Depression and Diabetes

Dear Living With Type 2 Diabetes Program Member,

Everyone feels down every once in awhile. But feelings of sadness that just won’t go away could be a sign of depression.  People with diabetes are at greater risk for depression.  Having depression can affect how well you manage your blood glucose, but your blood glucose can also affect your mood.  If you think your blood glucose level is affecting your mood, or if you think you have depression, talk with your health care provider.

Symptoms of Depression

Loss of pleasure – You no longer take interest in doing things you used to enjoy.

Change in sleep patterns – You have trouble falling asleep, you wake often during the night, or you want to sleep more than usual, including during the day.

Early to rise – You wake up earlier than usual and cannot to get back to sleep.

Change in appetite – You eat more or less than you used to, resulting in a quick weight gain or weight loss.

Trouble concentrating – You can’t watch a TV program or read an article because other thoughts or feelings get in the way.

Loss of energy – You feel tired all the time.

Nervousness – You always feel so anxious you can’t sit still.

Guilt – You feel you “never do anything right” and worry that you are a burden to others.

Morning sadness – You feel worse in the morning than you do the rest of the day.

Suicidal thoughts – You feel you want to die or are thinking about ways to hurt yourself.

Learn more about depression and diabetes.

There’s a lot to manage when it comes to diabetes and it can be hard to keep track of all your tests, medicines, and exams.  Let Diabetes 24/7 help.  This tool allows you to communicate your health information with your doctor and anyone else you choose.



Keep track of blood glucose, A1C, blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, physical activity and your medicines.  Check out Diabetes 24/7 today.

From Eva About Richard's Visit

Eva wrote: Congratulations, Myrna, that was good news.  

We had a surprise fabulous weekend.  Richard came home for a surprise visit.  We spent Thursday afternoon together and he went with me to pick out a frame and orer my new glasses. Bless his heart; he paid  for them for me.  Friday evening  he, Jim &^ Karma came and got me then we met David, Eulale , Lynda and Michael at the Olive Garden uptown in Salt Lake where I treated them all to dinner; we had a wonerful time and were grateful Michael felt well enough to come;  he had a total shoulder replacement surgery ten days ago. has his arm in a sling and lot s of pain meds.   He has not been able to be with us for two or more years.  Today Richard picked me up and we went to visit Helen  which was nice.  i have not seen her since she was in th4  hospital .  We went with Jim & Karma and Titan up  to enjoy the afternoon in their beautiful cabin 45 mins up Parley's Canyon in one of the side canyons. Then we went to Jim's where Andraia and Blake had cooked Japanese food .  JD, Angie, Gil and Kaitlyn came; also Barry Jana, David, Eulale, Tiffanie and Adelyn also all came. Richard brought me home then went back to his hotel to get some much needed sleep.  His plan leaves at noon tomorrow. They are still considering doing the Stem Cell transplant. If they do, he will be in the hospital for a month then many months recuperating   We all had such a good time together. Have a good Sabbath.  much love, Eva

To the Elders

This morning, at the assisted living center, where we have been assigned to a one-year mission to provide a sacrament service for the residents there, we had another spiritual experience. Some of the residents are lucid and some are not. Some are in and out of reality. I am always impressed that they can sing the hymns with such gusto, remembering the words, when we have to go from person to person helping them to find the page. A few can find the hymn number on their own but most cannot.

Norma Sherwood is 103-years-old. She has outlived her two daughters and two husbands. Her son-in-law is in terrible health. Her grandkids are good to come and visit from time to time but she really has no one left to care for her. We usually have our pianist choose the hymns for the service, simply because, that way, they will be able to play well. This morning, a young mother in our ward, Rachel Olsen, selected, as the closing hymn, "Nearer My God to Thee." Norma leads the music each Sunday. She sits up front in the room and she does a wonderful job. One nurse tried to tell her that she didn't need to do more than a simple form of leading but Norma would have none of it. She was trained to do it right and she was going to do it right. At any rate, she asked the pianist to wait a minute before beginning to play. She said she wanted to talk about the music for a minute. 

She then told us all of the night the Titanic sunk. The people who were left on board, after the life boats had all been used, knew they were going to die. "They knew that in a few minutes they would all drown, that they were going to die." It would do no good to throw themselves into the ocean because the tow of the sinking ship would draw them under. So they stayed on board on the deck. "Some of them hugged one another. Then they all sang, 'Nearer My God to Thee.' They knew that they were going to die but they sang."  She got a bit teary-eyed telling of that. "When I heard about that, I just cried. I still cry every time I think about those people who knew they were going to die and who sang a hymn."

We then sang the hymn. I had a hard time singing because she had painted such a vivid picture for us all. In fact, while she spoke all of the residents listened and paid attention to all she said. 

Colleen Bender and her husband Russ Bender, who was one of the bishops I served under when I was Relief Society President, were there to assist. Russ was in charge of conducting. Colleen gave the poem from conference that Elder Boyd Packer gave. "In 1992, having served nine years as an Assistant to the Twelve and 22 years as a member of the Twelve, I reached the age of 68. I felt impressed to start what I called an 'Unfinished Composition.'" he said. The residents really enjoyed the poem and laughed in all the right spots. I was impressed.

Colleen, like me, found that she had very tender feelings for the people who are there. These are people in our community who have worked with both Colleen and I in many church callings and in community service over the years. One was a nurse at the hospital, another the county treasurer, another was a county commissioner. One cut my hair many, many years ago. Each one of them is living at the home were they can be assisted with medications and meals. They have formed something of a family and like to be together. It doesn't matter that some do not remember the name of their friend. They take hands and they just enjoy being together.

I was so impressed with the graduations we attended for Dane, last week, and Kyle, on Thursday. I talked about Dane's graduation last week. Kyle was in the symphonic band and in the acappella choir. So he played the opening music in the band and then walked to the other side of the stage to sing. Kyle did well and was in the top 10 percent of his class. the speakers at both events were quite good. Last year, the school board member who spoke at Kyle's school had droned on and on. The speaker this year must have decided that he could win the next election more easily if he gave a short address and got on with it.

Dane's class was about 100 and Kyle's was about 500. Just marching that many people across the stage and saying something about them while the are introduced takes enough time so that no one wants to listen to a school board member go on and on about the greatness of the educational system in Utah. Both graduations were held at UVU. Dane's in the grand ballroom and Kyle's in the basketball arena.

 Erin, Donovin and Caydin will be with us for a week. They will be coming tomorrow. David and Bree are going to serve and best man and matron of honor for two of their friends who are getting married. Julie is bringing her kids over on Wednesday for Stephanie to celebrate her birthday. Siovhan's and Michael's are all within a few days of each. 

This morning, at stake general priesthood meeting, they introduced 14 young men who had just graduated from high school and who have received their mission calls. They then had them all sing a hymn. Gramps said it was a wonderful experience.

Well, we love our missionary grandson. (Well we do have two and will soon have three.) You know that we pray for you and that I keep your name on the temple prayer roll. Both Gramps and I are so proud of the great work that you are doing. We are thankful for the many tender mercies that our Father in Heaven is showing to you (and to your cousin). We are so thankful for you.

Special to Michael: We hope that your birthday card arrived on time and in good shape. We hope that the birthday is one of the best ever.

News From Eva

Congratulations, that was good news.

We had a surprise fabulous weekend.  Richard came home for a surprise visit.  We spent Thursday afternoon together and he went with me to pick out a frame and order my new glasses. Bless his heart; he paid  for them for me.  Friday evening  he, Jim & Karma came and got me then we met David, Eulale, Lynda and Michael at the Olive Garden uptown in Salt Lake where I treated them all to dinner; we had a wonerful time and were grateful Michael felt well enough to come;  he had a total shoulder replacement surgery ten days ago. has his arm in a sling and lots of pain meds.   He has not been able to be with us for two or more years.  Today Richard picked me up and we went to visit Helen  which was nice.  i have not seen her since she was in the  hospital.  We went with Jim & Karma and Titan up  to enjoy the afternoon in their beautiful cabin 45 mins up Parleys Canyon in one of the side canyons.   Then we went to Jim's where Andraia and Blake had cooked Japanese food .  JD., Angie, Gil and Kaitlyn came; also Barry Jana, David, Eulale, Tiffanie and Adelyn also all came. Richard brought me home then went back to his hotel  to get some much needed sleep.  His plane leaves at noon tomorrow. They are still considering doing the Stem Cell transplant. If they do, he will be in the hospital for a month then many months recuperating. We all had such a good time together.   Have a good Sabbath.  Much love, Eva

Picnic

While I ended up sick on Memorial Day itself, the Sunday afternoon that we decorated graves for the Smith grandparents, my mom, a Childs family ancestor, and the Smith aunts and uncles in the Evergreen Cemetery, was a good day. (Jim also has an ancestor buried nearby.)

Many hands made short work of the weeding and clean-up. Shawn had brought some gas-run garden tools which helped. The plots looked lovely when we were done.

We ended up having a tailgate picnic at roadside where my Smith family is buried. 

Toren warned us that we should not eat at the cemetery. He said it was just not a good idea so he sat in the car after the decorating was done. 

However, the other members of his family did join in. They had not received the memo that there would be a picnic so they mostly had dessert. The Jones and Howards did eat and they all remained well and healthy in spite of Toren's warning. There were others there who also had  picnics near other plots. I don't know how they fared. Shawn ended up being ill. I did fine until the next day when the bladder infection I had got much worse. 

Your dad's father (Henry) always told him to never take anything away from a cemetery because it was not good to do so. LHT and I had quite a discussion about the time I brought some sod pieces I had dug up and put them on the north side of our house. No one ever told me not to eat there. I think, however, that my relatives would not have an objection. They all liked picnics, to the best of my recollection. We certainly had enough of them as I was growing up.

When we used to decorate graves when I was a child, we would always end up at Uncle Fred and Aunt Pearle's house. There we would have a backyard picnic, if the weather was good. They had a wonderful backyard--green lawns and wonderful bushes. We would always have a wonderful time.

I give you all permission to have a picnic near my grave when I have joined the Smiths in that spot.

From Melanie to Myrna (A Reply to Help)

So...remember when I was a teenager and we would occasionally find ourselves watching television together? You would cry when certain commercials came on. Every time we watched the Kleenex commercial, you cried...I mean EVERY time. I said something to you one time and you got up, angry with me because I told you that you had seen the commercial about fifty times, and you didn't need to cry over it anymore. I think I said something like, "Oh, my, gosh...get over it all ready." You cried more. Before you stormed off you said something along the lines of, "I can't wait until you have children, and the doctors hook your tear ducts up." I think you prayed for that...because it happened. :)

What you are telling me sounds like the Mom I remember from my youth. Not someone who is weak, just someone who is connected. I would rather you cry, than not feel connected. As for the worry part...I think Grandma Smith told you that you were a ninety year old woman who worried too much, and you were a young mother at the time. Old dogs continue to perform their old tricks? You can dress a monkey in pearls and a skirt and it's still a monkey? Even when you took Zoloft you worried....

As to the Elderly. We are supposed to feel for them. President Monson still tears up when he talks of his visits with his 85 widows. He talks tenderly of them and about them. We don't need to worry for them though. I believe the Lord has them here to teach us lessons, like he does of the mentally handicapped. We know they are precious in the sight of God. They are being reserved here on earth to earn their bodies. Maybe their spirits need more time for refinement...we will know all things soon enough. For now, enjoy them. 

One time when I was holding Dorothy H.'s hand, I was talking with her and telling her about my busy morning. She hasn't been able to talk for ten years. While I was explaining to her why I not as happy as usually, she looked in to my eyes, gave my hand the biggest squeeze that she had been able to ever give, and smiled. I looked in to her beautiful blue eyes, and the spirit bore testimony to me that God knew her. I then had the impression that I was supposed to tell her that. I said, "Dorothy, I know God loves you. He is mindful of you and He hasn't forgotten you." She started to cry. I started to cry. Whenever I walked in the room after that, she would find me and hold my hand. I still cry when I think of that moment. Whenever I was with those people, I treasured my time. I would be so sad when I would go in one day, and find out that one of my best friends had died. At first it affected me greatly, then I realized how happy they were to be rid of that infirm body and to once again be reunited with spouses and children who had passed on before. 

In the research that I have done, the music that we have loved for years and sung for years: hymns, Primary songs, patriotic songs, etc. are keys to unlocking the mind. There were many patients that I worked with that were content to sit and observe, not being able to speak or communicate in any way, but as soon as I started singing songs from the 40s or 50s, hymns or play songs, there would be a spark in their eyes, and they would start moving their hands and singing along. When I was singing to a woman named Rita, she started singing with me. Her daughter, who visited multiple times a week, walked in, stopped and listened to us (I couldn't see her, she was behind me). Rita looked up to her and sang her a song. The daughter commenced to sob. It was the first time in years that she had heard anything other than babbles coming from her mom. The daughter continues to sing to her mom daily as part of their morning routine, and they share many smiles and hugs afterward. 

I have been studying about hope. There is so little of it in our world anymore...and because their is so little, people despair. 

Elder Uchtdor spoke in the April 2013 General Conference about Hope. 
"There may be some among you who feel darkness encroaching upon you. You may feel burdened by worry, fear, or doubt. To you and to all of us, I repeat a wonderful and certain truth: God’s light is real. It is available to all! It gives life to all things. It has the power to soften the sting of the deepest wound. It can be a healing balm for the loneliness and sickness of our souls. In the furrows of despair, it can plant the seeds of a brighter hope. It can enlighten the deepest valleys of sorrow. It can illuminate the path before us and lead us through the darkest night into the promise of a new dawn.

"This is 'the Spirit of Jesus Christ,' which gives 'light to every man that cometh into the world.' Nevertheless, spiritual light rarely comes to those who merely sit in darkness waiting for someone to flip a switch. It takes an act of faith to open our eyes to the Light of Christ. Spiritual light cannot be discerned by carnal eyes. Jesus Christ Himself taught, 'I am the light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not.' For 'the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.'

"...The very moment you begin to seek your Heavenly Father, in that moment, the hope of His light will begin to awaken, enliven, and ennoble your soul. The darkness may not dissipate all at once, but as surely as night always gives way to dawn, the light will come....Lift up your soul in prayer and explain to your Heavenly Father what you are feeling. Acknowledge your shortcomings. Pour out your heart and express your gratitude. Let Him know of the trials you are facing. Plead with Him in Christ’s name for strength and support. Ask that your ears may be opened, that you may hear His voice. Ask that your eyes may be opened, that you may see His light" ("The Hope of God's Light," Ensign, May 2013, 75). 

"Hope is a thing with feathers, that perches in the heart." ~ Emily Dickinson

Allow yourself to feel hope. Mom...worry about the things you can change. AnnMarie will tell you that. I know she worries, but she knows that she is one person who can only do so much, and where she falls short, she asks for God's help. Wherever you don't feel like you have hope, it is the adversary working on you. Where faith and hope are, fear and doubt can not reside. Instead of gardening a weed bed of fear and doubt, plant flowers of hope and faith. Hope on. 

Love you much!

Mel

I escaped the Grim Reaper again! (Knock on wood.)‏

I am OK. The radiologist was at the hospital this morning. Therefore, she was there to give a review of the mammogram the technician made of the left breast. I just have dense tissue and she did not even have me take the sonogram, even though one had been ordered.

I called to make an appointment at the hospital Friday, after I received a letter that there was a problem and I needed to have further tests done. I couldn't get in until the 14th. I did find out, from Julie, that there is a woman's clinic at Utah Valley. However, you have to have a doctor's referral if you got a letter telling you that you needed follow up attention. 

I called Dr. Jones and requested one. Dad and I both wanted to know what was happening sooner than the 14th. Shawna, his nurse, said she thought that I was going to be just fine and I would not need to go north. However, she talked to Dr. Jones. He said the baseline and all of my information were in Nephi and he thought I should stay. However, he knew the radiologist was at the hospital that morning. He came on the line and talked to me. He pulled strings so I could be seen at 11:30 a.m. and get the results right away. I saw him rushing down the hallway right after I had finished and I was able to thank him.

Apparently I have "dense" tissue. This was the same area that, in 2007, caused concern. I do need to make certain that I go in every year and not in 18-months the way I have been doing. Although the radiologist said that she recommends "every year or so" for postmenopausal women. In the hallway, Dr. Jones said that I should be on the every year schedule and he would see that I was sent a card annually to remind me. I used to go every December, my birth month, but decided, this year, to change to May for Mother's Day. It is less hectic.

I feel blessed. I may have to suffer from some problem in the future but, for now, I am spared.

Melanie wrote: Just as I thought. Thank you for gifting to me that fibrous, dense tissue.

Myrna wrote to Melanie: Who would have thought you would get that from me? I told Dad that I barely have any tissue so I don't understand why what I do have is fibrous and dense.

David Childs wrote: Good news!  Every hurdle cleared is always good news.

Take care - I love you! :)

Myrna wrote to David: You are right. Thanks for the cheery outlook. I need you in my life. I love you!

Amy Jacobs Trauntvein wrote: Yes, you should be going every year!!!  I'm glad that things worked out. If you do ever decide to come up north I could do yours for you and get the Dr. to look at it right then also.  Let me know.

Amy

Myrna wrote: Amy:  It sounds like a good idea to me!

Well, so now I get to worry.

Mom, 
I went through the same thing last year. I did go to a women's center, and they always read the scans twice, and called me back. Some women's breast tissue is dense (like mine) and fibrous (which I think you told me yours was), which leads them to want to look more in depth. Some insurance companies haggle over the follow up reading, which is dumb. Yes, it is now your responsibility to call your insurance company and check on the coverage and what claims you have the right to. Good thing with Obama care, this should be covered. 

I actually found your choice of words quite funny, "soonest they can squeeze me in..." 

I will pray for you. I know first hand how un-nerving these tests are. 

Mel

Myrna wrote: And, unlike your mom, you just handled it. I could have worried and prayed with you if I had known. You are so brave. This is the second time that this has happened to me.

"Squeeze." Some unintended puns are better than planned ones. Hehe.

As the doctor told me, nothing is certain in this world, but some good things in our lives make our chances of any form of cancer smaller:

Myrna wrote: 

1. We have never smoked.
2. We don't consume alcohol.
3. We eat healthy foods, and have stayed within healthy weight ranges for most of our lives.
4. We had multiple pregnancies and nursed for many years.
5. We take preventive action, which will increase our mortality.
6. We exercise which reduces our chances of breast cancer by nearly 45%. 

All of those factors give us more hope than fear. Even at the risk of having breast cancer, it has a 90% survival rate, if detected early. Howard's sister is a cancer survivor of 22 years. I have friends in Massachusetts who are survivors of breast cancer, and have happy, productive lives...still serving at the temple and helping with grandchildren. 

Glad you found your word choice humorous as well. 

Mel

Myrna wrote: Thanks for the information and encouraging words. Dr. Jones called a few minutes ago and told me that he was trying to "squeeze" me into today's lineup so that the procedure could be done more quickly. He did not want me to go north because they have all my baseline information here. I laughed at his word choice, as well. He then giggled and said he would "fit" me in. Then he said, "There are no good word choices here."

Melanie wrote: Humor is a panacea. :)

Now I Get to Worry!

I just got the results of my mammography back printed on pretty pink paper and enclosed in a pretty pink envelope. I was told that I need to get a further mammography and an ultrasound of the left breast. So I called the hospital in Nephi. The soonest they can squeeze me in is on the 14th at 10 a.m. The scare that the letter puts into you to go right away must only mean that you stay scared for two weeks.

"This may require additional authorization from your insurance company." And just what does that mean? "It is your responsibility to inform any new health care provider of the date and location of this examination."

This is exactly what I went through once before. Julie suggested that I bypass my hospital here and go up to the Woman's Center at Utah Valley Hospital where they do on-site evaluations after the ultrasound and mammography are finished and then talk to you right away so that you do not have to wait on pins and needles for one more week, which is what I would have to do here.

I think I will call them in the a.m. and find out what I could do. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I already felt too mortal and that life was too short. So here I get to worry.

Because of Charlotte and my dad's oldest sister, who died with breast cancer, I am considered at "increased risk" over the general populace.

To Myrna from Melanie (A Reply to Help)

So...remember when I was a teenager and we would occasionally find ourselves watching television together? You would cry when certain commercials came on. Every time we watched the Kleenex commercial, you cried...I mean EVERY time. I said something to you one time and you got up, angry with me because I told you that you had seen the commercial about fifty times, and you didn't need to cry over it anymore. I think I said something like, "Oh, my, gosh...get over it all ready." You cried more. Before you stormed off you said something along the lines of, "I can't wait until you have children, and the doctors hook your tear ducts up." I think you prayed for that...because it happened. :)

What you are telling me sounds like the Mom I remember from my youth. Not someone who is weak, just someone who is connected. I would rather you cry, than not feel connected. As for the worry part...I think Grandma Smith told you that you were a ninety year old woman who worried too much, and you were a young mother at the time. Old dogs continue to perform their old tricks? You can dress a monkey in pearls and a skirt and it's still a monkey? Even when you took Zoloft you worried....

As to the Elderly. We are supposed to feel for them. President Monson still tears up when he talks of his visits with his 85 widows. He talks tenderly of them and about them. We don't need to worry for them though. I believe the Lord has them here to teach us lessons, like he does of the mentally handicapped. We know they are precious in the sight of God. They are being reserved here on earth to earn their bodies. Maybe their spirits need more time for refinement...we will know all things soon enough. For now, enjoy them. 

One time when I was holding Dorothy H.'s hand, I was talking with her and telling her about my busy morning. She hasn't been able to talk for ten years. While I was explaining to her why I not as happy as usually, she looked in to my eyes, gave my hand the biggest squeeze that she had been able to ever give, and smiled. I looked in to her beautiful blue eyes, and the spirit bore testimony to me that God knew her. I then had the impression that I was supposed to tell her that. I said, "Dorothy, I know God loves you. He is mindful of you and He hasn't forgotten you." She started to cry. I started to cry. Whenever I walked in the room after that, she would find me and hold my hand. I still cry when I think of that moment. Whenever I was with those people, I treasured my time. I would be so sad when I would go in one day, and find out that one of my best friends had died. At first it affected me greatly, then I realized how happy they were to be rid of that infirm body and to once again be reunited with spouses and children who had passed on before. 

In the research that I have done, the music that we have loved for years and sung for years: hymns, Primary songs, patriotic songs, etc. are keys to unlocking the mind. There were many patients that I worked with that were content to sit and observe, not being able to speak or communicate in any way, but as soon as I started singing songs from the 40s or 50s, hymns or play songs, there would be a spark in their eyes, and they would start moving their hands and singing along. When I was singing to a woman named Rita, she started singing with me. Her daughter, who visited multiple times a week, walked in, stopped and listened to us (I couldn't see her, she was behind me). Rita looked up to her and sang her a song. The daughter commenced to sob. It was the first time in years that she had heard anything other than babbles coming from her mom. The daughter continues to sing to her mom daily as part of their morning routine, and they share many smiles and hugs afterward. 

I have been studying about hope. There is so little of it in our world anymore...and because their is so little, people despair. 

Elder Uchtdorf spoke in the April 2013 General Conference about Hope. 

"There may be some among you who feel darkness encroaching upon you. You may feel burdened by worry, fear, or doubt. To you and to all of us, I repeat a wonderful and certain truth: God’s light is real. It is available to all! It gives life to all things. It has the power to soften the sting of the deepest wound. It can be a healing balm for the loneliness and sickness of our souls. In the furrows of despair, it can plant the seeds of a brighter hope. It can enlighten the deepest valleys of sorrow. It can illuminate the path before us and lead us through the darkest night into the promise of a new dawn. "This is 'the Spirit of Jesus Christ,' which gives 'light to every man that cometh into the world.' Nevertheless, spiritual light rarely comes to those who merely sit in darkness waiting for someone to flip a switch. It takes an act of faith to open our eyes to the Light of Christ. Spiritual light cannot be discerned by carnal eyes. Jesus Christ Himself taught, 'I am the light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not.' For 'the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.'

"...The very moment you begin to seek your Heavenly Father, in that moment, the hope of His light will begin to awaken, enliven, and ennoble your soul. The darkness may not dissipate all at once, but as surely as night always gives way to dawn, the light will come....Lift up your soul in prayer and explain to your Heavenly Father what you are feeling. Acknowledge your shortcomings. Pour out your heart and express your gratitude. Let Him know of the trials you are facing. Plead with Him in Christ’s name for strength and support. Ask that your ears may be opened, that you may hear His voice. Ask that your eyes may be opened, that you may see His light" ("The Hope of God's Light," Ensign, May 2013, 75). 

"Hope is a thing with feathers, that perches in the heart." ~ Emily Dickinson

Allow yourself to feel hope. Mom...worry about the things you can change. AnnMarie will tell you that. I know she worries, but she knows that she is one person who can only do so much, and where she falls short, she asks for God's help. Wherever you don't feel like you have hope, it is the adversary working on you. Where faith and hope are, fear and doubt can not reside. Instead of gardening a weed bed of fear and doubt, plant flowers of hope and faith. Hope on. 

Love you much!

Mel

Myrna wrote: I'm printing this off to read over and over. You have given me the perfect answer and I do appreciate your words, your time and your love. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father sent you to bless my life. I love you! Mom