Dinners and Substitutes

Day SEVEN!  This whole being sick thing is beginning to get old.   
 
Since that hike on Saturday, I haven't left the house and I've barely moved within it.  This morning, I had the smallest surge of energy and I thought I was almost finished with this ridiculous cold, so I did laundry, cleaned the kitchen, changed the sheets, and caught up from the general weekend chaos.  But now, 6 hours later, I feel like someone has poured cement from my head down to my chest again.  ugh!  I can't believe there are people who go through this more often than once every 20 years! 


But even though I feel like I've been run over by a truck for the seventh day in a row, there have been things throughout the day that have reminded me to be grateful.

This afternoon, my very sweet friend, Karla, called to say she was bringing dinner over tonight!  She makes the most delicious, authentic red beans and rice!  (She's from Louisiana.)  AND guess what else!  She even made a vegan version for the non-carnivorous members of my family.  So, not only did she bring dinner...she brought TWO dinners!  Amazing and thoughtful. 


And yesterday, Jeanette graciously agreed to combine my Primary class with hers for the lesson, with only about 1 minute's notice!  My 6 kids + her 6 kids + a visitor couldn't have been anything less than complete craziness.  But this morning, she called bright and early to check on me and to let me know that the kids were great and that she didn't mind at all having a few extra in there.  (Isn't it so nice when people minimize a challenging situation so their unreliable counterparts don't feel so guilty?  I need to remember to make that woman some cookies...sometime when I'm not highly contagious.)


So, with a totally grateful heart for all the people who jump up and help even when they don't have to, and for the fact that I have a life conducive to sitting around all day, I'm going to finish the estrogen movie I've been watching...

...throw away the monstrous pile of tissues I've accumulated (I don't think it's really necessary to disclose how many were from sneezing and how many were from crying through that movie)  

those are actually bison skulls...but it illustrates my point

...and get ready to greet my children who will be wondering when this make-up-less, sweats-clad, pitiful creature will be leaving and when their real mother will be coming back.   I'm kinda ready for her to come back, too.  Tomorrow I'll be writing about how grateful I am NOT to be sick anymore!