The Glue

I opened up a screen to write a new post and I am just sitting here staring blankly at the screen. I am so fried. So totally fried. I often say that women are the "glue" in the family. We're the glue. And even when the glue gets sick, the glue keeps doing what she always does. Other people in the house take a nap. The glue keeps, well, being the glue. Wandering around the house in a fog, somehow managing to keep everything going. Now, I'm not saying I do it all. I just happened to be married to an awesome guy who grocery shops and does laundry and dishes too. But he is not the Mama, therefore he is not the glue.

This week has been a challenging one. I have so many little things I have wanted to chronicle here in our blog...visits from friends and family, pictures of the kids and reports of Ezra's progress. I write in my head all the time, but getting the words from my brain to the page seems like a bit of a long journey lately. I have my to-do lists. I would like to blog more, clean my house more thoroughly, possibly hang some pictures of our family on the walls. But in every day life, there are often many detours. This week is a prime example.

Phoebe went to Vacation Bible School a couple weeks ago and had an awesome time. We were so blessed to hear her learning new songs and scriptures, and just having a great time with the other kids at church. She came away gaining so much. The only thing we weren't so blessed by was the nasty virus that came home with her. Despite all my natural remedies and tinctures that would normally kick it out of her system within a day or two, she was really, really sick for over a week. We happened to have last-minute guests, some dear friends of mine from college, and poor Phoebe was just not herself. We all had an amazing time anyway.

Now, that wouldn't be so bad if Daddy hadn't gotten it too. Daddy and Phoebe seemed to be in the clear and on the mend when Mommy felt the symptoms. Then Daddy came home one morning from work and said, "My eye kind of hurts." I took one look at him and barked, "Conjunctivitis!" Pink Eye!!! We tried to quarantine Daddy, but it was too late. The very next morning little Ezra woke up with a very swollen, very pink, little eye...and a deep cough...and runny nose. And to top it all off, what I had summed up to be mere drool rash on his face, with closer examination, saw that it covered his entire body. A terrible case of Eczema out of the blue (which I believe is due to me allowing myself to reintroduce more chocolate into my diet...so SIGH, I will have to back off once more from this indulgence). Remember, this poor little dude is teething as well!

So the days have blurred together with doctor's visits and non-stop treatments. In between ushering out a slew of natural remedies to myself or others, we have been occupied with coaxing remedies into Ezra's mouth, rubbing creams on his body and ointment in his eyes, excessive (but necessary) hand-washing, sanitizing toys, teethers, sheets, etc, and me shouting, "Don't touch your brother!" In the meantime, Phoebe's appetite came back full-force, following the baby's growth spurt, has been going through one of her own. She is insatiable and I feel like I am FEEDING people at every moment of the day! Phew! Now everyone seems to be on the mend, though it is taking extra long for me, since the definition of "sleep" eludes me at the moment.

But this is not a list of complaints, as it may seem. I woke up feeling blessed. And thankful! So very thankful that these challenges are temporary. I cannot imagine what it is like for parents with terminally ill children, or impoverished children. Watching my kiddos suffer these past couple weeks has been terrible. I'm so thankful they are healthy. So thankful for all we've been blessed with.

I tell ya, it's not easy being the Wanted One. It can be so overwhelming when it seems that everyone needs something from me all at once. Xee and I have this little saying...well, it's my saying, but he agrees. You might hear me say sometime, "Even the fish is looking at me!" Have you ever walked past a fishbowl and watched their behavior? They always appear to be hungry, frantically swimming to and fro, looking to you to sprinkle more food at the top. Or so it seems. That really resonates with me as a mom.

At some point this week I told Phoebe she needed to go to be early because "sleep is the best medicine." She was quick to reply, "Mommies are the best medicine!" Music to my ears. My magical moment of the day, the week, the century! It is not easy being the glue. But I have to say that it can be so darn wonderful. There are so many blissful moments in the mayhem. Keeping my eyes open to see them is the important part. And really, I am not the glue. Jesus Christ is the glue in our home. I only pray that His love is at the heart of all I do, as I take center-stage in our home. I take a deep breath....and I pray. Then I get to work. There's laundry to do!