Thursday, January 29, 2009

Sick


Shel Silverstein

Sick

"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more--that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke--
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"



Today I feel like this poem minus the Saturday part. I've run fever since Sunday night and my head is set to explode any minute.

Last night, as I was trying to sleep in our recliner, this poem popped into my head. My mom read Shel's wonderful, silly poems to us when we were little and although I hadn't thought of this poem in years, last night it came back to me. Maybe in my misery I just missed and wanted my mom OR maybe I actually know that I'm pretty sure that I might have ALL of those symptoms. Have you guessed that I'm not a good patient? I don't do sickness well or with grace even though I try to be good.

We (the household here in Texas) are VERY ready to be well. One or all of us has been sick since the beginning of December. We went through 9 boxes of tissues in two weeks. That's an average of 3 boxes a piece. Note to self: Buy stock in Kleenex. We grateful accept the "Outstanding Nose Blowing Household" award from the Kleenex brand company. It will have a place of honor on our mantel...right beside the big, enormous box of Kleenex.

Thank you for commiserating with me. And if you've made it through this miserable post this far, as a bonus here's a little bit of Shel Silverstein trivia for you.
Did you know that Shel Silverstein wrote the music and lyrics for "A Boy Named Sue" which was performed by Johnny Cash and for which Silverstein won a Grammy in 1970?

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Two words...



Go watch some great tennis.
Go Roger!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

PAR-TAY

And now....a post especially for the grandparents.

Miss G had her birthday party today at a bounce house. A good time was had by all. Wish you could have been there.
















Thursday, January 15, 2009

Birthday Girl



Happy 5th birthday, Miss G.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Thumb Sucking Solution



Here's my girl with her Du-dad and her yellow pillow. The very yellow pillow that we believed contributed to her thumb sucking. She held it next her her nose while she sucked her thumb.

Miss G has always sucked her thumb. She found it a few days after she was born and has been sucking it ever since. By the way, the right thumb is no good. It must be the left.

We tried everything to get her to quit. We took her yellow pillow away. We continually reminded her to stop. We promised treats. We did everything short of putting something nasty tasting on her thumb. Nothing worked.

A friend saw us getting on to her the other day and suggested keeping a band-aid on it. Band-aids don't taste very good. An extra bonus for us is that Miss G HATES to have band-aids pulled off. We started putting band-aids on her thumb 3 days ago and so far so good.

I've watched her lift her thumb to her mouth and once there stop because she doesn't want the band-aid in her mouth. Ta-da!! Success!! Something besides me reminding her not to suck her thumb.

Such a simple solution for such a big problem. Thank you, Jennifer! You may have saved us horrific orthodontist bills!

If you have a thumb sucker, try it. It may work for you too.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Weary




I've been out of touch and I apologize. There is a weariness that has settled over me and I haven't felt like burdening you with this grayness. I always feel a little sadness after the Christmas rush slows down. It's not just that the anticipation and excitement of Christmas is over but now it's the loss of not being able to share that time with my mom. I miss her greatly.

I have also been sharing a troubling and terrible diagnosis of a dear friend's unborn baby. She is now 21 weeks and the doctors believe that the baby will not make it. This our friends' first baby.

I think it was very providental today that I was asked to fill-in and teach a Bible class this morning on Naomi and Ruth. For those of you that don't remember, Naomi suffered great sorrow. Not only did her husband die, but both of her sons did also. She was so grieved that she changed her name. Her daughter-in-law, Ruth, returned to Naomi's homeland with her and there was blessed with a loving marriage and a son. Naomi's joy returned with the birth of her grandson.

Psalm 30:11 says, "You turned my sorrow into dancing." Can God do that? I believe he can. Sometimes His plan unfolds in a matter of days. Sometimes His plan unfolds over the course of years. Sometimes we never do see it clearly. Remain steadfast...remain faithful. He has a plan.


For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

The above verse is my favorite verse in the Bible. It has pulled me through some very difficult times and I hope that it will be a help you as well.