Thursday Thirteen: Praying for Change

In the past couple of weeks, I've felt a little bit weighed down. Not by things happening to me, but by events happening in my world that can sort of pull apart and break my heart a little bit each time I think about them. We went to church weekend before last after not having been in a while, and I remembered why it's so important to me, and why I enjoy going. We're starting to get back into the swing of things, and will hopefully start attending more regularly, but in the meantime I've continued to pray on my own time. I know that not everyone out there is religious, but we all have something to offer to those in need. I truly believe that whether you pray to a god or goddess, meditate, or just offer positive thoughts and energy to those who need it, you are making a difference. This week for my Thursday Thirteen, I've got 13 prayer requests.

Thirteen Updates This Thursday

1. Jillian & Mona - Jillian is one of the momma's in my Mom's Meetup group. She has an adorable little daughter named Mona. Her husband, Henri, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January, and around the 13th, they made the difficult decision for him to start hospice care at home. Last Saturday, August 29, Henri passed away comfortable surrounded by his family. I haven't been that close with Jillian during this difficult year, but I know that she and her family could really use our thoughts and prayers right now. Please pray for peace for them, and for them to remember the happy memories they had with him.
2. Carol - Carol is my... well, it's complicated! She is my brother-in-law's wife's mother. So basically, we're not really related. We've been blessed to have an honorary set of grandparents for Sam in her and her husband Bill. They are wonderful people who we've enjoyed having as part of the family and in our lives over the years. Carol was diagnosed recently with colon cancer. She is currently seeking natural courses of treatment. Please pray for her and for her to discover the right treatment path, whatever that may be, and for her to heal.
3. Harold - My father in law has been having increasing issues with his Parkinson's Disease and his health. He is a great man and has not found retirement to be an easy thing. We've been privledged to move into the house he built, and to spend a little more time with him lately as he loves being out here. I'm so happy for Sam to get to know his Grandpa better, but I need guidance in how to make things easier for him. There is a fine line between helping him stay healthy and safe and making him feel like he's having everything taken away from him. Please pray for his health, his well being, and for us to all find the right ways to interact with each other and protect each other.
4. Audrey - My friend Audrey, aka Auds, from Barking Mad has been facing some very difficult times lately. She wrote recently about her struggles with bulimia, she's got her son living with her now who she had not seen in a long time, and last week her beautiful daughter Meg was in a bad car accident. She is okay, but she is no doubt shaken up, and one of the passengers in her car had to have some surgery. Audrey is a dear friend to me, and reading about her pain often brings me to tears, I just love her to pieces. Please pray for her to find her way, to find the strength to get healthy again and see what a wonderful woman she is. Also please pray for Meg to forgive herself for the accident and allow herself to heal mentally & physically.
5. Kori & Hannah - Kori of See Kori Rant is another one of my dearest and closest bloggy friends. She is an amazing, strong woman who has been through a whole hell of a lot in life. Earlier this year her daughter Hannah was molested by a man in their community that they thought was a friend. He did a plea bargain and his sentencing is imminent. Unfortunately Hannah has not been doing too well since this incident, and she could really use our prayers and positive thoughts right now. Please pray for strength and happiness for Kori, Hannah & their whole families.
6. Brie - My good friend Brie is pregnant with her third child, due later this month. The pregnancy has been wonderful so far, and she's excited about adding another child to their busy bustling family. Please keep her in your thoughts and pray for an easy, non-eventful delivery!
7. Jaci - Jaci writes at Ravings of a Mad Housewife, and has been one of my favorite bloggers. She's been through tough times lately, and after announcing a hiatus, she is back... and pregnant! Please pray for a happy & healthy nine months for Jaci. She's REALLY getting a new beginning, and hopefully it will be a wonderful change and addition to her family.
8. The Unnamed Women - I don't have faces, I don't have names. But I'd like to ask for prayers and positive thoughts for the women we serve through our volunteer work at Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services. We see sad things, things that make us angry, and things that just make us desperately want to help in some way. Unfortunately, we can't always do that. I pray every time that every woman out there who is assaulted has the strength and self-worth to get out, to value themselves, and to heal from the things that have held them down.
9. Rachael - Okay, yeah, I do feel like it's a little narcissistic to include myself in this list, but I've been having a hard time lately with one aspect of my life and could use some positivity and encouragement. I've been really struggling lately with my weight loss journey. For the last 6 weeks, I've been hovering and yo-yoing VERY close to the -30 lbs mark. But during those six weeks, I've lost, gained, and lost for a grand total of -1.2 lbs. I've been really struggling with my relationship with food, with exercise, with everything. While in my head I know that 30 lbs is a lot - I've almost lost one of my three year old - in the dark side of my heart, I know it's only 1/4 of what I need to do. I know that to reach my goal and be really healthy, I have to do it 3 more times, and that is something I've really been struggling with lately. Please pray that I can find strength in myself and find my path again.
10. M, M & M - One of my friends is going through a messy divorce and becoming a single father to his 3 & 5 year old daughters. Please pray for their new family situation to work smoothly, for them to grow up strong, and for their father to find happiness.
11. Rowenna - My friend Rowenna from my Mom's Meetup group is an amazing woman. She has 3 small children - 3 year old twins, and a 1 year old son. They are the most adorable kids, and so well behaved. Yesterday I went to her house to drop something off, and helped her pack up a ridiculous amount of food she had made for Jillian and her family during their hard time. She made a dozen casseroles and a dozen homemade soups as well as some quiche and baked goods. She is also without her husband right now, as he's away for 5 months attending Border Patrol training. That's right, you heard me, she is taking care of her children BY HERSELF for 5 months. At the end of that time, she and her family will be moving to a small town in Texas for 14 months. I will miss her dearly, she's one of the pillars of my 'mom community.' Maybe she doesn't need it, but please pray for the next couple of months to go by quickly for her, so she can have her husband back, and for everything to go smoothly with his transition to Border Patrol.
12. Jonah Williams - Jonah is an adorable little guy, and you can read about him at the Williams Family Blog. Jonah is six months old and was born with a skin condition called Epidermolysis Bullosa. It's a rare skin condition characterized by extremely fragile skin and blisters resulting from the most minor trauma or friction. Please pray that research will lead to a cure for Jonah, and that in the meantime he'll continue to be as happy and healthy as possible.
13. Ezra - Ezra is an adorable curly headed 2 year old blondie that was diagnosed with Leukemia earlier this year. You can read all about him at For Ezra. He's currently going through treatment, and some days are very hard. Please pray for Ezra to be healthy and for strength and peace for his family as they juggle everyday life with this battle.

As always, I want to hear your prayer requests too. Please leave any of them in the comments, along with links if there's a website involved, and thanks in advance for your prayers, positive energy, and thoughts.

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