My washer and dryer hate
me right now. They have been on the go
almost constantly since Wednesday, the day my daycare provider discovered the
lice. Right now my husband is horrified
that I’m sharing this with all of you, but frankly it’s a part of life. Not that it’s a rite of passage, but it’s like
ringworm, it makes you feel all gross and stuff but there is not much you can
do to stop from getting it. All I want
to do is CLEAN, disinfect, and boil myself in a large vat, but amazingly enough
they don’t recommend this treatment (the boiling in a vat that is, cleaning
yes, one must clean).
After the plague of lice (the
battle is still on, however the good guys are winning) came the flood of
puke. Two kids, two beds, three or four
times being jerked awake in the middle of the night to comfort and clean up. The washer and dryer continue to run…..but that’s
not the point.
I’m feeling exhausted,
crabby, and on the verge of a pity party (which by the way never helps,
surprising I know) when all of a sudden, “Thank you God for puke,” comes out of
my mouth. Often I’m sarcastic, but this
time I wasn’t. See at that moment God
struck me down with some sense and reality.
We have lice and pukers, but we will clean up, heal up, pick nits and in
no time this will all just be a story. My
kids are going through normal childhood illnesses, and it’s yucky and
frustrating at times, but “This too shall pass,” to quote my mom.
A little boy named Jack
came to mind while I uttered my odd prayer to God. He’s a distant cousin of my husband and the
same age as our boy. And he has pediatric
brain cancer. He’s had brain surgery and
chemo and gone through so much more than a 7 year old should. And he’s been battling this for over a year.
Jack has amazing parents
and family and support system miles deep and wide, but he still faces a major
hurdle in his life and uncertainty. His
parents have to watch him get poked with needles and trust doctors to take care
of him in surgery.
And it all comes back into
perspective: Thank you God that it’s only puke.
Thank you for giving me healthy kids and please bless all those kids
like Jack and their families who have so much more to worry about than lice and
puking.
If you want to read more
about Jack’s treatment and condition check out his Caring Bridge site at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jackhoffman Their faith and optimism are truly amazing.
