Living again

As with most folks around here, we contended with the flu this past week.
I can't complain. Though we each always get our seasonal colds, our kids have not had the flu very often. It was our turn, and it hit with a vengeance!

It's tough being a grown up :) - caring for little ones while you are not well yourself. Energy runs desperately short, discouragement creeps up and all you want to do is crawl under the covers until it all goes away!

Each kiddo got a cozy corner of a couch, and slept off their illnesses by the light of the christmas tree. We listened to A LOT of Adventures in Odyssey :) and watched a lot of home videos. At nighttime, Jon moved a mattress into the living room to listen for them if they got sick, while I tended to the littlest one in our room. She wasn't sick, but she wasn't sleeping well at night either! Somehow 5 days have passed and I think we're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!

This morning, however, I felt better. The first thought that came to mind when I realized my body no longer ached (like even underneath-your-fingernails type aching!!) and that I no longer groaned every time I moved :) --- this is what it feels to LIVE again. It takes going down for the count, even something as simple as the flu, to remind me how good it feels just to breathe and move without so much effort and think more clearly and all the other essentials of life that I so quickly take for granted.

This morning, I felt joy as we moved through our morning routine. Deep gratitude. I longed to throw open the windows for fresh air. (However I figured that Jon would assure me that with the cold temps and snow falling outside it would likely be a waste of heat energy!!) I have settled, instead for washing every blanket, towel, set of pjs, pillows and cases and couch cover that I could find. Everything goes through the laundry and hopefully that fresh-home smell will soon re-emerge. (Maybe plugging in the glade air freshener would help too!)

In some ways, it reminds me of when I discovered grace for the first time. Not just knowledge of God, but life WITH God. Ah, my heart said, this is what it feels like to LIVE. I felt joy. I longed to throw open the windows of my heart and soul and let His fresh Spirit clean house. It took a while to get all the messes cleaned up (we're still working on several!!), but it felt so ... good. Still does.

For all of you who find yourself contending with the flues of the season, we pray for a speedy recovery. May you find His grace, and a breath of fresh air, in the midst of the battle.