Just talk to Jesus

It’s okay if you have a list of things to accomplish in order to feel appreciated. Just talk to Jesus

It’s okay if you want to skip through some items and call it good in order to feel accomplished. Just talk to Jesus.

It’s okay if you have a hundred thoughts racing in your mind and want to stop and calm down in order to refocus. Just t talk to Jesus.

You are stronger than you think, You are admirable in other people’s sight. You are unique in God’s eyes. Just talk to Jesus.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have eloquence in your speech. Just talk to Jesus

It doesn’t matter if you have clothes to be admired or scoffed at. Just talk to Jesus

It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor or somewhere in between. Just talk to Jesus

It isn’t the fancy home or no home at all. Just talk to Jesus.

It isn’t that you are low in faith and wondering if God is listening. Just talk to Jesus

Where ever you are, whatever you are doing, just stop and talk to Jesus.

Jesus loves you and has an inside connection to God. Just talk to Jesus.

Just talk to Jesus.

A Tribute to Father

“One day at a time sweet Jesus that’s all I need, help me realize I can make it by taking one day at a time.” My father modified popular songs and wrote others while playing his guitar. He would play every evening with his children attenitive and then with a family grouping of his brothers and parents on weekends when we visited them. Some of his made-up songs were “tear-jerkers” intended to bring out deep emotions in others. They started with contemporary music that rocked the mountains for miles around. I would go to sleep listening to the old, old hymnals that soothed the soul.

The foothills of The Appalachian Mountains in Calhoun County, northern Alabama, were where my maw-ma and paw-pa lived. They bought the farmhouse when my father was a very young teenager. Music was always the father’s solace and answer to his worries. He wanted in his heart to be a musician but knew his family had to be fed, etc. so he became a vehicle mechanic instead. Only when the children were gone did he form a strings group and sing out of a restaurant room every week.

Every year on the Fourth of July, Eldon Lyon Park hosts musical entertainment. My father advertised well. When it was time for him to play and sing, I was there. No one else bothered to attend and lend their support or approval. A part of him died a little that day. None of them truly got what was at stake for him. He sang well, he played magnificently but could not even make it with his own family.

Through the years, he traded one dream for another as many of us do when we have a family to consider. It’s in the back of one’s mind but it is worth the sacrifice to have a family to love them and love you back.

In the latter years, father had neither. His choices as a younger man drove a wedge between his children and ex-wife and current wife that could be forgiven after decades of strife but never forgotten, and to have a close loving relationship that family should have. He was able to have relationships with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren without their condemnations.

Father gave up on his wife, his children, and God. I can relate to the feelings of being Job in the bible of losing it all. But where Job stood the good fight of faith and was rewarded richly. Job lost his family and all he owned in their death that he could mourn. Father did not, we children would not shower him with grace, whether it be ours or God’s. I think he lived a life of hell.

I think at the very end of the appointed day God gave him his children to reconcile themselves to him. There were many missed opportunities in the in-betweens. I know that for 20 years I would forgive and then not forgive as therapists would probe my emotions. The best thing I did was move away and change therapists and refuse to dwell on the old stories.

Life is about choices. What we do today could have long-reaching arms. It may seem good or even preferable to the other choices in our dilemma. Leaving God out of the mix is our biggest mistake. We as adults think we are wise and therefore capable of making good decisions in all things. But Proverbs in the Bible assures us that all of us are not always wise, in fact, some of us act foolish.

My father did the best he could with the choices he made and deep down he was a good man, he tried his best to help others out of dilemmas whether it be a car problem or a need for sound advice if asked for, It is not the beginning choices we make that determine our caliber of life but how we handle the decisions throughout life that matters.

I’ve attached the actual lyric to “One Day At A Time”

One Day at a Time

Song by Meriam Bellina

refraine: One day at a time sweet Jesus
That’s all I’m asking of You
Just give me the strength
To do everyday what I have to do
Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus
And tomorrow may never be mine
Lord help me today, show me the way
One day at a time

The Man I Married

My man; Robert A Challis, is a man of honor. If he gives you his word that he will do something; pay a debt to you, give you something in barter, or just generosity, you can take it to the bank. He will go without if necessary to fulfill his promise to you. He has sacrificed our income through social security to see that he honors his commitment to the contractors again as his honor dictates; even though most contractors do not honor their word to him. He is a man of courage and valor. He realizes that life can be tricky but rises to the challenges thrown his way.

He puts his family first but only in God’s presence as he is a man of faith. He recognizes that we are finite in our time of living and tries to leave his contribution to his family one of morals, decency, and kindness. He loves his family– from his brothers, and sister, to his wife, children, and grandchildren- they are all of importance to him.

He is a man of principle. He will not lie to you, nor does he accept a liar’s presence in his home. He does not fight unless his home or family are threatened; then he uses the justice system and/or other means necessary. He believes in and supports our USA Constitution and the Bill of Rights. He respects our First Responders including police, military, and fire officers.

I am proud of my man, Robert A Challis, and the legacy that he will leave behind, instilled in our children and grandchildren, the goodness of living, the joy of serving our Lord, and the love of having worthy people in his life. I cherish the man I married, going on 45 years on August 19th, 2022.

1000 Strong and Growing

On July 31st, 2017 developed my blog, https://katchallis.com

In October 2018, I had made it to my first goal- 100 people made visits to my blog site. Now, April 10th, 2020, A 1000+ haved viewed my blog site and some kindly left messages; thank you.

I write to inform, I write to Inspire, and I write to belong to something better than myself. I hope you enjoy what I have to say and then share me with your friends.

Kat

Travelers Prayer

“May the roads I travel

be free of bumps and dips

and the paths I walk be flat and clear.

May the restrooms be clean,

the food healthy,

and bed safe for my sleeping soul.

May God bless me

as I begin each day in prayer,

and end each day in praise.”

Kat Challis

Kat Challis, copywrite 2002

Gradient

A study in light, color, and form. Created in studio with a collection of damaged lenses that I’ve acquired over the years. Each is available as a 18×24 inch giclee print on archival paper.

Gradient

A study in light, color, and form. Created in studio with a collection of damaged lenses that I’ve acquired over the years. Each is available as a 18×24 inch giclee print on archival paper.

Gradient

A study in light, color, and form. Created in studio with a collection of damaged lenses that I’ve acquired over the years. Each is available as a 18×24 inch giclee print on archival paper.

Gradient

A study in light, color, and form. Created in studio with a collection of damaged lenses that I’ve acquired over the years. Each is available as a 18×24 inch giclee print on archival paper.

It’s 2043- Where are you now?

If you knew with absolute certainty that in 20 years, that’s 2043, Christianity would be the least favored religion in The United States of America how would you change your life now, if any changes were to be sought?

Would you make a list of, “Family Values,” and start teaching them to your (other relationship) children, and adults?

Would you become a mentor to someone else or start/join a mentoring process group?

Would you make changes to yourself, if so what would they be?

What do you envision the world will be like in 2043?

Will there be a “Free Nation Under God” in The United States of America?

Progression of mental instability

Robert told me, “the first thirteen years of our marriage were great, then all went spiraling down when you got sick.” The sickness he referred of mental instability.

The post-partum depression lasted two years, then I bounced back to my normal happy self. Then two years later we had another child. The depression lasted longer. We made an interstate move to Oklahoma. I began seeing a counselor for depression. She advised me to stop seeing a dear friend of mine because I was co-dependent on her or rather she upon me- either way the relationship wasn’t healthy. As painful as it was I obeyed the counselor’s advice and told Albina that I could no longer see her again. She immediately went into a nursing home and died four months later. I felt so guilty and her death hurt me, Kassidey and I went to her Catholic funeral. Her brother-in-law and sister and my daughter and I were the only attendees.

I continued the counseling sessions until I enrolled at Bethany Nazarene College aka Southern Nazarene University in 1987. Shortly, thereafter I began using their counseling services. A class I was taking had me writing about my childhood with very intense line-by-line questions. That was a bad decision for the university’s expectations for the class. They descended the assignment, but by that time I had spun done into misery.

They say, “once you open a can of worms, watch out or they will wriggle out everywhere.” Well, that is what happened to me- my negative thoughts wriggled out everywhere. I was 26 years old with a devoted husband, two beautiful daughters, and a dog, going to college/a life’s dream, and yet I was very sad. The more leadership activities that I did the more unhappy I became.

Spiraling into a “burn-out” I gave up Bethany Assembly of God Daisy Leader and Sunday School Teacher and finally stopped attending church services. I stopped volunteering for a while at Roses’ school until Kassidey began Kindergarten. Then, I went with gusto in daily volunteering for her teacher and Roses’ teacher while continuing my university studies. I also volunteered at my husband’s job for different social projects.

In just six years, I went from Major Depressive Disorder to Bipolar Disorder to Schizophrenia and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. In 1993, my daughter Rose was 15 years old and Kassidey was 11 years old when my father-in-law died a painful cancerous death. Then, Disassociative Indienty Disorder also known as Multiple Personalities. was diagnosed. Two years later a poor suicide attempt was made by taking lethal doses of prescription medications. I had split into many sub-people and my husband and children were left holding the can of worms that had wriggled out.

I went in and out of three psychiatric hospitals and continued counseling. At one hospital, Electro-Convlosive Therapy was administered without Robert’s and my consent. That was when I began having seizures and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. In 1994, the severe to-the-ground events were called tremors, then Pseudo-seizures, then twenty-five years later in 2020, Eplisey with Psuedo-Seizures events were diagnosed. Aura’s intense smell, hearing and seeing small star-like imaging accompanied by migraines developed in 2022.

I am 61 years old now; my husband has been loyal and loving even though he has had to deal with a mentally ill wife for 32 years of our 45 years of marriage. Our daughters’ have had to live the secret and unearned shamefulness of a mentally ill mother for far too many years. It is only recently, the public has started accepting that mental disable people are sick and are in need of medical treatment and their families compassion. They compare mental illness with cancer- an illness that can be treated and hopefully one day cured. In the meantime, we can only hope for the remission of the symptoms through medications and prayer.

katchallis.com

Happiness Box is created from a Swiffer Plastic Box.

The sides are covered with scrap papers cut to fit. The purpose of the box is to act like a journal. Put a happy thought or event on paper in the box. Anytime, you need a spirit lift open up the box and read about happy moments. The end of the year opens and reflects on the happy moments throughout the year.

Paper Crafting Group

Welcome to the group 👋.

Hello, Welcome to the Paper Crafting Group- still looking for a group name.

I would like to share group ideas with each other for creating cards, junk journals, and scrapbooking. I just took a sabbatical from a card ministry, “Loving Embrace Ministry.” I have a lot of experience making individualized cards for a church for 4 years and 5 months. I have been making cards for a lot longer.

I have just gotten into making journals, however, I have a friend who is a junk journal queen and she is teaching me to a lot of methods that I can share with you. She teaches at a nearby college.

I also have another friend who is a scrapbooker for over 30 years. I can pick her brain also. We can bring a lot of talented people together for a lot of fun opportunities. There will not be any criticism; only positive support in our group.

My name is Kat Challis and I hope you will give me another chance to join together for a lot of fun ideas sharing. You can see my style of writing and a few cards on my blog katchallis.com will send you a WordPress link to my account. Enjoy!

These are the fronts of the junk journals I made in 3 days during the Christmas Holiday. Please forgive my lack of cropping the photos.

Potato Candy, My family tradition

Potato Candy Recipe

Ingredients: One small or medium Irish potato  (pronounced “arsh” potato), Use up to two  pounds of confectionery sugar, and about one cup peanut-butter; (modern-day; jelly, chocolate, or pie fillings)

Directions: Boil potato in its skin (jacket) till done ( for added moisture), then peel off jacket and mash. It will liquefy when sugar is added. Add confectionary sugar one cup at a time until a medium-soft dough forms. Spread out on a sugared mat and knead with more sugar added until a firm dough is created. On a sugared mat, roll out dough to a 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness, spread on peanut butter, roll up and cut into ½” slices. Keep cold for a week or two if it stays around that long.

Fable: Created and told by Kat to the children in the central region of America: “Potato Candy was created during the Great American Depression In Georgia & the Appalachian mountains where the main crops of potatoes, cane sugar, and peanuts were plentiful. Despite the depression, the poorer people still desired something sweet to eat. So, a talented  confectioner cleverly used potatoes, confectionary sugar, and peanut butter to create the delectable sweet dessert we enjoy today.”

The truth according to  Wikipedia: The potato candy pinwheel, sometimes shortened to just potato candy, is a rolled candy prepared by mixing mashed potatoes with large amounts of powdered sugar to create a dough-like consistency, and then adding a filling, traditionally peanut butter, and rolling the confectionery to produce a log-like product.^[1]

Despite potatoes being a staple of the recipe, the final product has little to no potato flavor in its flavor profile, which is mostly dominated by the copious amounts of powdered sugar involved, as well as whatever filling is used.^{[citation needed]}

Potato candy does not require baking and is instead refrigerated in order to fully harden the candy, though it can stay at room temperature following the refrigeration process. Most sources indicate that potato candy has a shelf life of roughly one to two weeks.^[1][2]

Potato candy does not have a concrete origin, though it is cited as originating from European immigrants to the Appalachian region, and became a popular Depression-era recipe in the region due to the few and relatively cheap ingredients it utilizes.^[1]

Origins of the candy could possibly be traced to recipes brought to America by Russian, Irish, or German immigrants to the country during the late 18th and early 19th century, though no concrete proof of origin exists and the recipe only appears to be popular in the United States.^[1]

There are numerous variations to the original recipe, with some calling for the addition of vanilla extract to add some flavor, and some utilizing sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes.^[3][4] Additionally, for the filling, though peanut butter is seen as the traditional filling, it may be substituted with other spreads such as Nutella.^[4]

References[edit]

• ^{a b c d} “Appalachian Handmade Potato Candy”.
• ^ “Potato Candy recipe by Sugar Spun Run”.
• ^ “Sweet Potato Candy | The Local Palate”. thelocalpalate.com. December 14, 2020.
• Reed, Katie. “Sweet Potato Candy”. It’s a Mother Thing.

I  like my version better… Do you?

Suicide and Alcoholism Tragedy

My nephew was fighting alcoholism recovery and setbacks. He was discharged from the USAF two years ago for being drunk on guard duty. His life spun out of control afterward with self-help treatments like AA, swearing off drinking then, going back to it. Depression was his constant enemy.

In October 2022, just two short months ago, he disappeared from his mom’s and other families’ lives. Then, yesterday the police came to visit his mom in Colorado; he had her information in his wallet as an emergency contact. They bore the fatal news that in the state of Montana he had perished due to suicide.

Devastation is only the least of the emotions going through the family at this moment. He was a bright man of 29 years with so much promise left. Alcoholism runs in the family. His grandparents were and are both alcoholics. He had two uncles die from alcoholism; one from direct suicide the other more slowly.

When a person decides to stop reaching out to others for help, to take things into their own hands and kill themselves as a way to stop their internal pain, they create a devasting hole in someone else’s heart. All the “what if,” “if only,” and “why,” will never be answered for those they have left behind. It is a massive tragedy.

Please, please, please. Keep reaching out to your family and friends who are going through alcoholism and/or depression. Tell them one more time that you are willing to help them help themselves– you will go to counselors, go to AA meetings, or just be there to listen– when they are sober, even if it is just one day of sobriety. Tell them that although it may seem impossible to them, suicide is an irreverseable solution to a difficult but temporary problem. That there is help available to them, they just have to ask one more time or a hundredth, as long as they ask and are willing to do something about their issue.

If you believe in God the creator of all, then, pray daily for the depression and/or alcoholism to be removed completely from your loved ones’ life. Only God can make a difference in total healing. God didn’t choose to make your loved one an alcoholic but he sure will fix it; it may not be easy or pretty but it will be complete.

Dying with Dignity

My mom has been visiting her brother and sister-in-law for a month. They live several states away. Her brother is in hospice care with cancer. His time is near the end. Dying with dignity is the most important course of action for him. Knowing about God and Jesus and their saving grace became important to him and he gave his heart– which is a combination of mind, spirit, and soul to them for all eternity.

Cancer takes the body and literary destroy it from within. I was helpless to watch my 300+ pound father-in-law dwindle down to 80+ pounds from gastrointestinal cancer; a part of me died with him in 1993, as it took seven years for me to regain any semblance of normalcy- we were very close as he had become a dad to me. One thing about him that changed when he was diagnosed with Cancer and accepted it as his fate in life was that he eventually went to church by himself, and gave his soul and spirit, and heart to God, He was at peace with the Lord when he died.

I have a friend who died from cancer recently, and the most important thing for her was getting closer to God and dying with her dignity intact. She wanted to be strong for her children, giving them emotional support and saying goodbye all the while being dependent on them for care. It was very difficult on everyone who knew her; her family foremost. She left beautiful cards to all the people she cared about saying a long goodbye as she chose not to have hospice in her life.

My friend chose to have a prayer and song meeting with a select few of her friends who praised God and had similar beliefs as her. They said their goodbye and listened to her stories one more time. She soon died with dignity and without any regrets.

One must have no regrets in our short life span. Make the most out of life while you are still here on earth. Be kind, be wise, share your love from your heart, and be joyous in life. It is true that we experience down times of trials or sorrows but choose to make the most out of life. Go on that trip with your spouse; don’t delay because it may cause a short inconvenience to someone else.

Take time to go on scheduled dates that build good memories with your spouse, children, and friends. Activities that can be recalled as a good reflection of times spent together. Write cards, notes, or make phone calls that have significant memory making moments. Go to holiday events together or non-events. Make your life have meaning.

Tell your children that you love them often if it is true. Tell your friends that you value your relationship with them and that they are important to you. Appreciate your employer or your landlord or anyone who has chosen to make a difference that affects your life directly. Don’t take people for granted. Die with dignity, that you have done all that you can to leave your good marks on society…. that you die without any regrets.

UPDATE:

On Jan. 17, 2023, My uncle died. His family grieves for his passing but not for the his suffering from Cancer. All we can do is focus on the good times we had when he was a vibrant well man. The sickness images of memory will always sneak in. But God has Uncle Charles in his loving arms, and Uncle Charles has a glorified body now.

My Father-in-law died from Cancer in March 1993, and his sister a few months later from Cancer. I was devastated. I was not prepared to let him go. Hospice was there for grief counseling, I missed their help. I would recommend allowing Hospice to help you say goodbye and your religious leaders and family/friends to comfort you. May God’s peace surround you during this season of life.

A few thoughts about Christmas

The holidays are again among us. Every month from September to January there are events to celebrate or bring revelry to us. December was quick on the heels of Thanksgiving, an American holiday to give thanks to our brave forefathers and foremothers. Now, we thank God for the Messiah being born in the city of Bethlehem at approximately 2,022 A.D. years according to our current calendar.

It must have been difficult knowing that the Messiah was wrapped up in such a small bundle of joy. Imagine now, we parents often wonder what our child will grow up to be someday. Will they have our image, or Aunt Mary’s big nose or grandma’s big belly, or be as thin as a rail like Uncle Charles, who can eat anything he wants and not gain a significant amount of extra fat? We wonder if they will be Christians, or on a road to Hell despite the godly upbringing they had? We wonder if they will believe in God at all. We wonder about their personality. Will they be strong-willed, and forthright in their speech or weak-willed and easily manipulated unto others will? Are they shy, outgoing, or somewhere in between? We wonder if they are book-smart, street-smart, or both. We wonder about so many things, how our influence has contributed to the success or failures of our child, and does it really matter in the long end of life?

Somehow, knowing that your child is of God himself in flesh and bone, containing the heart; mind, spirit, and soul of God can be hard to fathom unless you have been touched by God. Your heart is prepared to be a parent, to embrace all the responsibilities of teaching your child the morals, values, and way they should go in life, yet let them teach you these things because they are directly from God himself.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus was 30 years old before he took to the path of gathering people to him, teaching the masses the way of God in himself? I have read that psychologists, and physicians of today state that we are not fully grown until we are around our early 30s. Children have a great jump of awaking when they are in their just teens around 12-19 years when they gather there are responsibilities and expectations upon themselves, they have a new knowledge that is no longer child-like thinking. Children have passed the time of being “grown-up” foolishness that teenagers possess or being swayed by someone else opinion that the 20s bring about. Indeed a person who is in their early 30 years is more settled in their mind, and belief system, figuring out for themselves what are the truths, and what are fictions for their own self-identity? Other decades bring about more maturity, and stages of development.

As we go into this acknowledged celebration where people take a day off to recognize a small baby of special significance has entered our world that will conquer the sting of death through all sin that we possess. Jesus prepared the way for us through the truth that God gave to him and through his own death on the cross at a hill name Calvary. A death though complete in itself could not keep him in a grave. In his resurrection from the grave and ascension into heaven, the proof was given that is of God. In, that we celebrate God with trees to represent the cross, lights to represent the star leading the shepherds and wise kings to Jesus, and gifts to each other to represent those of the king’s gifts to King Jesus. Jesus left his testimonies in the bible so that all humankind could know about his walk on earth and how to join him after their appointed time alive is over, for he will be back to gather all of us together unto himself forever. Surely, he will come soon. 

Merry Christmas!

A few thoughts about Christmas

What is self identity?

A friend reminded me last night that everyone has issues. It got me thinking “yes some issues are hidden in one’s heart and others are viable to the world.” We often think about the ones people can not see that come out with anxiety, depression, or some other emotional response for no apparent reason. Prayers always help us overcome our basic instincts as it derails the stinking thinking process.

Some people say we are toxic to our own selves. Perhaps or perhaps not it depends if we have an addiction to low self-esteem, chemical dependency, or some other destructive force that keeps us from thinking that our value to ourselves and society is diminished especially when compared to others. I recommend that we do not compare ourselves to someone else because the other person has not experienced and processed the same things we have; they can be similar events but not how we process them.

Thanksgiving 2022

I have a lot to be thankful for this year.

Our collective health issues have remained the same in some of us and improved in others of my family members. That is good. We have met financial challenges head-on and have conquered them fearlessly. We remain steadfast in our faith and love of God and his son and their holy spirit. We plan events that we want to accomplish for the tomorrow and relish the present that the love of our children and grandchildren bring to mind and heart. Other family and friends we hold with love and great affection as they too help complete us as social human beings.

We are lucky, some people do not have many to love or even like and some do not experience the opportunity that risking ones heart to be torn asunder in their great love of others presents. But as the poet says, “I would rather lived and loss rather than lived with out love.” (paraphrased).

As you look back over your year since the last Thanksgiving. Ask yourself what is it that you can really appreciate about your life? What is the definition of self-worth to you? Who is it that you love and know they love you back? In the bottom line what really matters to you foremost than any other person or thing? What would you say is your self- identity if someone were to ask you? I know mine would be that I love God and my family and care about others. That being of good character is essentially important to me.

In the end,  I wish  you a wonderful Thanksgiving while surrounded  by  happy family and  friends. May your  Thanksgiving  2022 make loving memories  for you.

Kat

A Milestone- A New Ending In Love

It’s been four years and four months since I founded Loving Embrace Ministeries and served through Eagles View Church in North, Forth Worth Texas. It was a prayerful decision on my part. The Pastor’s mother has agreed to take over the responsibilities of the ministry, although the name will travel with me. I think my going away letter explains it all.

To Pam the new CEO:

I  am pleased that you have agreed to be the CEO (Christ’s Eternal Operator) of this beneficial card ministry.  I have compiled an assortment of prayers and information sheets to help you and Betty with the card-making and oversight of the management tasks.  You have a jewel with  Betty. She has the right heart and a talent for hand-crafted cards. The bottom line of the ministry is God, and wholesome prayers (prayer warriors), that renews the mind, and heart. You are reaching out to people who are most likely at a  low of all lows in their life, or as Pastor Bart & Pastor Randy would say “they are in a “Valley of life””. Our cards let people know that someone else; a stranger perhaps, is reaching out to them with kindness through God’s love.

• we are telling them that there is hope for them and the world through encouragement;  offering them peace of mind (God’s word).

• We are telling the lonely that someone is thinking about them and letting them know that God has seen their loneliness and offering them a  place (church) to go to assuage their feelings.

•  We are telling the people who are grieving deeply that we understand the broken heartiness of a loved one and we have people (Hope Ministry)  who will listen to them and help them through their great loss.  

•  We are offering encouragement and understanding of how rough life can be when their finances are low, perhaps food shortages, employment concerns, or just these events when any of these have caused their spirit to become so low that they are to a point of giving up on life. (counseling services).

God placed this card ministry on my heart on July 28, 2018, it has evolved as services were added or became available through community outreach programs. People need people who are nonjudgmental because we may be the only ones who will listen and believe their version of their truth in a  simple little note inside a card reaching out to them in love. With all my heart, I wish you well, and that this ministry will continue to be a vibrant part of Eaglesview Church and perchance those of the planted churches.  Love through Christ, Formerly, Loving  Embrace Ministry. Kat  Challis, 11/11/2022

The bounty of God’s love on Thanksgiving

The bounty of God’s love on Thanksgiving.

As I write, I am reminded of God’s love. The people who we now remember as Pilgrims were desperate and called upon God’s grace for the long voyage to a new land. They had sold all that they could and chose to take passage on a ship with very little with them, some I am sure with just luggage of clothing and perhaps a sentiment or two; a picture or jewelry.

We Americans give thanks to those brave and hearty enough to withstand the changes of our great nation known as Thanksgiving, whereas; the pilgrims and Indians together as a feast of prayerful recognition to our God and their great Spirit, the same God; for all that they had endured and a future to come.

Crossroads with God

Have you ever been so uncertain in your spiritual life that you just say to yourself “I don’t know who I am or what I am supposed to do with my life?” Are you at a crossroads?

I grew up in a Baptist church home life. We lived by rules meant to shape us and scare us into heaven. We were all baptized by the time we were twelve; the time of accountability for our sins. As a child of 15 years and a child of 17 years, my soulmate and I stood before God in a desert and proclaimed our love before God and promised to love and cherish each other all the days of our lives. My husband, whom I knew for less than a year in reality and in chronological time one year married before God on August 19, 1977, then legally with our parents as witnesses on Feb. 28, 1978.

Much later, as an adult of 26 years, I enrolled at Bethany Nazarene College bought out by SNU. I wanted to be a preacher, but there was so much animosity with my family about me being a woman preacher. My father thought it was awful to even consider that a woman could preach or hold any leadership roles outside of the nursery. At first, my mom and (step) dad believed that my entering college to get a degree was for furthering my husband’s career.

I was torn. I really thought that God was calling me into his ministry. So I bargained with God. I said, “Lord I know I can’t be a preacher, so I’ll be a teacher instead.” I aced all of the teacher preparation courses, but didn’t do well in the Science area studies I thought my teaching tract was supposed to be on. My mind was shut to religion classes since I knew they wouldn’t be useful as a school teacher. One couldn’t teach or mention God in public schools, or so I was told and believed. I went to my Assembly of God as a participant dedicated to teaching Wednesday elementary students and sporadic Sunday Morning youth services.

The university was hard on me. I thought I had underlying issues with my father. I didn’t know that I had mental illnesses until part-way through. The Telling and betrayal by a friend, that I had mental illnesses. Attending Student Teaching was a living Hell than Heaven in my experience, one of each. I had difficulty finding jobs as a teacher although my teaching classes were straight A’s, I knew my area of study. I could on get a short-term substitute teacher position for twenty-five years working one semester-long assignment until the teacher came back from their illnesses. Occasionally, I was assigned classrooms at the high school level to teach all year, but I didn’t have the credentials to teach as a regular teacher. I was horrible at interviews. I lost any confidence in my ability to even be a teacher. I finally gave up and stopped trying.

I began keeping journals in the 80s and even wrote a 500 pages biography entitled
“The Secret Keeper” (now some other author is using that title). Currently, I have an unpublished manuscript waiting to be processed by any publisher., with the working title “Two Halves of A Soul.” and another entitled “The Poisoned Mind”. Five years ago, it hit me with a ton of bricks to start writing for others in the form of a blog- this one.

2018, I am at a crossroads once again. The option of going back and trying teaching or working for the church. At the prompting of God, I went to the church and told them a little about my spiritual journey. And out of the blue so to speak I said I wanted to build a card ministry and call it, “Loving Embrace Ministry,” ‘where a Card is a Hug from my heart.’ The church agreed and LEM was born and is still active four years later with the help of volunteers.

I went to UTPB and earned my Master of Art Professional Educator (MAPE) degree. You see, my crossroads are not necessarily a bad event. Obeying God in the little things can have big results. I am in the ministry of God. Not as a preacher nor a nursery teacher, but as a founder of a ministry to offer support, compassion, and encouraging love to those in need of illness support, sympathetic loss, or at a crossroads in their life. Loving Embrace Ministry just celebrated its 4th Anniversary on July 28, 2022.

Have you ever been so uncertain in your spiritual life that you just say to yourself “I don’t know who I am or what I am supposed to do with my life?” Are you at a crossroads? My blog is a product from my crossroad and now has almost 1,950 viewers without advertising. Take action when you reach your crossroads in life. Tell someone about it, you never know what may happ

If you like my stories, join my network, or share my feed with others. Thank You! Kat

Pheriphal Neuropathy

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peripheral-neuropathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20352061

Overview

Peripheral neuropathy, a result of damage to the nerves located outside of the brain and spinal cord (peripheral nerves), often causes weakness, numbness, and pain, usually in the hands and feet. It can also affect other areas and body functions including digestion, urination, and circulation.

Your peripheral nervous system sends information from your brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) to the rest of your body. The peripheral nerves also send sensory information to the central nervous system.

Peripheral neuropathy can result from traumatic injuries, infections, metabolic problems, inherited causes, and exposure to toxins. One of the most common causes is diabetes.

People with peripheral neuropathy generally describe the pain as stabbing, burning or tingling. In many cases, symptoms improve, especially if caused by a treatable condition. Medications can reduce the pain of peripheral neuropathy.

Products & Services

• Book: Mayo Clinic Guide to Pain Relief

Symptoms

Every nerve in your peripheral system has a specific function, so symptoms depend on the type of nerves affected. Nerves are classified into:

• Sensory nerves that receive sensation, such as temperature, pain, vibration or touch, from the skin
• Motor nerves that control muscle movement
• Autonomic nerves that control functions such as blood pressure, perspiration, heart rate, digestion, and bladder function

Signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy might include:

• Gradual onset of numbness, prickling or tingling in your feet or hands, which can spread upward into your legs and arms
• Sharp, jabbing, throbbing or burning pain
• Extreme sensitivity to touch
• Pain during activities that shouldn’t cause pain, such as pain in your feet when putting weight on them or when they’re under a blanket
• Lack of coordination and falling
• Muscle weakness
• Feeling as if you’re wearing gloves or socks when you’re not
• Paralysis if motor nerves are affected

If autonomic nerves are affected, signs and symptoms might include:

• Heat intolerance
• Excessive sweating or not being able to sweat
• Bowel, bladder, or digestive problems
• Drops in blood pressure, causing dizziness or lightheadedness

Peripheral neuropathy can affect one nerve (mononeuropathy), two or more nerves in different areas (multiple mononeuropathy), or many nerves (polyneuropathy). Carpal tunnel syndrome is an example of mononeuropathy. Most people with peripheral neuropathy have polyneuropathy.

When to see a doctor

Seek medical care right away if you notice unusual tingling, weakness or pain in your hands or feet. Early diagnosis and treatment offer the best chance for controlling your symptoms and preventing further damage to your peripheral nerves.

10 Signs You May Be Suffering from Nerve Pain

By Dr. Bussell – March 21, 2017

https://lluh.org/services/neuropathic-therapy-center/blog/10-signs-you-may-be-suffering-nerve-pain

Where does it hurt?

Your arms, hands, legs or feet? Is your entire body suffering from a stabbing, throbbing or numbness that even the simple act of walking becomes like an everyday chore?

If so, this pain you are feeling is known as neuropathy pain, which is nerve pain as the result of a lack of blood flow to the heart. This can cause certain parts of the body to feel discomfort and pressure making every day activities such as standing, balancing or picking up a spoon near impossible.

But don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Nerve pain is common in most diabetic and chemotherapy patients, as well as individuals suffering from a broken ankle or foot. Let’s take a moment to look at some of the more common signs to neuropathy pain.  Ask yourself do I have one or all of these pain symptoms?

1. Numbness or tingling in feet and hands
2. Loss of balance and falling
3. Throbbing and sharp pain
4. Extreme sensitivity to touch
5. Dropping things with your hands
6. Muscle weakness
7. Heavy feeling in arms and legs
8. Dramatic drop in blood pressure
9. Difficulty digesting
10. Excessive sweating

If you answered yes to one or all of these, you may be experiencing nerve pain. Recognizing this is the first step to getting the help you need.

So, how can you treat nerve pain?

For starters, a healthy diet and active lifestyle can contribute greatly to easing every day pain. Secondly, rest easy knowing there is a team ready and able to assist you at our new neurovascular clinic opening May 2017. It is here where our Intraneural Facilitation or INF™ treatment will be able to improve blood flow and reduce discomfort with three unique hold positions.

Trust me when I say this will be a game changer in pain relief.

Imagine getting up each morning, standing on your own and walking outside without any pain. That’s what I like to call a success.

Are you ready to experience a pain-free life?

Take the Next Step

If you’re suffering from nerve pain, our Neuropathic Therapy Center may be able to help using a breakthrough physical therapy treatment called Intraneural Facilitation or INF.™ For more information and to schedule an evaluation, call 909-558-6799 or request information online.

By Dr. Bussell – March 21, 2017

Where does it hurt?

Your arms, hands, legs or feet? Is your entire body suffering from a stabbing, throbbing or numbness that even the simple act of walking becomes like an everyday chore?

If so, this pain you are feeling is known as neuropathy pain, which is nerve pain as the result of a lack of blood flow to the heart. This can cause certain parts of the body to feel discomfort and pressure making every day activities such as standing, balancing or picking up a spoon near impossible.

But don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Nerve pain is common in most diabetic and chemotherapy patients, as well as individuals suffering from a broken ankle or foot. Let’s take a moment to look at some of the more common signs to neuropathy pain.  Ask yourself do I have one or all of these pain symptoms?

1. Numbness or tingling in feet and hands
2. Loss of balance and falling
3. Throbbing and sharp pain
4. Extreme sensitivity to touch
5. Dropping things with your hands
6. Muscle weakness
7. Heavy feeling in arms and legs
8. Dramatic drop in blood pressure
9. Difficulty digesting
10. Excessive sweating

If you answered yes to one or all of these, you may be experiencing nerve pain. Recognizing this is the first step to getting the help you need.

So, how can you treat nerve pain?

For starters, a healthy diet and active lifestyle can contribute greatly to easing every day pain. Secondly, rest easy knowing there is a team ready and able to assist you at our new neurovascular clinic opening May 2017. It is here where our Intraneural Facilitation or INF™ treatment will be able to improve blood flow and reduce discomfort with three unique hold positions.

Trust me when I say this will be a game changer in pain relief.

Imagine getting up each morning, standing on your own and walking outside without any pain. That’s what I like to call a success.

Are you ready to experience a pain-free life?

Take the Next Step

If you’re suffering from nerve pain, our Neuropathic Therapy Center may be able to help using a breakthrough physical therapy treatment called Intraneural Facilitation or INF.™ For more information and to schedule an evaluation, call 909-558-6799 or request information online.

By Dr. Bussell – March 21, 2017

Where does it hurt?

Your arms, hands, legs or feet? Is your entire body suffering from a stabbing, throbbing or numbness that even the simple act of walking becomes like an everyday chore?

If so, this pain you are feeling is known as neuropathy pain, which is nerve pain as the result of a lack of blood flow to the heart. This can cause certain parts of the body to feel discomfort and pressure making every day activities such as standing, balancing or picking up a spoon near impossible.

But don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Nerve pain is common in most diabetic and chemotherapy patients, as well as individuals suffering from a broken ankle or foot. Let’s take a moment to look at some of the more common signs to neuropathy pain.  Ask yourself do I have one or all of these pain symptoms?

1. Numbness or tingling in feet and hands
2. Loss of balance and falling
3. Throbbing and sharp pain
4. Extreme sensitivity to touch
5. Dropping things with your hands
6. Muscle weakness
7. Heavy feeling in arms and legs
8. Dramatic drop in blood pressure
9. Difficulty digesting
10. Excessive sweating

If you answered yes to one or all of these, you may be experiencing nerve pain. Recognizing this is the first step to getting the help you need.

So, how can you treat nerve pain?

For starters, a healthy diet and active lifestyle can contribute greatly to easing every day pain. Secondly, rest easy knowing there is a team ready and able to assist you at our new neurovascular clinic opening May 2017. It is here where our Intraneural Facilitation or INF™ treatment will be able to improve blood flow and reduce discomfort with three unique hold positions.

Trust me when I say this will be a game changer in pain relief.

Imagine getting up each morning, standing on your own and walking outside without any pain. That’s what I like to call a success.

Are you ready to experience a pain-free life?

Take the Next Step

If you’re suffering from nerve pain, our Neuropathic Therapy Center may be able to help using a breakthrough physical therapy treatment called Intraneural Facilitation or INF.™ For more information and to schedule an evaluation, call 909-558-6799 or request information online.

END

Appitite & Anxiety Out of Control

My Psychiatrist doctor took me off all other psych medications except Abilify and Effexor XR. Soon, I was anxious and depressed or manic. I am going through drug withdrawals. My PCP increased the dosage on other medications to compensate. They make me sleepy, and if I resist, I am a hungry eating machine, like eating a whole bag of sugar-free cookies in one day. This is Not good. I feel out of control and later ashamed and guilty.

Currently, I’m still feeling out of sync with my increased eating but have switched to fruit instead of cookies; it’s still calories that I don’t need. My sweet grandson shared a dozen of his squishy steeming animals to help with my anxiety attacks. I’m going to reach out to my psychiatrist before our appointment date. I can’t continue this way and sabotage my weight loss; as it is, I’ve gained 13 pounds this month.

Anxiety attacks can be from a mild sense of feeling overwhelmed. Something like needing to get lunches made for school children and noticing that the sink is nearly full of dishes again or the floor needs to be mopped (again) can cause anxiety. (Breathe Kat). Listening to someone complain about “not being able to” find their shoes, car keys, wallet, or having their shirt on backward can send me over the edge into a full-blown panic attack. By this time the sitting and deep breathing techniques have stopped helping. but I continue it anyway

The impulse to lash out at someone is hard to squelch; it isn’t anyone’s fault that I am feeling this way. Talking to myself and getting up and working on the above tasks does help redirect my impulses, I begin to calm down and make it a while or perhaps all day without another episode. Because of the panic attacks, I am exhausted and have to rest to regain my equilibrium and attitude of happiness.

END

Mayo Clinic Symptoms

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/panic-attacks/symptoms-causes/syc-20376021

Panic attacks typically begin suddenly, without warning. They can strike at any time — when you’re driving a car, at the mall, sound asleep or in the middle of a business meeting. You may have occasional panic attacks, or they may occur frequently.

Panic attacks have many variations, but symptoms usually peak within minutes. You may feel fatigued and worn out after a panic attack subsides.

Panic attacks typically include some of these signs or symptoms:

Sense of impending doom or danger
Fear of loss of control or death
Rapid, pounding heart rate
Sweating
Trembling or shaking
Shortness of breath or tightness in your throat
Chills
Hot flashes
Nausea
Abdominal cramping
Chest pain
Headache
Dizziness, lightheadedness or faintness
Numbness or tingling sensation
Feeling of unreality or detachment
One of the worst things about panic attacks is the intense fear that you’ll have another one. You may fear having panic attacks so much that you avoid certain situations where they may occur.

When to see a doctor
If you have panic attack symptoms, seek medical help as soon as possible. Panic attacks, while intensely uncomfortable, are not dangerous. But panic attacks are hard to manage on your own, and they may get worse without treatment.

Panic attack symptoms can also resemble symptoms of other serious health problems, such as a heart attack, so it’s important to get evaluated by your primary care provider if you aren’t sure what’s causing your symptoms.

Epilepsy- I’m too busy for you!

Having Epilepsy is a kick in the emotional gut. I have several types of epilepsy that are not controllable, and I have family issues. When  I spent time in the hospital July 18-21st, 2022, I went back to the ER on the 29th for cluster seizures; I had 15 between the doctor’s office and in the ER and three more at home.  Since then I have had multiple seizures that are partial, crying seizures, and eye seizures. Initially, the hospital thought I had a mild TIA Stroke that’s why all the testing. The hospital performed a Catscan, an MRI of my brain, an sonogram for Carotid Artery, Liver, Pancreas, Kidneys, and Echocardiogram of the heart. I have a tumor on the kidney and breast, no problem. And of course the lovely repeated blood test for my Diabetes with urine tests.

Now on to the emotional toll. My husband is so frustrated! He is helpless to prevent or stop my seizures, all he can do is watch me go through them. In his frustration he tells me to “snap out of it” he thinks I can stop it or control them. It hurts his male ego of being my protector and in his way of handling seizures; he gives me the silent and avoidance treatment which breaks my heart.  All I can do is try to minimize the triggers that may cause them. One support person is my younger daughter. She has researched many forms of epilepsy and understands how it affects people.

I have discovered that talking really loud in an emotional setting (yelling at me) or loud noises/sound can startle me, eye blinking or rapid strobe/flashing lights, waggling finger or stemming, and other causes of anxiety can bring on a partial seizure. Also, enjoying myself at a party or in a conversation with someone I like can bring on a “fast and furious (20 sec) seizure also.

See The Epilepsy Foundation website for more information. There are medications that work to stop them before or after they occur most of the time but no cure. Some people have said that having a seizure are selective attention-seeking moment.  As if the person having a seizure is actually doing it purposefully. There are enough hypochondriacs in life or those who seek attention from a medical crisis. However, I’m neither. I have too much living to do and it is irritating to me. Epilepsy- I’m too busy for you!

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