Three Gifts

I was listening to the Today Show the other morning and Kathy Lee and Hoda were talking about Christmas and gift giving. Kathy Lee said that when her children were born, she and her husband decided that they should only get three gifts at Christmas. It symbolizes the three gifts given to Jesus by the Wise Men that came from the East. One gift would be something needed, one would be one wanted, and the third gift would represent something wished for.

Three gifts! Wow, I wonder at all the cash we could have saved over the years if we had followed the Wise Men's example: When Kathy Lee's daughter turned 21, Kathy Lee asked what she would like for Christmas. Her daughter said, "I think we should stop gift-giving for Christmas and concentrate on the meaning and the family during the holidays." Wow, I think this is something I could get into. Actually, my mother only gave me gifts at Christmas if I came home. Otherwise, I got a nice card.

This comes from Matthew 2:1-12.

The gifts of the Magi are identified as gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The meaning of the gifts is open to interpretation. Myrrh was commonly used as an anointing oil, Frankincense as a perfume, and gold as a valuable. Sometimes the gold is said to symbolize virtue, Frankincense-prayer, and myrrh-suffering. Others have said the gold symbolizes kingship on earth, Frankincense (an incense) meaning priest-ship, and myrrh (an embalming oil) death. Some say that they represent Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection. 

The gold represented His sovereign dominion, symbol of Royalty (King Jesus. The frankincense represented His sinless deity, symbol of Worship (Savior. The myrrh represented His sacrificial death, symbol of His purpose (to die for our sin).

 Excerpt taken from a sermon written by Dr.Adrian Rogers: 

The Gifts of the Wise Men and Our Gifts to Jesus

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME

ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD

The Girls are Back in Town!

Reconstruction #2 brought the "Girls" back in line. Thank you, Lord. The only thing left now is the tattoo. Funny, I always said that I would never get a tattoo. First, they gave me 2 blue dots when I had radiation, and now I am going to get a nipple. They say that the results are amazing.  Do I have to be awake for this? Will they make it look like a butterfly if I want? I found this picture on a breast reconstruction website, so don't get all excited thinking it is me. Mine should look a little better since I don't have a big scar. Something I had not expected, but the plastic surgeon moved the nipple on the left and I still have feeling in it. When he did a tummy tuck in 2002, I lost all feeling in my stomach below my waist. I can give myself shots without even flinching.

The amazing thing is that they are C-cup. I could have had larger, but I prefer for people to look at me in the eyes instead of my chest. I have had to wear a bra since the surgery, but soon I will be able to go without one if I want. They are back where they were when I was twenty and it is amazing. I can get a normal swimsuit again. Now I cannot imagine why I waited 4 years to have this done. I was under the impression that it really did not matter. I am married to the last husband I will ever have and the only other people who will actually see my chest are doctors and nurses.

I cannot even explain how this has made me feel. I feel whole again. I had no idea that it would give me this feeling of validation. Somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind, I must have concluded that I was no longer a real woman. If you think about it, we are in a society that makes us feel less than whole if we have imperfections.

I do not remember, but I think I explained that the cancer in my breast was not hereditary, but environmental. Be careful about what chemicals are in your home, your workplace, places where you visit, for any length of time. I worked in a sick building at Langley Air Force Base. There was a bay door in the warehouse that the communications squadron left open on a regular basis. Pigeons would  fly into the rafters and poop on top of our building. Our air condition was on our roof and the drain pan would get stopped up, overflow into the wall by my desk. It was always damp, The water was filtered through the pigeon poop, which can lead to all kinds of problems. There was one desk in the big room that had a hole in the wall where they had removed a plug or something. Everyone who sat in that position, contracted cancer, and passed away (3 people). I guess I am the one who is lucky to still be here.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME

ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!

Our Social Media Friend Wayne Hurlbert Passes.

I went on #smmanners tonight and found out that @WayneHurlbert had passed away. It seems so strange to me. He was there every Friday night playing the music for the Social Media Girlfriends #Slumberparty. He played most every Social Media Girlfriends venue. He will be missed. He always knew how to keep up with what was going on. We will surely miss him and keep his family in our thoughts and prayers.

John Danes, CSI, CDT@johndanes

RT @DabneyPorte Tonight we dedicate #SmManners To our Music Man @WayneHurlbert Who died suddenly.... #RIPMusicMan

10:55pm · 15 Oct 13 · Twubs

• 1

Search for Meaning in Dementia

In between surgeries,  my daughter Rhonda,  and her children, Garrett and Taylor decided to go to Kentucky to visit my brother. The children were so excited because my brother has a in-ground pool, Media Room, and a Pool Table. There are all kinds of video games. You would think we were going to Disney.

We used to go stay with my mother, but she has recently entered Assisted Living. This is so difficult for me to write about because she now has dementia. I think she has had it for a long time, but it just was not quite as evident as it is now. She used to say to me, "I don't remember that; how do you remember so much that happened so long ago?" I never really thought of it as a problem until she almost lost most of her estate to crooks who were selling her websites and charging her each month for upkeep, with no return on investment. There were companies and private people who did these things.

Most of the people were clairvoyants, seers, fortune tellers, etc. They took her money to the tune of over $3 a minute for phone calls. Trust me, if someone tells you they can talk to your dead relatives, see ghosts, read your palm, etc., they are charlatans and provided for your entertainment by dark forces that can destroy you and your family.

Evidently, she could get herself into these messes, but could not figure out how to get out of them. My brother spent months recovering most of her money. Thank God, she used her credit cards to do all this. He was able to reclaim all but about $5K of her money. This is a woman who was considered to be a very smart business woman. She had her interior designing business for about 40 years and always had a wonderful standing in the community.

This tells me that everyone should pay attention to their aging parents. After all, if they worked hard all their life to provide for their retirement, we should not let crooks bilk them out of their future. We could end up paying the price for our indifference. I would say that at the first sign of a problem, you should step in and even get counselling with an estate planner or someone who knows the law. If we had been paying closer attention, we would have noticed things that were unusual, before they got out of hand.

Take care of your parents, as they once took care of you. Even if you thought they didn't take care of you very well, step up to the plate to make sure that crooks are not stalking them like they did my mother. There are people out there who are making hundreds of phone calls each day, just looking for that person who may not be "quite right." They know about your parents mental capacity before you do.

Mother is a very independent person and still wants my brother to bring her computer to her apartment. He doesn't dare. It is bad enough that she orders junk on the TV. That could be one of your first indications that something is going on. You go to your parents home and see "Things Seen on TV" all over the place, some still in the boxes and not even opened. Check with their neighbors and see if UPS or FEDEX trucks are constantly delivering to their house. She only has one credit card now, with limited charging capability. She is not happy about giving up control, but is learning to live with it.

If you find a lot of things are not going well, ask to be put on the list so you can talk to their doctor. If the doctor says it is necessary, consult a lawyer about taking over to keep them out of trouble.

It is not only their future, but yours too. Poor choices on their part because of dementia can also hurt your finances in the future as you struggle to take care of them. Be observant, loving, and concerned. They are your parents, don't let them be hurt by others. Stand up and take a stand!

Pink(er) - 2 - Getting ready for Reconstruction

I am sitting here typing and looking at some of the most beautiful roses I have ever seen. My Social Media Girlfriend, Dabney Porte, sent a dozen Pink Roses. She is just the most wonderful "sister." It is so nice to receive something when someone wants to show their appreciation. Dabney is always so positive and I love her energy and spirit so much. She is an inspiration to so many women. Watch out world, Dabney is watching you!

I apologize for not keeping my promise to blog every day until surgery. It is Friday and I am sitting here trying to think of something to say. It has been a harrowing week. Express Scripts merged with MEDCO and I must have gotten lost in the mix. I have spent hours on the phone waiting for someone to finally talk to, but not much luck. I thought I had it all straightened out the week before when I spent an hour and 15 minutes on hold and then over 30 minutes with the customer service representative, who assured me that everything was taken care of. Here it is Friday, and I still do not have my Enbrel or Methotrexate.

I received four bags of medications yesterday, but not the ones that I need the most. The Rheumatoid Arthritis is really kicking up. My joints are swelling, I am not sure I am going to make it until the surgery. It is painful to type. Thank God my Rheumatologist gave me a Cortisone shot in my right wrist. It is still swelling, but does not hurt quite as bad. 

I would like to thank the people who retweeted and shared my last post. I think it got more hits than any post I have ever done.


Tonight is the #Slumberparty on #SMGirlfriends. We have a Sponsor. Pretzel Crisps.

What is rheumatoid arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, which means it's a disease of the immune system. Your immune system works to protect your body against attacks by bacteria or viruses. But when it's not working correctly—such as with rheumatoid arthritis—your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body, specifically at the joints. This can cause the pain, swelling, and stiffness associated with rheumatoid arthritis. 

While the exact causes of RA are unknown, researchers believe genetics, environmental factors and a protein in the body called tumor necrosis factor (TNF) may play a role. Some people with RA have too much of the protein TNF in the affected area of the body. TNF causes inflammation in the joints, and the inflammation is what leads to the pain and stiffness of RA.

Only a doctor can diagnose rheumatoid arthritis. If you're not sure you have rheumatoid arthritis, please talk to your doctor. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease. So it's important to slow the progression of joint damage as well as reduce the signs and symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

Do not make the mistake most people make. RA is not the same as Osteoarthritis, not by a long shot. I have both and I can tell you the RA part much worse.

Reconstruction - First Surgery

I know that I said that I was going to write about the reconstruction surgery right after it happened. I have had "writer's block." First, I was disappointed. The right breast didn't seem any bigger, just squarer, and the left breast had the nipple re-sectioned higher, but still hung low.

I went in after a couple of weeks and saw the surgeon and he was not too happy either. Anyway, we are going to do surgery again in September. The girls will be standing tall and be a full C cup, kind of like when I was twenty. Wow! And, the good news is that the insurance will pay for it again. I found out that there is a law in Virginia that says that if you have breast cancer and surgery to remove the breast, then your insurance is obligated to pay for reconstruction, even if it is years down the road.

The bad news is that I had to quit my shots of Enbrel for 3 weeks because it lowers my immune system. So then, the RA got worse, which I fixed with 20m of prednisone. Not good, now I am back on Enbrel but feel so much better taking the prednisone, I don't want to stop. I don't like to think of the swelling, inflammation, and pain that will happen when I cut back. At least, I was able to enjoy my trip to Kentucky to see my mother. She is in assisted living now. She has dementia. That is really difficult.

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME! 

ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!

Can I get Pink(er)?

Seven Days and Counting to Reconstruction!

Monday was a day of preparation for surgery. I went to the Plastic Surgeons office and met with the nurse for a detailed evaluation for my surgery on Tuesday, June 30, 2013. Boy I was almost stumped at the questions that were asked. Why are you taking this medication? How often do you take it? How does it make you feel? Considering all the medications that I am taking, there were loads of questions.

Taking something for anxiety, blood flow, Gurd, pain, RA, Osteopenia. So many medications that some even have more than one for one problem. I am also taking Vitamist Spray Vitamins. I started doing that over 3 months ago and am feeling well enough to do the surgery. I don't smoke anymore (23 years), I don't drink alcohol (I don't like to lose control and it tastes nasty to me), and the only drugs I do are prescription. If I could quit eating too, I wouldn't have a weight problem. I seem to be able to go cold turkey for addictions, but not modification for food. I just love food, all kinds of food. What is a girl to do?

Oh, I forgot the pictures. They took pictures of my boobs and I had to sign away my rights to them. My face was not in them, and the doctor will use the pictures for the surgery and who knows? I might end up in a medical journal someday. Did you ever think: could someone identify my body without looking at my face? I am not sure I could identify myself. They took pictures when I had my tummy tuck in 2002. It has done really well. I may have a big butt, but my tummy is flat. That also makes your boobs look bigger. I have noticed  little luv handles forming around the sides. Got to exercise more.

We have been on Atkins and Ray has lost so much weight. I don't seem to be able to. (I guess I will have to give up my stash of Cheetos.) Remember the old joke: The woman got on the talking scale and it said "One at a time Please!" I could lose a small ugly person.

Anyway, in just seven more days, I will have 2 complete boobs! The other boob will be raised to where it used to be.

God is Good All the Time! - All the Time, God is Good!

I am going to share every day until the surgery and for a while after. Leave comments or join my blog for updates.

Love and Kisses!

Survivor Reconstruction Pink

Wasted Time!

I finally decided to have breast reconstruction. If you are a regular reader, you know that it has been 4 years since I had the surgery to remove the cancer in my breast. I don't know why I thought that it wouldn't matter to me. I even remember saying to someone "It doesn't really matter to me. I am married and I don't ever plan to marry anyone else. My husband says that it doesn't matter to him either."

Then, I remember the times I got out of the shower and could not look at myself. I wouldn't let Ray see it either. I decided last year to go to the doctor and have the reconstruction done, but I missed the appointment. I think that I subconsciously missed it because I was afraid.


I have had so many issues with the Rheumatoid Arthritis and sometimes even felt like I wouldn't live another year like this. I think I have been using the RA not to get the surgery. I have tried to keep busy with writing, tweeting, blogging, posting to Facebook, Pinterest, Empire Avenue, etc. Sometimes I can not get out of the house. I have started taking more Prednisone and it certainly helps. The problem with larger doses of Cortisone is that they can make for brittle bones.

I have been so fortunate to find friends on the different areas of Social Media. Everyone has been so supportive through all my illnesses, that I don't know how I will ever repay the kindnesses. I know, prayer works. The Prayer Room is open, if you need prayer or need someone to share with, let me know and we can get in touch and pray it down.

The surgery is scheduled for July 31st. The doctor says that it will be day-surgery and I will be able to come right home a couple of hours after the surgery. It will be at the hospital, not in his office. The really good news is that he said he will lift the other breast to match the surgery.

It really is weird that women (me) are so wrapped up in what we look like that even when a body part that is covered most of the time is damaged, we begin to feel that we are really damaged and no one would want to be with us because we are not "whole." I am being honest here. I feel bereft of my breast. I saw some pictures of the same kind of surgery they are doing on me, and it looked really good, and almost normal.

I just keep telling myself:

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME

ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD

10 lbs Down!

Peanut Butter Meal Bars. We also bought some Atkins frozen dinners. I like the chicken and turkey dinners, and Ray likes the meatloaf and Italian sausage dinners. I had to make a special place in the fridge to hold all that Ray bought. I also made some chicken soup with bouillon cubes, a little butter, and lots of salad leaves, like kale and mustard. Also, added some coleslaw mix veggies. Most of the veggies burn more calories than they provide when you eat them. The soup was wonderful. We have had two dinners out of the pot.

We have been trying not eating anything before bed. Those things tend to go right to the middle and stay there. Sometimes I do have a small piece of Cheddar Cheese when I take my bedtime medicine. Otherwise, they back up on me.

I absolutely hate exercise. Since the weather has been just right, I have decided to direct my exercise toward the garden. Here are some perennials that my mother gave me. Aren't they beautiful? I have been weeding the flower beds. I can surely feel the thighs shrinking. There were some weeds that were almost as tall as the flowers. It has rained quite a bit, so they were easier to pull out. If you look carefully, you can probably see the weeds. The red flowers are from an Abraham Lincoln Rosebush. They are like velvet and so red. On the other side of the bed, I have the JFK Rose which is really white. I have rose bushes all over. Seems like there is usually one blooming most of the time.

Then, imagine my surprise when I stepped on the scale this morning and I was 10 pounds down. It is the most wonderful feeling when you see that scale with less than there was last time. Another great thing was wearing my new jeans yesterday. When I bought them 2 weeks ago and brought them home, they were too small to get together around my waist and my thighs were tight. When I put them on yesterday, I could actually button the waist and the thighs were not too tight. The place to get to will be when they are baggy and I have to give them away.

I really didn't want to buy fat clothes, but over the past year, I have acquired a few.  Hopefully, soon, I can give them away and get back into my smaller clothes.

If anyone would like to comment or submit a guest blog, I would love it. It would be great to have interaction and encourage each other about our weight problem.

 This was me at Christmas, Look at those hips! Wow!

I always said that I am going to write the worlds smallest diet book and it is going to have 2 pages: first page says - Eat Less; second page says - Move More! If we could all do that, we would have a more comfortable life.

MOVE MORE - EAT LESS!

Nostalgia Pink

Tonight, on #smmanners (Social Media Manners-Twitter), we had an open-mic night. Somehow, we got to talking about things that used to be: Howdy-Doody, so I mentioned Clarabelle; Mr. Green Jeans, so I mentioned Captain Kangaroo, and so on and so on. We chatted about vinyl records, the over 300 33-rpms that I have in my shop. I have some original Elvis, and the Beatles. Remember "Hang on Sloopy"?

There are lots of Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Billy Joe Royal, etc. There are a lot of religious recordings. Tennessee Ernie Ford was one of my favorite as a child. Ray must have belonged to the Columbia Record Club too. Some are doubles.

There are a lot of memories on those records. We have a new turntable and have tried a few. They sound pretty good. Ray and I had a DJ Business for about 15 years. We belonged to Parents Without Partners and one Friday night, the Juke Box broke. I went home and to my LPs and my stereo. We had our dance anyway. The next week, Ray brought his stereo, so we had two, not so much lag time between music.

I remember that my son, Jeff came to visit. He gave me a CD of Fleetwood Mac that I could play in the car, but then Ray bought a CD player so we could play our 1 CD. The next thing he bought was another CD player that you could program and play 3 CDs randomly. Then there were speakers, and then a microphone to make announcements. Ray found Karoke CDs and the next thing you know, he was singing Frank Sinatra songs and the ladies were swooning.

Actually, Country and Western music was really popular then and everyone was learning line dancing. I ended up teaching line-dancing, because I could dance but couldn't carry a tune.

Our chat tonight brought up some really wonderful memories. Just thinking about a song, brings up lots of good and bad memories. "I Want to Know What Love Is" after a bad break-up, There were so many break-up songs, you wondered if song writers' ever wrote happy songs. Then "Don't Worry, Be Happy" came out.

Billy Ray Cyrus was on TV the other day. He sure has held up well. We were all doing the "Electric Slide" until he came out with "Achy Breaky Heart". That was a difficult one to learn because it had so many steps before a repeat. But, once we caught on, we learned to do it to so many songs. I have a book full of line dances somewhere around here.


Our next door neighbor used to be a DJ at NASA dances at Langley. He sold us a lot of the equipment and he and his wife used to accompany us when we played parties and weddings. When we played PWP every Friday Night, they had a regular table. I had a large stuffed male doll that had on a Tux that I used to dance with when there were not any single men left to dance with. Since Ray DJed most of the time, it left me a lot of time to line dance. I remember DJing for about 6 weeks by myself. Ray was in the hospital with Guillian-Barre Syndrome and I don't think I have ever been so frightened. We really thought he was going to die. I actually tell about the miracle of his healing in my blog Thoughts of Christ: Guillian-Barre Syndrome Miracle 

Well, I better go to bed. I took a Vicodin because of my Carpal Tunnel and RA, and Golden Girls is almost over. Thanks for letting me go down memory lane.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!

Boston Pink

We pray every day for those who are ill, homeless, out of work, etc. Now we are praying for those who were maimed and killed in Boston at the Marathon. Satan never gives us a break. There are people who say that why would God do this. God didn't do this, Satan was in the person who did this horrible thing. I am praying for the families of those murdered and those who were maimed. I have no idea who could have done this heinous act, but I would be willing to bet that it comes from Al Keida.

I don't understand this and I am sure there are those out there who do not understand it either. The world seems to be turning into an even more scary place. People are sending poison in the mail, there is an insane leader trying to scare our country into  his beliefs by threatening a nuclear missile. Who are all these stupid/insane people? I almost feel like we are on a merry-go round and there are nuts taking pot-shots at us all. No wonder I do not like going out into large venues.

When I was young, I remember being frightened because the Russians were threatening to bury us. Everyone was building bomb shelters, storing food, and just generally scaring the devil out of everyone. It is so awful that we cannot even go out and run in a marathon now and feel safe.

The world has forgotten how to be kind. Everyone is out for themselves and they do not have empathy for others. I have my opinion of why things are going this way. We have barred God from our schools and almost everything that happens in this life. Have you heard this quote?

     I would rather live my life as if there was a God and die to find there isn't, than to live my life like there was no God and die to find there is. Albert Camus

T

I will write more tomorrow. My sadness over the happenings in Boston is almost overwhelming. I have retweeted a couple of people who are talking about it on Twitter, but just haven't been able to express myself. I hate it so that we are so mean to each other.

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!

  ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!       

Five Years to Pink

This is a follow-up to my blog "Thoughts of Christ" Miracle at Zoe which you might want to read first to bring you up to speed.

On Sunday, March 24, my Ray and I went to Calvary Revival Church Peninsula (Zoe) CRCP. Never complain about a one-hour church service. We got there at 10:30 a.m. and they had already started, and got home around 4 p.m., but it was not a hardship at all. The Holy Spirit filled that church for sure. We sat with the Reverends' Ray and Nakia Johnson. It was a wonderful service.

There was lots of heart-felt singing, praising God, prayer, and preaching. People were singing, crying, and laughing. It was one of the most exciting days in my life. And, I was asked to speak to the Fifth Anniversary since I was there in the beginning. Each person there has my heart and I love them all so much.

This was not really the Fifth Anniversary for me, it was more like the tenth, because if you read the Miracle at Zoe story on Thoughts of Christ, you know that it was 10 years ago that the Holy Spirit spoke to me about giving the church to the people of Zoe Community Church. This past Sunday, Reverend Ray Johnson, Sr., told us that the morning that Walter Satchell, Sam Moore, and I came down to give them the gift of the church, there was a prayer circle in the basement under the Sanctuary praying for just that. It was all so overwhelming for everyone that day that he forgot to mention it.

I think they had planned to give me an award or something, but I told Reverend Ray that I didn't need anything. Just being there was one of the best gifts I will ever receive. The church has been cleaned, painted, and has a new heat and air system. They are working on raising the money to finish paying for the system. The church is on the Historical Registry. The beautiful wood floors shook with joy. I have never been to a service quite like it. I really felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. I really didn't know what I was going to say, but it went very well.

Reverend Ray had everyone who had a baby since the church was given to them, everyone who was saved from drugs and alcohol, every family that got married there in the past five years. Then he said I would have a ruby for everyone standing as adornment of my crown in Heaven. But it is not just my crown, but every member of First Baptist Church of Newport News who deserves the credit. They had to jump on the bandwagon and it took 5 years, but it was in God's time. There were many who said that they had thought it for years, but Dr. Everett made me say the words. To God be the Glory.

Reverend Ray Johnson has also started another congregation in Hampton and the Bishop has indicated that he will be appointed as a church planter and move up in the hierachy of the denomination. It is so wonderful how God is working in our lives.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!

SPAM BULLIES PINK

SPAM BULLIES

I have belonged to Social Media Girlfriends (#SMGirlfriends on Twitter) ever since its inception. I enjoy it so much. Dabney Porte, the charming woman who started it is absolutely wonderful. She is intelligent, beautiful, mindful, and one of the best Social Media Coaches around. She has helped us all through some sticky situations. She does Social Media Manners (SMManners) on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. EST and knows more about Internet etiquette than anyone I know. Dabney has built a wonderful following of some of the most caring, fabulous women on Twitter.

Dabney and friends

Over the past months, our Social Media Girlfriends (#smgirlfriends) community of global brilliance has been under attack.  These attacks have targeted Dabney directly, and our community as a whole via both documented/reported defaming and slanderous phone calls ( I received such a call from the lead bully in attempts to defame Dabney) and a full out bot/spam account within our #SmGirlfriends community on Twitter. 

We all know that those who hate others are typically women or men who lack self esteem and do not feel worthy of their own success.  I see it via these attacks and others on social media each day.  In this case however, it seems the behavior is led by the very person who called me and it is my opinion that she is emotionally unwell and very unstable. She is taking our ideas and claiming them as hers. It really hurts my heart, because I really thought a lot of her before she did all this. She really disappointed me. 

As a community it is our goal to empower women.  To inspire and lift each of us up so we can continue to spread true friendship and women empowerment.  To do this, we must together protect our nest on Twitter and each other. 

The following are copies of the spams sent into our #SmGirlfriends nest on Twitter. Each tweet is sent by a bot account. They use different names but the tweets are the same. I recognized them, because they were my mostly my tweets originally.

• SMgirlfriends "Remember this  December, that love weighs more than gold!" ~Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon #SMgirlfriends
• smgirlfriends TL2U *Good friends are like four-leaf-clovers, lucky to have and hard to find. #smgirlfriends#TL2U
• SMgirlfriends “Most important in a friendship? Tolerance and loyalty.” J.K. Rowling #SMgirlfriends
• smgirlfriends Thanks for bringing your global brilliance to our #smgirlfriends community! We love you all 
• smgirlfriends Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow ~ Melody Beattie #smgirlfriends
• SMgirlfriends “Friendship is a word, the very sight of which in print makes the heart warm” Augustine Birrell #SMgirlfriends 
• TL2U SMGirlfriends *I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow #TL2U#SMGirlfriends
• smgirlfriends "To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, subtract things every day." Lao Tzu #smgirlfriend 
• SMgirlfriends "Laughter is the shortest distance between two friends." -Victor Borge #SMgirlfriends
• smgirlfriends Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel. ~Author Unknown Happy Thanksgiving #smgirlfriends
• SMgirlfriends “Friendship is a word, the very sight of which in print makes the heart warm” - Augustine Birrell #SMgirlfriends

This is an example of the type of behavior observed over the last six months and is clearly seen as attempts to dilute our community conversations as the pace picks up during key community events.   I consider it SPAM BULLYING, Don't you? I report and block each one, even though it takes time. I just hope that the spammers will get tired of creating names or tired of paying some people in a 3rd World Country that cannot spell to create Twitter accounts to keep doing this. 

How can YOU help to protect GLOBAL BRILLIANCE? 

First of all, if you are asked to get on a call with someone from Twitter  be sure you know who this person is.  If you take a call that is clearly one like I received, stand your ground.  Ask questions.  This particular bully and her cheer squad have no evidence to back the claims they make against Dabney, our community, and many of us.  I did this and do you know what happened? SHE hung up on me.  I simply told "her" that I have known/worked with Dabney for years, and she was completely out of line and character to tell me the things she did.  She even told me I was not a Christian if I spoke to or followed Dabney.  You see, the BULLY goes after what you love the most.  I love GOD, so she threatened me with this. 

I don't think I would have been allowed to be ordained if there weren't sufficient evidence that shows my loving and caring heart. 

If you receive such a call that is slanderous or defaming to Dabney or her community, let Dabney know immediately. Both her legal team and Twitter are watching closely and investigations are under way.  The best way to stop a BULLY is to question and report to the proper authorities. 

If you see an account that has only a few tweets or followers with lousy spelling, you probably have found profanity or even some weird pictures. The names more often than not, are strange too. Women's names with men's pictures and vice versa. Hit the BLOCK/REPORT button

If you see a tweet in our #SmGirlfriends stream that starts with smgirlfriends, it is likely a bot spam account, as they appear to be using an automated RT system of our hashtag tweets while removing the RT. BLOCK/REPORT 

I am a Professional Encourager and at all times try to focus on the good in life and business.  However, this harassment must end.  I think what tipped the tide was, those sending spam via created fake bot accounts have used a squished picture of me in many profile pictures.  They have also used our community trademarked logo, Dabney's profile information, guns to scare us in logo pictures and much, much more. Last week there was even a lewd picture. If you are with us on #smgirlfriends, please be careful not to even follow the spammers or any member of their team. I will be unfollowing people who are following the SpamBully this week. 

I have prayed about this and I think this is the only way to go. This person has not asked for forgiveness and is only motivated by revenge. Evidently, the only way they think they can build their business is to tear down our community. BULLY, we are not afraid of you!

"If there is a choice, choose kindness" is one of my favorite sayings. I think in this case, the kind thing would be to ignore this person and her community. There does come a time when you have to take a stand. Even Jesus got angry. She continually defames Dabney and she won't listen to reason. For some unknown reason, she has even purchased over 10,000 bot followers for #smgirlfriends. Why would anyone but someone that is purely evil do such a ghastly thing. I have seen this myself and documented many things over the past months. I am ready to go to court, if necessary, to make sure this person goes to jail or at least pays a whopping fine. 

SMGirlfriends has helped me more than any of you know. You were there for me when I have been ill and always praying for me. I love you all and I am so sorry that one of our own has turned against us for no concrete reason other than jealousy. Twitter has millions of people and there are so many who need a group. We need to share, not harass. Besides deleting the bots is hurting my arm. The RA is bad enough, now I have carpel tunnel syndrome. My husband says we should track them down, hit with the evidence, and sue. Actually, what they are doing is stalking. There are laws against that.

Got to go for now. Leave comments if you like. I would love to hear from you.

You have my sincere apologies for this. I had inserting anything bad in your day. Sometimes you just have to take a stand. Love to ALL!

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!

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BTW - Friday is #Slumberparty on Twitter at 11 p.m. EST

I am your gracious hostess. 

Pain in Pink

I know everyone is wondering what happened to me, since I haven't been on Twitter and Facebook much lately. I am having a Rheumatoid Arthritis "Flare-up".

My feet are swollen and hurt badly. My arms and hands are the worst parts, although my neck comes in a close second. It is difficult to type and use the mouse.

Wikipedia explains Rheumatoid Arthritis:

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks flexible (synovial) joints. It can be a disabling and painful condition, which can lead to substantial loss of functioning and mobility if not adequately treated.

The process involves an inflammatory response of the capsule around the joints (synovium) secondary to swelling (hyperplasia) of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development of fibrous tissue (pannus) in the synovium. The pathology of the disease process often leads to the destruction of articular cartilage and ankylosis (fusion) of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can also produce diffuse inflammation in the lungs, membrane around the heart (pericardium), the membranes of the lung (pleura), and white of the eye (sclera), and also nodular lesions, most common insubcutaneous tissue. Although the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown, autoimmunity plays a pivotal role in both its chronicity and progression, and RA is considered a systemic autoimmune disease. It is a clinical diagnosis made on the basis of symptoms, physical exam, radiographs (X-rays) and labs.^[1]"

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a auto-immune disease. Although Arthritis is mentioned, it is not a real factor, unless you also have Osteoarthritis, as I do. You can look up on Wikipedia; it goes into much more detail. So, don't ever dismiss someone when they tell you they have RA, with the phrase "Oh, yeah! I have trouble with arthritis in my knees." RA is so much worse than arthritis. It can be extremely painful. It was discovered in 2009 after I had pneumonia in North Carolina. I was in the hospital in New Bern for 10 days in August. Everyone you can imagine was trying to find out what was wrong. I had every x-ray you could possibly think of. All they could come up with was pneumonia. They had me on morphine because the pain was so bad and oxygen because if I hurt, I would forget to breathe. 

There was a group of traveling doctors that spent their time going to different hospitals and working for a month or so, then moving on to another hospital. They were some of the best in their fields in NC. I saw heart, internal medicine, infectious disease doctors, and a neurologist. I didn't feel like I had pneumonia, but that was probably due to the generous doses of morphine.

My daughter, Rhonda would spend the night with me. She was a teacher-assistant and they were on Summer break. I slept a lot. After they determined I wasn't dying, my mother left to go home to Kentucky. When I finally got out of the hospital, Ray took me to our little house in NC for the night. Then we got up the next morning and came back to Virginia. I was so glad to drive over that State line. That was on Sunday. On Monday, I went to get my blood checked at the Cancer Center. Dr. Schlesinger had been the intermediary with the hospital in NC and with Riverside Regional. She wanted to see me and insisted I have another chest x-ray. Well, guess what, I still had pneumonia and I was put in Riverside for the next 9 days. The doctor had her nurse go back through my records and see if there was anything that might be causing this. He went through everything and then he was going through test results and he came to the BRACA test for breast cancer. I didn't test positive for breast cancer, but evidently I had two markers for Rheumatoid Arthritis. They had found the cause of a lot of my pain. 

When I was over the pneumonia and sent home, they sent me to Dr. Wilson, one of the few RA doctors in this area. He put me on Enbrel, which is a biologic and comes in a shot. I give myself a shot every week in my belly. Oh, don't worry, I have had a tummy tuck and have no nerves that work there. Doesn't hurt at all. I also take methotrexate and prednisone. I have pain pills that I try not to use, but sometimes when I start to hurt, it is better to take something and head the pain off at the pass. I cannot take over-the-counter medicine for pain because it might take so many that it could cause liver failure.

So, right now, I am going through a flareup in my RA. This too shall pass. I am on a few prayer lists. I know it is driving Ray crazy because I cannot drive. I simply cannot take pain medication and drive. The few places I have gone lately, he has taken me. 

I contacted the doctor on Wednesday and he put me on a prednisone pack, and I am better already. The only thing about the prednisone is that it helps add weight to my thighs.

So, if you have a friend or relative that has RA, don't feel sorry for them, but ask if there is anything you can do to help. A dear friend brought a quiche for our dinner for Valentines Day! I still was not feeling well enough to go out.

For more information about Rheumatoid Arthritis click here.

GOD IS GOOD - ALL THE TIME!

ALL THE TIME - GOD IS GOOD!

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Read my other blog The Professional Encourager - Spam Bullies  

Mitzee PINK

The groundhog saw his shadow and that is supposed to mean that Spring is on it's way. That is a wonderful idea to me.

My little puppy, Mitzi came to live with us the first week in January. She is a ShitzuPoo and is incredibly cute. Even though she kept me awake a lot last night, she occasionally uses the puppy paper, and loves to bite on my hands, she (Mitzee) has captured our hearts. She is not quite 5 months old.

We also have a Maltepoo, Snowball. We got him last June. He is about 5 years old and a little set in his ways. Mitzee chases him around while he growls. It has taken a month, but he is becoming tolerant of her.

This morning she actually did both of her businesses on the paper. I am so proud. She didn't wake me up once last night.

Ray is so good with them both. He is as patient with them as he is with me. He never has a bad word for anyone.

Ray with Mitzee and Snowball

GOD IS GOOD - ALL THE TIME!

ALL THE TIME - GOD IS GOOD!

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