Author: jacksdavie

Giggly Scot who uses wheels to get around. Experienced at living with chronic pain, chronic illness, an ostomate and #nursinghomedweller. Christian, #spoonie, writer, colour-in-er, avid reader, snackaholic. My blog's a hybrid of all the different parts of my life. #wheels #pain #care #nursinghomedweller #mentalhealth #family #friends #faith, politics, and life in the UK as a woman in her late thirties defying most norms!

They’re special, my friends!

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This is in answer to the daily prompt for today. Bit of challenge for me, this one…

friends linking arms

I suppose if you asked any group of people, most would say some of their friends are great. However, my friends are in a different league altogether. I feel very privileged to have as many friends as I do, from so many places, ages and stages, and with so many gifts and abilities. Not only that, but one or two have been there for years. Maybe there’s nothing unusual in still having a childhood friend, I have no idea.

Of the friends that live near me, I have friends I only see every 6 months, and we can pick up again as though it were yesterday. Others visit regularly, including one special lady who fills my medicine dispenser box every week. Some come for a drink, others for tea, and some even bring tea, or cake, or even cake that they’ve made. Now those are friends worth having! Others write, email or only phone occasionally. Some I have never met in person, including those through Facebook or Twitter, but I have a connection with them, especially those in a same-but-different ill and/or disabled situation because of mutual support and information sharing.

I love when I’m able to give  to my friends and not just receive. Those who’ve stuck by me. To me,  my friends go the extra mile, more often. I’m hardly ever able to meet them in town, or at their houses. I love relaxing over coffee or hot chocolate and a shared slice of cake! Though it’s exhausting, I also love days where it’s, one person comes into my flat as another one leaves. I love times like that because I love people in general, especially my friends, no matter how exhausting it gets or how much energy it costs. They’re worth it — every last one!

an epistolary blog post…

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there's nothing quite like receiving a hand-written letter... but there's no love lost between Sleepy and Awake and Smiley...
there’s nothing quite like receiving a hand-written letter… but there’s no love lost between Sleepy and Awake and Smiley…

I’m laying aside the most awake part of myself where I post from the first person. I don’t always do that, as I sometimes link to news articles or features and write my opinions on them. Mostly though I tend to write about things that happen in my week, things that have happened in the past or things I think and feel. However, this week’s writing challenge is all to do with “shifting perspective  so I have chosen the intermediate level, to write letters from one part of myself to the other. All should become clear…

Dear Sleepy

Sometimes I like you. On those rare occasions when you show up at just the right time, and stay with me all night long, never stirring once. Then you leave, just as I’m fully refreshed and ready to face the world, round about once every month The rest of the time, you show up too often with your mates Pain-full and Migraine and I long to send u packing.

Today’s one of those middling days where I can just about cope, You sent me into dreamless sleep the minute the morning routine was over, and I only just woke up in time to get ready to go out to Social Enterprise. I stayed awake while I was there without even one yawn. Lots of giggles, stories and silliness, what’s not to love. Best of all, I got a shot on my favouite horse  For an added bonus I haven’t come home to find you’re vying for my attention.  I can feel you creeping up on me now. I am wondering when you will strike and just waiting for the crash. I’ve even eaten an extra slice of yummy sticky-sweet banana cake to keep you away (Shhh don’t tell the dietitian,she’ll be after me…)

may you stay away for a while

love awake and smiley.

Dear awake and smiley

What’s so great about being awake? Then you actually have to Do Things, and then you ignore me. Don’t worry, it will not be long before I come to torment you again. I love making you miss things. I steal whole chunks of time when you  need tobe doing Useful Things. And then when you do wake, you can’t get rid of me, because I’m still hanging around, ready to strike again at the first opportunity. I have the most fun when Pain-full and Migraine come along too. Three’s a crowd, and a crowd is enough people for a PAAARTY! Haven’t had one of those for  couple of weeks, maybe I should get planning…

I love showing up when you least expect me. I don’t like it when you plan cos it’s harder for me to show up then. I like surprises. I like those times when you just can’t rid of me, Over-time. Days and days of sleepy-ness, when I’m by your side no matter how hard you fight.

I’ve already got to you today. You were just up and ready, and then off you went back to bed. A whole hour and 15 minutes of dreamless slumber and half an hour of not-quite-awake. Now you’re wondering where I’m hiding and when I’m going to strike next. Bet you miss me…

Am off to plan that Party

love Sleepy

(P.S. would love to know what you think of this should you read it…!)

Thankful,but for what?

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Something to get you thinking…

I suspect the following may well be controversial, but it got me thinking so I wanted to share it. It talks about gratitude and what we should be giving thanks for. “Your affliction falls well within the overarching decrees of God. It comes from His wise and kind hand and for that, you can give thanks. In it and for it.” — Joni Earekson Tada, from the Daily Devotional Email 19/11/12 Here’s the link to the original post.

 

Does God ‘give’ disability, or just ‘allow’ it?

So, does God give us our afflictions, in my case physical disability, and chronic illness, amoungst other things.Joni’s reasons for reaching her conclusion is that the daily grind with her quadraplegia brings her to God minute by minute,  Another reason she gives is that God’s Word asks us to give thanks for everything so for her the ‘everything’ includes being thankful for her disability. The sovereignty of God means her suffering through her disability is not somehow separate either, as God is also Lord of her disability. Also, instead of having her quiet time and then getting on with her life, it forces her to live out her faith wheeling close to her Saviour, as i read the other morning in “More Precious than Silver Daily Devotional e-book.

I do absolutely recognise the logic of her argument. If God is Lord over everything, that includes my disability… but to give thanks for it, specifically?! I do thank the Lord he is using my disability to teach me how to depend on Him for everything, and how to ask others for the help I need without becoming so dependent on them, that I shut God out. I recognise it is God who has walked me through the four years since my operation which gave me a bag on my tummy, and eventually meant I needed carers, and an electric wheelchair amongst other things. Indeed, it is God who gives me my very life, my very breath, and if he chose to, he could take me home to be with Him in an instant, but did he give me my disability, something which gives me so much pain, and tiredness, and so limits my life? He is using it for his Glory, and to help me to help others, as you can read here, if you haven’t already.

if He did not give me disability, then how could he include it within His plan for my life? Indeed, God knew what each day of my life would bring before I was even born. (Psalm 139) I cannot reconcile this with God giving me my disability though. I would so like to know everyone’s thoughts on this, and work through it together. In the meantime, here are the verses from God’s Word that inspired the text of which I write.

19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:19-20)

 

Pray for Caden Beggan

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title=”Pray for Caden Beggan”>Pray for Caden Beggan Dear Readers, for those of you who do the praying thang in whatever form, please may you pray for a young lad of six years old called Caden, from Motherwell who has meningococcal septicaemia. He is in intensive care at Yorkhill children’s hospital in Glasgow and has had […]

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The Art of Compassion

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The Art of Compassion This is the link to my very first article for Bible Reflections,oh the excitement! I have written the article from my experience of being there for others in need, what God is teaching me through it, and what the Bible has to say about how to love people who are hurting.. This […]

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who cares?

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Thursday’s prompt…

As I said on Thursday, I’m inclined to write about ‘daily prompt‘ posts the day after or later, in part due to the time difference. Anyway Thursday’s daily prompt suggested writing an op-ed’ to a news story I’ve been thinking about. I think the translation of ‘op-ed’ here would be ‘editorial comment’. I meant to write this sooner, but for various reasons I haven’t… and I’m still thinking about it… so here goes!

New spin, on an old story…

I’ve just looked up the article and realised it was published ten days ago, but for reasons that will become clear it’s still relevant. I first saw this story when @ChrisClose50 tweeted the link, with the comment. If I’ve been really clever you should see his tweet in it’s original form, below!

 

At first, I didn’t understand the headline at all. Apart from, it meant something bad because of Chris’ tweet. where I originally saw the story. Here’s the headline: Care homes being sold off to hedge-funds? What does that even mean? Determined to find out, I started to read.

I have to say, I still don’t know what a hedge-fund is, so why was I still interested in the story?! Said hedge-fund bought a care agency, before as it turns out, so this recent acciuision of a contract and land is nothing new. So, which care-agency does this hedge-fund own? Care UK, as it turns out. (the lot who get me up in the morning belong to ’em) NOW I’m interested.

There’s plenty to scare about this story, including that the land the current care home is situated on has been given free minus conditions. So that’s alright then, the company can be trusted just because they’re the ones with the pennies?

Here’s the rub…

Apparently not… that which haunts many a big company also haunts the big providers in the sector, and Care-UK in particular — DEBT.

six of the biggest care home owners have combined debts of almost £5bn, but the corporate veil makes thorough scrutiny of finances difficult.

Not only are they keeping worrying levels of information to themselves, the lack of transparency is also a concern… surely this means they have something to hide? Lest we forget, Care UK took over doomed ‘Southern Cross’ care homes. However, Care UK themselves are not beyond reproach… according to the article, their debt is thought to be £480m. I find this particularly worrying given the amounts they get paid to carry out contracts of care, and how little people who work in the sector get paid.  Suffolk council claims to have a ‘Plan B’ should Care UK get into financial trouble.

I hope the council does get the homes they need, and I hope it all goes swimmingly. However, we may not have heard the end of this story, and am also convinced similar sell-off’s will continue in the future, unless the Government really grasps hold of situation, which at the moment, they same wholly incapable of doing.

 

please God, can I start over?

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The ‘Daily’ Prompt, a Day late!

This is my answer to the  daily prompt from 14th November. I’ve not very o fay with time of day the posts are published and what time that is in GMT so I’m not always on the right day! However, the subject of this post really caught my attentions as it asked each of us to think of a time that would, could or should have turned out differently. My answer came pretty easily to me. It all has to do with my tongue…

Lashing out with our words…

Those moments where what is my head just comes out. Worse I say what is in my head without thinking. Even worse than that is I say what is in my head without even thinking in a hurtful tone of voice or in anger. Not being very physically able, the easiest way for me to hurt someone or do something wrong is by thought, speech, or both.I can think of one group of people, one carer and one PA from different times in the past few years with whom I would like to have gone back in time and ‘undone’ my actions.

Forgiveness

However, this is not possible. Thanks to the saving work of Jesus on the cross. It is possible to seek forgiveness from Our Heavenly father for my actions, and to pray that He may heal the wounds I have caused, but is impossible to go back and repair the damage I caused. That I guess, is my biggest regret when we are called to be ‘salt and ‘light’ and I am anything but. It shows me how important it is to ‘make the most of every opportunity’ to reach out to others in whatever way I can, and to remember that as tired and pained as I am this is not an excuse. Perhaps I am being hard on myself… but I do pray that those people may meet other who witness to them more faithfully that I did, and short of being able to start over, all I can do is entrust it, and them, to the care of our Heavenly Father, and be thankful, that this I can do!

A beautiful way…

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I didn’t have any trouble thinking of a title for today’s daily post. It is something I have often heard talked about in interviews on TV; sometimes the presenters ask the interviewees what they’re favorite songs are, or which songs have inspired them, in the case of musical artists. Today’s challenge was to think of a song and use it as the title for a post.

To anyone who has met me, or read even a couple of my posts, I think it will be easy to understand why I picked this song. At the risk of making this post too ‘Jesus-i-fied’ it’s about being so full of joy and strength that personal circumstances become unimportant, priorities change, and the person has a Godly character. It makes me think of a few different Bible verses too, but particularly this one…

7 We now have this light shining in our hearts,[Jesus] but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. [because we couldn’t do it in our own strength]. 2 Corinthians 4: 7 

The other, shorter one which is a bit easier to understand is this:

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 1:31

Putting it in a simpler way, it’s like being able to not talk about personal things and just got on with living a full life. Its something I’m still aiming for…

“beautiful Way” by All Star United