It’s been a rough couple of months for illness in our house. There were the typical stomach bugs, a six day fever, two bouts of strep, allergies to the environment and also to medicines and finally an infected tooth. I’m realizing that “in sickness and in health” didn’t just mean sickness and health of one another but also of those we care for.
I know my kids are basically healthy, so I’m not complaining. I do see now how exhausting illness is and how it wears on our patience, our time together and our communication. Panic strikes and tensions are high when a kid breaks out in a head-to-toe allergic reaction to medicine you’ve been giving for a week. Frustration mounts when after 6 days of fevers are finally ending in one child the other one gets strep. How do we find joy in each other as a family when my patience and kindness are exhausted?
That is when the love has to be the greatest. My wonderful blessing of a husband puts up with me and my exhaustion over and over. My kiddies who sense my frustration choose to cuddle and share their kindest words in those moments. Just when our bodies are too worn out to put in any more effort, we must find the joy in the little things. This week that little thing for our family is the anticipation of bike rides with our “new” bikes. We rejoiced in finding a bike co-op, where we found used bikes for both kids and I for almost nothing. We can’t ride them yet, but the sheer anticipation is keeping both kids happy for now. It’s tiny, but we’ll take it. I was going to post a picture of my bike below, but didn’t have a picture handy. My flowers are always a source of joy too, so I’m giving you a picture of a flower I found in the weeds and briars by my parent’s creek.
What’s your joy found in today?
