Snow and Sickness

On Tuesday we woke up to a newly white world! A snow day... one of my favorite kinds of days, from time immemorial. (OK, only since I was school-aged. But isn't "time immemorial" a great phrase?")

Less pleasantly, we also woke up to Matthew's fourth day of fever, which meant that a doctor's visit was top priority. (Here's my sick-eyed boy during one of our midnight Motrin rendezvous.)

So we bundled up, went to the doctor, found out that Little Man has an ear and throat infection. Drove to Rite Aid, waited for the prescription. Filled the car with gas. Headed back home.

Home, where Dave and Meg were waiting for us. Dave too was sick, with some kind of grown-up version of Matthew's ailment, a fever and cough. My poor husband--when he gets sick, he really goes down hard. He was in bed for almost 48 hours straight, with only a few brief ventures to the shower or the kitchen. Fortunately, he usually comes back up relatively quickly. On Tuesday afternoon, his fever broke, and an hour later, Dave was pretty much back on his feet.

In the midst of playing nurse to my boys, I did manage to get Meggie outside for a little while. She was begging to play in the snow, and I was happy to oblige while Dave and Matthew napped.

To Meg's disappointment, the new-fallen powder wasn't good for snowmen or snowballs that day. But she did get to ride in her little red sled ten or twelve times! We have a small hill right outside our house that is perfect for beginners--especially beginners who have a parent handy to steer them around the divots and the trees.

After snow play, we came inside, and Meg had her very first taste of "concoction." Concoction is a Nancy Nalle invention that I loved as a little girl--warmed milk laced with vanilla extract and a shake of cinnamon. It's a nice alternative to hot chocolate at bed or nap time. Meg loved it.

I find that a sick family is a wonderfully sanctifying thing. Getting up in the middle of the night to tend to a feverish toddler and then not being able to get back to sleep myself--that chips away at my love of ease. Having to tend a feverish husband on our family day, laying aside all of our plans for fun and productivity--that reveals my sense of entitlement, my proud, demanding, "I-deserve-better" heart. And having no one to baby me when I start to feel less than 100% myself--that makes me aware of my selfishness and my quickness to complain.

All in all, it's been a week full of sickness, snow and seeing my need for the Savior. How grateful I am that He "came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28)