Monday, January 12, 2015

5 Things I Never Thought About Facing

Pride Mobility
This is a sponsored post for Pride Mobility.

We do life daily. Somewhat unsuspecting. The “American Pie Life” consists of a family of four and usually a dog. Two parents working toward a common goal hoping to grow old together. We are taught to think about things like home mortgages, family planning, budgeting for vacations, paying for Junior’s college tuition and retirement. What happens when retirement starts early due to health issues? I hope you find Five Things I Never Thought About Facing a beneficial use of your time. You may be facing some of the same tough questions.

  1. What if I become disabled? My husband and I both are disabled.  I am disabled due to ambulatory challenges. My husband has pulmonary fibrosis requiring oxygen. Needless to say, disability was not in our long-range plan. I’m guessing it’s not in yours either.
  2.  How can I maintain independence while disabled? An adult electric scooter provided by Pride Mobility Products is a convenient way to stay mobile. These versatile scooters are designed for indoor and outdoor maneuverability.
  3. What will I be able to do while disabled? Maintaining a consistent quality of life becomes a repeated question when faced with disability like our family. We are considering things like power lift chairs and portable wheelchair ramps. When simple every-day tasks become difficult, you will find many assistive devices available at Pride Mobility.
  4. How will I handle disability emotionally? A big advantage of getting fitted with mobility devices from Pride Mobility is ongoing support. The Pride Owner’s Club offers free membership to help you stay connected with other mobility users, share pictures and videos and keep up with current news. Staying connected with others is key to staying off the emotional roller coaster.
  5. Will my own pride allow me to use mobility devices? My husband finds it difficult to deal with people staring at his oxygen cannula. I think a mobility scooter is kind of cool. I agree, my pride almost won at Disney World deciding whether or not to use a scooter. My feet were so happy I put my pride aside.

It’s never an easy task to ask yourself the tough questions. I’m sharing these questions about Five Things I Never Thought About Facing so you can be somewhat prepared and less uncomfortable if they are staring you in the face tomorrow.


Feeling confident with Pride Mobility,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

A Plan Better than Dave Ramsey's for Debt-free Living

jesus paid it all
photo credit: empressofdirt.net
Is your 2015 resolution to get out of debt? If so, Dave Ramsey promises to make you debt-free. Dave says in his blog "You can get out of debt no matter how much you owe!" He tells you how people act that are debt-free in his article "7 Characteristics of Debt-Free People." Debt-free folks are wise, patient, confident, goal-driven, responsible, not materialistic and willing to make sacrifices. The question in my mind is "Are we ever really debt-free?"

I've never had a month where I didn't have to write a check for a bill or schedule a payment on the world wide web. Think about it. If you're alive and want to stay warm or cool, you'll always have a utility bill. If you want to stay connected and be mobile, you'll always have a cell bill. Unless you use an antennae, you've got a cable bill. Then there's insurance if you want to drive or be healthy and oh, let's not forget taxes! You will even incur debt as you draw your last breath and someone else will take care of your bills after you're gone. Can we ever be truly debt-free?

John 8:36 says "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." Our souls are the only thing about us that can truly be debt-free because Jesus paid it all. As the old song goes, "All to him I owe". Except, I don't owe him. His grace and mercy are free. You don't owe him either. You don't have to be wise, patient, confident, goal-driven, responsible, not materialistic or willing to make sacrifices to become free indeed. You do have to believe in Jesus unto salvation with your whole heart and love your neighbor.

You may already be monetarily debt-free as much as is possible but your soul may be burdened with a debt you can't pay. Have people seeking to be debt-free heard Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom? I'm glad some people are still willing to make sacrifices but that went out of style about 2000 years ago.  Make your 2015 resolution to get out of debt, not materialistically but...spiritually. Become a living sacrifice. Jesus can give you new meaning to Debt-Free Living!

Happy to be free,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Thursday, January 1, 2015

5 Predictions for 2015

2015 happy new year

Happy New Year! I pray it's a great year for everyone. Here's my 5 Predictions for 2015:


  • ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE. I feel like sometimes we turn this into "Give and ye shall receive." We miss a lot of things God wants us to have because we've convinced ourselves we don't have anything to give in order to receive. The good news is Matthew 21:22 says "And all things , whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Quit worrying about giving and simply ask!

  • REGRET IS WORSE A YEAR OLDER. Haven't you always heard "Don't put off tomorrow what you can do today?" This is so true concerning doing things we know in our hearts we should. Repent where you need to, forgive where you need to, love where you need to. The longer the sorrow goes, the bigger it grows. Proverbs 15:13 tells us "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." 

  • EFFORT WILL BE REWARDED. Remember the tortoise and the hare? Slow and steady won the race. Staying in the race is the moral to the story. This may be your year! You aren't napping, are you? Because it is true, you can't get something for nothing. Proverbs 28:20 says "A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent." That old rabbit is guilty as charged.

  • TALKING TO STRANGERS BECOMES THE NEW CRAZE. If people ever realize they may be talking to a supernatural creature when they speak to a stranger, talking to strangers will become the latest, greatest crazy thing to do. Can you imagine a world of friendly people with everyone talking to everyone? Sounds like heaven doesn't it? Hebrews 13:2 says "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unaware." You can talk to an angel today!

  • I'LL WRITE IF YOU'LL READ. Thank you for your faithful readership in 2014. I promise to seek God's guidance to continue to bring you a "word" each week. Please feel free to share these weekly emails with family, friends, co-workers, etc. or ask me to add them to my list. I love to share the splendor of our Heavenly Father! 
Happy 2015,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

The Unexpected Christmas Card

Every blog should have a catchy Christmas post. I intended to title mine "10 No-No's of Sending Christmas Cards". It would have started something like this:

1. No-no #1. Don't address your card to "The Family Name". For example, we received a card addressed to THE STAFFORD FAMILY. Before we even opened it to see who sent it, my husband said, as he was reading the envelope and shaking his head, "They don't even know our names!". I admit it does seem a bit impersonal to send a greeting to a household without addressing the individual persons.

2. No-no #2. Don't sign every card you send with a coined expression. Imagine this. You go to the mailbox to find a Christmas card from a friend you haven't talked to since last Christmas. YOU ARE EXCITED to hear from them until you open the card to read....Christmas Blessings, signed xxxxx. You wonder if your friendship really means anything to them or at least that's what crossed my mind.

Yes, that's how my list was starting to come together until yesterday when Steve found this in the mailbox.

An envelope from a return address and person neither one of us knew. More suspiciously, addressed using my complete formal name. I encouraged Steve to open it. He found this:
A beautiful Christmas card with Mary, Baby Jesus and scripture on it. Who could it be from? Puzzled, Steve opened the card to find this:
YES! A CHECK FOR FIFTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS!
BUT WHY? FROM WHOM? AND WHAT FOR?

Inside the card held the explanation:
It said:

Dear Mrs. Stafford and Family,
     I have given much thought to the auto accident that occurred on April 11th of this year with your daughter, Sloane. (If the accident report is correct) I think there may have been some shared responsibility for the accident.  The check enclosed should hopefully cover any responsibility that may have been mine.   Sincerely, _______________

WOW! It took me a minute to remember the accident because Sloane has been hit five times this year, no fault of her own. She was hit by an uninsured driver that she had to pay for, this accident which this gentleman declared was not his fault that she paid for, a minor bump that didn't get reported and was not necessary to repair, a hit and run that didn't get fixed and finally an accident where the other person's insurance paid!

This random act of kindness is refreshing to my faith!  I will call this gentleman, thank him and extend our sincere appreciation for his thoughtfulness. The accident did cost us $1500 to repair Sloane's car. I'll also tell him he's forgiven. We forgave him the minute the stress of the accident subsided. Christmas Blessings to him! I'm glad he's free from his burden just in time for Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap

Monday, December 22, 2014

Christmastime, an original poem


Merry Christmas to all,
Tammy
The Happy Handicap