Well, i have finally found a moment to reflect on all that has been happening in my life recently. Saying “everything is rosy” is certainly not how I would describe how I’ve been feeling this past month and a half.

This unexpected season reminded me of exactly where I was two years ago when I found out I had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Although it wasn’t a pleasant time, it was a time where I learned so much and I witnessed so many miracles. In hindsight, I’m grateful for the challenges I faced and for the growth it produced in my life.

So, here we are two years later and another unexpected challenge is upon me!!! This one however, is somewhat mysterious. Let me share with you what has been happening.

Just after Easter, I began to feel extremely tired for no reason. My breathing felt “odd”, I developed a weird dry cough and my energy was super low. I know sometimes I push myself at a pretty fast pace and have days that I need to just rest, but day after day of resting didn’t seem to heal the symptoms I was experiencing! It seemed that with each passing day, I began to feel worse.

Then the roller coaster ride began. One doctor thought I had asthma related issues. Another doctor took an X-Ray and saw haziness in my lungs. This led to a CT Scan and as these tests continued, I continued to feel worse, my lungs began to feel tight and this caused me to feel a bit anxious!

The day I was going to the doctor to get my CT Scan results I ran into Josiah Nordgren, our pastor from New Hope Leeward. Talk about a divine appointment!!! I walked over to say hello and his wife asked me how I was doing. I briefly explained about the challenges I was facing and Josiah asked if it would be okay to pray for me right there in the parking lot. After they prayed, I felt so happy and went to the doctor with such peace.

The doctor walked in to give me the results and I could tell by the look on her face that something was really wrong. She began to explain that the scan showed some serious issues such as an abnormal mass in one lung and a bunch of nodules in both lungs. The doctor referred me to a specialist but told me it might be challenging to see him because he was very busy as he was one of the only doctors in Hawaii who performed non invasive lung biopsies. I thought to myself, if he can’t see me, what will I do! More worry and fear began to creep in!

I drove home feeling kind of numb. I started to think of all the similarities of where I was exactly two years prior. Fears began to flood my mind. I forgot about the miracles. All I could focus on was how terrible I felt, how I longed for my lungs to feel normal again and how I desired to have strength and energy to get back to my daily routine. I’ve learned that one of the best ways to battle problems is with praise. However, I forgot to praise. I even forgot to pray!! Instead, I responded with panic!!

Pastor Josiah texted me that afternoon and encouraged me with a passage from the Bible. It was from I Kings 19 where it talks about Elijah. I was encouraged by his message and I told him I was going to begin to study the story of Elijah. As I read I Kings, I read about Elijah seeing the power of God at work. He witnessed miracle after miracle. When he prayed, things happened. Yet one day, when it became apparent that his life was in danger, he ran and hid in fear and hoped to die. It might sound strange but reading about Elijah feeling fearful in that moment encouraged me. It made me feel normal. But I also realized that I didn’t want to remain in a place of fear. If you read the story of Elijah you will see that he didn’t remain fearful for long! As I began to reflect on the miraculous things God has done in my past. I began to replace my fear with faith.

The next step in this journey was a PET Scan. This would be the test that would reveal exactly what was going on inside of me. The morning of my scan my son, Kalani, sent me an encouraging word that he had heard in a sermon. It was the story of the Israelites fleeing Egypt. As they left Egypt they could have gone to the right, this path was the shortest but it would have led them through the Philistine territory so they would have a new enemy to face. Plus, when the Egyptians decided to come after them this would have put them in a place of having an enemy in front of them and an enemy behind them. The second road they could have taken was a straight path. This way was the easiest but as the Egyptian army approached them it would have been easy for them to access this path and attack them. Rather than go on these paths the Lord led them to go toward the Red Sea. This path didn’t make any sense. It led to a dead end. With the enemy coming after them it appeared that they were trapped. However, God opened up the sea and they walked to safety on dry land. When the enemy ran after them, the sea came back together and the enemy army was washed away. This path was the only path that provided a way for them to see what they feared the most be completely destroyed.

This word was just what I needed. It reminded me that God was at work and no matter what the results were, he could be trusted.

When the PET scan results came back they showed I had issues not only with my lungs but inflammation was found in several other areas of my body as well which caused the doctor to immediately schedule a biopsy.

One biopsy led to three. The first two biopsies came up negative for cancer cells. This was very good news. However, even after three biopsies, the illness I had, remained a mystery.. They tested me for several diseases but all results came back negative.

As of right now, it appears that I have a severe bacterial lung infection. Tests are still being run and after being on antibiotics for 2 weeks I am beginning to feel myself again.

In the midst of all of this, a new Stampin’ Up! catalog was released. I’ve been so weak and tired that I haven’t even been able to enjoy the new products. One of the hardest things I had to do was to cancel my classes this month. Thankfully, Stampin’ Up! had a special promotion called “Everything is Rosy”. This exclusive product suite, which only is available till tomorrow (5/31), is filled with beautiful coordinating Stampin’ Up! products. I was so grateful that several of my customers ordered this suite from me to help me keep up with my monthly sales goals.

As soon as I started to feel better, I went into my studio and made some thank you cards to send to those who ordered this month. Here is the card I created with this beautiful suite.

The set is really gorgeous, it comes with Designer Paper that has copper foil in it. It also comes with 2 spools of pretty ribbon. The top card was made with a Melon Mambo ribbon.

Below is the same card, but this time I used the Night of Navy Copper Edged Ribbon. Isn’t it beautiful?

Here is how the card looks like when it is opened.

I even used the stamp set to make the envelopes pretty!!!

Yesterday, I was invited to a birthday breakfast. Since this set had a birthday sentiment in it, I was able to make three different birthday cards with these same products. Here they are.

For these cards I stamped the birthday sentiment on one of the copper foil edged tags that are a part of the kit.

Below is a closer look at another layout. For this card, I moved the sentiment to the bottom right corner.

And since this one had a smaller tag, I added a couple extra die cut flowers and leaves.

My doctor called today and is scheduling me for more testing!!! Please pray that the tests will show no more inflammation or infection and that the slight cough I am still battling will be gone!

As I draw this post to a close I feel led to end with a prayer. I guess its because one of the lessons I’ve been reminded through this season is, when you encounter a problem, respond first with prayer and praise, this will lead to God’s presence and it’s there you will find peace.

Lord Jesus, I come before you now and praise you for who you are. Thank you for your love, thank you for your mercy, thank you for your peace even in the midst of a storm. I pray for the person that is reading this right now that no matter what is happening in their life today that you would draw near to them. Help them to see you. Help them to be encouraged that you are with them. I pray that you would heal their infirmities, I pray you would provide for their every need. I pray that you would reveal yourself to them in a mighty and powerful way so that they would be encouraged and find peace in your presence. Lord, help them to overcome any fears that they are facing. I thank you today for helping me to overcome fear with faith. I lift up these challenges that I have been facing and I say that I trust you. My life is in your hands. May I never take it for granted. Help me to live each day I am blessed to be here to honor you. I love you and praise you and thank you for your goodness, mercy and love. In Jesus Name, I pray these things, Amen.

With Love and Many Blessings,

Cindy

Everything is Rosy

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