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Thanksgiving Blessings & Cookbook, November 1999 PAGE 2 Personal experiences Ccuf\t yOwi l Xe**vK£* Aay By Vicky Whitehead The Leader-Tribune Some days I wish I were perfect, but on the other hand we do not live in a perfect world and there are no perfect peo ple alive. Still, I wish I could not get aggravated with any one, always do what God expects of me, never lose my cool, never utter an unkind word, always smile and be cheerful. Believe it or not I do strive for these things but almost always fall short in one or more areas, each day. FLEETWOOD. America'B Largest Homebuilder C&H HOUSING Happy Thanksgivings We appreciate all of our customers in the middle Georgia region a , \\ hhfiM PmSk ' ,* X; ' 2002 HWY. 41 SOUTH •PERRY, 6A 31069 Open House EVERY SUNDAY, 1-5 Homes Open to Public with no Sales Staff present. 1 -888-206-331 9 or 988-9677 Day At A time Vicky Whitehead Keeping my cool became increasingly diffi cult earlier this year when I discovered I had Graves Disease. It is a disease of the thyroid - over-activity and effects your metabolism, overall health and your tolerance levels, among other SUPER CENTER \ \ V Hi caMWITj U) laud __Z things. I had a mass in my thyroid, something which had apparently been going on for a while but was not discovered until it had progressed. Had I not became irrita ble, had racing heart pal pitations and fell apart in times of stress - even mild stress -1 would not have become worried about myself and laid out all symptoms to my doctor. But because the things I was experiencing were out of character for me, I did lay it out for my doctor. The barrage of tests fol lowed for months before being sent to a specialist and getting the diagnosis. The treatment was not too bad, seclusion for several days after taking radio active iodine which is designed to kill the thy roid so you go from one extreme to the other. While all but 10% of peo ple who have the disease, lose weight, I was in the 10% who gained weight. And my irritability level rose - something I was not used to dealing with since normally 1 am quite easy-going. During this period things that normally I could have taken in stride, became difficult and I found myself agitat ed more and more. I tried to control it and on some days could do very well, others not so well. The situation actually became embarrassing on a couple of occasions -- trying to talk to a group of folks and following apart, as well as having a con versation with a commis sioner and also falling apart and he thought 1 felt threatened by him which was not the case at all. Gradually, after treatment, symptoms started clearing up and I began to be able to be more normal in my deal ings. Periods of extreme tiredness linger on, as does getting irritable the later in the day it gets, but nothing like it was pre-treatment. There is another follow up with the specialist next week because the mass had not shrunk enough from the therapy and a possible biopsy could be next. 1 can not say there have not been days where my faith wavered and I even questioned why. But I know the answer and still believe all things work for the good of those who love the Lord. And I do love Him with all my heart. For whatever purpose God has for this trial, I will emerge stronger for it. If He totally heals me, then there is a testimony. Regardless, in all things we are to give praise and I am learning that every day. Perhaps, that is the lesson He would have me learn. Count your blessings daily. Name them one by one and you will be sur prised what the Lord has done for you. too. The following was e mailed to me and I’d like to share it with you. It is entitled Memo from God: Today, I will be handling all ojyour problems. Please remember that I do not need your help. If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. It will be addressed my My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box. do not hold on to it. If you find yourself stuck in traffic; don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege. Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years. Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return. Should you grieve the passing of another week end: think of the woman in dire straits, working 12 hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children. Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the oppor tunity to take that walk. Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, ask ing what is my purpose? Be thankful There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportu nity. Should you frnd yourself the victim of other people 's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities: remember, things could be worse. You could be them!!!