Perspective

As of late, we have been sick. So sick. Stuck in the house- timing when the next dose of medicine can be given- bored out of our minds- if I have to watch one more episode of Curious George, I'm going to die-sick. Thankfully, Andy hasn't gotten anything, but the kids and this pregnant body just can't seem to ward off the germs that are attacking. We had a cold virus right after Christmas (mine turned into bronchitis), stomach flu in the middle of January (I ended up in the hospital), and now Addison just recovered from walking pneumonia, Henry an upper respiratory infection and tonsilitis, and the same upper respiratory infection for me. It is has been great. Well no, not really, I'm being sarcastic.

Have I mentioned that I've been feeling sorry for us? Bored. Stuck in the house. Feeling miserable. That is until I was reading, "The Hole in our Gospel" by Richard Stearns. It put my pity party into major perspective. He was talking about the poor and illnesses they face. They lack the medical resources to help their children, and many families loose their children to what we call common sicknesses. The line that stood out to me the most was, "An ear infection becomes a death sentence for a child." An ear infection, are you kidding me? I cannot imagine my child being sick and not being able to do anything for him. Last week, when Henry was so sick, the doctor I saw said it wasn't anything but a virus and that with time he would get better. But with each day, his fever got worse and he grew more lethargic. I knew that there was something else going on, so I was able to go to a different doctor and get the proper antiobiotics that were needed to cure his sickness. Now he is perfectly healthy and back to his silly self (with a strong tinge of whine the antibiotics have yet to wipe out).

To even consider that instead of taking my baby to another doctor to get the right medicine, there was nothing more I could do than to hold him and watch him grow worse, makes my heart quiver. What if? What if I was born in a poor area of Africa or Southeast Asia and my little Henry would had lost his life to tonsilitis? Or Addison to walking pneumonia? Thank You, Lord. Thank You that we have access to antibiotics.

Perhaps this week wasn't so bad after all.