THURSAY'S GRACE NOTES: PLEASE READ! This is the most important Grace Notes that I have ever written.

THURSDAY'S GRACE NOTES.  PLEASE READ!  This is the most important Grace Notes that I have ever written

After falling out of my wheel chair on Monday left with even more wounds and a damaged and wounded left eye I was given the facts of my diagnosis for the rest of my life due to my chronic wounds. I can not go to large populated events ever. My main heart breaker is church. In my powered wheel chair I can go to a large store, like Publix as long as I do not get close to many other people at the time. No body can visit me at my home if they are sick or have a family member that is sick.  I will be losing my house and, my car has been repossessed.  But this is when the weird thing comes in.  I am still "inappropriately happy" and still look forward to the next fun day.  I still have my art , music, and marketing "job" and totally "work" from home.and I still have people (yes even you)  and Jesus will never ever leave my side.  The most "horrible" things that I go through the more I can help others because I have gone through them myself.

So

I no longer celebrate the day I celebrate each minute.

So let's go out there and let's rock our world!

I love you all.

Nancy

www.asbellarts.com

Nancy Asbell: Chronic Illness

Nancy Asbell: Chronic Illness

Note to self;

If you need to do self directed rehab again do not begin in second grade level when you are really still in Kindergarten.      I'm just sayin'.

Wednesday's Grace Notes

Wednesday's Grace Notes

If you are a Christian, you are welcome here, Atheist, "Father Mother God", or just "hanging out" you are welcome here and we all can learn from each other,  hanging out with "half baked Christians... no wait that's me!  LOL,  being a trained facilitator since I was 23...  yes I have always been weird,  so much healthier but Doctors and nurses are still calling me to "check in",  turning a gossip into a "but bless her heart, let's pray for her" is still a gossip,  if I'm going to do something, make it fun!  and cleaning teams that work extra hours just to truly take care of me and to get down to the nitty gritty are really not gaining a great profit but they are making God's day.

Celebrate the day

I am so happy I can barely stand it!

www.asbellarts.com

Tuesday's Grace Notes

Tuesday's Grace Notes

"I can't I can't...  oh yes you can!  Sometimes our setbacks teach us lessons more valuable than gold,  Teaching early morning voice lessons w/out an ounce of make up then brazenly heading to Publix for the first time in weeks due to illness and being told that my "face just glowed",  very sick in bed the next day to "pay" for it but sometimes when you have a chronic illness that's just part of the game....and worth every penny and wondering "can life get any better than this?

www.asbellarts.com

Thursday's Grace Notes

Thursday's Grace Notes

Enjoying food again,  waking up feeling strong and better so that so many people can stop worrying about me.. including myself, once I become stronger I can be stronger for others as well,,  the fact that all of my students and clients end up eventually being my friends,  opening my fridge and not hearing the song "Blinded by the light",happy crows and old dogs chasing squirrels,  fun is always there to be had, we just have to remember to plug into it  and  Praising God that it is February and you and I are hear to enjoy it.

Celebrate the day!

www.asbellarts.com

Sunday's Grace Notes

Sunday's Grace Notes

Sleeping 7 1/2 hours straight!  Good golly Miss Molly!  Church is not for perfect people and that is why I miss it so much...   I fit right in,  able to eat an almost full bowl of cereal,  lighting a candle just for me and taking the time to slowly smell the lingering scent before I blow it out, old dogs that carry 1/2 of the "Nature Preserve" back inside with them to share, burning my delicious dinner but there is always tomorrow, "Joel Osteen" ( Mr Smiley) and Nancy Asbell both  smiling too much...  Okay! If they shared the outlook "Choose not to be a victim but a victor" they'd be smiling too.  Come one!  It's good endorphins. I still have legs... and they hurt... and how can I not be praising God...  I still have legs... and they hurt... and, and, I get it.  Bring it on!  Praise God!  I found my marbles.  They were in my chest.  Now I just have a nice calming pur of a cat before he plans his next attack.  Yeah....  I crack myself up.  I have to do something between snacks.  Seriously though, at least I have a beautiful bed to take naps in.  Tomorrow I am going to get my voice back to sing.  Even Panda misses it.

Celebrate the day!

www.asbellarts.com



Saturday's Grace Notes

Saturday's Grace Notes

I wake up and I still hurt and God says "I know.  And you are never alone".

A lot of people don't like me. I mean, how can she "be suffering" and still be able to post these "Grace Notes?"  Oh just gag me with  spoon! (I wouldn't suggest that.  It sounds very painful from here),  I mean she just about gives her art away. She cheapens the work for of all of us.  Okay. Let's play a game.  You are told by a doctor that you have 30 days to live.  What will you do?  Something good I hope.  Okay how about 3 months to live?  The Mayo Clinic says that I almost died 11 times in the last two years.  They say that they cannot take credit.  It was my faith, incredible will to live and attitude.  Now they say that I live "on a tight wire"... every day is a miracle for me. Today?  Tomorrow?  I and my family know where I'm going. So I unclench my hands and I give free advice to international art lovers, very cheap coaching to artists/performers (if they are really serious about their business) my talents? Eh, landscape artists are a dime a dozen.  My overwhelming amount of experience/wisdom in social media/marketing? Extremely good.

At the end of the day I am telling Jesus "I hurt" he says "I know and you are not alone".

Every day I will selfishly be posting my Grace Notes. They help to keep me alive.

You can always "change the channel."

You see, I am the lucky one.

Celebrate the day!

www.asbellarts.com



Friday's Grace Notes

Friday's Grace Notes

I slept through the night. Didn't wake for pain medicines, only had some new wounds to treat for messes. I only struggled to breathe once I got up... and I was giddy. I gave myself shots, took blood pressure nmeds, I took my daily photos of my legs for my health care team..  today they are fire engine red (I am an artist you know so I can change from black to red if I want to),  it took me one hour to shower, re do some wounds and get dressed on my own and I was giddy,  my Mayo staff said That I still run a huge risk of losing my legs but due to new treatments using "balloon's" I should be able to live through the surgery.  Maybe NOW you can understand why I am so giddy!  Giddy up and go and

Celebrate the day!

www.asbellarts.com

Thursdays Grace Notes

Thursdays Grace Notes

I have personally experienced so much pain and worse yet witnessed again and again the suffering of others. 2011 has been a sense of Hell itself .  Or has it been?  It has been the most beautiful experiences of my life.  I praise God for them.   I will never be the same. I never want to be the same.  Now I have so much of the good parts of myself to give,  I have pneumonia.  Can you imagine having bronchitis asthama or Copd Every day?  Now I once again have been given another eye and heart lesson of the struggles of others.   I roll into the kitchen in the morning filled with stress.  "Should I have 1/2 of a bagel with my beloved coffee and Greek yogurt or a bowl of cereal.  Some beautiful woman on the other side of the world just lost her fifth child to water so dirty it cannot be printed on this page.  How can I go without praising Jesus for MY lupus and MY available medicine.  Suddenly my blessings are raining down me and I will never be the same.

Celebrate... CELEBRATE the day!

www.asbellarts.com

Tuesday's Grace Notes

Tuesday's Grace Notes

When you are trying to help someone and they don't want it a wise woman just simply walks away...  Being brave and bold and posting about my "not wanting to play along" black legs.  I received responses from my Twitter, Facebook, email accounts, whole living, fineartamerica, linkedin and daily blogs.  "Thank you. I don't feel so alone".... "now I really do count my blessings every day."  TMI?  Maybe but I promised God to advocate for Lupus Then my art.  God keeps His promises.  So should I. People cutting me some slack after learning that I had a brain stem stroke in 1996 and running a business is sometimes hard to do.  Emails for me for communication help.  If this "compromised brain can do it then we all can... as long as we continue to help each other...  Thank you.  Thank you so much for being there.  Thanks to you I can always

Celebrate the day!

www.asbellarts.com

Chronic Illness Blog

Chronic Illness Blog

So... if you still have that cup of coffee,  I have decided to post a separate  Chronic Illness Blog.  I mean, really... somebody may enjoy my Grace Notes until they get a little too much TMI and are afraid that they may be asked to come over and massage my bunions LOL. In 2005 I dedicated to God my art career to Him to advocate for Lupus awareness and the rest... financial security, up to Him.  That hasn't changed.  But the real days ins and days oust of living the life of pain just may be too much and can be more addressed through Chronic Illness.  And accesss to my personel email and other social sites.  What do you think!

Monday's Grace Notes

Monday's Grace Notes

Please indulge me.  I am so inappropriately happy you may just want to 'slap me'! My love for my neighbor Megan....  NO I don't 'swing both ways...  I'm not that exciting LOL  I am not her responsibility I am first and foremost her friend.  I can't find the words of thanks.  There is no pity here, just a lot of mutual respect....learning to be humbled every day and STILL tyring to talk less and listen more,  having tiny piddly legs and arms but a huge torso/ neck... from steroids and reconstructive surgeries and know that God still finds me beautiful... isn't that all that really matters?  I rolled over w/ ease today in bed and w/ new meds, got out of it and walked to my wheelchair preparing myself for the searing pain... that was not there.  Pain, yes..disabling pain?  No.  The freeing respect and trust that my doctors give to me for my own self care.

I love you and I love life.

Celebrate the day!

I am there!

www.asbellarts.com

Thursday's Grace Notes

Thursday's Grace Notes

The unbelievable kindness of people... yesterday "The Ladies" came just to clean my floors.  When they left I discovered that they cleaned everything!  They really took care of me.  Thanks to them I only took one nap yesterday, "I can't be jealous and happy at the same time",  my worst day with God is still better than any day without Him",  getting to know my neighbors, last Sunday I didn't make it to church... neither did a new acquaintance that I met while doing one of my "roll abouts".  Once connecting with tears we both said "THIS is church!, new art and music students, and not sleeping well because I couldn't wait to begin this glorious day.  Really.  So far I am off to a great start!

Celebrate the day!

www.asbellarts.com

Acts Of Love

Acts Of Love

My daughter -in-LOVE took Friday off of work,  went to Winn-Dixie for me, then the library, then to me to get my coupons, then spent two hours at Publix. Why so long?  She carefully made sure that everything was low in salt, preservatives and a good deal even buying easy opening cans for my arthritis.  Once home  she put away my groceries "Martha Stuart Style".  She then scrubbed and cleaned and organized my kitchen and emptied the dishwasher.   All the while she acted like it was just a joy to spend time with me, not a burden.

She took care of me.

She really took care of me.

I didn't get to pick my daughter in law,  but God did.

Celebrate the day! 

Thursday's Grace Notes

Thursday's Grace Notes

The power of being nice,  surrounding myself with good things,  experiencing plasma pherisis, massive internal bleeds, and the people who donated their plasma to save me,  pastel painting deep into the night,  my neighbors putting my garbage cans away,  spinach sauteed in garlic and olive oil,  knowing that each day is my own to play with,  and squirrels being squirrels.

Celebrate the day!

www.asbellarts.com

Thursday's Grace Notes

Thursday's Grace Notes

Trying to focus and stop chasing my tail,  not being ruled by fear,  an iced eggnog latte from Nancy's Cafe (me),  being hungry for life and learning new things,  baking peanut butter Brownies,  giving away treasured possessions... it feels good,  checking off my procrastination to do list,  looking forward to a new year and Facebook friends.

Celebrate the day!

I celebrate you!

www.asbellarts.com

Wednesday's Grace Notes

Wednesday's Grace Notes

Filling up my soul with the beauty of the ordinary,  my sister loving my artwork so much that she may have to start using it as wallpaper,  sparkly green gel pens,  going down memory lane,  using my walker more,  strong enough today to open the blinds and make my bed,  and  getting the mail.  I never know when I might receive a check from one of my galleries, websites or clients.

Celebrate the day!

www.asbellarts.com

Tuesdays Grace Notes

• Tuesdays Grace Notes
• My boss (me) is giving me three breaks a day,  an old friend that I haven't heard from in years calling last night and reconnecting, removing the bubble wrap and truly feeling sorrows and joys,  the cantata A Ft Lauderdale Christmas, healing,  making friends w/ my postal worker Linda,  and opening my hands like the little drummer boy and giving what I can.
• Celebrate the day!
• 
  www.asbellarts.com

Thursday's Grace Notes

Thursday's Grace Notes

"Anticipate joy"... can't wait!,  my adult art students becoming my friends,  people watching,  lotions and potions,  my daughter in love fixing me quiche,  a fuzzy yellow tennis ball + an old dog = a really good time,  the riser in my power chair so that I can cook and paint large canvases, doctors who call me at 7:00 at night,  magazines at Christmas time, and 'clearing my head'.

Celebrate the day!

www.asbellarts.com

Wednesday's Grace Notes

Wednesday's Grace Notes

My Mayo doctors allowing me to go home yesterday and NOT admitting me to the hospital with a severe life threatening cellulitis infection, the same doctors calling me throughout the day and having me email them photo updates, neighbors going to the bank for me,  friends bringing me lunch and dinner,  pain medicine:),  the public library paying off my overdue fines since I can't get there (I kid you not!) and renewing ALL of my 18 overdue  Christmas CD's through Christmas,  having the strength and endorphins to complete four Animal Postcards (due today),  enjoying the crisp crunch of a golden delicious apple while listening to Andy Williams croon...  and I woke up so overwhelmed and in pain and depressed.  What a difference a day makes!

Celebrate the day!

www.asbellarts.com