When it rains.....

Last week BLEW....chunks that is! We were all sooooo sick! It started with Darby last Saturday. We thought we dodged the bullet but then it hit me and Juliet on Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday night it struck Brandon, who HAD to go to work on Friday. He sent me a text Friday saying "I would have taken better care of you if I had known you felt this bad." He really took amazing care of me though. Friday afternoon he came home and we took care of him. In the middle of the night it hit Max. (WHY in the middle of the night and WHY do they do the running barf to the toilet?) It was ugly! I called it the "deal making flu". The kind when you are laying on the bathroom floors pleading with the Lord that you will do anything if He will take this sickness away! Some of my promises included never saying another swear word again, giving up diet coke (sneaky promise as I all ready did that) and even offering to have another baby! I think the Lord knew that was an empty promise because on Thursday morning I asked Brandon if he was getting a vasectomy on the way home from work. I NEVER WANTED TO FEEL THIS NAUSEA AGAIN!!!! Thankfully we didn't have to suffer long and I am to scared to say out loud that Dash dodged the bullet. (I am sure he will puke in his bed at some point or another!) We spent 4 hours sanitizing/bleaching/washing the entire house. Threw out old toothbrushes and committed to not share any drinks with each other for at least 2 weeks! (we have to make sure Dash is REALLY gonna be ok!)

SO what did I gain from this WRETCHED experience!?

A giant heart full of GRATITUDE for B and I didn't get sick at the same time! A deeper LOVE of my kids and how willing they all were to step up and help out when needed. KNOWLEDGE that I have the best friends ever. I think I received a dozen calls to offer help and dinners. Friends brought my kids home from school offered in many other ways! A STRONGER TESTIMONY that I know the Lord hears and answers my prayers. I am sure He often thinks I am ridiculous and dramatic (who me?) but He knows me and knows what I can handle. More GRATITUDE for my body and what it can do when it is healthy. I vow to take better care of it. (Not doing a very good job of that because I should be sleeping and not blogging right now!) And I think best of all I REMEMBERED that saying "When it Rains......." usually we say "it pours". A good friend reminded me in a talk she gave "WHEN IT RAINS.....IT STOPS." When the Lord had Noah build the arc, it wasn't a forever arc. The rain eventually stopped. When our "rains" come down sometimes it feels like it will never stop and sometimes it does pour, but eventually it will stop. And when it does, IT FEELS GREAT!