Tuesday, July 01, 2025
Waiting on the Lord
Monday, January 20, 2025
Mindful in 2025
Mindful in 2025.
That's my word. Being aware. Alert. Bearing in mind. Being attentive to.
Mindful Behavior means
maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environments, through a gentle, nurturing lens. (Love that!)
Mindfulness is
embracing God's promises. Living life fully. Being fully present.
Mindfulness is
accepting our experiences, in each moment, as a gift from God.
Mindfulness is
responding in a calm, intensional manner ~ acknowledging my emotions, labeling them, finding compassion and moving forward.
So of course God would take me through the process.
I have been writing in preparation for my husband Randy Thompson's new website. Plus editing 84 song lyrics off his old website. I was becoming more and more frustrated because nothing is as easy as I had hoped. By the time I was drowning in a puddle of tears I could see God was showing me how to be mindful in these moments.
So I acknowledged my emotions (anger, sadness, grief) as I stomped around the house, crying out to God. Then I was able to label it as being more about missing Randy than my lack of abilities, knowing he could do what I was doing blindfolded. Ok, I'm exaggerating. But still. I am technologically challenged. Then I gave myself grace. God's grace. To show myself compassion. To let go and let God. And move forward. Which is the hardest part. I'm good at beating myself up. Being the victim. Feeling stuck. Not accepting my limitations.
The task that pushed me over the edge?
I discovered Randy forgot a song on the Lyrics section of his website. That meant I had to listen to the song and write out the lyrics. No big deal. But this was after having to do it for two other songs he had omitted. By this time I was done, so over the whole process. I was mad at God, at Randy, for making this edit even harder. As I cried, God reminded me of the title of the song... Trust Me. How about listening to the words as you write out the lyrics. You guys... it was never about Randy forgetting to list the song. It was about 30 years later, in prep for the new website, that Randy's song Trust me would minister to me in a profoundly personal way. Oh Lord... you continue to love me and find ways to show you care deeply for me. It might feel lonely in this process of preserving Randy's legacy. But I am never alone. You are with me, using Randy's book and song lyrics to show Yourself so real to me. I trust You.
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Birthdays & Frontotemporal Dementia
My daughter Miranda happened to snap an image of her Dad & I that stunned me. He looks just like Randy before dementia. His eyes were both looking at the camera. I couldn't believe it. And you know what? I needed it. I needed a glimpse at what he looked like. He's still in there. And I know he still knows me.
Birthdays are hard. Another year wondering how his dementia is going to progress. What is the next decline going to look like. Was this his last birthday? As much as I want him to be with Jesus, I panic with every decline. But I was so thankful he was having a good day when our daughter and her family came to celebrate his 71st birthday. He would just stare at her, his grandchildren, his son-in-law. Like he knew them. What a gift. To see him so aware, so present. God is so good to give us sweet memories to remember.
I will leave you with a powerful truth from Randy's book A Believer's Journey.
Saturday, August 31, 2024
August 2024 recap
- celebrated our 45th Wedding Anniversary!
- deposited $101 in rolled coins last week.
- we seriously paid for our 3 night honeymoon in CA with rolled coins.
- found the perfect baby doll for Randy @ Goodwill for $2.49.
- a friend replaced the hatch springs on my 18 year old van. bye-bye broom stick!
- I walk while I talk on the phone inside my house.
- I've been doing it since the start of the pandemic.
- sometimes I walk over 10,000 steps during phone calls in one day.
- I talk on the phone a lot.
- I'm fostering my daughter's little dog June.
- they want me to keep her.
- my 8 year old grandson Will told his parents "I worry about Mimi in that big old house all alone."
- so he thinks I need June ~ she really is the best dog.
- Randy's book ~ in its 1st full month on the market.
- trusting God to put this book in the hands of those that need it.
- another record breaking summer ~ so far 96 consecutive days of 100+ degrees.
- paid $10 for a Shark Ultralight Stick vacuum @ Goodwill ~ retails $229 on Amazon!
- why so cheap? It was filthy dirty. Looks as good as new now!
- finally going to make my backyard livable.
- haven't done a thing to it in 14 years, since Randy got sick.
- one big unsightly mass of weeds. I can't wait to transform it.
- I've been going around collecting free bricks off Marketplace.
- I have plans to do some serious hardscaping myself.
- it was the 8th Annual Ride for Ronnie Tribute Ride.
- my brother died of cancer. (multiple myeloma)
- you can read his story HERE
- 70+ cycles participated in the Tribute Ride, raising a lot of money to help families fighting cancer.
- 18 years ago this month I started my blog. You can read my first blog post HERE. So excited to be blogging again!
Sunday, August 25, 2024
Our 45th Wedding Anniversary
He adored our three children, but especially as newborns. I remember nursing them, handing them over to him, crawling back into bed, while he would spend hours rocking them, burping them, patting them, walking them and singing to them. Often times it would be time to nurse again before he had even put them down to sleep.
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Randy's Book Reveal!
Saturday, August 03, 2024
Randy Thompson ~ About The Author Bio
My husband Randy's About The Author bio on Amazon.
A Believer's Journey is available HERE
Randy recorded his first cassette of original songs in 1978 ~ Jesus Touched Me. Recently those 10 songs were uploaded to his YouTube Channel. (Randy Thompson Ministries YouTube Channel)
He married his wife Linda in 1979 and they entered into full-time ministry in 1980, the same year he graduated from Grand Canyon College with Bible & History degrees. They started a family in 1982, raising Shawn, Miranda & Tyler in Tempe, Arizona.
Randy Thompson Ministries was formed in 1990. He started marketing his ministry and traveling around the country doing concerts in big and small churches. He was doing what God created him to do… sharing the love of Jesus in song and powerful teaching.
Seven more cassettes and CDs would follow. God would use his songs mightily, as more and more testimonials would pour in. One particular letter stood out. A young girl was walking along the Carefree Highway after her car had broke down. (No cell phones back then) She saw a cassette on the side of the road with the tape hanging out. She wound it up with a pencil and popped it in her portable cassette player. She was so deeply moved by the songs that she spent months looking for more of Randy’s music. But because the cassette case was scuffed up, she was looking for Randy Thomas. Eventually a Christian Bookstore in Flagstaff showed her Randy’s cassettes. She had found him! She immediately bought his cassettes and eventually his CDs. She was so thrilled to have a way to contact Randy to tell her story, how God used his music to bring her back to God.
After many years in full-time ministry, he took on the position as the pastor of his church. But in 2011 they let him go as he wasn’t himself. Something was wrong. That is when he started writing A Believer’s Journey, because he’s a prophet, an evangelist and a truth teller. He finished the book three years later, six months before he was diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia in 2014. The book was finally published in 2024.
Randy is currently in a memory care facility. He is peaceful, calm and easy going and dearly loved by the staff and caregivers who love his music. While he is unable to do concerts, share Jesus, or write songs anymore, the lyrics in his songs and the words in his book will live on long after he sees Jesus face-to-face.
Friday, July 26, 2024
A Believer's Journey by Randy Thompson
He also wrote with a sense of urgency. I remember when Randy finished the book, I was so glad it was done. Our lives had turned upside down. He wasn't working. He needed a job. Something was terribly wrong. So when he was finally diagnosed with Frontotemporal dementia in 2014, a year after he finished the book, I remember thinking he couldn't have written another word when the book was done. God had given him a window in time. Randy was obedient. So he wrote. Until he couldn't. And I thank God he did!
Today I will visit Randy at his memory care facility. He will hold the book intently, as I go on and on about how God is using this book in my life... to heal me, inspire me, to equip me for the plans He has for me. Oh how I want to know the depth of Randy's relationship with the Lord. You will too when you spend time with Randy in the pages of this book.
One day Randy will no longer be with us. But thank God he leaves behind the lyrics in his songs, and the words in this book. He always said he wanted his life to matter, to be used of God until his final breath.
So it's only natural that Randy would close A Believer's Journey with these final words ~
"I will forever write songs and sing praises to the One who is like no other. I will tell of His great love and power until my last breath, and then I will see Him face to face, and worship Him. My Savior! My King! My God!"
You can order your copy of A Believer's Journey HERE
Thursday, July 25, 2024
A Believer's Journey Book Launch
Monday, July 01, 2024
Saturday, November 27, 2021
Randy Thompson Christmas CD ~ Through Different Eyes
Saturday, August 15, 2020
The Pandemic & Dementia
My Dear Randy,
I miss you so much.
I miss our hugs, our eskimo kisses, walking the halls hand in hand and snuggling in bed.
I am missing your best days, because today is your best day. And tomorrow you will have declined a bit more, and then that will be your best day... till the next day.
That makes me so sad, cuz I don't want to miss a single best day. Each day holds memories I am missing. Will I ever be able to hold your face in my hands... to message your neck, back and head... to look deep into your blue eyes?
I am thankful for our porch visits each week. We sit 6 feet across from each other. You are the only one in the facility that wears a mask the entire visit. You seem to stare deep into my soul. And I know you know me. I know you love me.
Your Sugar
Last week I had our large tree in our front yard trimmed. I hired a reputable company... and it did not go well. The work was done poorly. And I was treated poorly. I felt so vulnerable, so unprotected, so alone. When I visited Randy two days later, I started crying the moment I saw him and cried throughout the visit. Thankfully my mask absorbed the flow of tears. You see Randy did everything for our home. We never hired out. He could do plumbing, electrical, tree trimming, landscaping, shingle our roof, paint our house, remodel, lay tile, you name it. So for me to have total strangers do what Randy always did and to have it go so wrong, was devastating. I miss my partner, my protector, my husband. Another layer of loss to grieve.
This pandemic has been brutal for those of us with loved ones in care facilities. This can't go on indefinitely. Yes, his facility has not had one Covid case yet. I am forever grateful. But this can't be how these residents live out their last days.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
dementia: what works for us
I keep music playing on his iPod in his bedroom.
I sing songs where he has to finish the last word from each line.
"You are my (husband), my only (husband), you make me (happy) when skies are (gray)
You'll never know (just) how much I love (you), please don't take my husband (away)"
"Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of (rye)
Four a 20 black birds baked in a (pie), etc."
I encourage him to read billboard signs as we drive to and from his adult day care.
We slow dance to worship music so I can feel him holding me close.
I remind him often that he shared the gospel at his concerts, leading many to pray and accept Jesus as their Savior. He will reply "I did that!"
Because he parrots everything I say, I will tell Him that Jesus died for our sins, and we will spend eternity with God. Invariably he will repeat over and over "Jesus died on a cross for our sins!" The Truth of God's Word is so hidden in his heart that it just spills out, even though his brain is dying.
I leave two cinnamon graham cracker squares on the counter every night, so when he gets up he's more apt to go back to his bedroom if he's had a bite to eat.
Duct tape is a lifesaver. Because our van does not have child safety locks at all, and he opens the door while I drive, I duct tape the door handle. Although he now started opening the window, so I will be duct taping that too. (especially at 100 degrees)
He went through a phase where he filled several glasses of water from the frig water dispenser every day. Even though he didn't drink them. So I covered the entire ice & water dispenser with cardboard & duct tape. Problem solved.
I have had our friend/ locksmith here several times over the past 4 years, installing keyed locks to the laundry room, garage door, my office, my bedroom, front door and security door. I have that key clipped to me at all times because I lock and unlock those doors dozens and dozens of times every day. But Randy's safe, secure and I can sleep at night knowing he can't get out, into the food, the meds, etc.
Here's my handy-dandy retractible key ring that changed my life. I found mine in a pack of 3 at the 99 Cent store. The clip is very strong and stays clipped either to my shirt, pocket or belt loop.
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Randy Thompson ~ Memory Care @ 4 months
Ok, so I tried finishing this post several times in the past month... just can't seem to put into words these past 4 months. So I'll try again...
I visited my husband every day the first 2 months, and now every other day. I guess you could say the honeymoon is over, and now I see things about the facility that bother me... or maybe I just expected everything to be perfect. I want him dressed nicely when I arrive, and often times he's not. He's wearing someone else clothes... that do not fit. And it makes me crazy. I can't change what's going on in his brain, but I want him to look the same. I know without a doubt the timing of my husband's placement was right, but that doesn't mean it will ever feel right. How is it ever right for someone to put their loved one in a facility? And go home and go on with life. I can't. I know I didn't bury my husband, but at times it feels like I did. The layers of loss are just overwhelming. But amidst all the pain and sadness are miracles. Unbelievable miracles of God's goodness and grace... praising Him and thanking Him in the midst unimaginable grief.
Here's what I mean ~
- dear friends Linda & Ralph from WI came to be with me during the transition
- insisted on staying three weeks after Randy's placement
- had no idea how much I needed them here
- I was able to duplicate our wedding quilt, so he'd have 2 at the facility
- the medical assessment was done by a Christian nurse from the facility
- Randy's precious 80 year old roommate raised his family in Madison, WI
This photo was taken the night before Randy was placed in memory care July, 2018.
I finished this post several months ago, and just now posting it. Randy has since been at Brookdale for 11 months. More posts to follow.
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Randy Thompson CDs ~ CD Baby
Saturday, July 14, 2018
Dementia/ Memory Care
And finally, I thank God for everything. And I mean everything. I don’t understand everything, but I can truly thank Him. I am trusting God’s love for me, His character, His faithfulness, His ever present help in times of trouble. He is transforming me. He is fighting for me. He is the strength of my heart. And my portion forever. He allowed this. He is using it. He is all I need. He is enough.
“We are aliens and strangers. This is not our home. I long for the day when I can stand before Jesus and hear Him say “Well done good and faithful servant”.”
I long for that day too.
Sunday, May 27, 2018
flowers from my husband
As I made my way home from work that day, with tears pouring down my face, I once again surrendered my hurting heart to Jesus. With what little faith I had, I thanked Him for His faithfulness, His provision, His love. I knew I was not alone. He was with me. I may feel lonely, but I am never alone.
Shortly after I arrived home, someone I had recently met in the healthcare business, came to my door with a huge bouquet of flowers. I was stunned. No way. You see, to me, these gorgeous flowers were without a doubt, a gift from God. To me. From my husband. I was undone. I hugged and thanked her, and when she left I collapsed on the couch and had a good cry. Once again "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire, and set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:2 Thank you Jesus!
Then Randy arrived home. When he walked in the door and saw the flowers, I hugged him so tightly and thanked him over and over for sending me flowers. You guys, the look on his face was priceless. He was beaming and repeated over and over "I sent you flowers!". Every day till the flowers were withered and gone, I thanked him over and over for sending me flowers, for loving me so well, for being my husband. And every day, he would say over and over "I know! I sent you flowers!". And my love for him grew sweeter than ever.