Okay, I promise I have a great explanation for being M.I.A.

Hey D. W. D. I.  Family,

   First and foremost, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Man, oh, man, it is 2013! Can you believe it? I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season filled with loved ones and good cheer!

   How have I been? That is a great question.  I am better now than I have been in months.  Yes, months.  That problem I had just continued to get worse and worse until I was in so much pain I became dehydrated one weekend because I could not keep anything down.  My doctors figured out the problem and I am on a regime to prevent things from getting to that point again, praise God.  It has taken a while for me to really feel better and to regain the strength and energy I had before things went south.  I am still working on it, but I am SO THANKFUL that I am not in nearly as much pain as I had been.  I would advise everyone to seek medical attention a lot sooner than I did (I was trying to save money) and to be persistent when you know something is wrong (they could not find the problem for months while I continued to get worse).  Dehydration is a serious matter and it could easily be life-threatening.  I really think my doctor was very close to admitting me to the hospital, which would have been BAD.

   While I was feeling miserable (as in barely able to function because I was in so much pain), you would not believe what happened. I PASSED MY EXAM! PASSED. P-A-S-S-E-D! I could not believe it.  I was in complete shock and just thankful to be feeling some better when I got the results.  Have I celebrated? No, not really.  Still trying to regain my health and stamina to lessen my fibromyalgia pain.  And, I am rushing to find a full-time job with benefits before my insurance runs out.  Do I continue to give God the praises he deserves? ABSOLUTELY!!!!! I also want to thank everyone who prayed for me because this was a team effort for God's glory! I have not found a job in my profession yet, but I am still looking.

   Also, while I was feeling miserable, my friend hooked me up with a freelancing job.  I get paid per project and I am super thankful for that because I have had medical bills and one private student loan to pay  (I do not care for that company at all.  They made me pay for forbearances and only gave me a year total throughout the life of the loan to do it.  That company was completely unsympathetic to what was going on regarding my health and my job situation).  That came right on time, as in shortly before I got a lot worse health wise.  That is the only reason why my credit has not gone south.  It has been emotionally and physically exhausting trying to take care of these things while still trying to rest and also get some exercise so that my fibromyalgia does not get worse, especially with the weather turning cold.  But, I am living proof that God has provided for me when I had nothing left and that he continues to provide I am forever grateful.

  I did not want to make this all about me.  I just wanted to update my story as part of my testimony as to how good God is to me and that he can be that way to you, too.  I also wanted to share the following devotional from Godtube titled, "Don't stop."  It is so easy to do that.  Trust me.  I am tempted to do that every day, but I do not because God deserves better than that.  So I persevere, and you should, too!

Don't Stop-Godtube.com

Here is 2 Corinthians 4 for your convenience as well.

Just from what I have experienced and I continue to see in my friends' lives, I just thought that this message was right on time for us. I hope it is for you as well.

Well, I am still playing catch up with a lot of things, including y'all.  I am really sorry for that.  Please bear with me as I try to manage everything.  Take care and I will ttys!

Love,
CCC