Two Wishes

1. I wish I didn't get sick every time my boys do. On Monday night before he went to bed, Josiah said the words that seem to precede every cold he gets: "My throat feels dry." The next day, not surprisingly, both he and David were suffering from the familiar symptoms: runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, etc.--nothing too major, but not any fun either. Tuesday night was a rough night; we seem to have one of those with each go-around of the cold bug. And now the colds seem to be simply running their course.

Unfortunately, despite my consumption of huge quantities of vitamin C to try to escape the inevitable sharing of germs that seems to happen every time, by the middle of yesterday afternoon, my throat was scratchy...and I knew what was coming.

On the bright side:
~ this is as good a time as any to be sick, I suppose, since yesterday's Thanksgiving meal was the last major event on my schedule for a while...my planner page for the next few days is fairly empty
~ I suppose my immunity is built up each time I have a cold...and maybe that immunity gets passed along to the baby??? I'm not at all sure about that, but the thought that my suffering could benefit this unborn child does bring me comfort :)
~ it definitely helps me to be more compassionate with Josiah and David...when I wake up in the middle of the night with a painful throat, I can more easily understand why Josiah would wake up literally screaming in the night from his pain--and why David would need some extra cuddle & cry time, even though he can't tell me exactly what he's feeling

2. I wish I could continue to sail through this pregnancy with as much grace and positive outlook as I have so far. In other words, I wish I weren't normal. I know so well that the 3rd trimester can be a difficult time of life for a woman. "Everybody" says that the 1st and 3rd trimesters are tough, so enjoy the good times of the 2nd trimester while you've got them. But really, I would like to continue to fly through these last 2 months with nary a grimace or a groan. The reality is that I'm hitting the stage of lots of grimaces and groans, and I wish it wasn't that way.

I try to remind myself of my sons' memory verse: Do everything without complaining or arguing. (Phil. 2:14). And I also try to imitate the example of strong women in my family line who didn't complain about anything, even if they were feeling poorly or going through other rough times. I'm trying...I'm really trying...

On the bright side:
~ I can more readily relate to other women who are suffering through the agony (and joy) of pregnancy...and as their grumpiness increases as their due date approaches, I can remember how I too felt during these weeks
~ I know this suffering has a purpose--and an end!
~ I'm reminded (once again!) that I'm not perfect...and I can fall into the grace of God and rest in that