A Not-So-Happy Birthday (and Thanksgiving)

Well, as I get my token Facebook birthday wishes I like to take the time to just sort of... laugh. I don't mean to complain or anything, but really? What else is the internet for but to vent your complaints?

I came down with a wicked case of strep throat. It hit me the night before Thanksgiving. Yes. Right after all my family got in town. I was kind of feeling sort of not so good but then that night it got BAD. Chills, fever, muscle aches... When morning finally came I felt like I had been run over by a truck.

And it was Thanksgiving.

Am I supposed to be thankful for this??

I stayed home that morning while Ben took Levi to my mom's house to hang out with my family. I stayed home... in bed. I did muster enough energy to drive myself to my mom's house to eat some turkey and dressing. (so good!) Ben said I probably shouldn't have any pie though because sugar isn't good for the immune system. I hate it when he's right. My biggest fear though was infecting my sister in law who is 18 weeks pregnant. I didn't know if I had the flu or what. That evening I got worse and Ben just drove me home.

Why in the world am I recounting all of this for you? I can't believe I just typed all that. Who the heck wants to hear about being sick on Thanksgiving?

The next night was the same as far as the sickness went. Yeah.

That morning I decided to go to a walk in clinic. The Dr took on look in my mouth and told me I had strep. What's worse? Strep or the flu? Right now it feel like strep.

But that's not really the worse part.

So, for me Thanksgiving is synonymous with birthdays.  We like to call it Birthday Week. Ben's is on the 29th, mine is the 24th and Levi's is the 23rd. So I was knock down drag out sick on Levi's birthday as well. Ben and I debated if I should just do what the Dr said and stay home or if I should participate in the celebration. As if a sick person can actually celebrate... but whatever. (I feel like I'm being so dramatic. But I literally have not been this sick in a very long time).  Ben wanted me to be there and I wanted to watch Levi open his presents and blow out his candles (he's obsessed with blowing out candles and does an amazing job of it). I kind of just sat miserably in the corner. I sort of felt like I was just this wet blanket on the day. People would be smiling and happy and then glance at me with a pitiful look. Yes, feel sorry for me.

Now, today is my birthday. I have been on penicillin for almost twenty four hours and I'm feeling a lot better, though not up to 100% yet.

So, with all this nastiness I think the best thing for me to do right now is just to be thankful for what God has given me. I need to focus on the good. Scriptures says, "in everything give thanks.' I thought I would make a Thanksgiving list:

I'm thankful for...

- Modern medicine and the miracle that penicillin can work.
- My husband who works so hard and is so capable with our kids. He's pretty much been taking care of them since I got sick.
- A comfortable, warm house that I can be sick in. How much worse would it be if my bed weren't so soft and we didn't have a nice thermostat to keep the chill out.
- For little things like our Camelia bush blooming outside the kitchen window. The trees that are turning radiant yellows and reds outside our bedroom windows.
- That my children and my husband are still healthy.
- For walk-in clinics and kind doctors
- For a clean house (again thanks to my AMAZING husband. He came home yesterday evening and in a whirlwind cleaned our ENTIRE house. Makes being sick in a clean house much easier than being sick in a messy house :))

Lord, help me to give thanks in all things. Thank you for slowing me down. Thank you for humbling me. Thank you for showing me what it's like to be terribly sick. I know some people live with terrible illness for much of their lives, help me to be more compassionate. Thank you for keeping me alive and well for 28 years. You are so good and what you do is good.