JanineThrossel.com

There are several things I want to say about this week's news. . . so I reserve the right to come back and update this post. :) For now, here is a video about someone showing love instead of selfishness. Have a great weekend! Click here: Argentine Surfer Sacrifices Win for the Best Reason Possible (WATCH)

So, I want to tell you a little more about Jean Sharon Abbott, who I mentioned briefly a couple of weeks ago. She spent the first 33 years of her life believing she had a disease known as Spastic Diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy. She lived through pain, surgery, and long days in bed and a wheelchair. She married and had two daughters, one of whom would introduce herself by saying her name and adding, "My mom can't walk." Then, on Good Friday a few years ago, Jean met Dr. Martha Nance, who said something Jean didn't believe at first. This new specialist didn't think Jean had Spastic Diplegia at all, but Dopa Responsive Dystonia. "DRD" is a different illness, one that is treatable with medication. Two days later--on Easter Sunday--Jean walked unassisted for the first time. Four months later, with exercise, training and the encouragement of her husband, they celebrated their ten-year anniversary with a ten-mile hike where they had once hone...

When we lived in South America, we occasionally received care packages from friends and family back home.  Boxes, envelopes or suitcases would be mailed to us or hand-carried by my in-laws when they came to visit. It was so much fun to open them and find treats like books and magazines in English, American candy, Pop-Tarts, cheesecake mix, black olives, dill pickles, cards, notes and photos from loved ones. Costa Rica: Peter stopped unpacking the suitcase Papa and Grandma Throssel brought,  and just started reading one of the books! Bolivia: One year, Philip said that the only thing he wanted for Christmas was Silly Putty.  So, Grandpa George sent him an egg of it in every color available!   Well, a little while before Christmas last year, we received our first giant care package FROM Bolivia.  Our friend Caroline helped sort through some of our stuff in storage there, and then our friends Bev and Bill packed up two large suitcases fu...

So, on Focus Fridays, I try to show some of the good stuff that is going on in the world. There really is a lot of it, although it sometimes gets buried beneath the pile of violence and trauma we read and watch in headlines. Sometimes, the good news is HUGE and powerful. But sometimes, it is quieter and powerful. For instance, the story of a family who fends off a bully with love, not hate (See link at end of post).   Sometimes, it is about celebrating achievements with people we love. This is graduation weekend for colleges in our area. Several coworkers are finishing up courses, but one woman in particular worked really hard this year to conquer a class that was very challenging for her. Friday, four of her friends and coworkers surprised her with cake, flowers and a sign to commemorate her accomplishment. Moments like that are key factors in living well. Celebrating together. Celebrating each other's successes. God is good, and life is beautiful. Make some Focus...

Did you know that 1 in 68 American children are diagnosed with autism in some form? That's a lot of kids! This solution to some common challenges that autistic teens face is so cool. In trying to make clothing for her own son and others like him, a mom addressed issues of sensory comfort, wandering, cognitive spatial issues and fashion sense. . .Genius. I hope they make a big difference for these kids.

Recently, I listened to Charles Stanley share a memorable analogy about the ocean. He said a giant storm can send winds swirling, rain falling and waves crashing. Yet, down deep beneath the water, where "the storm held no sway," that same ocean is quiet and calm. Stanley has written: "That’s what Christ’s peace is like. It’s not an absence of conflict or trouble but a deep calmness in the midst of life’s circumstances." (http://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/a-word-from-dr-stanley/choose-peace) Shortly after hearing him speak, I saw a stunning reminder of that kind of peace.  Some of you may have heard of eight prisoners executed in Indonesia for drug charges. Two Australians, a Brazilian, four Nigerians and an Indonesian were bound to posts and shot through the heart. There was a lot of controversy surrounding their deaths. No deaths had been linked to their drug charges and some of the prisoners had already spent years trying to make amends for their s...

In the midst of the Chilean volcano eruptions, the earthquake in Nepal and the riots in Baltimore, there is a LOT OF GOOD NEWS this week, too! Here are a few examples. . . . * More than 450 women and children have been RESCUED from Boko Haram in Nigeria (please pray for their emotionally and psychological recovery, and the hundreds still being held). * A teen was pulled from the rubble nearly a week after the Nepal earthquake! * Thousands of people stepped up in Baltimore to clean the city, feed police and military personnel and also feed the many needy children who couldn't get access to their school lunches. * A report shows automobile crash fatalities with drivers 16-19 years old are less than half what they used to be in America. * After Tim Ward lost his wife and home in a landslide, an anonymous donor heard his story and paid off the mortgage--of $360,000. * After Jean Sharon Abbott spent 33 years unable to control her limbs, a correct diagnosis allows her to ...