michellesingleton.com // Confessions of the Preacher’s Wife

We are home.  And I want to thank you all for your prayers.  We certainly ran into quite a few obstacles on our mission trip and I am convinced that your prayers made a difference in the resolution of the many challenges we faced.  Thank you.  You were part of our team that made an impact in Mexico.

I do have a prayer request.  The last night we were in Mexico, Juliana woke up screaming in the middle of the night in pain.  She was unable to move her right leg or put weight on it.  Juliana is a competitive dancer and very active girl and this was unusual behavior for a girl who is used to “working through the pain” with her sports.  I checked her out, being her Doctor Mommy, and was able to isolate her problem to her right hip.  My best diagnosis was synovitis. 

There are 3 types of Synovitis: traumatic, viral and bacterial.  She had not fallen or had any bug bites, bruises, abrasions which left either viral or bacterial causes.  I did not trust the hospital facilities in Mexico which were too far away to transport anyway.  We prayed and brought Juliana home via a wheelchair and very accomodating Delta Airline assistants.

Her leg hurt the whole way home but she slept a good bit on the planes. 

I called her pediatrician who saw us in first thing on Tuesday morning.  We then saw a pediatric orthopedic doctor who confirmed that Juliana was suffering from Viral Synovitis.  This is the best case scenario as bacterial causes can lead to permanent damage to a growing child’s joint.  (This was my biggest fear.)

Juliana was given crutches and some super strong anti-inflamatory meds.  She was crushed that she will not be able to dance for 1-2 weeks which includes missing her competition debut show this week-end.  However, the doctor wrote a note for her to have “elevator privileges” at school as well as an “assistant” to help her with her book bags, lunch tray and locker exchanges.  I saw a slight smile and twinkle in her eye!

She adapted to the crutches the first try and is doing much better today.  She still can not put any weight on her right leg and the movement is increasing but very restricted.

I am relieved.  I could barely talk about the trip until I knew that Juliana would be ok.  Please continue to pray for her complete healing.

I am playing catch-up at work and hope to post some blog updates and pictures by the end of the week.

Thanks again for your love, prayers and support.  I appreciate all of you!

When your own mother goes undercover, you’ve got to keep 2 eyes on her.

We’ve been so blessed to have both my parents in town for a number of weeks.  Besides house-sitting and dog-sitting, for which we are extremely thankful, my parents are terrific house guests.  They are very low maintenance and make themselves at home.  And we all really enjoy having them around… wish they’d move to North Carolina. 

But I am learning I’ve got to keep my eyes on my mom.

Please don’t get me wrong.  She is a terrific mother and grandmother with a huge heart and servant hands.  She cooks yummy meals when she comes for a visit… how could any of us ever complain about that?

Here’s what I’ve noticed.  Every time she visits, Strider gains a few pounds.  And Grandma is quick to excuse any of Strider’s less than desireable behaviors.  She calls him “uncommonly cute” as she carries him around from room to room.  By the end of each of her visits, Strider begins to prefer Grandma over anyone else in our home ~ even me! 

How Juliana got between Grandma and Strider is nothing short of a miracle. (see photo)

This doesn’t happen without pre-meditated thoughts or actions.  Sounds a bit devious, even illegal, doesn’t it? 

Caught!  That’s right.  I caught Grandma feeding Strider “extra” snacks.   “He’s played hard so today,” she claims.  No wonder he follows her around like a puppy dog!

I wouldn’t tolerate this devious (and manipulative) dog-spoiling behavior from just anyone.  Good thing we’re all family!

I’ll never forget the Valentine’s Day that Rob and I celebrated while we were dating.   We were going skiing with Rob’s dad… all packed and ready to go.  Rob and I had a disagreement of some sort.  Just like most conflicts, a little time passes and all is forgotten.  But, whatever the matter was, I do remember that I was not at all happy with Rob and did not want to see him— certainly not for a ski vacation with his family!

At the time, Rob was living in a place which did not allow pets.  I was keeping his beagle, “Rowdy” (very appropriately named).  Talk about man’s best friend?  Rob and Rowdy were practically joined at the hip.  Rowdy was only a little faster.  Both man and dog were very cute!  But I was mad and I told Rob I would not be going skiing.  Didn’t really care if I ever saw the man again; however, I informed Rob that I would be happy to take care of his dog in his absence.

Feeling rather proud and quite satisfied with my “I’ll show him attitude,” I drove home, unlocked my front door and headed inside.  Out darted Rowdy.  Never looking back, Rowdy ran faster than ever before.  I hollered, sprinting after him who by this time was long out of sight.  Gasping for air, I got in my car and drove around the neighborhood for hours.  Gone!  The dog was gone and I was devastated.  

I was a horrible dog-sitter and an even worse friend.  The dog who meant everything to Rob was gone.  And I was responsible for losing Rob’s best friend, Rowdy.  How could I ever face Rob?  And why in the world had I gottten so upset with him? 

Only then did I think to ask God for His help.  I dropped to my knees, pleading with God to help Rowdy find his way home.  I even made a promise to God.  If he would bring Rowdy back, I would call Rob and join the family ski trip… forgiving and forgetting whatever it was that had caused me to change my mind in the first place.

Within 3 minutes, I heard scratching at my door.  Rowdy came home!  Rob and I made up, enjoyed a terrific ski trip and 15 years later, I am still calling him my Valentine!  And I am still thanking God for his quick answer to my prayer.

I had a conversation with a gal in the locker room.  She was young and complaining about not having any “quality” friends.  We talked for a good bit and I began to see that she was looking in all the wrong places for friendship.

Just this past Saturday, we had 35–40 people in our home for dessert and coffee.  The night was so much fun because the company was terrific.  They were all friends from church.  Everyone of our guests were kind, very likeable and among the most giving people I’ve known.  And they all have BIG hearts ~ servant hearts! 

Finding friends at Southbrook has been the best place for me to develop really good friendships.  The kind that last for a lifetime.  And this is where I encouraged my new, young friend to look for her new friends.  I also talked to her about beginning her friend search with a relationship with Jesus ~ the best friend of all.  This is my prayer for my young friend.

This past week, Juliana celebrated her 11th birthday.  Birthdays are always so much fun!  In fact, our family tradition is to celebrate all week.  She is growing up fast and I get sentimental looking back over every one of her 11 years.

As we were stuffing valentine goodie bags for her class during the superbowl game (was that the worse Who concert ever?), Juliana reminded me that next year, in middle school, the kids do not exchange valentines.  This would be the last time we would do this together.  Ahhh!  Another chapter coming to a close.

I am learning how special each chapter in your child’s life is, and how important it is to take time to thank God for His terrific gift of children.  How I cherish each day God gives me with my kids!  And what a reminder of the love and blessings He abundantly showers on our lives.

Happy Birthday, Juliana!

This morning I was cooking breakfast and the scrambled eggs were not the usual light and fluffy yellow.  Instead, they were a little brown.  So was the bacon.  And the cinnamon toast. 

Juliana, always on guard for the prevention of hurt feelings, proclaimed, “Mom, this is my favorite breakfast… everything ~ just a little brown!  Thank you for making it just the way I like it!”

I love that girl… way to keep the terrific morning on track, Juliana! 

I am taking a group of patients through my 21–day Purification Program.  Rob and I have also joined in the 21–day “dietary bootcamp” as he likes to call the 3 weeks of “torture.”  I prefer to think of it as a test of self-discipline and a decision not just for better health, but also for better service to God.

I have never had anyone complete the program who did not feel so much better on day 22 ~ even if they felt really good before starting the purification.  And when you feel really good and your body has removed accumulated toxins, your body performs optimally.

 The way I see it, if your body chemistry is balanced and your health is the best it can be, then it is easier to be the best mom or dad, the best husband or wife, the best banker, the best plumber, the best attorney, the best carpenter, the best pastor, the best chiropractor, the best Sunday School teacher… the best at whatever God has called you to be.

The Bible tells us in 1 Cor 3:16 (NIV) that our bodies are where God takes up residence after we turn our lives over to Him.  Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?    And then in Rom 12:1 (NLT), Paul pleads with us “to give (our) your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”

When we view our bodies as temples of God, it is easier to see the need to take good care of them ~ to be good stewards of what God has given us. 

What have you done to take care of your temple?