January germs

Right now I can hear Mark pacing the floor with occasional hoots and hollers as he watches the National Championship football game. I started out in there but was told to sit on the opposite couch since we didn't root for the same team.

I've taken a long soak and have started reading more of Laura Story's When God Doesn't Fix It. Here's a long quote that stuck out to me tonight:
      We each have plans and dreams for our lives. We think we know what's best and if God just followed our plan, everything would be great. But God's plans are much bigger than ours. Part of what God revealed to me that day in the waiting room was that just because God's plan differed from mine didn't mean that God's plan wasn't good, or that he wasn't good. And it didn't mean that he had abandoned us. Though we like to think our plans are better than God's, in fact, it's quite the opposite: God's intentions are so much grander than ours, we can't even fathom what he has planned for us. . .When we trust that God is for us and not against us, we can see our future as he sees it. (p 78, 79)

This is my sixth January as a parent. I see a trend: every January Alice is sick for 5-12 days. It's routinely been ear infections until her ENT surgery last January solved those problems. This year? Poor Alice has a very bad case of viral pink eye. Her right eye swelled to a small slit, her cheek was red and inflamed and her fever hovered at 100-101 for 5 days. Today is her first full day of no fever and guess what. The infection has moved to her other eye. We're home again until her eyes stop forming tears throughout the day to protect others from her germs. I'm glad she's at least feeling better now! This isolated sick time has shown my own selfishness to do what I want (time alone, a daily shower, exercise, reading my own book, etc). I'm glad Mark's a great husband and parent to calm my weary heart and body from constant care-giving. As my mom says, "This too shall pass."