Pyretta Blaze

Pretty certain I wasn’t supposed to paint my watch…at least some of the paint is getting on the walls!

Sprucing up the baptistry rooms and stairways with my church sister. No one asked us - we asked if we could serve by painting this area.

When did you last ask to serve your church?

Christian’s don’t need to wait to volunteer, we have eyes to see the needs, lips to volunteer, and hearts and hands to serve. Go and serve your church, your church members, and God. Don’t wait to be asked, God is waiting on you to serve…don’t keep Him waiting!

Barometric pressure increasing swiftly like today always hit me hard (drops usually just are intense pain barreling down on my joints and long bones). My POTS will have my heart acting like Jackie Chan while in my brain I will hear a familiar song playing… “Hello darkness my old friend, I think I stood up too fast again.” My vision will become tunneled, and weakness of my muscles will set in.

My hands and arms might experience bilateral paraesthesia, I could experience high heart rate and increased blood pressure, and kaleidoscope vision. I might get super trembly in my arms and hands, and have my hands respond into claw shape as if I am very dehydrated when I am not.

So since I need to go visit my elderly friend in hospice tonight, I’m starting my spoonie plan of action now. First, I’m increasing my water intake and taking an extra Liquid IV (in the summer months when I’m sweaty I will alternate from Liquid IV to LMNT for the additional sodium).

Then, I am preparing dinner extra early to cook because there is no way I could cut and peel potatoes with my hands doing the claw shape shakes with numbness…well, I COULD, but I’m the only medic in the house. 🤪 Mashed potatoes and meatloaf are very simple to prep and let cook without needing much during or post cooking work (my husband and daughter will happily mash the potatoes for me).

Barometric pressure alerts should be an option much like “severe weather alerts” are on smart phones. So many people are impacted by swift shifts in barometric pressure that a warning would be nice. Today my alert was the insane wind beating against my house. I was able to check the barometric pressure on my phone, and see that I need to make a revision to today’s plans so that I can continue on with my plans of feeding my family a home cooked meal and visiting with our elderly friend in hospice.

Wellness is not always about your body’s current state. Sometimes, it is preparing those backup plans to maintain the best state while your body’s wellness wanes temporarily. It would be worse without preparation to minimize the fallout. It’s all about being spoonie savvy!

Take care of yourselves and each other.

Watching Home Alone while visiting with my elderly friend in hospice. He’s never seen it before, so it is nice to see him enjoying some Christmas movies.

Visits, enjoying time together, ministering to him, etc is a huge part of supporting and caring for someone in hospice. It is in these moments when they lower their walls and speak up about ailments or pain. Then, these concerns can be addressed with care providers and facility staff to help your loved one receive the care they need and deserve. This means daily visits, not quick weekly check-ins. Your loved ones still need you, and now is not the time to be a time miser. When your loved one is gone, will you have spent your time well to help them and to make new memories?

With my friend, the answer will be “Yes!” Because I know this is one of the best ways to get the information to advocate for him, to keep him company, and for us to make the best of his remaining time until the Lord calls him home.

I wouldn’t spend my Christmas Eve another way, because I am serving my friend in the most important way possible - with pure love. I just get the extra benefit of showing him some great Christmas movies that he hasn’t seen before. It warms my heart to help him feel the Christmas spirit even though he is in hospice care. It’s a privilege to love someone like this. I wish everyone here had loved ones visiting with them daily; I know it isn’t always easy, but love is the greatest thing a person can do. So if it has been a while since you were with a loved one in a nursing home or hospice care, give them your love in person; it means more than you may ever know. You won’t regret the time spent together, but you could regret the time apart. Why have regrets when you can have love?

Isn’t that what Christmas is about? A love so perfect, so immeasurable, so freely shared to all who believe…how can anyone not share their love with loved ones? Wasn’t the greatest commandment Jesus gave was for us to love? So love and serve your loved ones, not just at Christmas, but every day of the year!

Waiting does not mean wasted time and effort.

Sometimes the holiest thing you can do in the in-between is show up anyway, love loudly, and serve someone who cannot repay you.

Dear Christian, God never wastes a season. He is just waiting on you so that He can move in your life.

I’ve been an ICP fan for decades and still enjoy watching people lose their minds every time they “discover” the big reveal… meanwhile I’m over here nodding like, “Yes, welcome to the party, we’ve been knowing that.”

What I love; what’s always hit me right in the soul is how openly they point their fans toward God. Not in a preachy, holier-than-thou way, but in that raw, real, “Hey, you matter, and we actually care where you spend eternity” way. Tell me that’s not beautiful!

Their song Thy Unveiling still gets me - Every. Single. Time.

Not even gonna pretend it doesn’t make me cry the same tears I get from certain worship songs. There’s just something about musicians who genuinely want their fans to make it to Heaven, not Hell…who want them to know they’re loved, seen, and worth saving.

People joke about clowns, but honestly? ICP has been out here for decades doing what half the music industry won’t: giving their fans hope. Real hope. Eternal hope. And they’re doing it with face paint and Faygo showers, because God’s sense of humor is elite.

I’ll always love that about them.
Not because it’s shocking.
But because it’s sincere.
Because it’s rare.
And because it reminds me that God will meet you anywhere…even in a crowd of Juggalos with a chorus that hits you like a prayer!

I hope they come back to Greenville/Spartanburg SC soon so I can see them for a 4th time. MCL everyone. 💜

Minnie Mäusefänger wants to go to church with me.

Don’t let my dog have more zeal for the Lord than you. Dear Christian, set your heart on fire for Him!

New PCM ordered genetic labs.

Phlebotomist was joking my order was above her pay grade so be patient with her. “Yeah, I’m complicated. Probably gonna need 12 vials, I’m sorry,” I joked back.

It literally was 12 vials! 😳

hEDS, POTS, MCAS - my chronic illnesses are no joke.

My pain and the story of living my life on hard mode have a purpose and serve to bring God glory. I live life on hard mode, but I have eternal life so I’m not worried because I will respawn in my Father’s house.

8yr ago we lost legendary stand-up comedian, Ralphie May. I was fortunate enough to interview him. I wanted to ask questions that interviewers never ask, and he did not know the questions in advance. He was so incredibly kind to all his fans, as was his wife, Lahna.

Today, honor the life of Ralphie May by drinking some Cuban coffee and watching one of his specials. You can also read his book, This May Get a Little Heavy (available on Amazon if you would like to support his family). Thanks for the laughs, Ralphie.

My interview with Ralphie will be linked in the comments.

My family is devastated. Cinnamon Girl was breathing and acting weird this morning, so we took her to the vet. After they did an x-ray of her lungs she was more weird. So, they gave her oxygen and she passed away unexpectedly in their hands.

RIP Cinnamon Girl - thank you for 13 years of happiness.

I’ll see Charlie in our Father’s house.

I’m calling on all of my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus to cover his wife, his children, and his loved ones in prayer.

The persecuted are blessed. 💜✝️

Last night was a blast hosting a respite night for our David’s Table and OC Shine friends!

It was wonderful serving in love to our disabled adult friends and their families. Celebrating them and supporting them brings such joy to everyone.

I can’t wait to do it again! 💜✝️

1 Corinthians 12:22-23
“On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor.”

2 Corinthians 12:9
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

May the Lord give us more opportunities to encourage, support, provide resources to, advocate for, and most importantly celebrate these wonderful friends that we are blessed to serve and have fellowship with.

Great service and love are abundant right here in Greenville, SC and I hope others will feel inspired to spread theirs like butter on toast! If you want to know how you can serve our friends or if you or your business want to partner with David’s Table or OC Shine please send me a DM, and I will happily provide you the information and get you in touch with the right team.

It’s been far too long since I last streamed. I was troubleshooting my return in January, and thought the issues were resolved. Then, the worst thing happened…I was waiting for my best friend to login to game, but he had unexpectedly passed away.

The weekend ahead would have been his birthday, and the 30th will be 6mo since he passed. I lost my Infinite Archive partner that I’d leaderboard with, my COD squad buddy…my best friend. He was my biggest fan and cheerleader, so as much as returning to streaming breaks my heart, I know he wouldn’t want me to stop.

So my first streak back will be my first solo Infinite Archive run, dedicated to his memory. I may not be #1 on the solo leaderboard, but I will be going as deep into the Archive as I can get. I hope to make you proud, Solvent!

My tears are echos of the love our friendship shared in the decade we knew each other. I will never forget Solvent. 💜