Psalm 68:19

"Praise the Lord; praise God our savior!

For each day he carries us in his arms."

Psalm 68:19 (NLT)

Today was a rough day. Every single member of my family is sick. Some have sinus infections. Some of stomach bugs. And some have both. I was one with a stomach bug. Emotions in my home have been up and down, and then with everyone getting sick, I wasn't sure how I was going to get through this day. But, the Lord carried me through it. 

We have a family of eight staying with us right now. I love having them here, but it's tough to have guests when you're not feeling well; I was worried about how I could be a pleasant hostess when I was feeling so sick. Then it turned out that they were all gone for the day. I had spaced out that they were going to the city for a medical appointment. So, I was able to get some much needed rest this morning without worrying about being a good hostess. :-) By the time I woke up from my morning nap, I was feeling ten times better, so I was able to do some cleaning up in the kitchen and even make spaghetti - from scratch. 

The Lord truly does carry us along day after day!

Psalm 55:7-8, 16,18, 23c

"I want some peace and quiet. I want a walk in the country, 

I want a cabin in the woods. I'm desperate for a change 

from rage and stormy weather... I call to God, God will help me... 

My life is well and whole, secure in the middle of danger...

And I trust in You."

Psalm 55:7-8, 16, 18, 23c (The Message)

Peace and quiet. How I need thee! I've been dealing with Mono for the last (almost) 3 months now. Having Mono keeps me pretty worn out and tired on a daily basis, so needless to say, my house is looking pretty cluttered. I haven't had energy to go anywhere. And I'm desperate for a change in my physical body. 

We just had the most mild winter we've had in a long time. The weather has been gorgeous and I've been stuck inside sleeping my days away. I could have been out hiking every day. Or mountain biking. Or doing school at the lake with the one child I home school. Instead, I've been sleeping all morning, every morning. Waking up to fix lunch, do a little bit of school with my child and then taking another nap so I have energy to get through the evening - getting dinner made, making sure homework and chores get finished. To say I'm "desperate" for a change is an understatement!

I want to go hiking. I want to go camping. I want my house to look and feel peaceful. But, this isn't to be right now. So instead, I keep calling out to God. He will help me. 

Aside from having Mono, my life is "well and whole and secure". My family is getting along better than ever. My relationship with my daughter is doing phenomenal. My boys are growing into amazing young men. My husband is taking steps to better himself, his relationship with us and his relationship with the Lord. I have no needs that aren't being met right now and my life is secure. My husband is here with us. He's not drinking, he's laughing with us. He has a job which provides for all our needs and many of our wants. My life is very, very good right now. And I'm not going to allow Mono to destroy all that. 

Most of all, I trust in God. He has a reason why he's allowing me to take so long to heal from this illness. Perhaps he wants me to focus on the relationship building that's happening in our family right now and not focus on how clean my house is. I don't know. But I do know that I trust Him. And I will continue to put my life into His loving hands, knowing that He has plans for my life.

Proverbs 6:6-11

"You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; 

let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do. 

All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions. 

So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing? 

How long before you get out of bed? A nap here, a nap there, 

a day off here, a day off there, sit back, 

take it easy - do you know what comes next? 

Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, 

poverty your permanent houseguest!" 

Proverbs 6:6-11 (The Message)

Oh man! I read this tonight and thought, "This is me! I've become a lazy fool!" All I do is sleep. I take 1-2 naps per day. I struggle to get out of bed in the morning. I have to sit back and take it easy. And my life is poor because of it. 

Now, in my defense... I've had mono for at least 2 months, so I have doctor's orders to sit back and take it easy. I'm ordered to nap whenever I feel fatigued. And I HATE it! When I say my life is poor, I'm not talking financially. I'm talking emotionally. I have to miss out on things that I really want to do. My house is a wreck because I don't have energy to clean it. I do laundry one day and I'm down for the count the next. And I think how crazy it is for anyone to CHOOSE to live like this! But, the ironic thing is, if I don't rest and take it easy now, I could end up with something called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - where I always feel this way! Do you know how horrid that would be?!?!?! I'm a social butterfly! I like to go out and meet new people! I like to have a clean house. I like to cook and bake for my family. So, I begrudgingly do what my doctor says and rest. But, no one said I couldn't whine about having to do this! ;-)  

I just have to get myself to see that, in this case, I'm not being a lazy fool. I'm being a lazy wise person. haha