stronger. I am extremely grateful for the progress I have been making, but I have a long ways to go and as the song says:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">There's always gonna be another mountain.<br />I'm always gonna wanna make it move.<br />Always gonna be an uphill battle.<br />Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose.<br /><br />Ain't about how fast I get there.<br />Ain't about what's waiting on the other side.<br />It's the climb.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Below is a video of me walking this morning with <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">The Climb</span> playing in the background.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50j7u_E8iVY">Click here to see my walking video on YouTube.</a><br /><br /><br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyXjwRAmD-_6q3t6-lnWAc2xgV-Lm5_nifT8czCrDWi00fnDGafZyvRNoYR-Gqobr81CXfFzw1KGek' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-90851188104399279762010-07-23T15:12:00.000-07:002010-07-23T17:10:36.325-07:00I Can Only Imagine...In 2001, MercyMe came out with the song, <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">I Can Only Imagine</span>, a very inspirational song about meeting Jesus in heaven. In 2006, I produced a music video, using pictures which I found on the internet.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwii4TSz1yT7482V0-Erm0ocncoQNb7ky43XGPyf9mUE0Pe-gqR-O8cZWVJAugNQyMbdczCL0AbkaU' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">I Can Only Imagine</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">by MercyMe<br /><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-36081033180775449252010-07-22T16:55:00.000-07:002012-07-23T13:35:34.416-07:00Cats playing to music...I hope you enjoy watching the following six cat videos as much as I enjoyed making them. They were actually made about four years ago so the cats are a tad bit older now.<br />
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The white cat, which we appropriately named Betty (after Betty White) and the brown one, named Patches, are still hanging around the neighborhood along with their Mama, who is black and white with the white paws, also known as a Tuxedo.<br />
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The cats were never really ours, we just adopted them when pregnant Mama showed up on our doorstep one cold November day back in 2005 and we felt sorry for her and gave her a warm place to stay while she delivered her six kittens. Unfortunately, four of the six kittens died and Betty and Patches were the only ones that survived. A few months later, Mama had another litter of six, which are also seen in video "In the Mood" by the Glenn Miller Band, but we ended up giving those all away. Since we didn't want Mama, Betty or Patches (all females) to get pregnant again, we took them to a vet and had them fixed.<br />
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Note: No cats were harmed in the process of filming these videos. They are just being playful when they wrestle with each other. In the video, Maple Leaf Rag, the cats are playing with a stuffed mouse.<br />
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<span style="color: #3333ff; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> Yakety Axe by Clay Atkins</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3333ff; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3333ff; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">In The Mood by Glenn Miller Band</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3333ff; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Elephant Walk by Henry Mancini</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3333ff; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Kittens On The Keys by Frank Mills</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3333ff; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Orange Blossom Special by Bill Monroe Orchestra</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-20450320248248738502010-07-21T17:32:00.000-07:002010-07-21T17:49:13.097-07:00An eye for detail...Yesterday, my 11-year-old niece, Abby, came over for a visit. To be honest, I can not draw worth a darn, and well, Abby is pretty much the complete opposite. She wanted to draw something, so I looked around the room and I saw the little stuffed tiger that I received from the Versailles nursing home a couple years ago. I guess it's their mascot, since Versailles is the home of the Tigers, so they give all their patients this little stuffed animal as a going-away gift. Within about five minutes, Abby drew the tiger. We took a picture of the original so you can see for yourself how Abby truly has an eyes for detail...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcgTnrJJj_na-cyCwA0VwSeIz0fjjVj8tpOtq7pVNfYTMEU8GzjTW5vx-Qw3_Smo0mmlWeybd3ZWWgyK_gspwLCFV4efUUITnkWG3OllzGUWr_4PYFwyzWA1c2VHmdrj_nxh0f/s1600/Tigger.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcgTnrJJj_na-cyCwA0VwSeIz0fjjVj8tpOtq7pVNfYTMEU8GzjTW5vx-Qw3_Smo0mmlWeybd3ZWWgyK_gspwLCFV4efUUITnkWG3OllzGUWr_4PYFwyzWA1c2VHmdrj_nxh0f/s400/Tigger.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496524189700775090" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLJqNAhttT9faP5UG3HROgI21-JBYbWBeu9K5AMiahs8OtLZZV-9I4ckZ1w055xeZjzd3f4eLuuFJobmTb-oPuyN9NKJdWBXCHT2xlbmqK2UTtT9iAqPMNCYeIoFyG3k6PtEw/s1600/Tigger-AbbyDrew.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLJqNAhttT9faP5UG3HROgI21-JBYbWBeu9K5AMiahs8OtLZZV-9I4ckZ1w055xeZjzd3f4eLuuFJobmTb-oPuyN9NKJdWBXCHT2xlbmqK2UTtT9iAqPMNCYeIoFyG3k6PtEw/s400/Tigger-AbbyDrew.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496526092229836850" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-1911446721556412492010-07-17T10:53:00.000-07:002010-07-19T07:53:20.828-07:002010 Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Fitness Challenge...<span style="font-weight: bold;">And the winner is...</span><br />From January 4th to March 31st, Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Center in Westerville (where I have been going the last two years for my foot surgeries) had a fitness challenge. My surgeon, Dr. William "Will, not Bill" DeCarbo (who put the halo on the left foot and also did the right forefoot surgery and put the halo on it) is the the prestigious winner. I assumed Dr. DeCarbo had placed his trophy in his family living room where the picture below was taken, but when I asked him where it was, he said it was in a back office room.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1-yIxo1SlQWh9Pge4sP0XdIl0pB9lycVMnUJD8fIPa-FJyW3JGsDNNoGwso4oFVUKAtgFL3UTW6av246LEimQ_k2YZbkCQfm_ZOTws68lx0mvD2a6cCnpiM0C34unOc7NC_W/s1600/DeCarbo-Trophy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1-yIxo1SlQWh9Pge4sP0XdIl0pB9lycVMnUJD8fIPa-FJyW3JGsDNNoGwso4oFVUKAtgFL3UTW6av246LEimQ_k2YZbkCQfm_ZOTws68lx0mvD2a6cCnpiM0C34unOc7NC_W/s400/DeCarbo-Trophy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494935688916689746" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;">Final OFAC 2010 fitness challenge post....WINNER!!!!!!!!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnWL4ErxSYKNPmvikxCdCIAsGzvX_rX0jgCBLGwHjCe6AI5QO5T1G3B_7gTz11mZZH-0V6kcB1EZXP03BRkjEVhETSQte9q8n0I0nDXLIQnbS4MrziP1J730Vvvk1lPgq_xt5F/s1600/DeCarbo-running.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnWL4ErxSYKNPmvikxCdCIAsGzvX_rX0jgCBLGwHjCe6AI5QO5T1G3B_7gTz11mZZH-0V6kcB1EZXP03BRkjEVhETSQte9q8n0I0nDXLIQnbS4MrziP1J730Vvvk1lPgq_xt5F/s400/DeCarbo-running.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494944012853896274" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;">Week 12 challenge, part I complete!<br /></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSxmByWoJ-q022_2-cWS-1ZYBaNolmOOohXClYm2amJlpKtjHxLuF1LdzlQeXUgGGij04DtSAFtd0s5ws0qh8S1YYU6DO41g9sqFXVkFgHwltexx4CNxEFLE2hrBcUPInlgo3/s1600/DeCarbo'sProteinHealthyMeal.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSxmByWoJ-q022_2-cWS-1ZYBaNolmOOohXClYm2amJlpKtjHxLuF1LdzlQeXUgGGij04DtSAFtd0s5ws0qh8S1YYU6DO41g9sqFXVkFgHwltexx4CNxEFLE2hrBcUPInlgo3/s400/DeCarbo'sProteinHealthyMeal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494939402437130322" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Week 7 Challenge...a glimpse into the winning</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">contestants lunch: 1/2 cup cottage cheese, banana,</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">protein shake, water.<br />345 calories, 43g proteins,</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">37.9g carbs, 3g fat!!!<br /></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1n-sigFWhzxjtA8sqZRLY5DpOUbHQhRwIfT1jfLbBGmvtKxm_Zf2PHWniLrkyWsV6ZPH0gKFd_Tq4tSSDjJ6lRLEXYKKTLcE5OxHY1WJj6akdh7YJ6A7mKZ6MIfJTAjkn__dQ/s1600/DeCarbo-JumpRope.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1n-sigFWhzxjtA8sqZRLY5DpOUbHQhRwIfT1jfLbBGmvtKxm_Zf2PHWniLrkyWsV6ZPH0gKFd_Tq4tSSDjJ6lRLEXYKKTLcE5OxHY1WJj6akdh7YJ6A7mKZ6MIfJTAjkn__dQ/s400/DeCarbo-JumpRope.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494945274754927874" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;">Week 9 challenge complete!!!!!</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;">Criss cross, double jumps...BRING IT!!!</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A competitive spirit...</span><br />From all outward appearances, I thought Dr. DeCarbo was in really good shape before he started the fitness challenge, but I've got a feeling that as the contest suggests, he likes to physically challenge himself and maybe, just maybe, he likes to egg on his colleagues a tad bit too. At least his sense of humor points in that direction.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Congratulations, Dr. DeCarbo...</span><br />It was a tremendous "feat" which he accomplished over the course of 12 weeks, but when it comes right down to it, I'm sure he will also agree being healthy and strong is the best reward possible!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30606806.post-55758665676197632312010-07-17T10:32:00.000-07:002010-07-19T07:45:03.993-07:00Making progress…<span style="font-weight: bold;">Walking again…</span><br />Seventy days after I had my left foot surgery on April 6th, I stood up for the first time on June 15th and walked with the help of two elbow crutches. I only walked about five minutes that first day and I was really tired, but I have now managed to increase it to about 45 minutes a day since I’m doing 3-15 minute walks in which I’ve been walking from my bed to the kitchen sink and back to my bed. For about a week now, I’ve also been walking outside – starting at 15 minutes and now I’m up to 30 minutes; walking just a little bit more each day helps my stamina.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Slow, but sure…</span><br />I’m the first one to admit that I’m really slow, because in that same 45 minutes a six-minute-miler could literally run laps around me by going seven and a half miles, but it’s a small victory for me and I’m very gratefully for the progress.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Doin’ the boot scootin’ boogie…</span><br />Prior to walking outside, I sat in my wheelchair and scooted down the sidewalks by keeping the right foot elevated on a leg rest and pushing with my left foot. I was outside three different times for about an hour and a half each day, but I decided to stop doing it when I felt like I was bitten by chiggers the third time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Removing layers of dead skin…</span><br />The nurses from Comprehensive Health Network were able to remove all of the dead skin and dried up blood from the bottom of my foot, which was a good sign that new skin was forming under the surface. See the before picture below from June 9th and the after from July 16th.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkeGsJJ_gEvskTAoSKIf7vdtBiZ2u_PqnuolDgde-v4MAIorNJ2dS7T1fRg-mmDIzDcMAD28c6BLQTWVy9fSZztEABtc3Tkj0aQoJ60WsYmTYWmsIf-v1vU2z0O2HmHYoGaTWA/s1600/05-Becky'sFoot-BottomClose-up-6-9-10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkeGsJJ_gEvskTAoSKIf7vdtBiZ2u_PqnuolDgde-v4MAIorNJ2dS7T1fRg-mmDIzDcMAD28c6BLQTWVy9fSZztEABtc3Tkj0aQoJ60WsYmTYWmsIf-v1vU2z0O2HmHYoGaTWA/s400/05-Becky'sFoot-BottomClose-up-6-9-10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495625496632962370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBE4BEjyMrzC-CNk-eW0QaEvcDh1Vs1GNNKAoD_wxMhFbvfZNpLvu-RPprant__ocDB_YCvmsIlkPO2ZFCL4ABjfjOsuiUCZFAwa3VzGbhChaaV_HS7pLi_fr_H0y_gm6U79X1/s1600/Becky'sBottomFoot-7-16-10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBE4BEjyMrzC-CNk-eW0QaEvcDh1Vs1GNNKAoD_wxMhFbvfZNpLvu-RPprant__ocDB_YCvmsIlkPO2ZFCL4ABjfjOsuiUCZFAwa3VzGbhChaaV_HS7pLi_fr_H0y_gm6U79X1/s400/Becky'sBottomFoot-7-16-10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495624046034557650" border="0" /> </a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Back to Westerville for another appointment...</span><br />On Monday, July 12th when I went back to see Dr. DeCarbo, he removed the black necrosis skin, which was on the inside of my right foot. The area was about ¾ by ½ inch and fortunately it was numb and didn’t hurt at all when it was cut away, because the Achilles tendon had already been cut allowing the halo to return the ankle to a 90° angle.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Before and after…</span><br />Below are some pictures showing how my foot looked on Wednesday, June 9th and how it looked on Friday, July 16th – five weeks and two days later. Once again, Dr. DeCarbo removed a lot of the black "necrosis" dead skin, so it’s quite a big improvement and proof that the body does heel when given time and the best possible care, which I definitely received from Dr. DeCarbo and the nurses from Comprehensive Health Network.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMzR6AafLV85Cpm2aDcTwQDcqaD3AQVcjxNCxq3jLknLqdr8YNSRPV192RCmmFdhVuGX_MwoDn-bTz3TCOlPHqXEDQtdsitbBPfO_z1s3cdpmzYd-a6ZmeJlGYO0smgg8IzK5/s1600/Becky'sFoot-InsideRightClose-Up-6-9-10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMzR6AafLV85Cpm2aDcTwQDcqaD3AQVcjxNCxq3jLknLqdr8YNSRPV192RCmmFdhVuGX_MwoDn-bTz3TCOlPHqXEDQtdsitbBPfO_z1s3cdpmzYd-a6ZmeJlGYO0smgg8IzK5/s400/Becky'sFoot-InsideRightClose-Up-6-9-10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494931670755016514" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljZ6dlhX-ssW1gpcFhMIvsRUqENk9vJudawnN-iWjK5fGYxEB_Ufk9nOwghyfZqxcrRTUoRtHhFX3xV-ur2MXr0l2Qcuo9174cvxnErNqCajLeNVarFmYlAcX_MPgane21oAv/s1600/Becky'sRightFoot-InsideClose-up-7-16-10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljZ6dlhX-ssW1gpcFhMIvsRUqENk9vJudawnN-iWjK5fGYxEB_Ufk9nOwghyfZqxcrRTUoRtHhFX3xV-ur2MXr0l2Qcuo9174cvxnErNqCajLeNVarFmYlAcX_MPgane21oAv/s400/Becky'sRightFoot-InsideClose-up-7-16-10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495622549428577698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">My next goal…</span><br />Right now my goal is to walk with a new shoe and to not use any crutches inside and only use one crutch outside. Ideally, that would be by late October, however, before these things can happen, the skin located inside and outside of my heel needs to completely heal, the heal bone has to be able to withstand weight without hurting and my toes need to be straightened, which will probably be another six weeks of not being able to walk. Definitely by Christmas, I will receive my best gift ever with my foot being completely healed and walking a lot better!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0