Lifetime Intimate Portrait: Deanna Shrodes

Message from Maddie

2009-11-21T06:00:00.001-05:00

Fun Friday Maddie Update!

2009-11-20T06:00:00.002-05:00

Jordan holds the bowl up for Maddie to eat while she wears her cone. But she got messy and the food was spilling out on him, thus his face here...

Picking up the loose food that's falling and putting it back in the bowl...she's able to stand up on two legs to eat, and just rest on her back legs, then we have to lay her back down in the cage, to keep her laying the rest of the time and let the bones heal. If we let her out, she tries to stand all the time and walk although she's not strong enough yet. Three more weeks...miracles are happening!

You can see her little scabs that are fallling off...and new skin/hair growing...yeah!

Better view here...you can see that she's going to be made new! All the pink areas are where the black scabs fell off and new pink skin is underneath and hair is growing back. We thought her face was going to be permanently disfigured, but God is so amazing she is recovering.

Maddie gets her stitches out this morning!!!

Today's news

2009-11-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

Didn't get a lot of time with Maddie yesterday. I regretted it but it was unavoidable. She's still on the mend though - no worries.

Yesterday I had an early morning appointment at the dentist followed by meetings, church work, staff lunch, preparing for Fusion, Fusion, staying to talk with a few people who needed me, then going home to work on a NextJob project. My extent of dealing with Maddie yesterday was sitting by her for a little while after evening service, petting her while I worked. Larry and the kids took care of her but she was mostly cage resting. Like I said, I hate it and want today to be different.

We had a great night at Fusion last night, and I taught on "This Means War 4: Fighting for Your Family". This is a five week series I'm going and it's been one of my favs.

This is going to be one of our most insanely busy weekends EVER at church and it won't stop til Tuesday. We have youth convention Fri-Sat, the first workday for our launch on Saturday, church and the Thanksgiving dinner Sunday, and then decorating for Christmas Monday. I'm tired just thinking about it but it's all going to be good.

Everyone asks about Maddie so I just want everyone to know she is healing well externally and get her stitches out Friday. As far as her spine, she's getting a tremendous amount of rest which is the main prescription. She's still on steroids and pain pills. Her legs appear to be stronger but we can't allow her to stand and walk or put any pressure on them. Thank you for your continued prayers. About 3 weeks to go until we see if she can have mobility.

All time favs

2009-11-18T06:07:00.003-05:00

I took this photo on my first trip to Africa. I love the giraffes there. We were riding in the land rover and I stood on the seat, with my head through the roof to get this clear photo. This one was in Nairobi. I have also seen many in Nakuru. I love the giraffes and the monkeys in Africa and I love that you can get up close to them and that they are not behind bars.

These are also a few of my favorite things:

Snack: chips and dip!!!

Drink: tea!!!

Activity: Aside from spending time with Jesus or my family/friends...BLOGGING!!!

Favorite punctuation: !!!!!!!!!!!

Favorite things to collect: words and teapots

Word that's ever been used to describe me: "Effervescent"! Dr. Sherry Lee used this to describe me once and I never forgot it. Once I got home I had to look up the meaning:

ef⋅fer⋅ves⋅cent /ˌɛfərˈvɛsənt/
–adjective 1. effervescing; bubbling.
2. vivacious; gay; lively; sparkling.

All but "gay" does indeed describe me. :)

Way to relax: In my PJ's, laying in bed watching a movie with Larry and Maddie.

Song right now: Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus

Furniture: My bed, and rocking chairs

Irresistable urge: Stopping in every thrift store I see.

Thing that makes me more depressed than anything: waking up to a messy kitchen

What I love to do on rainy days: read, nap, talk to Maddie, make tea, cook things like soup or chili

First thing I think when my alarm rings: "Seriously??!!"

Last three things I think before drifting off to sleep:
"Stop taking so much of the comforter..."
"Wow, that was good..."
"How am I going to get everything done that I have to do tomorrow?"

Favorite cleaning product: Clorox wipes

Most beautiful sights I've seen:
Aside from top ones like my family, friends, church family in worship...
Maddie
Pelicans on Lake Nakuru in Kenya
Great Rift Valley, Africa
Giraffes in Africa
The people of Africa (are you sensing there's a theme here?)
Christmas trees
The incline in Pittsburgh at night
The beaches of Hawaii
Icebergs in Alaska
Sunsets at Clearwater Beach, FL
Sunsets at Ft. Desoto Beach, FL
Sunsets while I'm riding my bike (I know, another theme here...)

Favorite kind of books to read: biographies and really any non-fiction; not a fan of fiction at all. The true stuff in my life alone is interesting enough that I don't have to fantasize. Second, that which I find out about all of life that's true is so fascinating, why make something up or waste my time reading something made up? Reality is crazy inspiring!!!

No cost uplift: bubble bath, bike ride, nap, when someone else cleans anything in my house, or weeds the yard, spending time with Maddie doing anything.

Small low cost things that make me very happy: cupcakes, earrings from Bealls Outlet , candles from Dollar General, Panera or Starbucks latte, tea from anywhere, my leopard Snuggie, buying used books, downloading new songs to my Zune, going to the beach and floating on my noodle until sunset.

Worship Song: All time fav is "You Alone" by David Crowder but right now my current fav's running neck to neck are Desert Song and You'll Come by Hillsong.

Holiday: Thanksgiving

Perfume: Halston or Moonlight Path products from Bath & Body Works

Movie I saw this year: The Proposal

Feeling in the world: making a difference in someone's life. It's the greatest high in the world, and I need my fix every single day.

Peed on three times. I give up.

2009-11-17T20:21:00.002-05:00

Maddie is going to be in her kennel tonight to sleep even if she cries a bit. Last night was the most rough night ever. She stirred a lot, and due to the steroids she is very hungry, thirsty and has to go pee a lot. She had been doing a great job previous with letting us know in time and going outside. But since she started the steroids things have changed. So because she has been crying and doesn't want to be alone I have been sleeping with her and holding her. Last night she was not only in pain but in the middle of the night she peed on me three times. What a mess. I don't mean a dribble - I'm talking about a flood. In any case, pee is pee.

On top of that I dealt with my regular church and Next Job work, plus two church emergencies/late night calls. I was so tired this morning I could hardly function. I also had an early morning meeting with a client so it's not even like I could adjust my schedule. Fully caffeinated tea helped me get through the day of church projects, church calls, client meetings and more. I ended my work day at 7:30 pm and was so glad to finally just sit down to the table with my family, eat and relax.

It wasn't a "bad day" it was just a tiring busy one because of a crazy night last night with Maddie. She is strengthening -- we can tell that, but things are still very difficult for her and she needs assistance with EVERYTHING. We have to keep her in the cone all the time now on her head because her wounds externally are really healing and itching like crazy and she picks at them. We have to have things healed by Friday so that the stitches can come out although it will take a while for her hair to grow out and we will have to see what takes place with the scars.

Well, good news...I'm sleeping with Larry tonight. :)

Frequent question

2009-11-17T05:45:00.000-05:00

Last night was a difficult night in our house for several reasons.

I was leaping tall buildings in a single bound -- as a woman, a wife, a mother, a pastor, a pastor's wife. It was pure insanity. Without God's grace, I couldn't start this day with confidence. But because of Him, and because I know who I am and whose I am, I am ready to say YES to this day!

Did you wake up to less than stellar circumstances today? Take my hand...let's walk together. I'm not going to just survive, I'm going to thrive, and so will you!

My favorite verse in II Corinthians 9:8: And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. The Word works for me, and it works for you. But we've got to WORK IT!

Making a big bed for Maddie

2009-11-16T19:06:00.003-05:00

Last night Madeline was pulling at her stitches so we had to put the cone on her head for her to go to sleep. But she was crying. She was very uncomfortable with the cone laying down on the blankets on the floor, and reaching for me as I was laying up on the twin mattress. I couldn't take it and my heart just broke for her. Yes, I know she "has me wrapped around her paw..."

Larry went into Jordan's room and pulled his queen mattress out of the room (Jordan wasn't home last night) and put it on the floor, and put the twin right up next to it, making a big bed on the floor. I made a circle of big pillows around it so she couldn't roll off. And she and I slept in the middle, together. No cone on her head, just my arms around her, holding her paws all night so she couldn't rip at her stitches with her paws or her mouth. Her face was right up next to mine. You can see here below the "big bed" we constructed.

I think we will probably stay in this "big bed" sleeping routine with me holding her until she gets the stiches out Friday. I know we will have a lot of work to do to get her back into a routine of being by herself in the future, but after seeing her so hurt and in pain it is just hard not to reach out and hold her and love on her all we can. She did stay in the kennel with the cone on while we were at church yesterday and while we were at work today. Both almost ripped my heart out but we had to. I will be glad when we are settled back into a routine -- thank you for your prayers as they are continuing to strengthen her. She is trying to stand more although she is not healed yet. We called the vet today to ask what to do when she tries to stand and walk. The doctor says she is definitely not ready to walk and we need to put her in the cage more. I will try but Lord have mercy it rips my heart out to hear Maddie cry.

Here is a photo I took [above] today of her one side that was really injured...all of this black line you see is an injury. Normally all of this is white hair on her body -- none of it is normally black. You can see how messed up this side got. But it looks 100% better than it did a week ago! Praise God!

When I look at these injuries and see her sweet face and hear her cry and reach for me, how can I just leave her there? The big bed was the only answer, in my opinion. Now Michele would probably differ on her opinion...LOL

Lessons from Kathryn: The Importance of Flexibility - Part II

2009-11-16T06:02:00.002-05:00

First let me say that as I already said on Saturday, I'm probably going to blog twice a day from now on - an update on Maddie and then something else. I know many of you want to hear the Maddie update each day (and I love you for it!) but I also have other things on my heart to write about now that our days are not so insane as they were the first week the tragedy happened. So, this is the first post today and I'll give a Maddie update later this afternoonor this evening. Now, on to "Lessons from Kathryn"...

Once again I'm learning from Kathryn the importance of having more flexibility, this time on a deeper level. Those of you who have known me for a long time already know that while organization is my middle name, flexibility is my nemesis. Many years ago, while preparing to go on a missions trip, a missionary warned me, "those who are not flexible shall be broken." I've tried so many times since then to loosen up and become more flexible, bending with circumstances with ease like a tall palm tree in a rainstorm but alas the fruition of the goal has eluded me more often than not. I am the person who used to have the disappointment file, remember? (Before Kathryn convinced me to change it to the Preparedness File...)

Last week a lesson on flexibility in leadership was brought right home to me in a very personal way. Kathryn and I were right in the middle of a meeting and the veterinarian called to give me the news about Maddie. I was informed that her spine was broken and that there may be no hope for her and we may have to put her to sleep. I was a wreck. I have never closed out a meeting before on that kind of note-- anywhere that I can remember -- but I said, "Kathryn, I have to go quickly..." I had to tell Larry the vet was on the phone and knew in less than a minute his world was going to fall apart. Kathryn not only said, "Go!" but she said she'd take care of handling all of my appointments for the day. I had a full schedule of meetings and in addition to her work, she handled them for me in her customarily outstanding way. All this was done when she was racing around trying to get her home ready for her parents to come for a week! So she was balancing her work, prepping her house, and then my unexpected workload that was suddenly placed upon her by me. As she says, it's "her job" however I've been managing people long enough to know that even when something is my job it doesn't make it any easier especially if I wasn't expecting it!! (Aren't there parts of your job description you'd rather not have there? Seriously. Surprises are my least favorite, bar none.)

I really don't know what I'd have done had she not been flexible. That morning while Maddie was in surgery (before we knew the gravity of her condition and just thought her external wounds were being operated on) I already had a hard time concentrating and apologized to a client that I was not myself...had a hard time focusing in on what I was doing...made a mental note to do something extra off the clock for that client since I was physically present but felt like half my brain wasn't showing up. What if I would have had to go through that for four additional meetings that day, having just heard the news about Maddie and pretty much sobbing along with my husband all day and night for 24 hours? It would have been horrible.

This gave me a different window into flexibility from the other side. There haven't been many times if ever that I've asked somebody to do something like this for me let alone a boss. I practically jump off a cliff to get done what needs to be done no matter what comes up, and have often worked right through difficulties, in fact that is something I rather excel in. But emotionally I was in no shape to do that on Tuesday.

Hopefully through her example I'll be able to become more flexible in my own areas of leadership, when warranted. Something I've realized is that I get so irritated about requests for flexibility from people who take undue advantage that I tend to throw the baby out with the bathwater and chafe against anyone or anything that requires an adjustment. The truth is, everyone is NOT the same, and especially for those who are faithful, dependable and loyal we need to make adjustments when justified.

It's also warmed my heart so much that she has called to check in on Maddie (and me!) quite a bit. What can I say...she's just Uh-MAY-zing and I'm so blessed to have her in my life.

Sunday Scenes with Maddie

2009-11-15T20:27:00.004-05:00

Jordan stayed up all night with Maddie. Larry took over at 6 am and stayed with her until 10 am and left this morning just in time to preach. It was the first time we left her, after putting the cone on her head, medicating her with Tramadol and putting her carefully in her kennel. He came to church, preached and left right after service to go back and take care of her. She did fine. It was extremely hard to leave her but we had to be back at church this morning together. Besides that Michele says we need to get her more into a routine of normalcy. That is easier said than done! We would have taken her with us to church but the veterinarian said she cannot leave the house for 10 days.

Taking an afternoon nap together after church and choir practice.

Hey, we sleep together when we can these days...LOL

Savanna can't resist running over to give Maddie some kisses when she sees her eyes open. She took these photos above and on the last one she set a timer so she could be in it. That girl is quite simply brilliant! :)

I know it's pretty evident to all, but Maddie's like my fifth child. I say fifth because we already have one in heaven, our first baby, and then we have our three here on earth. About seven years ago now I thought we were done. (My husband still says we were done! He did not/still does not want any more babies. ) But then Dustin turned 18. And everything in my mind changed. You see, I saw what an amazing human being he turned out to be. As a Mom you second guess everything you do, and make a lot of mistakes and you wonder if the kids are really going to turn out alright. Well, I wondered all that for 18 years because, well...I screw up a lot.

So then my oldest son turned 18 and he happened to become basically THE most amazing young adult on the planet. Then my second son turned 18 and well, he's made it too despite all my fears. And my daughter is right on the heels of them just making me proud at every turn. And I thought to myself, "why did I stop having kids? These people are amazing! I should have had more!" (One of my mottos is "too much of a good thing is... wonderful!") When Dustin turned 18 I really wanted another baby but it was too late. Not only that but Larry didn't want another one, nor did he want to adopt. So that was that. End of discussion.

Then we got Maddie, which was totally HIS idea! (I didn't want a dog at first -- I was against the idea. But once we got her how could I not fall totally head over heels in love with this sweet baby?) And all the love and attention I would have given a newborn baby, well, I just lavished on our little Maddie. I rocked her to sleep, sang her songs incessently (never mind that she's deaf), held her on my lap all the time, took her to the office and let her sit beside me for hours while I worked, bought her clothes from Petsmart, took a bazillion photos of her and spoiled her rotten. She's the fifth baby I was never able to have.

Seeing her in this pain and anguish has been indescribable. The other day I told her I wish it would have been me hit by the car and not her, that is how much I love her. Thank all of you for praying for our sweet Madeline. Your prayers are working. She is not out of the woods by any means but she is getting stronger day by day and we have all the faith and hope in the world that in three weeks and two days, she will walk, pain free!

Give the Lord the glory, AND give Him all the problems too!

2009-11-15T05:00:00.010-05:00

Good morning. It's a beautiful Sunday morning. Whether it's cold where you are, rainy, or the sun is shining matters not -- it can be an awesome day just because you declare it so. Joy is a choice.

Sunday mornings are very early for me -- I'm up way before the sunrise, getting ready to go to church. No matter how well I prepare during the week for Sunday, it's inevitable that sometimes things fall through the cracks. On extremely rare occasions I've forgotten something, but more often than not I'm dealing with something outside of my control. I have a very strict checklist of everything that has to be done on my part before Sunday morning comes. Rarely if ever is my list not completely accomplished in just the way I want it to be. But plenty of times something that wasn't mine to do goes awry. Those things used to practically drive me to have to check in to a mental health facility. (You think I'm kidding?!) I've gotten better about it, but still have a ways to go. It is only through the power of God and much grace that I am still on the ministry journey today. God is growing me all the time in this area and so many others.

Anyway, why am I bringing this up this morning? Well, I've had to realize that however it goes is not a reflection on me at all and I still have to CHOOSE JOY.

For instance, in years gone by I used to allow my attitude to be affected by how many showed up at church or how many didn't show up. Then I realized it had nothing to do with me. I made a decision to refuse to allow my mood to be altered by church attendance.

I love Oswald Chambers (My Utmost for His Highest) and here's something he said:

"Living a full and overflowing life does not rest in bodily health, in circumstances, nor even in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the same fellowship and oneness with Him that Jesus Himself enjoyed. But the first thing that will hinder this joy is the subtle irritability caused by giving too much thought to our circumstances. Jesus said, ". . . the cares of this world, . . . choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful" ( Mark 4:19 ). And before we even realize what has happened, we are caught up in our cares."

Did you get what he just said? "...nor even seeing God's work succeed..." I know from experience of posting on Sunday mornings that some of my friends in ministry read my blog or facebook before they go to church. (Wow, I'm honored!) Today I just want to be a blessing to you if you are reading before church in reminding you not to give too much thought to the circumstances, and above all else please don't attach it to yourself if it's negative. When are you going to stop beating yourself up? You are probably very careful about not attaching the success of the church to yourself and "keeping yourself humble" but let me ask you, have you attached shortcomings of the church on to yourself? Why?

I used to take so much of what was wrong in the church upon myself. Let me ask you a question, why is it that when everything in the church is going right, everyone is careful to say, "give God the glory!" but when everything is going wrong they say, "what's wrong with the pastor?" No, I'm sorry, it doesn't work that way. It's not "give all the glory to God when it goes right and take all the blame yourself when things go wrong." A friend of ours who pastors a 4,000 member church here in Florida told my husband and I that when something goes wrong in his church he says, "Wow, you've really got a problem to solve here, Lord!" He says that everyone is quick to point out that it's "God's church" but yet when a problem comes along they expect the pastor to have all the answers. Even when he has things happen like an air conditioning unit go down (which is a big thing in Florida!) he says, "Well Lord, your air conditioner is broken, so you'll have to do something about it..."

I just want to encourage all my ministry friends who are going to church this morning (or coming home this afternoon) possibly facing circumstances that are way less than perfect -- just throw it on Jesus. He said to cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you. If 10 people did not show up for rehearsal, that is NOT YOUR PROBLEM. It's their issue and it's God's problem.

If everything went wrong today, it's not your fault. On the other hand if everything went right it's not your fault either!

To summarize:

Choose Joy
Don't give too much thought to the circumstances
Give God the glory!
Give God the problems too!
Have a great Sunday my friends, and CHOOSE JOY either way!!! And...
As my friend Pastor Lisa Alexander says, "Let God be God in His house!"

Angels visited our house tonight

2009-11-14T20:51:00.001-05:00

I am going to be posting more than once a day most times upcoming, just FYI. I will blog daily about our situation with Maddie, but at times I may have a second update about her, or just something different altogether as plenty of other things are still going on in our life or are on my mind that I want to talk about. So for those of you who just can't get enough here on the blog, just keep checking back and there will probably be some new info for you. :)

Today was a busy but peaceful day. Last night got kind of crazy here and overwhelming and honestly I needed some peace today. When Maddie woke me up at 6 am this morning to go to the bathroom, I was very disappointed to see that she had pulled her drain out. I thought I had a good handle on what she was doing all night as I had my hand on her, but she snuck this in on me. Fortunately today was the day it was supposed to come out anyway, and also we were blessed that she didn't damage anything when she pulled it out. For this I am ever grateful. Larry took her potty and brought her back in and I needed more sleep. I laid her next to me, cradled her head in my hands and went to sleep with her for 3 hours. Her head never moved and I had it in my hands the whole time so I knew she wasn't destroying any stitches or anything. I hate to put the cone on her because she doesn't relax with it on.

Once she woke up at 9 am she was kind of active and wild -- even trying to get up and we had to hold her down. She is not strong enough to stand and still fractured although it does appear she is gaining much strength. I had to put the cone on her at that point because she was trying to crawl around and trying to pull at her stitches. As you can see I've taped her cards above her head where she can see them.

Today was a day of continuing to wash lots of bedding (I try to give her clean bedding twice a day), make meals, clean the kitchen, wash our clothes, follow up on a few things for the service tomorrow morning, get Sunday clothes ready, and I also took time to clean the oven since I could do it right where Maddie was just a few feet away where I could see her while I worked. I have to keep up on my house and can't just let it go because Maddie is sick. She is first priority but I am working everything else around her.

Early evening Larry said he'd sit by her while I took a walk. I went for 3 and 1/2 miles. It was awesome. I came back home to take a bath. Michele and Marcus were there to see Maddie. Michele cleaned up her wounds again. I mentioned to Larry that I was headed for my bath and then would start on supper. Michele said no, she and Marcus were going to stay with Maddie and she wanted me to go get my bath and get ready and go out on a date with Larry. Wow!!!

It was amazing to be able to have a quiet uninterrupted dinner with my man. We went to Remington's and totally enjoyed ourselves. I got out of my uniform I've been wearing lately 24/7 to take care of Maddie (sweats/t-shirt) and put my mini-jean skirt on with high heeled boots and leather jacket! I felt a sense of normalcy that I haven't felt for a week now. Thank you Michele, and thank you Marcus for blessing Pastor Larry and I with ice cream! (He brought us each a special pint of cookie dough for him and chocolate for me.)

At times tonight I would totally forget that Michele is a vet tech. I would find myself telling her how to care for Maddie, how to position her, how to do certain things and she'd say, "did you forget who you're talking to?" LOL Yes, at times I did. I have been staying by Maddie's side continually watching her every move and helping her and it has just consumed me. It was nice to get out today and have a break.

There are angels among us.

The things we do for love...

2009-11-14T06:00:00.003-05:00

Here Larry is taking Maddie out with our homemade sling. You can order professional ones online however we needed one immediately and didn't have time to order. A towel is doing the job. We have to keep her a sling when going potty and hold her back end up and try to keep it straight. The break is right above where you see the towel. We put her in the sling and she teeters around and wobbles...she is not strong at all and needs us to steady her constantly. The doctor says if she heals we will notice her steadying as weeks 3 and 4 approach. Of course we are believing WHEN she is healed, not IF she is healed. We HAVE to believe!!!

Here you can see the "drains" in her sutures where she got the operation. I didn't post the close up photos of these because they are really gross looking and I promised no more of those pics however these are far away and not gory but you can see where they operated on that big hole she had there. Those white things hanging out on her back right leg are drains and tonight Michele is coming to help us take them out.

Bill Letaw stopped by yesterday to visit Maddie and us. She so enjoyed his visit and just cuddled up with him while he held her. He is first and foremost a friend, second he is a church member and on our board of directors. He is close to our family as well and spends a lot of holidays with us when he is not able to go out of town to be with his family, and we are always so blessed to have him.

Heather Mayercak also stopped by and visited with Maddie. She has an especially tender heart towards Maddie as she babysat her when she was just a few months old. She lives just one development over and has volunteered to watch her again when we need her. (Thank you!)

Dear friend Emilie Currie came by to bless Maddie with love pats and prayers...the Currie's were on vacation in North Carolina when they heard about Maddie. They saw the photos on facebook and Emmy too began crying when she saw them.

Bernie and Lisa Currie came too yesterday to show their love to Maddie and to us...we are so grateful for their support and love as always.

Maddie has lots of people reaching out from locally all the way to Australia, to South Africa, to East Africa! My friend from Kenya, Pastor Walter Nyangweso called Tuesday to pray for her! And some of my friends who live in the Mathare Valley Slums of Africa are praying for Maddie. Yes, I'm serious!!! They don't even view their pets the same way we do -- the people are just lucky to be alive there let alone their pets. But my precious friends there care about Maddie because she matters to me and she matters to my family. And they love us. You are probably wondering how I keep in touch with people who live in a slum with no electricity, mail, running water let alone clean water. Well, the young man who keeps in touch with me from there, Peter Difoe, walks many many miles to a free internet cafe in Nairobi to write to me occasionally and let me know what is happening and how I can pray, and also ask me how they can pray for us. The people there are praying for Maddie. When Africans start to pray, look out! They know how to touch heaven!!!

The black scabs are starting to fall of of Maddie's head and there's just pink skin underneath. We are surprised that they are coming off. We were told they might be permanent, but evidently God had other plans. We have hopes that white hair will grow back in. At first we didn't think so. Michele says that some spots on her have the hair completely torn out and may just remain black or gray scars. Whether it grows back in our not she is still our beautiful Maddie, but it makes us happy that some of these are starting to fall off and she might go back to her "old self." She used to stand up on our bed and stare at herself in my dresser mirror for a long time before she had the accident. I have been wondering if she will know the difference when she looks in the mirror once she is well. Hopefully she won't have to see a difference and will be 100% whole and healed.

Thank you for continuing to believe with us. Several times a day I lay beside Maddie, declare the Word of God over her, and pray over her and tell her we will stand after we have done all to stand. We will stand while she cannot stand. People are standing for our precious Madeline all over the world. And we love you for it. To many strangers, she would just be "a dog". To us and to our friends she is "family".

Five days after our world fell apart...

2009-11-13T06:00:00.006-05:00

this is what things looked like yesterday in our world at the Shrodes house...

Lifting Maddie's bowl up so she can eat. She is eating normally again. Thank you, Jesus.

We were surprised to open the mailbox and find a card addressed to her...

It was from another dog! It said, "Hey girlfriend, sorry to hear you're sick as a dog..."

"Hope you get well soon.

I was thinking we could get together for a bone sometime."

Love, Bo Shehan"

Savanna rests alongside her - we are there 24/7

Sheri and Joel Powell came to visit today...and Jordan and Savanna even did "Maddie duty" for a few hours so that Larry and I could have dinner with them. Thank you, dear children. :)

Fauve Wilson also came to visit...

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...A MAJOR PRAISE REPORT...

Maddie finally went poo!!!! LOL

Sheri Powell agreed with me that this was a major accomplishment after her surgery, and Joel even thought we might consider sending it to ratemypoo.com! :)

Jordan and Savanna couldn't BELIEVE I was taking a photo of poo. "Mom, you are CRAZY!" Hey, I'm chronicling this whole thing and this poo is a victory.

In all honesty I have been praying that she would go #2. The problem is she is in the sling and hasn't wanted to go that way. She is uncomfortable and could not get in her usual position to go as we have her in a sling when we take her out. I have been wondering if she would ever feel comfortable enough to relax and go. Finally last night before bed, she did. God cares about everything my friends, even poo!

Many more of you have become friends with Maddie on facebook but just in case any of you readers missed it the last few days, you can become friends with Maddie by looking up Maddie Shrodes on facebook. She is up to 144 friends now.

We love you and thank you for your prayers. In addition to praying for her spine to heal would you also give special attention to praying for her back right leg? The doctor said she thought Maddie had feeling in all four legs but couldn't be sure that nerve damage or paralysis wouldn't occur. She definitely has feeling in three legs, but the fourth one on the back right hand side we are not sure. She doesn't respond much when that one is touched. Please be in prayer that she will have feeling there. She starts steroids today. The doctor says this should help with the swelling and may bring total feeling back there. We believe in faith it WILL!

The doctor asked us to keep her drain in her incision one more day. It's still got stuff coming out. We will wait until at least Saturday night to take it out. I didn't post photos here because it's pretty graphic and I promised no more of those photos. :)

Everyone keeps asking, "is she improving? Is she getting better?" Well, there's no definitive way to tell until four weeks from now when we try to see if she can stand to tell if the spine fracture has healed. Her spirits are great but then again she is always happy and always loving so it's hard to tell. Even if her worst pain she has always been kind and never lashed out. Maddie has a lot more fruit of the spirit than many Christians.

Be part of the Celebration!

2009-11-12T12:18:00.009-05:00

As I have mentioned before here on the blog, we will be launching Celebration Church the weekend of January 29-31. You can read about it here and here. In the days leading up to this we are doing Phase I of the remodeling of our facilities in preparation for the launch weekend.

We have been in the midst of a capital campaign to raise funds for all of the projects that we are doing. Our leadership team enthusiastically stepped up to the plate and pledged and gave first. Then, the congregation has stepped up to give to this cause. Everyone is not only giving our finances, we are pledging many hundreds/thousands of hours of manpower time to get the work done. Even Pastor Trinity's father has come from Missouri twice to help us work on it! Ken Mackley is an amazing man!!!

We are still short of the goal of accomplishing everything for Phase I. We are asking for local businesses to help whether through providing materials or a financial gift, and we are having a booklet created to distribute on launch weekend advertising all of our sponsors and thanking them. (All donations are tax deductible as well.) We will also be giving a thanks from our platform, mentioning each one.

My friend Pastor Andrea Fruscella who along with her husband Perry co-pastor's First Coast Christian Center in Jacksonville, approached us about giving a love gift from their church to help. I had never mentioned it, nor asked. So certainly I was shocked, honored, and so blessed that they have decided to do this. Is this amazing, or what??!! We decided to invite all of our church people to let their friends and family outside of the church know about what we're doing in case any of them would want to donate and be a part of the launch of Celebration! We created a letter for this purpose (for both business owners and friends) and a JPG copy of it is posted above -- just click and it will enlarge so you can read it. This letter details the special projects we are accomplishing in Phase I, with God's help.

If anyone reading wants to be a part, just let me know, or if you prefer to be anonymous just send it directly to Northside AG at 16235 Lake Magdalene Blvd, Tampa, FL 33613. (You are sending to Northside AG because although legally we have already secured the name Celebration Church (of Tampa) and are good to go in that regard, we don't start banking as Celebration Church until the last weekend in January.)

Any amount is a huge help! One of the most touching things for me has been seeing the little children bring their pennnies and turn their pledge cards in for $1.00 or 50 cents for Celebration Church! They are amazing!!!

Any friend or family member who gives will also be listed in our book of supporters and will be acknowledged from the platform (whether you are there or not).

The most important thing is that you support us with your prayers and I know many if not all of you are doing that, so THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for helping to make this God-dream come true for all of us!

Stealing hearts near and far...

2009-11-12T06:00:00.002-05:00

Little Ashley Mayercak from church saw the photos of Maddie after her accident on facebook and immediately burst out crying, she was so upset. She just had to come see her in person and show her love.

She asked her Mom if she could get Maddie a gift and make a card. She did and brought it over yesterday to visit with her. Maddie steals everyone's heart. She is our church "mascot". Everyone just loves her from young to old.

Giving Savanna kisses

Laying around with Savanna, just chilling.

We find such joy being with her. I talk to her and massage her areas that aren't bruised (what few there are) while Larry searches the internet for more helps on how to care for dogs who have fractured spines.

Love, love, love her kisses!

Daddy tucks me in and makes such I'm comfy.

Mason and Jacob Mayercak came over to visit Maddie too.

Please keep praying! Maddie has been pretty sedate most of the time as she is on Tramadol the majority of the time. When she first wakes up or after it wears off she is most active. She is doing well all things considered but we have to keep her still so that the fracture can heal. This is a challenge. She wants to get up yet if she did it would be very painful and we have to watch her carefully. Friday she will experience two major things. The drain will be taken out of her incisions. Also, she will be put on steroids.

We are so grateful for all the prayers on her behalf. Yesterday we noticed that Maddie has over 100 friends on facebook, in fact as of the time I write this she has 126!

In faith, we see our little Maddie standing on her own four legs again in four weeks! We won't stop believing!

Believing for our miracle...

2009-11-11T06:00:00.003-05:00

We went and picked up Maddie last night from Connechusett Animal Hospital  at about 5:30 pm. The external surgery went well but her spinal cord is fractured "well over 50%" in the words of the vet. She offered to show us the x-rays. Larry was too emotional and couldn't look at them. I thought one of us should so I told him to stay in the consultation room and I would go back with the doctor in the back and look at them. She showed me Maddie's fracture on the x-rays. It was good for me to see it that way and understand exactly where she is broken. When we came back out into the room where the animals were who were being treated, Maddie was in a cage on the bottom floor and she woke up when I came into the room. I was surprised she was so alert after the surgery. Upon seeing me, she tried to raise up.  The doctor quickly opened up the cage so we could make sure she didn't stand. I got down and laid on the floor with my upper half in the cage and just rubbed her head while she licked my face. She was so happy and just lavishing her love on me like she always does, every time she sees me, whether hurting or well. I stayed there until they came with the stretcher to take her out to our car.  It was pouring down rain and I had lots of blankets and sheets in the car for her to lay on but they gave us some to cover her up and let us take them with us. They were SO kind. I highly recommend  Connechusett Animal Hospital. They were AMAZING. These people truly care about animals and aren't just out to get as much from your wallet as they can. They are about saving animal's lives! They slowly and carefully laid her in the back and Savanna and I were with her to make sure she laid there perfectly still.

We came home and everyone else ate the spaghetti and meatballs I had prepared that morning in the crockpot (before the bottom had dropped out on our world). Thank God I made supper as soon as I woke up! I wouldn't have had the energy or presence of mind to do it after we found out the diagnosis. While everyone else ate, I I laid beside Maddie to make sure she didn't move. After they all ate, I did. Basically one of us sits on this twin bed beside her while she is on her makeshift bed on the floor, 24/7.   She can't be alone. We make sure she lays still and doesn't get up for any reason but to potty and when she does we put her in a "sling" of sorts, keep her back straight, hold her up and let her go potty then carefully lay her down again and stay by her side. The first trip to potty last night was interesting. Very difficult and I'm hoping this gets much easier. I was very afraid holding her up, just wanting to hold her perfectly so as to not injure her worse or ruin this healing we want so badly. Larry got pads from Petsmart for when he is not home. I'm going to have to get A LOT better at this to handle doing it without another person. At this point I can't imagine! This will be our role round the clock in these coming weeks to give it our best shot for her to heal. The doctor says in about 4 weeks we should know if she will make it. Thanks for praying your hearts out with us. We love you for it.

Obviously Larry and I have postponed  our trip to Tennessee.   We were going the 14-18 but we can't right now. We aren't sure what is happening with Maddie. Although we were really looking forward to it, we are looking forward to her living even more. The trip can wait a few more weeks or months.   It will be there for us to celebrate - in faith we believe we'll go, celebrating that we still have our Moo.

We fell apart yesterday emotionally. It was a horrible day, the worst ever. One person that made it so much better was Kathryn.   I had already had three meetings for our company (Next Job) that morning but they were difficult because I didn't know what was happening with Maddie. It's the first time I ever just had to break down and tell a client, "I'm sorry, I just don't have my head on straight right now..." and somehow made it through a resume development meeting. Once things fell apart and we found out she was fractured and possibly beyond repair, I had four more meetings and didn't know what I was going to do. I was a total wreck and more than that, I needed to be there as a comfort to my husband. Kathryn quickly stepped in and handled them all for me and I didn't have to so much as pick up a phone or email anybody. She was a total God-send. I can't thank the Lord enough on a daily basis for her. She's more than a manager, she's a dear friend.

I hesitate to name other names of people who gave a word of hope yesterday because there are so many but very strategic ones were Susan, Marsha, and Candy and I am so grateful for them and all of YOU who are taking time to read this and believe.
Last night Larry put on my CD, "Breathing Room" to play it over Maddie again and again (yes we know she's deaf but I am just believing that putting those songs into the atmosphere did something!) and I laid by her for hours just rubbing her head and praying.


We are going to have to get Maddie a bed from Petsmart or somewhere of the like that we can transport her in but is firm and not too "cushy". The doctor says it's important that the bed be firm. This is what we'll take her in when we have to have her at church. This isn't too foreign to us because we had her at the office when she was a baby til she was potty trained. She will be in the office for recooperation sake now. Thankfully we have awesome friends and church family who are on hand to help with things like this and we are so grateful. Everybody is part of her miracle!

Thank you for continuing to pray. Just thought I'd show you where we "live" right now...here on this twin bed. Looks like Larry and I might not be doing too much sleeping together for a while but when Maddie is all healed up we will take that trip to Tennessee and make up for it. :)

p.s. Maddie has had a facebook page quite a long time, but we are now encouraging more people to become her friend there and read "her updates" about her miracle. Just request Maddie Shrodes if you would like to be her friend there.

We need a miracle

2009-11-10T15:44:00.002-05:00

This morning Maddie underwent surgery and they found that she has a 50% fractured spine. This is very bad news. They do an operation for this and another surgeon was called in but it is $5,000 with no guarantees of success. We cannot afford that, not to mention, there are no guarantees.

The second option after surgery is complete cage rest with steroids. There is no guarantee of it healing with this either, however we asked the veterinarian what she would do it if was her dog and she said (and I'm quoting) "Give Maddie a chance." Of course, we will.

This means 24/7 care and lifting her up (sort of in a sling) every time she has to go potty. I am probably going to get some of the throwaway pads from Petsmart just so she won't even have to go outside while she's injured. The doctor says they adjust to going out again after using these, not a problem. In four weeks or so we should know whether Maddie will be on the mend. If she is not the doctor says our only real choice left is to put her to sleep. Of course we have sobbed many tears today...for hours. I did not post anything until all of our children could be told so that they would not read about it online or hear from someone else. They have all been informed now, so I am posting.

The odds are against Maddie in the natural but would you please believe with us for a miracle? I have never seen my husband so heartbroken. We all are, but he especially is. We want more than anything for her to live and remain with us, but not if ultimately it will cause her more pain. We just don't know yet whether she will make it or not. The doctor says in four weeks we will know if she is going to improve and after that it sometimes takes six months for a dog to fully get on their feet and walk again.

As far as all of her external wounds (her eye and two spots on her leg) -- she was operated on today and the surgery went well and she is out of surgery and in recovery. For all of this that the former veterinarian wanted many thousands for, this wonderful vet has only charged us $300. This is a friend of Michele's. We are ever grateful. We are leaving now, to pick her up at 5:00 pm. She will get all of the stitches out in 10 days.

I know so many of you have been praying, all the way from Australia, to Knoxville, to Dayton, to Charlotte, to everywhere USA. And our church family has been amazing. A friend, Sharon Came, said this week that Maddie is a "Kingdom dog!" I think she is. So many in God's Kingdom are reaching out to her believing for her healing. Some might not understand this but those who have pets that are part of the family do understand why this is so important to our family and why we are so broken. Thank you, extended family of friends, for caring and lifting this need up.

The bottom line is, we need a miracle within the next four weeks or we may have to say goodbye to our sweet Maddie. Please believe with us for a miracle.

Also, if I do not answer your email, text or call personally please understand, this phone has rang literally 20 times this morning, and emails have been abundant as well. I appreciate them all SO MUCH, I can only answer so much at a time though so I am trying to just update with posts here on the blog, answering with blog comments and quick lines here and there on facebook. I appreciate your understanding and knowing whether I answer right away or not, I love and appreciate you so much!!!!

MAJOR UPDATE ON MADDIE

2009-11-10T12:19:00.002-05:00

Friends, I am in a meeting for the next several hours and can't email or call any of you but I am just taking one second to post and tell you that Maddie was in such condition this morning (her wounds opening up, not using her back legs at all, being very sluggish) that we needed to take her to a new vet, recommended by Michele.

She is being operated on right now (12:15 pm) and will be done at 5:00 pm tonight. I will update you as soon as she is out of surgery and we bring her home. Thank you so much for praying for her throughout today as they are working on her.

We had amazing favor with this vet as far as working this out financially with us, and we are so grateful for your prayers as well as Michele's friendship and recommendation which made all this possible.

THANK YOU!!!

Update on Madeline ~ Day 3

2009-11-10T08:30:00.004-05:00

Last night Michele and Adam came to close two of Maddie's wounds that needed tissue glue that Michele got from her veterinarian that she used to work for. (Michele has a veterinary degree and used to do the majority of the work on closing wounds like this at the vet she worked for. Right now she works in research with animals.) We are so grateful for their help.

Maddie got the area by her right eye fixed as well as the open wound on her leg as much as possible. There was not much skin to close there on the open wound on the leg, so it was glued with tissue glue as well as possible. Unfortunately this morning the eye area has opened up again. Not sure why because she has just laid here and not touched it all night. Would all of you reading please pray that if Michele is able to do it again that the eye wound will stay closed?

There are no graphic photos in here (I promised, remember?) but just a few from last night that will show how our baby is coming along. Keep in mind, when all this is done to her she doesn't fight, snap, or even pull away. She is the most gentle and kind animal on the planet. Just one reason we love our Maddie Moo.

Adam holds Maddie while Michele prepares to fix eye...

Fixing eye with tissue glue

This glue stuff is amazing!

Yay!!

Maddie's eye once it was fixed with the glue tissue. Black spots remain and probably will as all the hair from that area was taken out by accident. That's okay, she's still the most beautiful bulldog in the world.

Not posting any photos of closing up the other area -- it would break my promise of not showing any more graphic photos. :) But thank you Michele for patching up our baby's leg as much as possible. We are so ever grateful.

She has been laying down on her little makeshift bed on the floor and one of us always lays next to her, 24/7 on a twin mattress that we brought out into the dining room. She hates to be alone especially now. She was rarely alone before the accident -- always playing with, or laying beside one of us. Especially now that she is in pain, she wants us 24/7 and we are happy to oblige. :)

She is still not walking -- we have to carry her to go outside to potty. She can stand for a second or two but plops down immediately because it's just too painful on her back legs. Keep in mind that really horrible wound photo I showed here yesterday is one of her back legs. They were hit hard but the vet did tell us they are NOT broken. However they are sore and Michele says they may have a little nerve damage but we can work them and massage them and do therapy with her. Basically one of our five family members or friends have been sitting here doing that 24/7. Please pray that her back legs would be strengthened day by day and that soon she can walk. We are so thankful that she is here but we need our Maddie to be whole again.

Love letters

2009-11-09T15:38:00.010-05:00

What a week it's been! We are so thankful for all of our friends who have surrounded us with such love and care. This past Sunday morning it it hadn't even been 24 hours since Maddie was hit, I was operating on less than 3 hours sleep and got up at the crack of dawn to rehearse, teach, lead the service and more. Larry was home, caring for Maddie. Despite all of the re-arranging we did at the last minute, and my husband's absence, we had an amazing service! God was totally in the house and did His thing.

Even if I don't say just how weary or emotionally fried I feel, there are just people who sense that I, and my family can use encouragement. I am so thankful for sensitive friends like those we have in our life and our amazing church. On Sunday morning after church, I was presented with a packet of letters that the teen class wrote during the Christian Education hour to us to uplift our family in this time. They warmed my heart so much and my husband was just delighted when I got home and gave these to him I thought I would share them with my blog readers as I share my heart here, and these were such a blessing to me.

Pastors, beloved children and amazing dog,
You are our family sent by Christ Himself. We love you. We will be your armor bearers, your "at your side" family. We pray for Maddie and all of you. Thank you, thank you for every one of you!!! Pastor Larry, we missed you today.
Sending hugs,
Candy (teacher)

Dear Shrodes family,
I hope you [pastors] enjoy your trip to Tennessee. Dustin, Jordan and Savanna, we all love you. That is something I really want to say. Pastor Larry and Deanna, I love your family, your preaching, and all of the services both on Sunday and Wednesday. I hope Maddie is okay.
Love,
Taylor F.

Hey guys,
Thank you for being our pastors.I really appreciate you guys. From Jordan being my best friend to being another family to me, thank you guys for just being "you".
Eddie

Pastor Larry,
I love you so much. You're a very cool leader. Pastor Deanna, you're very talented and beautiful and I love you. Jordan, you're my dawg, you're mad sweet and I'll always be here. Savanna, you're like my other sister and you're super funny. I love you, muahzzzz!!! Dustin, you're AWESOME! Enough said! LOL All of you Shrodes mean a lot to our whole family.
Love you,
Ashley R.

Dear Shrodes Family,
Thank you for being such amazing people. Thank you for giving your all to this church and to each and every one of us within it.
I love you guys,
Julie L.

Dear Shrodes family,
You guys are awesome and VERY important in my life. Thank you for everything you guys do. Hope life goes well for you. I'm praying for you and Maddie - sure hope she feels better.
Love,
Ben

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Pastors,
Thank you for accepting me into a church that I can be proud to call my church. Your Word is great and the people here are AWESOME.
Sincerely,
Frank D.

Dear Mom and Dad,
Sure do love you guys. You have a great family - just beautiful kids. Sorry I wasn't home to stop Maddie from running. That kind of sucks. By the way, your daughter is really cute! Um, bye.
I love you,
Savanna Rose

Dear Pastors,
You are the BEST PASTORS EVER!
We love you,
Britney G.

Dear Pastors,
I love you guys so much. This is the only church where I have had a close relationship with my pastors. This church has really changed my life. You have made me realize things that I would have never known. I love you!!! Everything will be alright. God is with you.
Love you,
K.Fox

Dear Shrodes family,
You guys are amazing. Especially your middle son. I think he is so sexy, he just makes my heart tingle! Please tell him that I love him! Okay, I'm just kidding. I am your middle son. :) But I do love you. You guys are awesome. And you mean so much to me. You supported my decision to go into the Air Force. I promise that I will always stay safe and I will always be just a phone call away.
I love you,
Jordan

Dear Shrodes,
I love you guys so much and I thank you for continuing to pour into my life. You guys are awesome.
Love,
Stephen T.

Dear Pastors Larry & Deanna
Thank you so much for always being open and available to listen. You've always been there when I've needed you! I've learned and grown so much thanks to the two of you. "Thank you" really isn't enough, there aren't words to describe how dear you both are to me. :)
Love,
Cathy T.

Thanks everyone...we love you more than words can say!!!

Second day after Maddie's accident

2009-11-09T10:09:00.002-05:00

For those who are catching up with the blog after the weekend, to bring you up to speed, our precious Madeline was hit by a car on Saturday. Our world was rocked. A lot has gone on in the last 48 hours. Thankfully she is still with us but she has a long road to recovery ahead. The following is an update from yesterday, the second day following the accident.

Sweet baby...we are so blessed to have you still in our lives.

Michele, Candy and Cathy chose to eat their own dinner at leadership meeting right on the floor by Maddie, since she never wants to be alone. As Michele ate, Maddie snuggled up and put her head resting on Michele. Thank you my friends, for loving our baby so much. :)

I come out of my room and see this sight and it just breaks my heart.

He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Psalm 107:20

Candy purchased a bunch of jars of baby food for Maddie, thinking maybe she would eat some of it, since she wants nothing to do with her dog food. Sure enough, Maddie gobbled down the baby food. Thank you, Candy! I am so blessed to have friends who care so much.

Michele takes out Maddie's IV, while Cathy and Candy hold her and help out.

*** WARNING ***

If you have a weak stomach you might not want to look at this last photo. I am just attaching a warning in case this would really disturb any of you reading. (My goal is not to disturb or offend.)

The next photo shows the seriousness of Maddie's injuries.

I'm putting a lot of blank space here so that if you don't want to see something graphic you can exit now and don't have to. Please skip over it if you have any reservation about it and you can just come back tomorrow for something cheerier.

For those who choose to look you will understand how I was thinking Saturday that she might not make it, and why I fell to a heap on the floor and had a breakdown. I thought she was gone and if she was not gone, I was simply broken that our precious Maddie had to be in this pain. Truly, she is a miracle...not a fully walking miracle yet, but I believe she will be.

Keep scrolling if you want to....

This is one of her leg wounds that the bandages and socks cover in the photos. All the skin is gone and that is her muscle on her leg. Unbelievable.

What do I do when I see this in photos or in person?

Weep my eyes out.

Still.

And I'm sure I'll weep again today and tomorrow...

Michele says Maddie is doing excellent and that this wound looks much better. I trust her word. More than that, I just have to trust God's Word.

"For I will restore health unto you, and I will heal you of your wounds, saith the Lord."

Jeremiah 30:17

Please, continue to pray for our precious Madeline. We will keep you posted, but this is the last really graphic photo I will post. :) Barring a miracle of God, Michele says she will always be badly scarred, but as long as she is alive and will ultimately function well, all we care about it that our precious Maddie is still with us. Thank you God, for sparing her.

Dustin's 20th Birthday Costume Party

2009-11-08T23:58:00.000-05:00

Dustin had a 20th birthday party on Saturday night with his friends. It was a costume party and he came as Peter Pan and Becca was Tinkerbell. A good time was had by all.

Prayers for Maddie

2009-11-07T23:53:00.001-05:00

Those of you who are my friends on facebook already know that Maddie was hit by a car today (Saturday afternoon) and has some serious injuries. She is going to live but has a long recovery ahead of her. We are all heartbroken at the state she is in but so grateful that she is ALIVE and will remain with us. I have taken some photos tonight so that you can see how serious her injuries are and please, please keep her in prayer. My sweet Maddie means the world to me. Even when in horrible pain she never lashed out like many dogs do when injured. She licked the vet while they were caring for her. She gave kisses while Michele and Adam were binding her wounds. She never stopped being the kind, gentle and unconditionally loving dog that she is. Thank you for adding Maddie to your prayer list.

Almost her entire face is normally white with the exception of her nose and actual eyes, and the outline of her mouth. As you can see she has big black cuts and bruises all over her face.

Her right eye was missed by just a hair, and we are lucky she still has her right eye without any injuries. Alongside it is a huge laceration. This breaks my heart more than anything.

Maddie drinking out of a little bowl we brought to her. Just seeing her strain so much to drink just tears me up.

You can see all the bruising underneath her legs in the back. All that black or dark area is bruising.

Her eye laceration is the worst of the injuries.

Again, thank you for praying. I can't even imagine life without our sweet Madline.

In Every Season...

2009-11-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

Here's where I'm at today.

Click the picture to enlarge and read.
And...tonight is Dustin's 20th birthday party with his friends. It will be a costume party. So fun.

After preaching in Bradenton I'll come home and get the finishing touches on the food for tonight and welcome the bunches of young people who are coming for this insanely fun event.

Fun Friday

2009-11-06T15:13:00.002-05:00

Yes! I'm posting three times (at least!) today. I desperately needed some time for me today. Part of what I love to do is blog, so this IS relaxation for me. People have asked me recently if I will take a break from blogging on my upcoming trip Larry and I are taking. No. This is something I do to relax. Others have said, "Won't you spend that time on your husband?" Well, seeing as my husband will probably do at least one thing without me while on the trip, I will continue to blog. I guarantee he will watch a sports news update, or take a nap at last once. :) He's prone to do a few things to relax on our times away, as well he should. So, expect my blogs to continue. Becca says that's a good thing because some people can't live without them. :)

Yesterday I had a full day of church work at the office, a lunch appointment, plus I was working on engaging 25 job seekers. I had grandiose plans of cleaning house when I got home but all I could do was have dinner, clean it up, work on a power point for Saturday's message (I'm preaching in Bradenton) and go to sleep. So here's part of what I did today:

As anyone who has read my blog for a while knows, my nails are something that are important to me. I like keeping up on them and making sure they always look nice. First, I do care about taking care of myself and this is important to me personally. Second, as a pastor and even just by nature of who I am, I often reach out to touch people in meaningful ways such as holding someone's hand while I pray for them or putting a hand on their shoulder, etc. Just like I always want to brush my teeth well and pop a mint in before I talk to people, so I want them to like the look and feel of my hands. If you know me well you also know that aside from showering, bathing or washing after using the restroom, my hands are NEVER in water. I wear gloves even I am just washing a spoon. Seriously. I've often been teased about it, and several times people have bought me fancy rubber gloves so that I am not always wearing the Playtex bright yellow ones. I have always protected my hands well -- been doing this forever, all of my adult life. Larry tells me my hands are the #1 thing he likes! (I was surprised to hear him say that. I figured for sure a few other things would top the list. LOL) Even strangers have commented when I shake their hand and say, "Oh, your hands feel good." I do like that -- I want even my hands to be a blessing in some small way.

So today I got a mani and pedi. I'm a little sad that Mai, my pedicurist, is gone. She was laid off and it became permanent. She was a FT employee there and I guess they couldn't keep her on anymore. Lisa and Tony, the owners, do my hands, so that will not change. But how I do miss my sweet Mai and pray that she can get another job very soon.