Hope

If you haven't had the chance to read some of the wonderful writings by the women over at (In)Courage, I "encourage" you to do so.  I discovered this blog with multiple authors about a month ago and LOVE it.  Love the photography, love the writing, love everything about it. 

This week their theme is hope.  And hope is something I've been having a lot of lately. 

I hope for a lot of things...no traffic when I'm running late, snow days in the winter, a Kindle for Christmas (yeah, I'm pretty much obsessed and REALLY, REALLY want one), and a good ending for LOST's last season. 

I hope that Cate grows up to be a smart, responsible, Christ-following, woman.  I hope Eric and I get to have at least 50 more years together.  I hope our parents live to see their great-grandchildren and retire well. 

And I hope that I've seen the last of my stomach issues.  I posted some things back in May about a mysterious superbug that I was diagnosed with.  For a long time this summer, it looked as if it were cured.  Then some of the same things started happening again around the time we went to Hilton Head.  Not as often.  Not as severe.  But it still kind of ruined parts of our vacation and last weekend. 

So I finally went back to the doctor and was tested for a gluten intolerance.  No word yet, but it's unlikely that this is the cause.  More than likely it's a food sensitivity.  So once the final results of the gluten test are in-- and provided its negative-- I'll begin a food-elimination diet to see what exactly triggers these episodes. 

It's really not a big deal-- more of an annoyance lately.  But I have hope.  I'm clinging to the words of Jeremiah 29:11-- "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  I have hope that whatever this issue may be, that God is taking care of it.  It's part of His plan, no matter how much it may annoy me, and ultimately my hope is that it's for His glory.  I have hope that eventually I won't have to deal with this anymore.  I have hope that God will give my doctor wisdom to help me figure things out.  I have hope.  And my hope is in Him.

So whatever you're out there hoping for-- I'm praying and hoping for you too. 

in you I trust, O my God.
       Do not let me be put to shame,
       nor let my enemies triumph over me.
 ³ No one whose hope is in you
       will ever be put to shame,
       but they will be put to shame
       who are treacherous without excuse.
 ⁴ Show me your ways, O LORD,
       teach me your paths;      ~Psalm 25: 2-4

~Melody :-)

And because I couldn't post without a picture of Cate...here she is playing with some buckeyes from the Buckeye Tree in my grandma's yard.  They weren't out of their shell/pod thing yet. 

For those of you unfamiliar with buckeyes...here's Eric with one that's out of its shell. 

 

Cate is fascinated by them.  And since she's my daughter, I'm sure she'll acquire my taste for the candy buckeyes too.