Christmas, Gastroparesis, Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis and God - and How it all Fits Together

It's been a while since my last 'stomach' updates. There are many reasons for this. Some being, I suppose, my own questioning on just how many people actually read my updates, now that I am not, let's say, deathly ill.
In the same token, I suppose I have been inspired by the amount of searches people do about these particular illnessess, and how little there is out there about them.
But again, life has its hard times and sometimes it is these hard times that are not easily brought up again - without the pain, sorrow and hardship of yesterday.
There are many things I do not wish to go into and have not written about lately due to these difficulties.
Having come from such a painful experience, and while being healed slowly and gradually by the Almighty, there are some things which have left their scars.
Fortunately for me I have a God who would see me free of even the remembrance of these scars, but sometimes they do wait about before being dealt with.
Don't get me wrong - I have received so much healing in the past 12 months and most of it has been because of what has went on in my life - during and after, and even before my illness.
But the reason for not writing might be, perhaps, because of the unwillingness on my part to fully remember the bad parts about that time of healing.
I think it is that talking about it that brings healing, however.
Until now I have been to busy - and not ready - to write.
But now, on the eve of a year's end, I see this hope in the future burning brightly, coming ever closer, knowing now it can never and will never be taken from me - that Hope of Christ. It is because of this hope that I have finally grasped, that fear can be shaken off and the healing of the healing begin.
And only God can do that. But maybe its time. Time again.

Christmas.
In some ways, it was easier than I thought it would be. But in many ways, it was much, much harder. The time leading up to Christmas reminded me so strongly of the year before - and when my internal struggles became external - and the frightening, emotional rollercoaster that followed. This Christmas there were a few times, I must admit, when I was forced to rely entirely on my strength God (as should be all times), but heavily, in order for the fear of yesterday to pass. That is sometimes scary. But God is bigger.
He's got me through this so far.
I was given a message of hope this year, by God. Hope that is more than I have ever known or felt or believed possible. True hope - never ending. This hope - and purpose - has been slowly given, and is something I will hold onto dearly. This hope is what has made this Christmas different.

Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis.
This has had its ups and downs lately. After an amazing encounter or two with God in August during some prayer ministry sessions, I have been receiving gradual healing. It has not been overnight, but I am pleased to say that I have added some colour - in the form of carrots and sweet potato - to my diet. That may not seem much but to my very restricted diet, it is huge.
Unfortunately my eosinophils can be temperamental. On my bad or stressed days/weeks they can decide to throw a tantrum and start to repel everything. Thankfully this doesn't happen too often, unless I try something different, like strawberries.

Gastroparesis.
I still question the validity of this diagnosis but some days I wonder. Some days my stomach chucks a patty x2 with not only the vomiting but also the refusal to move or digest food. This generally only happens when I am stressed or very tired, or eat something very heavy going.
The fortunate part about all this is that I am learning exactly what my body is saying - and when I am stressed - and when to recognise it, obviously, as it goes to my stomach.

Food.
In general, has been very good. I find myself not craving other foods at all - unless I am absolutely starving and in a shopping store. I try to make sure that doesn't happen as it only leads to starving exasperation - a bad place to be. In saying that, I am very happy with my food and I love my cereal - it keeps me happy.

God.
A desert is a scary place to be, and hard. The funny thing about it is, tough, that God is there in the midst of all that. He has been so close, always there. Indescribably there.

The point of this all -
is, I suppose, to encourage, speculate, and simply talk. There is so much more to all this but now maybe, just maybe, having said something has helped even me with struggles that would otherwise remain wordless within.
And may that Hope forever more shine like the Sun - like My Son - Jesus Christ.

The Sequence of Flight

1:12 Model Dog Breed Profile - American Bulldog

The Hope of Christmas - and Why it Remains

The Hope of Christmas - is more than the event, more than that number on a calendar, more than the date. IT is more than presents, or family, or the time spent together.

Indeed, the hope of Christmas is the existance of Christmas itself.

Regardless of the suggested methods of the day's naming and occurance, the name alone represents the day as a day to remember - the day of Christ's birth. 

This hope, the hope found only in Christmas, is not simply the feeling of goosebumps as the day draws near, nor the excitememnt of a celebration.

In fact, God recently showed to me the true hope of Christmas.

                                                           "It is finished.

                                      It was finished long before you were born."

Ponder on that a while. Ponder on the fact that, without Christmas, there would be no child Jesus, no saviour, no redemption from hell. No escape, no rescue, 

No Hope.

Without that hope, all would be lost. Keep that in mind these holidays - this Christmas - and many more to come. Without Jesus, our saviour, all would be lost, and there would be no reason to hope. No future for anyone. And nothing more than death.

What an amazing God we have.

Ponder on that.

1:12 Dog Customisation - English Setter

The Dorkey Donkey... A Christmas Poem.

The Dorkey Donkey.

Mary and Jo and their little boy blue
Had to travel afar for something to do
Their donkey was fat, but got thinner each day
as they walked and they walked and he wasted away.

They travelled for hours and weeks at a time
And donkey, he wondered, 'why is this job mine?'

And when they finally reached their new bed
it was discovered they had a small stable instead
And inside that stable were bundles of hay
which poor donkey munched and on which Mary lay

Till out came the baby as was prophesied
while donkey was watching his master inside
He looked and he wondered and thought a bit more
as finally the inkeeper came to the door

'Oh my!' he exclaimed as he looked at the ground
for inside the hay, a baby he'd found
and smiling right at him, his parents nearby
the baby was happy simply to lie 

And lie, he would wait, happily fed
while the angels went on ahead.

and out in the fields in the darkness of night
some sheep, and their shepherds, were shocked with a fright
For as they were munching and chomping away
some angels did come and behold, they did say

'A saviour is born, in a stable nearby,
you will find him this way' - and pointed in the sky

these shepherds were shocked and so were the sheep
for each of the men had been fast asleep
and those sheepies did wonder - and that donkey too
about all the fuss - and hullabaloo.

And finally they arrived, no pomp and no style
and talked to the donkey as they waited awhile.
For it seemed all the people were coming in throngs
and those angels were back - singing some songs.

And those creatures did realise the importance of something
that inside the stable, their baby, was a king
a king to be, and all the men came
and worshipped, and praised little Jesus's name.

and at last they all left and that baby did sleep
and the donkey bid farewell to his new friends the sheep
and he peeped inside and wondered once more
at that little treasure asleep on the floor.

For scrawny, thin donkey, even though he may be,
even he, he did realise, what he could see
God's only son, sent down from above
who came to fill this world with love.

And to a simple donkey, this king did mean
a full belly and happiness to dream
For love comes to all, and from Him eternal love,
that little baby born from above. 
- Even to a donkey.

English Setter - Show dogs Stacked - Photographic collections

Please note: photographs are not taken by me, but are rather an informative collection I have used and will, in future use for sculptures and customisations of this breed. The show type of English Setter is distinctly different to the pet and working dog type and is an extremely beautiful dog. I love (and hope to) express this example of the breed in many ways in future.

Christmas Cheer - Gingerbread Decorating - Episode #1

Model Animal Repaint Comission - Friesian to Black Angus Bull

Before...

After...