
Life has been very unusual lately – and most of it in a very unpleasant way, unfortunately. But each of them is a good reminder to count my blessings.
-1-
My parents’ house on the farm burned down a couple weeks ago. They are okay, but the house was not salvageable. This news story pretty much sums up what happened. I don’t think it will really hit home until I pull into the driveway and there is nothing there but a concrete basement (which will be used in the new construction).
This tragedy reminds me to thank God for many blessings – that my parents are alive & well, that we have a big family & a tight-knit rural community that all jumped in to help, and that they were insured and have the opportunity to rebuild. It is also a good reminder of what is really important.
-2-
So about a week & a half after the house fire, JR gave me a big scare. I am assuming he will write the long version of the story, so I’ll keep this short. It started with a rapidly deteriorating sore throat on Wednesday night. He went to the doctor Thursday morning and was diagnosed with coxsackie virus (basically ulcers in the back of the throat). By Friday morning, I took him to urgent care because he could not even swallow his own saliva and he was diagnosed with strep & started on antibiotics. He was still unable to drink fluids & became severely dehydrated. I had a friend of his take him in for IV fluids Friday afternoon. Saturday morning, we thought he had turned a corner and then out of nowhere his fever spiked to 103.5 and he had almost seizure-like chills. I called a friend (two, in fact, who both raced over) to watch the girls and took him to the ER. We spent 6 hrs in the ER, then he was admitted, and eventually transferred to the ICU. He had developed epiglotittis, a potentially life threatening condition where the patient is unable to breathe. They pumped him full of antibiotics & steroids to bring down the swelling while they monitored him. At any moment, they told us, he could stop breathing and they would have to intubate or do an emergency tracheotomy. And then on Monday, they were pleased with the decrease in swelling and ready to send him home to recover fully. I am still reeling from how close we came to a family tragedy.
This close call reminds me to thank God for the blessing of a healthy husband, good health insurance, loving & generous friends, and the most basic thing – the gift of life.
-3-
Once again, I am deeply touched by the outpouring of generosity from our TX friends. When JR was in & out of doctor’s offices, urgent care & the hospital, I had such wonderful support from the same families that had just put themselves out when Jake was born. It was hard to accept so much help knowing that I already had a long list of favors to return, but these are the kind of people who don’t keep track and don’t expect a return. And that’s what makes them such outstanding people. I am still trying to think of a creative way to say thank you – let me know if you have any ideas!
Obviously, this outpouring of support reminds me to be thankful for loving & generous friends. And to strive to follow their example.
-4-
As if that weren’t enough, on JR’s first day back to work, I took Jake to the pediatrician’s office for a well check. He’s doing great – 11lb. perfectly chubby and all smiles & coos. While the doctor was examining Jake, Violet asked me to pick her up. As soon as I did, I knew she had a fever. She also told me that her tongue hurt. I asked Dr. G to have a look at her when he was finished with Jake since her temperature was only 100 and there didn’t seem to be a rush. By the time the doctor finished with Jake, Violet had fallen asleep on my shoulder (this was 11am!) and was very warm. The nurse took her temp again & it was 103. They said they wanted to give her some ibuprofen & do a strep test. Jake still needed to get his immunizations. JR was expecting us for lunch because it was his birthday, but when he called to see if we were ready for lunch, I asked him to come to the pediatrician’s office instead so that he could take one of the kids. Thankfully, he works across the freeway from the doctor’s office and was there in a few minutes. Turns out Violet had strep and when Molly started exhibiting symptoms later that day, we asked for a double dose of antibiotics and were granted it. So that is how we got our first (& second) dose of antibiotics for the children. For the record, the doctor said it couldn’t have been strep from JR because it had been too long since he was infected.
While strep throat is not any sort of tragedy, it was a simple reminder to be grateful for healthy children, a good doctor, and a helpful husband.
-5-
Amidst all this chaos, life goes on. School is almost out for the summer – Livy has just 4 days left. I am looking forward to having all my little chicks together for awhile. I am also wondering how I’ll keep my sanity having 4 children under 6 at home all day, every day for two and a half months. We are going to break it up a little by visiting family in NE, doing Vacation Bible School, taking an intro to dance class and swim lessons. Before we know it, it will be time to head back to school. Livy will go to Kindergarten and Molly & Violet will be in a twice a week preschool program at church. Jake & I won’t know what to do with ourselves!
Looking toward summer, I am grateful for so many opportunities for the girls & I to enjoy ourselves and learn together.
-6-
In addition to the out of the house activities we have planned, I am hoping to have several happy days at home. I think a key to this will be a well-structured day. It doesn’t take much creativity to predict where the day will end up with 3 little girls left to their own devices. To that end, I am thinking this is the perfect time for me to dust off the plans I had made awhile back for a daily “rule” or routine. When I tried to do it last, the girls were much younger and it was very hard to implement with so many different abilities. Now that the girls can pretty much work on the same activity, I think we’ll have more success. Hopefully, I can get it drawn up next week and I’ll share it here when it’s ready. There are so many things I’ve been wanting to do with my children and yet days and days go by without getting to it. This is my chance to prioritize & plan things out.
This paragraph reminded me to be grateful for the opportunity to start fresh this summer and implement several plans that have been in (& out of) the works several times but never really took off.
-7-
And one last random thing. My friend Sr. Rosalie had her first home visit in April. Missionaries of Charity get a home visit every 10 years for one month. I got to visit with her on the phone for over an hour. She was so thrilled to be with her mom & sisters again. It was really funny to talk to someone that has been almost completely removed from normal society for a decade and then dropped back into it. I suggested she see if anyone had a webcam so I could show her baby Jake and she was so surprised that such technology existed!
She said that she will likely make her final vows next May in Washington, DC. We are making plans to attend as a family. When we left Uruguay, Kelly told me she would need $100 to enter the convent to pay for her sari and the other very limited personal items the sisters are allowed. I was very proud to give her $100 and promise that when she took her vows, I would be there to see it. I am thrilled that I will get to make good on that promise! In her Easter card to us she asked for prayers that she would “persevere joyfully to the end” – I have no doubt that she will! And she signed it “Auntie Sister Rosalie”
And finally, Sr. Rosalie reminds me to be grateful for the gift of faith, for simple joy & for true & lasting friendship!
Hope you enjoyed my 7 Quick Takes – be sure to visit Jennifer at Conversion Diary for links to more 7 Quick Takes Friday!
Have a wonderful weekend!!