Praying into 2016: a Christian prayer thread for the New Year

[Tuo]

Happy New Year friends.

This thread is a safe space where anyone - regular, occasional visitor, lurker, committed Christian or waverer - is welcome to come and leave their prayers in the knowledge that they will be prayed for. No problem is too big or small to share here, and if you just want to come and say 'hi', that's fine too.

Looking back through our previous thread, we pray in particular for:

ALittleFaith - for good treatment for her anxiety; for better understanding from her boss; for the lovely Faithlet.

amberlight - for her work supporting people with autism, and for her and her family.

Anjelica27 - for her DS, who has mental health problems, and for Anjelica and her family.

BlackEyedSusan - for all that she has to juggle as a single mum, for her DC, and for her mum. Praying for a peaceful and happy 2016.

Dontbesilly - for her dad, who has been diagnosed with cancer, and for all who love and care for him; also for the medical team looking after him; for her DH's work situation; and for Don't's DDog who has a heart condition.

DutchOma - with gratitude for all she does to support people on this thread and elsewhere. Thinking of her especially as the anniversary of the loss of her beloved Bob approaches, in particular after the recent death of her brother as well. May she know God's closeness to her in her grief.

EdithSimcox - for her to be able to find ways to support and nurture her faith; and for understanding from her DP.

FaithLoveandHope - for clarity about what she wants (and what God wants) for her future.

HardyLeodicean - especially for her FIL.

IHopeYouStepOnALegoPiece - for her to find comfort and joy in exploring her faith; also for a good recovery from heart surgery for her best friend's dad.

JugglingFromHereToThere - for her search for rewarding work, for health, and for comfort and strength for her and the rest of her family following the tragic death of her nephew.

Kaykat - following her divorce from an abusive ex; for happiness for her and for her DS.

legohurtswhenyoustandonit - for her to feel more at home and accepted by her church.

LifeofBriony - for her relationship with her DH; also for her DS going back to university after Christmas.

LightnessofBeing - for her new church, and for energy to cope with her punishing work schedule.

MadHairDay - for her health, especially in the cold, wet winter months which are always so hard on her lungs.

Pandora97 - as she starts a new job in a new town for the new year following difficult and stressful times relating to a court case in recent months.

passportmess (formerly known as QuietIsland) - for a colleague whose husband is very ill, and for a university friend who has been diagnosed with cancer.

PatchworkTurtle - for healing in her relationship.

PositiveAttitude - for her DD1, who is depressed, to get the support she needs; for her DD3 and her DH to work through their relationship issues; for PA's DH to find work that makes him happier, for PA's DMum to continue to be happy in her (relatively) new care home and for PA's DDad to cope with her being there. Above all, we pray for PA herself, who is always there for others when they need her, to be happy and fulfilled in 2016.

QoF - for courage when she is feeling anxious.

ScouseQueen - for a full recovery from recent illness.

SESthebrave - for her DH, who has been working abroad, and for SES, juggling everything at home; for her DS to find ways of communicating, rather than lashing out, when he is frustrated; and for her to feel appreciated for the work she does at her church.

TheRealGracePoole - for her ministry to women in her area.

weegiemum - giving thanks for an improvement in her DD1's (borderline) anorexia; praying for weegiemum's own health and for the Master's course which she has undertaken.

And, as always, prayers for anyone I've forgotten (with apologies), for all who lurk but don't post, for 'old-timers' who haven't posted recently, and for newbies who may not have posted yet.

A prayer of St Teresa of Avila

Let nothing disturb you.
Let nothing frighten you.
All things pass away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Those who have God
Find they lack nothing;
God alone suffices. Amen

Edith, just wondering how your dn is after receiving the awful news. I hope that she is as well as can be expected. I hold her in my prayers.
QofF, prayers for your relationship. Really hoping that you both can find a way forward. I agree with what's already been said, in that you are at different starting points. How are you feeling today? Are things the same or any better?
BES, good luck with seeing your mum. I can only imagine how difficult it is, not to mention all the other stuff that you have going on, on a daily basis. Really hoping that she gets better soon and that you can help her without the same experience of Christmas. Please offload on here when you get back if it helps you.

I posted Sunday that despite the out of hours doctor calling, dad was clear of infection. Well yesterday was chemo day and dad wasn't well at all. We had an oncologist appointment early morning before chemo. Well they took one look at dad and did a few observations and sent him to the ward for further tests. The ward where the doctor described us as an intense family , anyway there was no sign of that doctor thankfully, and a wonderful doctor ran tests got dad admitted, on lots of oxygen and an IV drip and antibiotics and took blood samples. Anyway dad is seriously ill with pneumonia. My sister who is a doctor was querying what the doctors who visited from the ooh services had said. In total three came out from Sunday to Monday and all said that he didn't even have a chest infection. My sister said pneumonia doesn't present with a crackling chest sound, you need to tap the chest and back as it's not the same as diagnosing a chest infection. Anyway he's seriously ill and the consultant had a chat with him about his wishes if this got worse. Both mum and dad were in tears. I just am thankful that chemo was due so that this was finally detected, but angry and frustrated that three health professionals failed to diagnose this. He had a temperature, pain in the chest and difficulties in breathing. He looked really poorly. This is why we are perhaps an intense family, trying to ensure dad gets good care and speaking for him when he is too exhausted to do it himself.

I am visiting tomorrow morning and hopefully will see an improvement as the care yesterday was, thankfully, absolutely fantastic. So quick and efficient and done with such genuine care and compassion too.

I have had a few tears over the last few days. Dh can't quite understand why, as it's not me who is ill and it's not all about me. I try to explain that crying now is a release and enables me to visit dad and appear more brighter and positive. Sadly him and the dc don't understand this. So have learned not to speak to them with my sadness as they say it's not about you, your not dying, don't keep making this about you. So I keep everything bottled up. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger and so on. Yesterday dh had tiny brass splinters in his fingers from work which was the main focus of attention along with his tired feet. I am not 'allowed' to cry now as he's still alive and be positive bla bla bla, so, when the inevitable happens will they say something like why cry there is nothing you can do now, type of thing? Karma is all I can think of and handing it over to God.

Oh, Amber how are you getting on with your health. Did you find out what it is? I was so thrilled for you when you said it wasn't anything unpleasant returning. Hoping and praying that you are ok and you have peace of mind.

Passport. How is your dear friend doing? I am praying for her.

Praying and thinking of you all

oh don't ... you need to get your sister to be all intense and whoop arse on the ooh drs if, if they really did miss it at the time. (disclaimer, approaching pmt so I get pissed off with peole for just breathing somethimes)

and you are such a lovely lovely person, thinking of others while you are going through all this trauma. hoping dh is pulling his finger out to help some more. do look after yourself. you might end up in the state I got at christmas if not

well ds has fallen asleep so I will wake him and get going to mothers now the worst of the traffic has gone. I could have left an hour ago but experience tells me I would have arrived at a similar time and maybe only been 20 minutes earlier with a stressful journey requiring at least an extra 20 minutes to recover.

Oh dont I'm so sad for you after reading that, you should be able to cry all that you need to and be supported in that, it's not much to ask. I feel angry for you I'm so sorry your dad has pneumonia and that it was missed, (that happened to me once, it's quite common sadly), I'm praying for him and for you, for comfort and release from pain for him, for peace and comfort for you.

Edith how is DN?

sorry, missed the not being allowed to cry thing. That is really bad. It is about you, it is about your grief at losing the health of your father and the impending death of your parent. And your stress levels this brings. sorry your h sounds selfish.

also you may have noticed I am still here. ds has done his unwakable act again. shaken (no, not that sort the wake up sort) and stood up... but no, fast asleep, jelly legs unable to wake. I may be able to do his teeth and give him a firemans lift to bed later.

on the plua side all the bags are packed and I have washed up and had a cuddle with dd without being jumped on by ds.

Oh don't I am so sorry to hear that your dDad is so poorly. The crying is a coping mechanism as well as an acknowledgment of the seriousness of the situation, the uncertainty and the emotional pain. Do you mind if I ask if you are the person who carries everything for the family and holds them all together - like the centre figure who holds everything together? It sounds a bit like they depend on you to be the strong one and to organise everything but now you need the help and the shoulder to cry on. I think you may need to have a family conference because you need more help, both practical and emotional, than you're getting. How is your physical health holding up? Would a trip to the gp help, even to get preemptive help so that you don't fall apart physically? Might it be possible to get counselling to help find coping mechanisms to deal with all the uncertainty and to help you navigate the maze of pressures? As well as your husband, I think your kids need to step up too. It may be that they don't want to confront the seriousness of your dear Dad's illness and that you are a good bit ahead of them in confronting things - they may have their heads in the sand. You are also doing a good bit of the visiting and hand holding for your parents whilst your family are at school and work - they don't see what you see so they don't have to emotionally deal with it which is why you are crying - you are processing your experiences so that you can go back to the hospital and help. Much love to you and your family - I'm glad the medics have (finally) diagnosed your Dad's pneumonia. I was thinking of him even though I wasn't on a computer to post. xxx

My Uni friend has had her mastectomy successfully and my colleague is back at work after her husband's funeral. I'm meeting her for coffee soon.

TealLove Praying hard for you too - situations can be rubbish but that is not a reflection of your worth. Hang in there...

Edith - Praying for dneice's friend. x Lovely to see you around.

MHD hope you are feeling better.

QoF praying for your family and relationships.

TUO thanks for the lovely prayers and thanks for the wise words Dutchoma. BES glad you had a lovely snuggle with dd.

dont another one rather angry on your behalf. And totally agree with bes - of course it is about you and I find it hard to comprehend why anyone would think it isn't! It is about you, you mum, your siblings and of course your darling dad and all others who are close. I can't stand it when people try to define what reactions people should have to life experiences. You are just trying to work your way down a path that we will all face if haven't already and I can tell you when it happens to me with my parents I will be a complete self absorbed wreck and will totally expect anyone close to me to deal with that and accept it!
I am glad that the hospital have finally realised your Dad was so ill and I just hope that he responds to the treatment. I will always remember you posting a few months ago about being in the hospital, feeling so low and scared but feeling the presence of God with you and just knowing he was with you all the time. He is still with you and I certainly don't believe he would be expecting you to have a stiff upper lip and just be getting on with things! I send you all my love and prayers and total admiration for how you are handling this most difficult of times.
Edith how is your niece? Did she arrive ok?
Mad how are you? Health wise and is there any breakthrough with which direction things are going to go in?
Prayers for you all. And

Just read one of your previous posts don't - you're not selfish, absolutely not. But you clearly are the main engine of the family and with all that's going on emotionally you won't have the physical or emotional energy to keep this up. I think you have to be straight up with your family that you will fall over (and I don't mean over cases...) if you keep going at this rate. It should be all hands on deck. Do not stress over the state of the house or having things just so. Through this period just survive. Do not ruminate while out walking the dogs - just switch off. Practice mindfulness: www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/pages/mindfulness.aspx

Basically be aware of the sad feelings, acknowledge them and observe them neutrally but don't ruminate on these feelings. Praying helps a lot with this too - being in the moment with God. You need periods of oasis to cope with the stressful moments so you have to find a way to switch off and to have people around you give you that time. xx

Wise words QoF 'You are just trying to work your way down a path that we will all face if haven't already'

oh and thinking about it lovely, don't feel that you have to name check us all on the thread. ok if it helps, but sometimes you need somewhere where others support you for a season. sounds like your family are not doing that for you.

do you have support from church or rl friends?

because I am just a figment of you imagination, not here, see through , look woooo

, BES. You have such a lot going on, but you always make me laugh too. Praying for you, and for a visit to your mum's which is less stressful than you fear.

Prayers, too, for you, dear Don't. Your family are being very hard on you, and I am sad and angry on your behalf. You sadness is not 'all about you', it's an expression of compassion, which literally means 'suffering with' someone else. You are suffering because your dad is suffering, and that suffering is both understandable and inevitable. No-one can make your suffering go away, but we (all of us, IRL and figments of your imagination online) can be with you in your suffering, to hold your hands (literally or metaphorically) and to let you know that you are not alone. As lovely QoF says, remember that God is with you in all this too.

Praying also for QoF and her DH, for Edith and her DP, for Edith's DN, for Teal, for MHD and her DH (have a look at the passage for today that I posted on the 'Lent Readings' thread, MHD - I think it may speak to you...), and, of course, for Oma, for Passport, for PA and her family, and for all who visit this thread.

This prayer, from tonight's Northumbria Compline, is for us all:

Calm us, O Lord, as You stilled the storm.
Still us, O Lord, keep us from harm.
Let all the tumult within us cease.
Enfold us, Lord, in Your peace. Amen

Thank you so much
Praying for you all too

haha Bes you make me laugh :)

don't this is completely about you, just as much as it is about your mum and siblings and of course your dad - you have to cope with so much on a practical level, and at the same time your h expects you not to show any emotion? He sounds like an arse, s'cuse my French. Sorry. Probably not helpful but it does sound like he is really lacking in empathy.

passport QoF MHD How are you all?

We haven't heard from DN - she'll be arriving soon I expect (it's well over 24 hours journey all up); but she'll be glad to be home with her mum when she gets there.

The other thing going on with me (in addition to the usual thing!) is that my mum isn't very well. She has seems to have dementia and I'm really struggling with whether it is better to try and get her to face up to it a bit, or allow her to remain in denial. Who'd want to know they've got a degenerative brain disease? My dad's life is getting impossible though so I'm going to have to do something.

Prayers for you all (including Tuo and oma of course)

x-post with tuo - love that prayer

glad you are feeling better teal

I shall definitely need it as I will be causing the tumult tomorrow.

I have a dead arm. it has had a walloping.

arm has been joined by other limbs... gardening related. going to flop in a chair for a bit... while they recover.

Room for a little one? Blackeyed kindly pointed me in this direction (and saved me some .

I'm just looking at the daily prayers for now, I have been talking to a friend about her church as an alternative to our existing one (some of you will have seen my thread) but though I can see myself visiting hers it's not a full time alternative for a variety of reasons.

I had the day off just me today and did some nice things. I have DC1 at home in the morning tomorrow and we will try and do some calm baking and then I will try and stop them annoying each other in the afternoon. Blackeyed you reminded me I was also intending to get some easy bedding plants to pot out at some point - DC1 will probably enjoy flinging soil around while doing that.

Welcome drspouse. Would you like to post a link to your thread? If it's anywhere other than this wee corner of MN I expect I might not be the only one who hasn't seen it...

bes are you at your mum's? Hope your limbs are recovering.

Here's another night-time prayer for us all tonight:
Preserve us, O Lord, while waking, and guard us while sleeping, that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.

Amen to that Edith, and welcome to the thread drspouse.

Welcome to the thread drspouse.

That is one of my favourite pryers Edith.

I was looking foward to seeing dd +dgcs. They were going to be here overnight so we could link up with her dbrother and his fmily tomorrow, but she has just realised that she organised the party for her dd for tomorrow and not on Sunday. That is the fourth time since December that she has cancelled at short notice and it makes me very sad. I should make more allowances for her very busy life and fragile health and accept that she just does not have the time for me.

Oh oma that is so sad, and thoughtless of your Dd. Will you be able to see them another time instead? It is hard for all of us with busy lives to make time for everything, but the very least we can do is take care with our plans so that we stick to what we've promised. Praying that you find something else to enjoy today. 💐

Well, she will still come today (I hope) but not stay overnight. She has just sent an invitation for us all to come to the party tomorrow, but I don't particularly want to. Her brother might. He was going to help me with a few errands for which I need a car but there is no particular rush with that. It will certainly please the children if they go, they adore their uncle and their little cousin.

That's good. I'm not sure, is that all your DC and Dgc? Maybe you should think about going to the party even though it wasn't what you'd planned - might be fun to be all together? I expect the DGc are pretty fond of their Oma too

Yes, that is all of them. I know, I should be more understanding of her pressures etc, but feel very much taken for granted. I've e.mailed ds but he is at work and can do without the endless squabbles between me and dd. We have form...

It sounds a lot like she's the one who needs to be a bit more thoughtful and understanding of your needs, not the other way around. I hope you have a nice day together anyway.

I am dragging my DMum to the shops and to the GP - not what either of us would choose for a fun day out!