Home Alone?

Hi folks! Well, it has been a year now since I've been home-bound by increasing limitations. I live in my recliner and am fed via vein by my computer (just joking). I'm left home alone for 10 hours a day while Tom works and commutes. Praise God he is able to take a few days off when I have to go in for a diagnostic procedure or for another nerve block.

Being home alone has its drawbacks but I'm appreciating the large amount of time it gives me to do several things.
1. I'm learning how very hard prayer is. It is warfare on a level I tend to shy away from. Perseverance is key. My Heavenly Father is One who yearns for me to communicate with Him and loves when I do--what a wonderful gift!
2. Time in God's Word and reading wonderful books. I have Logos 4 and a growing library of puritan works. I work through some of my devotionals there. There is also Olive Tree for PDAs which provides Bibles and other works (many of John Piper's biographies of puritans). I have an iPOD Touch which enables me to continue reading through Olive Tree and other sources of books.
3. Also on my reading plate are books about writing and in particular about the memoir genre. I'm currently taking a course online on how to write memoir and it has helped me to focus on one part of my life that resulted in great changes.
4. In September 2010 my service dog, Cherie, died. We had her for 12 wonderful years. We both still miss her, and I miss her presence during the day. I've now taken to wearing my panic button all the time, to call for help through our security system. With Cherie gone, my aloneness has been made more palpable. But I am reminded in my reading that I'm truly not alone. I have the Holy Spirit, who brings to mind people I need to be praying for, and who knows exactly how I feel when the pain starts getting to me. He is going through it all along side me. I started this new journey with clinical depression. I'm still on medication, but what has made the most improvement has been staying in God's Word, reading godly books, and prayer. I have two prayer partners who I know are praying for me, as I pray for them. I live on the prayers of the saints.
5. I praise God that Tenth church does a webcast of their services and special events. I was even allowed to watch part of the Cora Hogue & Dr. Koop wedding last April. I can watch concerts. Tom and I have been watching the PCRT via Alliancelive.org. It is considerably cheaper than the full attendance price, but we are limited in our selection of seminars to whatever is held in the sanctuary. We do get a better view of the choir and the Westminster Brass which provides wonderful music to uplift the spirit. With the help of this innovation, home-bound people like myself can vicariously participate in what is going on at Tenth church.
6. When I don't feel like reading I've been thoroughly enjoying the instant feature of Netfliks. Tom and I have worked our way through all of Murder She Wrote and most of the Hercule Poirot mysteries and are catching up on the Inspector Lynley, Inspector Lewis and Hamish MacBeth series. We are anglophiles to the core! Tom thoroughly enjoyed The Detonators -- about blowing up buildings and other big things. There are other things I watch but the list is too long.
7. While watching shows and when I'm not up to reading or studying I've been doing a considerable amount of filet crochet. I've been learning new techniques, but there are others that are too challenging for me, so I stay with what I can do well. I'm considering starting a women's group in our home to do crafts and I would be glad to teach anyone who is interested in learning the basics of filet crochet.

So, as my grandmother used to say, that's my story and I'm stuck with it. Well, really blessed with it to be exact.

Love hearing from you. I covet your prayers!
~lad