Mar 03 2017

Are You Aging with Humor? – A New Address

Author: Karan Gleddie • Discussion: No Comments

Are You Aging with Humor?

I’ve sure gotten old! I’ve had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees, fought prostate cancer and diabetes.

I’m half blind, can’t hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and subject to blackouts.

Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands and feet anymore.

Can’t remember if I’m 85 or 92. Have lost all my friends.

But, thank God, I still have my driver’s license!

Reflections: A New Address

I would like to share a deeply personal story that our family has journeyed through over the last eighteen months. After my Cancer surgery at the end of June 2015; in August, my dear son-in- law learned of his Cancer diagnoses.

After many highs and lows, starts and stops, joys and disappointments our family learned there was nothing else they could do for Kerry.

I can’t explain how confused my heart and mind felt for my daughter and her beloved husband. They had a beautiful family and a true love story marriage. Why?

Our family prayed and cried together, trying to understand this new territory we were traveling.

Many times, as I would sit and visit with Kerry, he was always more of an encouragement to me than He will ever know. As people came to visit or call him, he would pray with them before they said goodbye.

I remember our discussions about heaven and the amazing gift of God’s love and grace. Kerry’s peace was God given. And when we cried together, he would remind me the God he loved knew the number of his days before he was born. God’s promises gave him great comfort. The verse is;

Psalm 139: 16 NLT

16 You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

before a single day had passed.

Our beloved son-in-law Kerry Kurtzweg passed away this last week, he changed his address from Foremost, Alberta to Heaven on February 20, 2017. Just two days before their 25th wedding anniversary.

He will be greatly missed and he was dearly loved.©

How sweet is rest after fatigue!
How sweet will heaven be when our journey is ended.
– George Whitefield –
*******************

Thank you, dear friends, for spending your time with me and all your prayers for our family.
Have a wonderful weekend. Have a great week, HUGS
Lovingly, Karan

Apr 29 2016

Mammogram Practice Anyone?

Author: Karan Gleddie • Discussion: No Comments

It must be spring; the doctor just made an appointment for me to have my annual mammogram. Now, I don’t know about you, but it is not my preferred procedure. I thought you might enjoy these mammogram preparations. Have you tried them?

Practice For Your Mammogram

roller Many women are afraid of their first mammogram, but there’s no need to worry. By taking a few minutes each day for a week preceding the exam, and doing the following practice exercises, you will be totally prepared. And you can do this right in your home!

Exercise 1: Open your refrigerator door and insert one breast between the door and the main box. Have one of your strongest friends slam the door shut and lean on the door for good measure. Hold that position for five seconds (while you hold your breath). Repeat, in case the first time wasn’t effective enough.

Exercise 2: Locate a pasta maker or old wringer washer. Feed the breast into the machine and start cranking. Repeat twice a day

Exercise 3: Situate yourself comfortably on your side on the garage floor. Place one of your breasts snugly behind the rear tire of the family van. When you give the signal, hubby will slowly ease the car into reverse. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

Congratulations!
Now you have nothing at all to worry about when you go for your Mammogram

minion 158

Reflections:

I have been in California for almost a month, and have been appreciating the warm weather, and admiring the beautiful flowers. I love to look at and smell all the different flowering plants. And delight at how each one is unique, beautiful and special. Do you know how special you are?

images (52) For years, I was desperately trying to bloom where I was planted to gain love and acceptance from others. In my world things were never as they might have appeared, I was afraid if people saw the real me, they would not love or accept me. I hide behind a mask, which I called a smile, and become whatever I thought other people wanted me to be.

Although I had a husband and family who loved me, my concept of love was flawed. I thought it had to be earned: If you were good, drove the right car, had the right friends, or joined the right country club, you were loved. If you did not have all those things or were not in the right social group, you were not loved. I thought love and acceptance could be given and taken at a moment’s notice.

Do you step into life’s arena everyday wearing masks, striving for the right appearance and performing your best for love, acceptance, and approval? I have news for you.

God sees us without the masks and thinks we are beautiful, he loves and accepts us just the way we are, no conditions.©

The Bible says:

Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it?

If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? Luke 12: 25-28, the Message-

His love is forever, unchanging, and constant, it is unconditional!

Lovingly, Karan

Thank you for sharing your time with me today dear friend. What brings delight and Joy to your life?

I would love to hear your thoughts as we share our journey.

Hugs

Sep 10 2015

The Mysterious Purse Caper!

Author: Karan Gleddie • Discussion: 4 Comments

The Mysterious Purse Caper

Sometimes during both stressful and exciting times life can go a little sideways or way out of kilter. As I experienced a few months ago. Now I don’t know about you but, realizing I would be going into surgery soon gave me the motivation to do some extra cleaning. I determined the week before to give it the ole gusto and clean out the closets and nooks that had long forgotten items in them.

I have always loved purses and shoes so decided to weed out my stash. It took me four days to go through the closets and decide, putting selected items in the giveaway box. Only to take them out again the next day in indecision. Giving myself a proper talking to and again putting them back in the box. Whew, decisions are hard work!

However, one black purse I finally decided to hold onto for another year. Setting the purse next to the table I inserted my wallet in the pocket, thinking I would use it later in the day.

When, my grandson stopped by to see if I needed anything from the city. I asked if he could take my box to the thrift store for me. As he was carrying the box out the door, I spied the black purse sitting next to the table and in a split second decision I decided to throw it in the box too.
Feeling satisfied that I had been able to stand firm on all my decisions.

It wasn’t until a week later that I needed my Medicare number for the hospital that I couldn’t find my wallet, where did I put it? I remember I put it in that black purse I kept. Where is it? O no could I have thrown it into the giveaway box at the last minute?

I called the thrift store and even stopped by, but the wallet had disappeared. So I started the long procedure of canceling all my bank cards, health cards, driver’s license, and other relevant items. If you have ever gone through this changeover, it takes a while to replace everything. I hope I don’t have ever to do this again because of a careless mistake. I’m not sure I could even classify this one as a “Blonde Days”. Lol

I am so glad that I am not a number to God, he never loses me, always knows where I am and loves me. What a relief to know he cares and understand me and is my strength when I am weak, my shelter when I am afraid and my friend when I need someone to talk too. Even in those stressful and exciting times he walks beside me.

Psalm 18: 32, 33, 35, 36 (ERV)

32 God is the one who gives me strength.
He clears the path I need to take.
³³He makes my feet as steady as those of a deer.
Even on steep mountains he keeps me from falling.

³⁵Lord, you have given me your shield to protect me.
You support me with your right hand.
It is your help that has made me great.
³⁶You cleared a path for my feet
so that I could walk without stumbling.

God grants with each burden the strength to bear it… seldom more, never less.

God’s power is unstoppable. He is Enough for me!

Dear friends, have you ever lost something important and had it returned?

Thank you for stopping by and sharing your time with me. Have a wonderful week, Hugs

Lovingly, Karan

Jul 27 2015

Sleeping with strangers!

Author: Karan Gleddie • Discussion: 4 Comments

Hospital required regulations

Hospital regulations require a wheelchair for most patients when they’re being discharged. However, this girl working as a student nurse found one elderly gentleman — already dressed and sitting on the bed with a suitcase as his feet — who insisted he didn’t need her help to leave the hospital.

After a chat about rules being rules, he reluctantly let the nurse wheel him to the elevator. On the way down, she asked if his wife was meeting him.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I think she’s still upstairs in the bathroom changing out of her hospital gown.”

The hospital was an eye opening experience! LOl.

Sleeping with Strangers

Arriving back in my hospital room after surgery, I was enjoying the benefits of morphine, and anti-nausea medications. And nothing could keep me awake for the first two days. However on the third day I was awaken by a miss happy pants at 6:30 am and told the Urology floor of the hospital was overflowing. And because of the crowding problem my room become coed. My next two roommates would be gentlemen!

I felt a little uneasy about the crooked curtain which hung wide open. When I mentioned it to the nurse, she whipped out of her pocket surgical tape to hold it together. I now have a whole new respect for surgical tape, it kept the curtains together my whole hospital stay. They call it is the nurses duct tape, it can fix anything, including broken fingernails. Who knew? I was so thrilled to get a roll when I went home.

In the next few days I learned more about the urinary track of both the female and male anatomy. I’m positive it was more then I needed to know. It was way to enlightening. Lol. And I have never seen nurses get so excited for their patients when they pass gas or used the restroom. Honestly, the high-fiving and happy dancing around the room was hysterically infectious. What a delight and blessing to have two caring and encouraging young nurses who brought both laughter and joy to my room every day.

Lying in the hospital and recovering at home I have had time to do some reflecting. When life slows down for me I have better focus and clarity of what is important to me. I am constantly in awe of God’s caring love in the little love lessons he teaches me daily. I am humbled by the caring hearts of friends, family and others who have faithfully prayed for me, even when I felt down and didn’t know how much I needed them. God has a wonderful way of letting us know He cares and loves us more than we can even imagine. The Bible says in,

Ephesians 3:20

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or imagine, according to the power that works in us.

God always sees the Big Picture of our lives, and knows just what we need and where I am. I am not a stranger to Him. Thank you for letting me share this journey with you, I love you!

Thank you for spending your time with me, I am honored by your friendship and compassion, Hugs

Lovingly, Karan

Jul 13 2015

Interviewing God

Author: Karan Gleddie • Discussion: No Comments

Interviewing God

“So you would like to interview me?” God asked. “If you have the time” I said.

God smiled. “My time is eternity and it is enough for me.” “What questions do you have in mind for me?”

“What surprises you most about human kind?”

God answered…
“That they get bored with childhood, they rush to grow up, and then long to be children again.”

“That they lose their health to make money… and then lose their money to restore their health.”

“That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, and they live in neither
the present nor the future.”

“That they live as if they will never die, and die as though they had never lived.”

God’s hand took mine and we were silent for a while.

And then I asked…

“As a parent, what are some of life’s lessons you want your children to learn?”

“To learn that true happiness is not to achieve their goals but to learn to be satisfied with what they already have achieved.

“To learn they cannot make anyone love them. All they can do is let themselves be loved.”

“To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others.”

“To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.”

“To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open deep wounds in those they love,
and it can take many years to heal them.”

“To learn that a rich person is not one who has the most,
but is one who needs the least.”

“To learn there are people who love them dearly,
but simply have not yet learned how to express or show their feelings.”

“To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently.”

“To learn that it is not enough that they forgive each other, but they must also forgive themselves.”

“To learn that they can never do something extraordinary for me to love them; I simply do.

“Thank you for your time,” I said humbly.

“Is there anything else you would like your children to know?”

God smiled and said,
“Just know that I am here… always.”
-author unknown

*** Karan’s Update: Thank you for your love, prayers, wonderful notes and cards. I have been trying to do some walking everyday to regain my strength.
F unny how fast I fizzle out. Lol

Thank you dear friends for sharing your time with me, I love connecting with you each week. Have a great week!

Lovingly, Karan

Discussion Question: If you could ask God one question, what would it be?

Karan K. Gleddie

Offering Love and Laughter to Women who need Hope

Surgery

Are You Aging with Humor? – A New Address

Mammogram Practice Anyone?

The Mysterious Purse Caper!

Interviewing God