When Someone You Love Has Cancer by Cecil Murphey

When Someone You Love Has Cancer Author: Cecil Murphey Harvest House Publishers ISBN: 978-0-7369-2428-3 Retail: $10.99

Cecil Murphey, author of 90 Minutes in Heaven and a seasoned ghostwriter of more than 100 books, has written a loving inspirational book for cancer caregivers and family members. Cec isn't new to cancer. His intimate care for his wife as she fought cancer is evident on the pages of this sweetly written book. From the cover of this beautifully illustrated book to the closing remarks, he guides caregivers through a gentle question and answer session. Prayers for difficult situations are scattered throughout the book and personal illustrations from cancer caregivers help validate and encourage readers.

About the Book
The World Health Organization reported that by the year 2010 cancer will be the number one killer worldwide. More than 12.4 million people in the world suffer from cancer. 7.6 million people are expected to die from some form of cancer. That's a lot of people, but the number of loved ones of cancer sufferers is far greater. What do they do when a special person in their life is diagnosed with this devastating disease?

Murphey brings his experiences as a loved one and many years of wisdom gained from being a pastor and hospital chaplain to his newest book When Someone You Love Has Cancer: Comfort and Encouragement for Caregivers and Loved Ones (Harvest House Publishers). His honest I've-been-there admissions and practical helps are combined with artist Michal Sparks' soothing watercolor paintings.

Readers of When Someone You Love Has Cancer will receive:

• Inspiration to seek peace and understanding in their loved one's situation



• Help in learning the importance of active listening



• Guidance in exploring their own feelings of confusion and unrest



• Suggestions on how to handle anxiety and apprehension



• Honest answers to questions dealing with emotions, exhaustion, and helplessness



• Spirit-lifting thoughts for celebrating the gift of life in the midst of troubles

Murphey explains why this is a much-needed book: "Most books about cancer address survivors. I want to speak to the mates, families, and friends who love those with cancer. I offer a number of simple, practical things people can do for those with cancer."

A Chat with Cecil
The first sentence of your book reads, "I felt helpless." Tell us about that feeling.

Because her doctor put Shirley into the high-risk category, I felt helpless. To me, helpless means hating the situation, wanting to make it better, but admitting there was nothing I could do for her.

About the Author: Cecil Murphey is an international speaker and bestselling author who has written more than 100 books, including the New York Times bestseller 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper). No stranger himself to loss and grieving, Cecil has served as a pastor and hospital chaplain for many years, and through his ministry and books he has brought hope and encouragement to countless people around the world. For more information, visit The Man Behind the Words.

On that same page you also write, "One thing we learned: God was with us and strengthened us through the many weeks of uncertainty and pain." How did you get from feeling helpless to that assurance?

Shirley and I sat down one day and I put my arm around her. "The only way I know how I can handle this," I said, "is to talk about it." Shirley knows that's my way of working through puzzling issues. "Let's consider every possibility." If her surgeon decided she did not have breast cancer, how would we react? We talked of our reaction if he said, "There is a tumor and it's obviously benign. Finally, I was able to say, with tears in my eyes, "How do we react if he says the cancer is advanced and you have only a short time to live?" By the time we talked answered that question, I was crying. Shirley had tears in her eyes, but remained quite calm. "I'm ready to go whenever God wants to take me," she said. She is too honest not to have meant those words. As I searched her face, I saw calmness and peace. I held her tightly and we prayed together. After that I felt calm. Since then, one of the first things I do when I awaken is to thank God that Shirley and I have at least one more day together.

When most people hear the word cancer applied to someone they love, they have strong emotional reactions. What are some of them? What was your reaction when your wife was diagnosed with breast cancer?

As a pastor, a volunteer chaplain, and a friend I've encountered virtually every emotional reaction. Some refuse to accept what they hear. Some go inward and are unable to talk. Others start making telephone calls to talk to friends.

Me? I went numb, absolutely numb. That was my old way of dealing with overwhelming emotions. I heard everything but I couldn't feel anything. It took me almost two weeks before I was able to feel--and to face the possibility that the person I loved most in the world might die.

"What can I do for my loved one with cancer?" That's a good question for us to ask ourselves. How can we be supportive and helpful?

Many think they need to do big things; they don't. Express your concern and your love.

Be available to talk when the other person needs it--and be even more willing to be silent if your loved one doesn't want to talk. Don't ask what you can do; do what you see needs doing. To express loving support in your own way (and we all express love differently) is the best gift you can offer.

Why do you urge people not to say, "I know exactly how you feel"?

No one knows how you feel. They may remember how they felt at a certain time. Even if they did know, what help is that to the person with cancer? It's like saying, "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. I know what it's like and I'm fine now."

Instead, focus on how the loved one feels. Let him or her tell you.

Those with cancer suffer physically and spiritually. You mention God's silence as a form of spiritual suffering. They pray and don't seem to sense God. What can you do to help them?

God is sometimes silent but that doesn't mean God is absent. In my upcoming book, When God Turns off the Lights, I tell what it was like for me when God stopped communicating for about 18 months.

I didn't like it and I was angry. I didn't doubt God's existence, but I didn't understand the silence. I read Psalms and Lamentations in various translations. I prayed and I did everything I could, but nothing changed.

After a couple of months, I realized that I needed to accept the situation and wait for God to turn on the lights again. Each day I quoted Psalm 13:1: "O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?" (NLT)

I learned many invaluable lessons about myself--and I could have learned them only in the darkness. When God turns off the lights (and the sounds) I finally realized that instead of God being angry, it was God's loving way to draw me closer.

Guilt troubles many friends and loved ones of caregivers because they feel they failed or didn't do enough. What can you say to help them?

We probably fail our loved ones in some ways. No one is perfect. If you feel that kind of guilt, I suggest 3 things:

(1) Tell the loved one and ask forgiveness.

(2) Talk to God and ask God to forgive you and give you strength not to repeat your failures.

(3) Forgive yourself. And one way to do that is to say, "At the time, I thought I did the right thing. I was wrong and I forgive myself."

Do you have some final words of wisdom for those giving care to a loved one with cancer?

Be available. You can't take away the cancer but you can alleviate the sense of aloneness. Don't ever try to explain the reason the person has cancer. We don't know the reason and even if we did, would it really help the other person?

Be careful about what you say. Too often visitors and friends speak from their own discomfort and forget about the pain of the one with cancer. Don't tell them about your cancer or other disease; don't tell them horror stories about others. Above all, don't give them false words of comfort. Be natural. Be yourself. Behave as loving as you can.

Prize Alert!
A grand prize gift basket will be given to a reader selected by the blogger with the most comments on his or her tour. This grand prize has a retail value, including shipping, of $300!

What's Included:

• When Someone You Love Has Cancer



• 90 Minutes in Heaven (hard cover)



• Heaven Is Real (hard cover)



• Daily Devotions Inspired by 90 Minutes in Heaven (hard cover)



• 90 Minutes in Heaven, gift edition (selections)



• 90 Minutes in Heaven, audio (5 CD set)



• Heaven Is Real, audio (6 CDs)



• Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story



• Think Big



• Everybody Loved Roger Harden



• Everybody Wanted Room 623



• Everybody Called Her a Saint



• Committed But Flawed



• Immortality of Influence (hard cover)



• Touchdown Alexander (hard cover)



• Aging Is an Attitude



• My Parents, My Children: Spiritual Help for Caregivers

How to Enter:
Leave a comment telling me about how cancer has touched your life or the life of someone you love.

Extra Entries:

• Second Entry: Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to the tweet.
  
  
  visit @3stairs to win a grand prize full of books
  worth over $300! http://bit.ly/hkOXR
  
  
  



• Third Entry: Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know your Twitter user name.



• Fourth Entry: Subscribe to 3Stairs and leave a comment letting me know if you subscribed with RSS or via e-mail.
  
  
  By RSS:

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



• Fifth Entry: Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.



• Sixth Entry: Add a 3Stairs button to your blog and leave a comment with a link to your blog so we can visit!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

I'll use Random.org to choose a winner if 3 Stairs gets the most comments.

Large Format Posters 18x24 Digital Print Giveaway

I've always wanted a large print of a picture of my kids (I'd get that one over there, I think), but I was always afraid to bite the bullet and actually do it. I may just have to now. Large Format Posters makes it entirely possible with custom poster printing in sizes ranging from 16" x 20" all the way up to 27" x 40". You can even create custom sizes.

"Yeah, ok, whoop-tee-do. They have cool poster printing. I bet the cost is about as large-format as their posters, aren't they, huh?"

Uh, how about less than $55 for the largest standard size poster of 27" x 40"? Not so large-format, huh? So there! :P

Oh, and how about free? Large Format Posters is giving one 3 Stairs reader a free 18" x 24" print in high- or semi-gloss finish. Gotcha droolin' now, don't I?

How to Enter: Leave a comment telling me about the picture you'd like to have printed.

Extra Entries:

• Second Entry: Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to the tweet.
  
  
  RT @3stairs win an 18x24 digital print from
  Large Format Posters! http://bit.ly/16yzmc
  
  
  



• Third Entry: Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know your Twitter user name.



• Fourth Entry: Subscribe to 3Stairs and leave a comment letting me know if you subscribed with RSS or via e-mail.
  
  
  By RSS:

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



• Fifth Entry: Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.



• Sixth Entry: Add a 3Stairs button to your blog and leave a comment with a link to your blog so we can visit!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

I'll let Random.org choose a winner on the morning of Thursday, August 6, so get your entries in by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, August 5. The winner will be sent a coupon code directly from Large Format Posters on Friday, August 7.

Disclaimers:

Giveaway is open to US/CAN residents. Ground shipping of prizes is free, but there is a $5 handling fee that must be paid by winner. Large Format Posters reserves the right not to print obscene or offensive materials.

All designs submitted in the form of a giveaway may be used by Large Format Posters for online marketing and promotional uses. The designs will be used solely as examples and will not be printed or commercially distributed.

All or Nothing Day - July 26

Did you ever think about doing something but then didn’t do it because you were afraid? What about that book that’s floating around in your head, or the road trip along Route 66? How about skydiving or riding a unicycle? Well, today is the day – it’s All or Nothing Day! Give it your all today, whatever “it” is. Whether it’s being a parent, a clown, or a cashier, commit yourself to being the absolute best you can be. So many times in life we do just the minimum required to get by. What if we did everything we could? Gave 110%, as the coaches say. Just for today, put all your effort and energy into whatever you do. Let your kids see you pouring your heart into something. Read the rest at KidGlue.com.

What are you going to do today?

Welcome to the Twilight Zone

Update:

After switching to a new theme with a bajillion options (thanks for the tip, Alex!), I'm mostly happy with the site. Please leave a comment and let me know if anything looks wonky, ugly, or just plain "not right" to you.

Or if it's the most fantabulous plaid blog you've ever seen!

No, you're not going crazy. I'm screwin' around with the site coding and themes again. I'll post when I'm done messin' stuff up.

Enjoy the show!

#KidsWeigh - Win A Wii Fit!

With childhood obesity reaching an all time high across the country, many parents struggle with how to help their children maintain a healthy weight with proper nutrition.

Dr. Joanna Dolgoff, the official doctor of Camp Shane and a board certified pediatrician, has created Dr. Dolgoff's Weigh, a traffic-light system that allows kids to learn which foods are healthiest without counting calories. To spread the word about her site and program, Dr. Weigh, is sponsoring a Wii Fit contest to help you get your family up and moving this summer!


To Enter:
To enter to win the #KidsWeigh Wii Fit contest, check out client testimonials and fabulous Dr. Weigh success stories then fill out this secure contest form telling us which story was your favorite!

Form: http://tinyurl.com/kidsweighcontest


One grand prize winner will receive a Wii Fit. Two runners-up will receive a free one month membership to Dr. Weigh. This contest ends Friday, July 24th at 11:59 a.m. ET. and is brought to you by Momfluence.

Just a July Friday Fill-in

1. Money and Sonic make a quick and easy dinner.

2. Mothers of the Bible Speak to Mothers of Today is the book I'm reading right now.

3. July brings back memories of watching fireworks as a kid.

4. The way he looked at her, the fact that he adored her was obvious.

5. They say if you tell your dreams they won't come true.

6. It's usually a good idea to think it over.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a nice hot shower, tomorrow my plans include church and a Sabbath afternoon with the kids doing Daniel lapbooks and Sunday, I want to get ahead on my posts!

Wait and Trust

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
Job 13:15 KJVR


God may kill me, but still I will trust him and offer my defense.
Job 13:15 CEV


Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
Micah 7:7 KJVR


But I trust the LORD God to save me, and I will wait for him to answer my prayer.
Micah 7:7 CEV


(A psalm by David for Jeduthun, the music leader.) Only God can save me, and I calmly wait for him.
Psalms 62:1 CEV


Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
Psalms 25:5 KJVR


Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Psalms 27:14 KJVR


Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defense.
Psalms 59:9 KJVR


My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
Psalms 62:5 KJVR


I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
Psalms 69:3 KJVR


I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
Psalms 130:5 KJVR


The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
Lamentations 3:25 KJVR


It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations 3:26 KJVR


Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.
Hosea 12:6 KJVR

While I'm Waiting

As my Twitter followers know, I've begun the Love Dare Bible Study recently. Michael and I watched the movie "Fireproof" several weeks ago, then the study group watched the movie last week to begin the study. Before I ever even saw the movie, I was caught by this song. Tonight on my way home, I was thinking about my life, my marriage, the movie, the study, everything. And I've come to a decision.

I am making this song my theme song for this season of my life.

It will encourage me.
It will hold me accountable.
It will remind me that there is something and Someone beyond what I see and feel in the moment.
It will remind me what to do when I don't know what to do.
It will remind me where to go when I don't know where to go.
God will bring me home and bring me through with this song.

Amen.


http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/i6X71sXagUY&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999

CookiesKids.com Laptop Giveaway Sweepstakes

Is your current computer stalling and giving you blue screen nightmares? Would you love to be able to have one that the kids could use (alas, staying off of yours)?

CookiesKids.com feels your pain and has come to your rescue!

Sign up to recieve the Cookies Kids Newsletter via e-mail and you're automatically entered to win one of 4 brand new laptops!!

Simply fill out the form below to be entered into our Laptop Giveaway Sweepstakes. Please be sure to read the Giveaway Sweepstakes "Terms and Conditions" before entering your information.

Entry form: http://cli.gs/6dGhsh

Contest ends 9/30/09 at 11:59 AM ET. This contest brought to you courtesy of the Momfluence network.

My Best Friend's Wedding Friday Fill-in

Missy Donna was my best friend for the longest time. We were in high school. Donna was there when my first marriage dissolved. She was there when I went off the deep end and started doing things I shouldn't have after my marriage dissolved.

Then we had a falling out, and she wasn't there anymore. And I had an empty place.

Well, God is good. Donna and I have been back in touch recently, and I discovered something: I still love her dearly. After a life full of things no one should have to go through, Missy Donna is getting her day - her wedding day. She'll be marrying a wonderful, wonderful man named Daniel tomorrow afternoon with her son Jackson by her side.

And only the fiery chariot could keep me away.

Congratulations Missy, Daniel, and Jack. I love you.

1. The last thing I ate was leftover pasta salad last night and my kids' leftover cereal this morning.

2. A set of Clifford Tummy Ticklers is something I recently bought.

3. When it rains, it pours; thankfully right now it's blessings and not challenges.

4. My 6-year-old daughter Sarah was the first person I talked to today.

5. Hugs are always welcome and always wonderful.

6. Everybody, at some time or other, needs some extra comfort.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sweet, sweet sleep, tomorrow my plans include church, potluck, Missy's wedding, and a VBS staff party and Sunday, I want to make it to the grocery store and back before the after-church crowd swarms!

iPhone 3G Giveaway

Give Us Your Conference Call Blooper and Win an iPhone 3G from Packetel!

Have you ever said the wrong thing to a client? Have you ever been caught not paying attention on the line? Have your kids screamed something crazy during a call...

If so - Packetel wants to hear about it!

If not - try out Packetel's Web Conferencing services FREE for 30-days and tell us about your experience!

Packetel Turbo Meeting makes web conferencing simple and easy to do. Here are just a few of their web conferencing features:

• Share screens/desktops with multiple participants



• Assign and acknowledge meeting roles of presenter and controller of keyboard/mouse



• Allow an unlimited number of users to host a web conference



• Schedule meetings and webinars



• Hold ad hoc meetings and webinars and use verbal meeting invitations without resorting to e-mail



• Integrate with Outlook for sending e-mail invitations



• Optimized for different internet connection speeds ranging from broadband to 28KB dial-up



• Annotation over the entire screen/desktop



• Whiteboard and chat functionalities

Win an iPhone for my misdeed on a conference call? Yes! Here's how you can win:

1. Fill out the form below, including your blooper story


OR

2. Try out Packetel's Web Conferencing Service for FREE for 30 days, fill out the form including your experience with the server

Entry form: http://cli.gs/PsvX9W

Bonus Entries! After you've completed 1 or 2 above and filled out the form you can also...

- Blog about Packetel's Online Fax Service and link the text "packetel's web conference service" to: http://www.packetel.com/web-conferencing-turbo-meeting-main.asp

- Become a Fan of Packetel at their Brand New Facebook Fan Page here: http://facebook.com/pages/edit/?id=121265230239#

Contest ends 7/31/09 at 11:59 AM ET. This contest brought to you courtesy of the Momfluence network.

Guest Post: Make a Crinkly Book

When I saw this tweet from my friend Sarah Lewis over at Happy Humans, I knew I had to respond. It was full of wintastic: Guest post: No thinking required from me. (Ok, I ended up having to think to format it to look good here, but I didn't have to actually come up with the post.) Crafting: Crafting is always a win. Baby stuff: Again, always a win. So ladies and gentlemen (I know some of you guys out there sew, too!), here is a crafty, lots-o-pix tutorial to make your very own crinkly book for the really short humans in your life. Enjoy! When my son Benjamin was born last December, someone gave us what she called a “quiet book,” a little six-page diversion meant to entertain a baby. We laugh at the term “quiet” in this context, because while it might keep the baby happy, each page contains cellophane, so the whole book makes a crunchy, crinkly racket. Our grown-up observations aside, though, Benjamin loves it. He happily gnaws on the fabric pages and flings the whole thing hither and yon to hear it crackle. If that wasn’t convincing enough, my sister watches a little girl about Benjamin’s age, and she loves the book, too. She didn’t have one of her own, so I decided to make one for her. If you want to make one, too, here’s how. Note: be sure to read everything once before starting. I’m telling you how I did it, but in retrospect, I would have done some things in different order, so read first to make that call for yourself. But also remember, it’s for a baby, and they don’t care if you make a few mistakes. Determine how many pages your book will be. I opted for eight pages (including the “covers,” not that the covers were any different than any other page), which basically meant two long assemblies of fabric and cellophane, folded over in the middle. Counting front and back, that works out to eight pages. Go in increments of four, and if you’re going to embellish, start small.   Get some cellophane or other crinkly, waterproof material. You’ll want the same number of cellophane pieces as you have pages (and they’ll be just slightly smaller than your pages). I went to a party store thinking to get a roll of cellophane, but ended up just getting four small bags (that I cut in half) because it was much cheaper and honestly, how many of these things am I going to make? If you don’t already have a size in mind, you can determine your size by what kind of cellophane you find easily. I’m thinking of making another book using the plastic wrappers that encase the veggie burgers we buy.   Choose and cut your fabric. I chose it based on feel (several different types to make it interesting for the baby) and look (since the book will live with my sister, I picked styles she likes). This is a perfect stash-busting project, too, because you need so little of each fabric, and mixing and matching is encouraged. You’ll want one piece of fabric for every two pages, since you’ll fold everything in half. I also chose to put a piece of fleece the same size as my cellophane pieces between the layers to add a little bulk, making the pages easy to grab. I just picked some random fleece from my stash since it doesn’t show at all in the finished book. I cut the main pages by laying the cellophane and fleece pieces out on them, with a gap of about 1½” between the two stacks, and left myself about ½” around the perimeter as a seam allowance.   This is when I should have done my freezer paper stenciling (i.e. before attaching the plastic cellophane), since it involves ironing. More info at the point when I actually did it.   Sew the innards in place. More experienced sewers than I would probably have done this better, but I just made a stack of one piece of page fabric (wrong side up), cellophane, fleece, and cellophane again, and sewed it all together. You’ll only do this on half of the page pieces, as you’ll pair them in the next step. I figured that sewing the stack would make everything stay in place better (and it seemed to). I sewed a basic square around the edge of each stack, but you could do fancy stitching of whatever sort you like.   Sew the other half of each page panel on. Just put a “loaded” page piece on top of an empty page piece (right sides together) and sew three sides together (two long sides and one short side), leaving the final side open to turn the page right-side-out. I added loops of ribbon during this step (and I’ll tell you, it kind of turned my head inside out trying to figure out where to put them so they’d alternate colors and such on the final book). I put them on the short side I was going to sew, and pinned them between the two page pieces, with the looped end pointing toward the center. You could also add them in the next step if you prefer.   Turn the pages right-side-out and sew up the final edge. Again, people who are good at sewing probably have some brilliant way of doing this. I just kept reminding myself that the book is for a baby.     This is the point at which I actually did my freezer paper stenciling. I’m not going to do a tutorial on that here because there are already some really good ones, but I’ll add a few observations. If you’re going to embellish (with stenciling or anything else), do something fun, or at least something that you like better than everything else that’s commercially available. I was originally going to do some farm animals, because that’s what’s on the pages of the book we were given, but then I realized that I could do any thing I wanted, so I went with monsters (friendly ones!) instead. If you’re stenciling, don’t use the textured fabric paint that’s made for writing on t-shirts. I did, and it was very difficult to peel off the stencils because the paint was so rubbery. I did some freezer paper stencils on another project and used some basic matte fabric paint and that was much easier.   Sew the pages together. Yep, right down the middle. I did a second line of stitches with the book closed so that it would “default” to having the covers on the outside, but that’s totally your call. You can also do any decorative stitching (like a nice top-stitch around the edges, which I was too lazy to bother with) at this point or right before you sew them all together. More photos of the whole process are available on Flickr. Sarah Lewis is a happy new mama who sets up blogs for people and then teaches them how to blog through easy video tutorials. She also enjoys a variety of crafty hobbies, several of which have taken over the spare bedroom/office. Her husband loves her anyway.

Momfluence Summer Guide

photo by G Viciano Looking for some great products to make your summer that much more fun and enjoyable? Looking to pamper yourself while the kids are off at camp? Or maybe you're dealing with summer bumps and bruises. Momfluence has collected some reviews of great products that you need to know about! Check out what our reviewers had to say about these great summer finds. And don't forget to stop by the Momfluence member giveaways listed at the bottom for some summer winning! Featured Products FishBites Swimmies - Spending time in the water is one of the most fun and exciting parts of summer. FishBites Swimmies by Swimways is a great solution to give the little ones the extra security they need in the pool, in a fun and exciting way. Delsey Helium Fusion Carryon - If you are hitting the road or flying the skies this summer for your family vacation, the Delsey Helium Fusion carry-on offers a lightweight solution for packing your travel essentials. Do Something Daily Calendar - Tired of hearing the kids say they have nothing to do? The DoSomethingDaily Calendar offers fun and exciting suggestions for things to do on each and every day of the year. Make memories with your family, every day! Perlabella Pearls - Want to combat some of the wrinkles cause by sun damage? Perlabella's Retinol solution helps to fight the signs of aging, that can be caused by excessive sun exposure and other factors. More Summer Fun iTurtle Playdoh Spaghetti Factory Submergency Nerf NFL Progrip Football SuperSoaker 50 Boochie Game Good For The Kids Talking To Toddlers Two Belles and A Bead Engraved Necklace Cardstore Jumeau Handbags Staphaseptic Member Reviews/Giveaways Bonggamom - $50 Tiny Prints Gift Certificate IceFairy's Treasure Chest - KiNeSYS, Purex 3-in1, and more Eccentric, Eclectic Woman - Bra Barrette, Skipping Hippos Riding With No Hands - 20 Piece Rubbermaid Set Consumer Queen - FurBuster PlusSizeMommy - Giant Hershey Bar, Zensoy, and more MommyNotGuilty - KidBanz Sunglasses Robyn's Online World - Kodak Digital Frame Simply Being Mommy - EA Sports Active Lattes and Life - Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs & Parent's Choice Formula Motherhood Moment - Summer Fun A Simple Kinda Life - Summer Soiree of Giveaways From Cribs to Car Keys - EcoStore $25 Gift Certificate and more Miscellaneous Finds 4 U - Tiny Prints and more All Momfluence guide reviews are product-provided, featured positions were purchased by vendors. Member reviews and giveaways are not associated with Momfluence.

#ThankYouAaron

A little over eight hours ago, a man gave his life in the name of freedom. His name was Aaron. His father David Masters reached out to the Twitter community to make some sense of it and to memorialize his son. #ThankYouAaron began as a way to help a father cope with the loss of his son. I see it becoming a campaign to keep the sacrifices of our many military heroes on the forefront of the collective conscious.

Will you help?

Daily Blatherings

Update:
I found daily posts to be too much, so I've changed it to weekly posts and hidden all the daily posts so they don't clog up the archives.

I found a neat plugin called Twitter Tools that posts a digest of your tweets on your blog. I thought this would be a good idea for several reasons.

1. I'm always trying to figure out how to post more often.



2. I have trouble figuring out what to write about, or forget what I wanted to mention on my blog, or it's not a big enough post.



3. I want you guys to see more of who I am on a day-to-day basis and what is important to me.

Each night at 11:59, there'll be an automatic post of all my Tweets for the day. I'm hoping they'll help me reach the goals listed above.

Independence Day Friday Fill-in

1. When I heard my friend Stephanie sing "Watching" for her Daddy for Father's Day, I cried and cried.

2. Belly laughs with great friends is the best medicine.

3. It's late, but never too late to reconcile a relationship.

4. Hope always.

5. My eyes have seen things no person should ever see.

6. Believe in whatever you choose to believe in strongly.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sleep, tomorrow my plans include church and Sunday, I want to NOT go grocery shopping, but I'll do it anyway!