Salty Zebra

  The last few years have been tough. After multiple serious connective tissue tears in my arm, hip, shoulder and wrist I was finally given a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the way your body produces collagen. This was both affirming and daunting as I looked ahead at what it meant for my future. This was followed by a diagnosis of skin cancer swiftly followed by being informed that I had a brain tumor that required immediate surgery. I share this because it would make sense for me to be overwhelmed, discouraged, or even depressed, and truly I felt all of these things at times, but when we encountered people – often healthcare workers – they frequently commented on how upbeat and positive we were, seemingly surprised by it with all that was going on. I am sad to say that in the moment I was just as surprised by their observation, and I missed the opportunity to share with them what I’m sharing with you now – it was the hope of Christ in me that th

I can’t discount the fact that I’ve come across the story of metal smithing multiple times lately leading up to studying this verse today. I did a little searching to refresh my memory and found this devotional that shares the basic information as I remember it ( https://www.touchinglives.org/devotionals/refiners-fire ). To paraphrase, a goldsmith must hold the gold in the hottest part of the fire to heat it to the point where the impurities are separated from the gold. But he cannot just leave it there, he must watch it carefully to be sure it does not get too hot. And how does he know when it is ready? When he can see his reflection in it! I’ve been going through a season of rather exceptional trial. You can read about some of it here ( https://saltyzebra.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-whole-story-part-one-call-that.html ). I almost feel like I can tell when I’m being held in the hottest part of the fire and when I’m backing out of it a little. I definitely still feel the heat though! I

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you,   [1Pe 1:3-4 NET]                 When I was a little girl, my great-grandmother gave me a special doll from Japan that she had purchased on one of her mission trips with my great-grandfather. Even as a child I recognized that this was a special thing that I didn’t want to get spoilt. My grandmother offered to let me keep it in her special doll cabinet, a glass cabinet where her special dolls were on display. Forty years later there it still sits, in reserve for me. Whenever I visit my grandmother, I enjoy seeing it sitting there amongst her precious things. I know thar it is safe and will be ready for me whenever I am ready for it.                I know it’s different, but this gave me a picture of how God has rese

     Quite a while ago, in what feels like a former life, I was very active in yoga. I trained as a Christian Yoga Instructor and I taught several times a week between my church and the local YMCA. I was even looking into opening our own studio with several instructor friends right as COVID came down, which nipped that dream in the bud. It turned out to be a good change of direction because my health began to take a downturn at the same time. It was around then, after several serious connective tissue tears, that I was diagnosed with EDS. I had to go through a season of relearning my body and it’s true limits, not the perceived ones that my hypermobility had taught me. Next, of course, came my brain tumor. All this to say, it was not a great time for me to be starting a business! I am happy to report though that, with the help and guidance of my physical therapist, I have been able to dip my toes back into a personal yoga practice. I’ve started with the gentlest form I know, Restorativ

  photo credit: Michael Eatherly                I'm so excited to share with you what's coming up next for the Salty Zebra Blog! It was great having the guiding influence of The Whole Story series for the last several weeks. While I still had to decide what I was going to write about, the topics were narrowed and things flowed a lot easier. So, I really wanted to have another series coming up that would keep me writing regularly.                For several years now I've been following along with the Bible studies from LoveGod Greatly . Their next study, Triumph Over Trials , begins next Monday, April 15th. After prayerful consideration, I decided I would really like to blog along with the study this time. I feel like I haven't gotten a lot out of the last few studies, but I am a firm believer that you get out of these things what you put into them. In the past, I have hosted other women in my home to do these studies together. I definitely learned more from those!

     June brought with it my much anticipated visit to the neuro ophthalmologist I discussed in this post as well as a new side effect to my surgery. I began developing abdominal pain, specifically lower abdominal pain. It was tricky. It wasn't always in the same spot. It didn't always have the same quality or conditions. It actually took a while for me to begin associating several different pains as being related. When I initially brought it to the attention of my neurosurgery team, they said it couldn't have anything to do with the surgery. That just didn't sit right though, and I kept doing my own research online. Anecdotally, it turns out that quite a few people have had abdominal issues with the catheters from VP shunts. You see, this long tube runs from my brain all the way down into my belly, and coils in the base of my pelvis. I have no uterus anymore, so it nestles right up against my bladder. You can imagine that the two are not good friends. I have since see

(A couple of gifts awaiting me at home. A zebra pillow pet from my husband and flowers from my Grandma)      In hindsight, I would say that I had a “soft discharge” from the hospital at the end of May. On Wednesday, the 24th, I got to go home. That Friday, the 26th, I met my in home IV nurse who came to visit every week to change my dressing and draw labs. She was a bright spot that I looked forward to every week as she was pretty much the only visitor I had apart from my mother. It can be very lonely and isolating healing at home.      The next day, Saturday the 27th, I woke very early in the morning around 1:00 AM with terrible nausea that led to intractable vomiting. When this did not get better by the time my husband woke for the day, we called and the doctor thought it would be best to come in to the ED. This worked out well for a number of reasons, one of which was that I was running very low on green bags. So low, in fact, that I had been rinsing and reusing them. My husband and