Has anyone had one of those moments when you goof up and just have to laugh at yourself? I’ve had too many to count. I mean really, something humbling and cringe worthy can happen at any time and Hey, I just laugh and keep going. I know we all have these moments but living with hearing and vision issues certainly multiplies mine! Let’s see ~ I have gotten in the passengers seat of the wrong car before at the grocery store. (In my defense, the car was the same color and it was at night.) ~Years ago a service repair person came by the house and parked in the exact same spot that my husband parks. He had a white suv which my husband Ron also had at the time. I had called Ron and mentioned needing his help to clean out the “buck stove” that had hot ashes in it. When the service guy got out of his suv (that looked like Ron’s, parked in the same spot he parks in.) I was on the front porch with hands on my hips and said, “I did it all by myself!” The service guy was baffled and I was terribly embarrassed when I realized it wasn’t Ron. Thank God Ron pulled up shortly afterwards. Let’s see, what else have I done? There was an evening when my neighbor was coming by to pick up her Mary Kay order. I wasn’t quite sure when she was coming so I showed Ron the items were in the foyer. I went in the bathroom to proceed to color the gray roots of my hair. I came out of the bathroom with my hair sticking in all different directions and plastic gloves on my hands. The front door was opened and I noticed Ron was speaking to someone. I “assumed” it was our neighbor picking up her order. The porch light was not on, the person was about the same height as who I “thought” it was and I waved with plastic gloves on. 🙃Turns out it was another neighbor, a man who is a great guy and also a local politician. I was SOO embarrassed. Yet another time, my son Joshua and I were in the produce section of the store, I had set down my iPad to bag some veggies and walked off. When I realized what I had done we were on a search for my iPad among the veggies and fruits. Luckily I had my iPhone and Joshua used it to set off the iPad alarm. The produce guy and Joshua and I started listening for the alarm until we found it. I laughed and continued with the shopping. There’s much more but you get the picture.
Moral of the story, we can’t take ourselves too seriously. The best way to live life is to live humbly and able to laugh at shortcomings. Is it embarrassing? Oh Yes! Is it funny? Oh Yes! Sometimes we have to eat “humble funny pie” because life is too short to worry about what people think. That’s the wisdom of a 56 year old speaking. Wish I could have learned that much earlier. Yep! Real life. Keeping it humble and hilarious over here!
I’d love to hear your funny stories. Feel free to comment and pass along the laughter. Be Real, Be humble and Be YOU!
This is a detour from the norm but detours are good. Hang with me here as I share my insights, personal beliefs and experience. A friend from college introduced me to some intriquing technology. Before I go into that let me first say that as a person who is always looking for something to help me and my son Joshua; doctors can’t really help our visual issues due to optic nerves. It seems they can treat most things or at least help, but not with our visual issues. That said, I like to leave no stone unturned….. meaning if it’s legal, ethical and affordable then it’s worth a try. Over the years I have tried many things including diet, chiropractors, essential oils, and prayer. Always prayer!
As for diet and environmental exposure, we live in a fallen world where industry profits sadly come before our health. The medical industry treats symptoms not the underlying root issues. I once asked my Primary Care Doctor if nutrition would help my nerve issues. (All the visual and hearing issues are due to nerve problems) He said, “Shannon that would take a long time.” I’m thinking, Hello, what is my other option? Nothing else helps!.
I believe God created our bodies to heal since our body is constantly renewing itself. Did you know your body is constantly regenerating itself: cells, tissues and organs? Each day our body works to repair, rebuild and renew. That’s how God designed us. Here’s a little look at how long it takes for your body to naturally regenerate:
Skin: every 28 days
Liver: every 365 days
Thyroid: 3-6 months
Stomach lining: every 5 days
Red blood cells: every 4 months
Bones repair: 6–8 weeks
Muscle Repair: 4-8 weeks (source found online)
My friend Kellie who I met in college years ago shared Phototherapy techonology with me. She personally has had many benefits from using x39 patches, including better sleep, no more migraines, no more hot flashes, decreased brain fog, among other things. The patches use light to redirect energy back into your body. Internal healing requires energy and communication. That’s where LifeWave’s X39 patch shines. It activates your body’s natural healing cells and resets over 4,000 genes to a younger, healthier state — all using light, no drugs or chemicals. Helping your body heal is within reach.
You might be wondering why X39 for Regeneration? Let’s look at a few things:
Promotes activation of your body’s own stem cells by elevating GHK-cu (copper) peptides. This GHK-cu or copper peptide resets 4,192 genes to younger and healthier state
Improves wound healing and tissue repair
Reduces inflammation — a key blocker of regeneration
Enhances cellular communication and energy
Supports better sleep and faster recovery
Powerful supporting patches for assisting regeneration:
Aeon: Reduces stress and inflammation, balances nervous system
Glutathione: Master antioxidant, essential for detox and immune strength
Carnosine: Supports tissue repair, especially in the brain and muscles
Energy Enhancer: Boosts ATP and oxygenation, improving cell function
X49: A fantastic companion to X39 — supports muscle building, bone strength, and cardiovascular health
Together, this patch system gives your body the tools it needs to repair from the inside out. You’re not just managing symptoms, you’re supporting root-level regeneration.
I want to give my body what it needs to do what it was designed to do: Heal! My X39 journey started on April 3, 2025. I had just gotten over a combination of covid, flu A and flu B. It had been over 29 years since I had been that sick. I believe the X39 patch helped me to bounce back quicker that I otherwise would have. My energy has improved, more brain clarity and I’m sleeping better. Joshua is also sleeping better. Of course we have not yet seen improvement in our vision or hearing but I have hope. It’s been my prayer Lord allow these patches to activate our own stem cells that will repair whatever You want in our body according to You Will. Yes that has been my prayer. A bonus benefit is my skin is looking radiant. I am drinking half my body weight in water to help with the process. It will take time but I have great hope.
Other than X39 I also use Carnosine patch a few times a week and Aeon. Funny thing about Aeon, it came to me accidentally. I was going to send it back but read the things it can help with: helps reduce inflammation, cortisol (stress hormone), C-reactive proteins, and stress. It elevates SOD (superoxide dismutase) which is important for your body’s stress response, and balances autonomous nervous system, as well as and hormonal production. It is also known as the ‘happy’ patch.
The day Aeon came in had been a very stressful day. You know how life sometimes comes at you from all sides? Not just my normal stress but outside factors I had no control over. It left me feeling drained, tense and so down. After reading the benefits of Aeon I told Ron I wanted to try it out. I put an Aeon patch on the back of my neck and went to lay down. Within an hour and a half, I was astonished that I felt a shift and more relaxed. I have used Aeon daily for the last two weeks. I feel more at ease and able to handle life stresses more easily.
Disclaimer: I’m not one to believe everything that’s said or that I read. I believe in giving a honest trial of products. These patches work systemically and aren’t said to address any certain disease. This techonology redirects light energy to enable your body to do what God intended. If you would like more information feel free to reach out and I will be happy to share what I’m learning. If I can’t answer a question, I will find out for you. There are so many testimonials that are intriguing and give hope. The patches are patented and have case studies to back them up. See the below link for more iinformation.
Never in almost four years of blogging have I missed a week of publishing at least one blog to encourage and challenge others. Well, until last week. I suppose there comes a time to rest and recover which is what we did last week. Having covid and the flu at the same time really drained my energy, but we are much better. Just about every night I’d tell my husband Ron I was going to go on to bed. I said “I’m going to get this day in the books, tomorrow is another day.” It was like checking off a day of being able to do nothing but read. He watched March Madness basketball and I read. Joshua never got it and was free to do his own thing. I did download a ebook from the library called “Land of Silence” by Tessa Afshar. It is a Biblical fiction based on the woman with the bleeding issue, who touched the hem of Jesus garment. That account in the Bible has always resounded with me because I have dealt with my issues for so many years and no doctor can help. BUT….. oh my goodness…. This book has had so many sad twists. The main character finally encounters Jesus in Chapter 30! Prior to chapter 30, there is so much heart break it is astounding. Thank God I’m almost finished. Not a light read but it has been thought provoking and has helped pass the days of being sick inside.
When I started feeling better Ron had been outside cutting the grass, coming in he said the momma Mourning Dove had nested again on our bakers rack. We were surprised since I had moved the bakers rack to the other end of the porch but “Little Momma” found her spot and made a new nest. I love nature and it amazes me that this is the fourth year the Dove has nested there. In this world full of difficulties and issues to deal with, it’s refreshing to appreciate the simple pleasures of new life. I don’t intend to watch the nest this year, but will leave her to her business of bringing baby doves into the world.
Little Momma Dove doing her “thing”.
We also have been anticipating the arrival of our “grand pup”. Last Friday we took a day trip to Union Grove NC to an Amish establishment. They breed Bernadoodles and Joshua got first pick of the litter. It was my first day back in the “land of the living” and the beautiful countryside was delightful. There were ten puppies available and Joshua made his pick. How in the world do people pick just one? They are all so cute! He will be able to pick him up April 19. Joshua is so excited. We are hoping our old Queen Joy will be a good little “granny”. We shall see.
Little CUTIE coming soon!
Lots of new things to look forward to: renewed health, new baby birds and a new puppy. Good times ahead. Can’t wait to get back involved with RiceNBeans too. Sometimes we face life interruptions. We just have to deal with them and move on. I’m thankful for the new mercies the Lord gives us daily. Let’s continue to grow in our love of others and mostly our love for God. Blessings to each of you.
Yesterday I was in awe at how God works. Waking early, I had time in prayer and tuned in to our early church service via blue tooth tech oncology so I could try to listen while getting ready for church. I usually do this to see if I can “follow” Pastor with my Advanced Bionics Marvel cochlear implant processor. I was pleasantly surprised to be able to follow the sermon. Of course I didn’t get it all but I got enough to know it was a powerful Word and we were attending the second service in person. Add a sign language interpreter, and all the pieces I missed came together.
My friend who was interpreting asked me before service how I was doing. She had read my last blog and we had texted during the week so she knew it had been a rough week. I told her I had listened to the first service and didn’t want to cry during the second one. She understood. The thing is, while I had listened to the first service I missed the fact Pastor wasn’t feeling well as he was preaching. He had been experiencing vertigo and was advised by more than one doctor not to preach. However, Pastor was determined to “deliver” the Word of God! And “Deliver it”, he surely did. Talking about an example of perseverance!
What really hit home for me is that he somewhat “echoed” what another friend had texted me earlier in the week. (I shared this in my last blog so go back and read it if you’d like.). God is with me, no matter what I’m feeling or experiencing. I am never alone! As I listened to part of the service a third time this morning, I thought I heard him mentioned 2 Corinthians 4 so I paused the message to go look up that chapter. This verse stood out to me: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,” 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (ESV) Ok Lord, I hear You!
I scrolled back up a few verses and Bingo, I believe he touched on the following scripture. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.” 2Corinthians 4:7-12 (ESV) This passage of scripture made me cry. I feel this often. Pressed on every side but God!
This past week I’m not sure why it was so “rough” but God understands even though others can’t quite grasp it, and for the most part, not many try. I’m not complaining, just being real. Pastor also mentioned we can’t really fully understand what another is going through: miscarriage, divorce, etc.unless we ourselves go through it.
Yesterday was like a “healing balm” as the Lord showed me, He has not forsaken me. He has not left me alone. He knows every hurt, every thought and every feeling. I’m beyond thankful to the Lord and for His servant Pastor Livingston, who though he was weak with vertigo yesterday, he was determined to deliver the Word God had given him. We too can be determined to press through our momentary afflictions. God has us. He will never let us down. He will strengthen us to rise up yet again.
God gave me another beautiful reminder of His love yesterday. We had returned home from church and having lunch. I decided to go out on the deck since it was a beautiful day, even with the pollen coating everything. I had been out for maybe 20 minutes when Ron came out to let me know some friends were at our house. We had not seen them in quite a while. They stopped by because Trish had bought me a shirt and on the front of the shirt it said in sign language “Jesus Loves You”. I was so touched at her gift and God message to me again! I am loved! God is with me! He won’t let me down! Trish and her husband Billy came around 3;30 pm and went home around 8:30 pm. God also used them to minister to another friend who came by. God is so faithful!!
My gift from Trish. 💗
Thinking back on this last week I see it was God carrying me. I had shared with Ron my feelings of sadness and being overwhelmed even though I press though. I don’t “show the world” my daily struggles. I can’t control people, make others care or control situations. However, I can control my response. I can pray for discernment to know how to tread through “tricky situations”, and so I do. You can too.
Many are going through trying things but let me remind you, you are never alone. God carries you when you are too physically or emotionally tired to move forward. God will carry you! You are not forgotten. Press through this week and be a blessing regardless of your situations. Pray for each other and spread encouragement and words of life. You are loved! You are not forsaken! Be blessed.
This evening I was so moved by a text from a friend. Me, my husband Ron and son Joshua just got home from serving with RiceNBeans ministry to the homeless in Rock Hill. To say I’m tired this evening would be an understatement. However, it’s always a fulfilling kind of tired.
As I was letting our dog outside, the following text came in. My friends text said ~ “While in prayer I felt impressed to tell you this. When you feel overwhelmed in life know that God is with you. When you feel compassion for J and think as a mother how he’s inherited much of the same as you. Remember you were only the vessel God got him. When loneliness, sadness and if onlys try to distract you. Remember God is with you. When you look at Ron and feel he has so much on his plate remember God put you together and He never makes a mistake. You are loved, you are beautiful and you are strong. I love you my sister and friend.” As I read it, tears started streaming down my face. In life sometimes we deal with it to the point where we don’t realize the deep sadness we have stuffed deep down within as we are pressing on. I showed Ron the text and he too teared up. The guys left for the gym and I sat down and read the text again and began to cry again. I closed the iPad and began to pray. Lord you know my heart. You know how I feel. I know you are with me and our family. Let me be able to say that’s enough. As I prayed I began to worship and praise God. I don’t understand this life here on earth. I don’t pretend to even try to understand it. I just wake up daily, spend time in prayer and God’s Word. Fortified for the day, I just dive in to whatever the day holds. I know this is not my home. I’m just passing through and here to bring God glory in whatever way He sees fit.
I am always truly blown away when God puts things on peoples heart to share with me or speak into our family. I’m beyond thankful for God’s compassion for us and knowledge that we know He is El Roi ~ the God who sees. He sees, He feels and He knows. Even when we push things so deep down we don’t even acknowledge it ourselves. He knows and reveals Himself in various ways. Tonight it was through a friend’s text, which led to a heartfelt time in prayer and worship.My heart is FULL!
God is good all the time. Whatever you are dealing with, just know God is with you! He is there always. We don’t have to be understood by people. We are understood and fully known by our Creator. I can’t thank Him enough. Good night! Www/shannonkhinson.com.
Occasionally I will wake with a song on my heart. I love mornings like today. I woke from a deep sleep, all wrapped tight in warm covers. The light of dawn was faintly coming through the window. Lying there I longed to go back to sleep but instead a song began in my heart. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of the earth will grow strangely dim. In ight of His glory and grace. (By Sovereign Grace 2019) This was such a precious way to start my day.
Yesterday I struggled with disappointment in people. I’m not usually one to “vent” because it just weighs on another and accomplishes nothing really. We had stayed home from church since the weather was rainy with gusty winds. I watched both early and late service with no closed caption. The second service I followed fairly well. Thank you Jesus.
It is interesting how when you aren’t busy, your mind can become a battle ground. The guys had gone to the gym. Staying home, my mind turned to people issues. Of all things Why in the world would my mind go there? We can’t do anything about the way people are and how others can drain life out of us. So yesterday I did want to “vent” but I prayed instead. I asked God to check MY heart. I asked Him to help me to respond in a way to bring glory to Him. Did my feelings go away? Nope! However, I started straightening up the closet and rediscovered a perfume box full of old pictures and cards. I sat at the table and began looking through them. Ron and Joshua came home and they too began to look through them. I found pictures from a Croatia mission trip when I was 3 months pregnant with Joshua. There were pictures of our first house and from a trip to the Bahamas with friends. Joshua saw these pictures from early in our marriage and he said, “What happened?” 😂I said , “31 years of marriage!” All in all it was a nice distraction from my previous line of thinking.
I did finally reach out to a friend late last night. I had told Ron I was feeling a bit depressed, but I’m the type to just “suck it up, buttercup”. I just deal with it and let it go. Or try to. It was nice sharing with my friend late last night She too understands disappointments with people. I told her I’ve learned to try to be content with whatever. (I can’t drive. I can’t do the things I want to do. I can’t make people care.) I’ve just learned to be content. My friend said, “A female version of Paul: Paulette”. That was seriously one of the nicest compliments. After sharing my heart, she had given me a different perspective and I felt better. So this morning, waking up to “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” was so fitting. It’s a new day and the sun is shining. It doesn’t matter what today holds, Jesus goes before me, follows me and lays His head of blessing on my head. I will turn my eyes upon Him and sure enough the cares of this world grow strangely dim, in light of His glory and grace. Have a blessed day! Www.shannonkhinson.com
Yesterday was a full day of serving and just celebrating being together and my husband Ron’s birthday. Ron’s birthday and my Dad’s Heavenly birthday are on the same day. It’s always bittersweet as we celebrate Ron’s life and reflect on Dad’s life and new life in Heaven with Jesus.
Ron is very low key with celebrations. He says, “I have you and Joshua. God gives me all I need.” That’s true but we wanted to celebrate him anyway and we have been all week in little ways. If you knew the course of his life, he has overcome so much. A lifetime of stories and testimony, but those are his to share. We are beyond thankful for him and all he does for our family. He is also a great friend to others. I’ve never seen anyone who will listen to others problems just to let them “vent”. I admire that he takes the time for people and to listen to their troubles. I have much patience but that one is beyond me. I’ll stick with serving and encouraging and he can be the Tele-sounding board. I know he worries about me and Joshua, with our visual and hearing issues. I always tell him, we are fine. God has us all. Nothing surprises the Lord. Just give each day to Jesus and let Him take care of it all. Sure enough, H e does.
Yesterday was also a time of reflection. Grief is one of the oddest things as it hits everyone differently. Some grieve so deeply and mourn. I’m different but don’t know why. My grief is more a reflection of Dad’s life and all the memories made: good and bad. Life happens to all of us. Dad was one of the best listeners. I reflect on his love for Mom, and our family. I reflect on his love for people and serving. I reflect on the hidden kindness he showed people. He loved to bless people as God had truly blessed him. In all this reflection, my heart was full as our son Joshua joined us in serving with RiceNBeans last night in Rock Hill. Ron and I serve our homeless friends each Wednesday but this was Joshua’s first time. Serving as a family is something special, as I used to serve with my parents at a Food Pantry. Loving on others who are hurting is a priceless gift.
Yesterday when I woke up the photo memory that was on my iPad screen was a picture of Dad reading to Joshua when he was about three. Ron says I keep too many pictures on my iPad but I love these photo memories. They make me smile. I looked back over many photos with Dad in them and oh my goodness, the memories! These reminders bring joy to my heart. I also have a lot of mental snapshots in my mind of things experienced in life. There are so many life lessons in those memories.
Remembering Dad 💗
The one thing I really want to emphasize here is we never know when we will take our last breath. Everyday we have new mercies and opportunities to show mercy to others and walk in God’s love. Are you doing that? The day Dad died, it was a shock. We had taken him to the hospital then went down the road to celebrate Ron’s birthday dinner, fully expecting to go back to the hospital and take Dad back home. God had other plans: He changed Dad’s residence to Heaven. Dad was spiritually ready. He loved the Lord and lived for Him. We didn’t get to say goodbye though. Make sure you are ready to meet Jesus. He loves each of us so much. None of us are beyond the reach of His forgiveness. Check out Romans 10:9-11. “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”” (ESV). I would also like to emphasize that no matter the age of your children, we should live out our faith in God as a testimony to them. We pass along a legacy of strong unwavering faith and service to God. Children see that, no matter their age.
Bottom line, celebrate today, those who are with you and those who have already finished their race. We can be a blessing everywhere we are. That does take humility and a JOY (Jesus first, Others second and Yourself last) mindset. It’s the best way to live life. If you like this blog post, feel free to subscribe and share. I write at least once weekly but sometimes more. Sometimes it’s funny, other times deep but always transparent. I love when people can be REAL with no pretense. What you see is what you get. That’s the way I live. My hearts desire is that I will be a reflection of my Savior and bring glory to His name. Be blessed! Www.shannonkhinson.com
The “hole” I fell in to the front left of the tree. 😂
It’s priceless to reach a point in life where you literally can crack up at your mistakes. Truth be told, I’m planning to blog tomorrow night but had no plans to write today BUT this cracked me up and perhaps you need a laugh of your own today. I got a text from my cousin Craig earlier, with tomorrow being Dad’s Heavenly birthday. I made a mental note to go out and check on the Tulip tree we planted in his honor almost four years ago. The blooms are opening and it brought such joy. I asked Ron if we could get some more dirt, mulch and stones to go around it. Home Depot didn’t have any matching stones but I did lay the dirt and mulch down. Ron told me to wait because it was really wet from yesterday’s rainfall, but I insisted on doing it. I wanted to take a picture of the blooms, not necessarily the whole tree. Ron threw away the bag the mulch was in not knowing I planned to sit on it and take a picture of the blooms with the blue sky as a backdrop. Inside, I grabbed my iPad and set the camera on. I have a hard time seeing the iPad screen in sunlight so I got it ready to take my pictures. I knelt down by the tree and was about to take a picture when I lost by balance and my behind fell right in a puddle of rainwater, my behind then iPad. What a sight! I died laughing at my clumsiness but got up and attempted to take the pictures anyway. When I got in the garage I checked and not a single picture made it. I died laughing again and Ron came to investigate, and lo and behold my butt, leg and shoes were a muddy mess! He kind of got onto me because he said I could have hurt my back again but I didn’t. He said he would go out and take the pictures for me. He came in to show me, and it wasn’t want I had tried to do at all. I explained I wanted to see the details of the blooms not the tree, so he went back out and tried again. This time he got it right. I love the beauty of this tree and the hope of new life it brings each year. Dad would be laughing at what it took to get these pictures. It cracked me up as well, although Ron, not so much.
This was the beauty I was trying to capture. The tulip tree buds have opened. 💗
Tomorrow I hope to blog on celebrating life: we have two birthdays tomorrow, one earthly birthday and one Heavenly birthday. Tomorrow is also RiceNBeans day so it will be a full one. I’ll be back soon. Check in tomorrow night or Thursday for another Edition of Rooted by the Water blog and God willing I won’t have any cringe worthy stories to share. Www.shannonkhinson.com.
One of my least favorite things to do is organize our study room. If I could see well it wouldn’t be so bad, but I have to put every single paper under my video magnifier to see what it says. Not to mention that old video magnifier has a zoom dial that is broke. As I’m looking at whatever, it zooms extra large to small at the tiniest touch of the broken dial. Lord help me! Ron was looking into replacing it but I said NO! Those things cost a lot of money and I can just tape it at a reasonable zoom level….again!
Yesterday I asked Ron if we could switch our large desk around. It’s a large L shaped desk with the computer at the angle, my video magnifier on one end and his stuff on the other. I wanted to try switching ends. What was I thinking? I created a pile of papers that now need to be looked through and probably shredded. In the midst of those papers and notebooks that I had tucked things into, I found some “GEMS” Tucked in one of my journals from 2006, I had put a Christmas card picture from an old childhood friend. Wow! I don’t even remember getting the card. It was in the envelope, with return address. Wonder if she still lives there. Gosh, it’s at least 17 years old from the looks of her children who are now grown adults. I also found a card I received 19 years ago when I was getting ready to have my cochlear implant surgery. Lord have mercy! I really need to look through these things but…. like I said, I have to put everything under my machine to see what it says.
Sometimes we have to “roll with it” and get it done but oh my word, I’m not looking forward to this. Speaking of “roll with it” I don’t mean literally. We have two office chairs in the study that roll on the wooden floor. Last night when I sat down in one of the chairs, I just made it to the edge and the chair started rolling backwards across the floor. The treadmill saved me from busting on my butt. That would not have been good with this being week two of being out of the back brace.
We really do have to “roll with it” in life. My day started wonderfully. My friend Katie who is a Pastor/Missionary’s wife came to visit. I really loved seeing her and having time to catch up since we haven’t seen each other in years. When she left I sat at the computer to put in a Mary Kay order and things went downhill from there. I haven’t sat at that computer in months and my bookmarked page was no longer there. Keep in mind I have to “Ultra zoom” to see the computer. I’m talking so zoomed the font becomes like little pencils. AND my bookmarked page was gone. After much frustration I finally got it figured out and Ron bookmarked it for me again.
Next thing….. yes there’s a next thing. There is always a next thing. The tax booklet from the accountant still needs to be complete. I’ve got one more section. That means back to that machine, and I’ll be sure to not “fall out of the chair” when I “roll with it” this time. Ron told me we are also having a house guest tonight. I told Ron, I just washed the sheets so they would be clean when our son returns from out of town next week. I joked that our house is the “Hinson Inn & Call Center”. If you’re having a rough day and need a sounding board just give us a call. (Well Ron, not me) If you need a place to crash, come on by. (I’m kidding but it’s kind of what happens). Years ago our son Joshua was always having friends over. He’s an only child, so we always welcomed them. I used to look out the window and know who was here by whatever car(s) were here. Yes sometimes more than one. I used to tell Ron we needed a sign for the yard. “Hinson Inn ~ NO Vacancies” ~ drive on!😂
We go through seasons in life where there is change and we have to declutter, making room for new growth. After the stressful afternoon I decided to get out in the sun. This is my kind of February day, sunny and 67 degrees. Perfect! I needed to trim the bottom layer of limbs on Dad’s tulip tree. We planted that tree in his memory almost four years ago.. Trimming the bottom branches will help me be able to see if anything is hiding underneath when the tree blooms. It has buds all over it and always buds around the time he passed. It’s bittersweet.
That’s the thing about life, it gets cluttered, you have to trim things back, you have to “roll with it” and continue to be a blessing despite the stress. Tomorrow is RiceNBeans day, which brings life into perspective. Our homeless friends don’t have a place to call their own. They don’t know where their next meal will come from. Two weeks ago my friend gave a lady the boots off her own feet because the lady’s shoes were soaked from the cold rain. That was one of the most beautiful things. We are beyond blessed; papers I can’t see, machines with the broken zoom dial, phones to enable people to call who need a listening ear (Ron’s) , clean sheets for the next guest. There is much to thank God for. He is faithful. Even when we don’t understand why He doesn’t fix things the way we want. He sees the big picture. Let’s just raise a Hallelujah and “roll on”.
A picture to double check that I found the right items
I had planned to blog on Epic Shenanigans but writing about my oddball antics of dealing with life didn’t seem so appealing at the moment. On second thought, sharing some recent antics actually ties in to “What do you see, vs that plus the backstory.”
So here goes with a glimpse of Life as I live it. Friday afternoon had been busy. I had needed to pick up a few things from the grocery store but Mom and I ran out of time. She had needed to find some gifts so we focused on getting her gifts found then she took me home. She doesn’t like to drive after it’s dark.
Mom had one more gift to purchase and I suggested a store at the other end of the shopping strip. I had to find a glaze in a craft store. We didn’t have much time before it would start getting dark so we decided to split ways. Truth be told, I did need help in the craft store but I decided to wing it (get it done myself) Walking into the craft store, I located a clerk. They wear red vests so that wasn’t too hard. I showed her a picture of what I needed and explained I couldn’t hear or see well. I must say, she handled that information pretty well. We finally found what I needed and a paint brush. She also directed me to where the ribbons were. I finally found a ribbon I thought would work then proceeded to the checkout area. I reached the front of the store and my heart sank, all the registers had been changed to self checkout, which I detest. You need to be able to see to do self checkout. Someone please inform retailers because they apparently have no clue about accessibility. Anyway…. I told the store manager and he assured me there was one checkout with an employee who would check my items out. Paying for the items, I walked to the store mom was shopping in. Now to find her. I said a little prayer and shortly after, found her at the checkout register.
It was twilight so I told her she should just take me home. I still needed those things from the store to make desserts for a party the next night, but I would ask my husband Ron to take me. Arriving home, my little family of three found ourselves hungry but not wanting to go out again. Ron and our son Joshua decided to get take out. I mentioned to Ron that he could drop me off at Harris Teeter grocery store. I would get the ingredients I needed while he picked up dinner, then he’d swing back around to get me. I assured him I could do it. (Side note, with me having low vision, Ron is usually the one who finds things in the store. I make a list and he finds them) As he dropped me off, I walked in the grocery store, opened my iPad and began using the camera to find what I needed. I did find everything and ran into him in the produce section. He had forgotten to tell me he wanted some bananas. As we were in the check out line, I said, “Just think, if the people see the security footage in the store, they will say; There’s that iPad girl again. What is she doing looking at everything through the iPad camera lens and even taking pictures before putting items in her cart? Interesting.” Ron just laughed. If people only knew.
So you see a situation, or a person for that matter, but until you know the backstory you are missing a lot of information. How often we see things and make judgements, not knowing the real situation. It’s so important to look deeper at situations Honestly most people don’t care and don’t want to take the time. That’s ok too. I mean really, what can we say?
Ron said to me last night, “You are a real Christian.” I replied, “I’m not perfect. I make mistakes just like everyone else. I need God’s grace just like everyone does.” I do really desire to be consistent. Letting people see Jesus in me is my reason for existing. Half the time I think I might have it a bit easier because I don’t have all the distractions normal people have. Then again, the limitations and winging my way through them can be kind of a cruel joke. I suppose it’s a matter of how you look at it.
If you are the person looked at let me encourage you to not worry about what people think. Yo do you! Do what you need to do to get your things accomplished. (Well of course, don’t break the law while attempting it!) Be strong! Be courageous! God is our strength and ever present help at all times. It does take humility to admit that. It’s worth the humble pie.Tust me, there is no room for pride here. I need help. If you’re honest, you need help in some areas too.
If you are the one doing the observing and passing judgements, look a little deeper. Not everything is superficial. Practice empathy and try walking in that persons shoes. Show grace! There is always room for grace! There is always room for kindness.
We are all humans. If you look so carefully at someone’s life, make sure you place yourself under that same lens. There is usually way more than meets the eye. The backstory can reveal truths that might just blow your mind. Take the time.
In Psalms 119,David wrote, “Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.” Psalms 119:18 (NLT) We can discover such abundant riches in God’s Word. It’s His instructions for dealing with life. As we study the Bible, God reveals Himself and His perspective to us. May our eyes be enlightened to His truth as we live to bring glory to His name. Have a wonderful week! Www.shannonkhinson.com
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