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Some of my earliest memories as a little girl, involve being at Jesus’ feet…and sometimes I still find myself there today. It’s always the same. I start by lying down at His feet, and then He pulls my head into his lap and lays His hand on the side of my face to comfort me. Because that’s what I’m always seeking when I find myself there–comfort. I wouldn’t call it a vision, but I wouldn’t call it my imagination either. It’s an experience that feels real when my eyes are closed, but I’m perfectly aware of being within the confines of my mind. I don’t see with my eyes as much as my heart. And every time I’m in His presence, I’m amazed at why I haven’t been there in so long. Why do I stay away?

How would my life look differently if I truly walked as though I believed in that powerful truth? That is when I found myself at His feet, crying out “How can I deserve such a gift?! How does any earthly blessing compare to this–this that I so seldom even recognize, much less thank you for? How can You bear it? To see all my sins, and abide within me despite my ugliness? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! I don’t deserve all the ways you bless me. I can’t fathom why you continue to love me, but thank you. Grace. Grace. God’s grace. Grace that is greater than all my sin.”

And I smelled the squash boiling low in the kitchen–just like she used to make it, and I stepped back into “Easter Sunday” a blessed woman indeed.

I’m feeling pretty stupid right now. Mrs. Ohs (Jeremiah’s mountain Mama from the year he lived in Montana) gave us a nifty little “flip” video camera a couple of years ago. She said she wanted to be able to see videos of our little girls growing up. GREAT GIFT…technologically illiterate wife. Y’all, we used it and loved it and then the batteries ran out and FOR THE LIFE OF ME I could not figure out how to re-charge it. I got on the “flip” website, and I read the instruction manual, but it did not seem to say anywhere how I could RE-charge the thing. So it’s been sitting on our desk, unused, for a year…until today. When I realized that all it needed was an old-school AA battery change. WHO WOULDA THUNK IT? I mean, doesn’t all technology these days either have to be plugged into a USB drive or a wall charger? Ok, so I’m dumb, and I’ve missed recording and sharing a year’s worth of memories because of it.

Anywho, one night during the Christmas season Jeremiah and I were discussing teaching Pace the song “Santa Baby” for kicks and giggles, when I logged on to my friend Darby’s blog to see that she’d taught her children to recite an entire chapter of LUKE. I felt like a horrible mother. Pace and I can perform an awesome rendition of “Your Hot then Your Cold” by Katy Perry and we were getting ready for the Christmas season with “Santa Baby,” but I’d not helped her memorize any Scripture. So, for Easter, I thought we’d give it a whirl, and y’all it really is ASTOUNDING how easily their little minds soak up what you feed them. I’m glad I figured out how to work my video camera just in time 🙂

And while Mary Aplin is certainly not reciting any verses…I thought you might like to see a little clip or her live and in color. Does anybody remember Animal from the Muppet babies?

A lot of you have sent some sweet emails and left some nice messages about the big events that occurred over the last weekend. I was hoping this week was going to kick-start “normal life” into gear…and maybe even be a little relaxing 🙂 N.O.P.E. The reason I haven’t been returning emails is because Satan–that slithering serpent–has attacked us this week…in the form of the stomach virus.I’m not one to blame Satan for every malady that comes our way, but this time I feel pretty sure it’s plain and simple spiritual warfare (I wonder if this deep conviction stems at all from the fact that Jeremiah and I have been listening to C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters before going to bed at night :)). You see, Jeremiah is trying to start an orthopedic residents/resident’s wives Bible Study. We’ve talked about it for a while, and I felt strongly that it was a great idea. I know that every field has its individual challenges, but at this point in Jeremiah’s training, I think it’s important that we band together–remind each other that we’re fighting a bigger battle than long hours and demanding attendings–encourage each other to fight the good fight and fight it well…and have a good free meal, babysitting and fellowship, how bout it :)?

So, we were having our second meeting at our house this Wednesday (as in last night). I could have just picked up dinner…but I really did want to cook. I could have left the piles of crap all over my house…but I wanted it to feel nice and clean. With an estimated 20 people coming for dinner (and an undetermined amount of children), I knew that the first part of my week was going to be busy, but I was happy with that, because I felt like I was doing something I enjoyed, AND it was serving a greater purpose. HIGH ideals on Monday morning, until my eyes fluttered open to see Mary Aplin standing beside my bed with vomit caked in her hair and a raw spot on her cheek from where she’d slept in the mess all night long. AGGGHHHH!!! (The child never made a peep all night. Who is that tough?!!)

Should I cancel? But we’ve been planning this for so long, and I’m already in gear. I thought to myself, “These stomach viruses are normally fast and furious. She’ll be over it in 24 hours, and I’ll just keep Pace far away from her. I’m not letting Satan slither in here and foil these plans. That’s precisely what he’d want.” And with that thought I fired ahead! I grocery shopped, and cleaned vomit, and disinfected, and held a sickly weak baby, and dealt with piles, and stripped full beds of bedding, and cooked for 20 people, and kept Pace away from Dapples, and scrubbed my hands in between each of these steps SO MANY TIMES that my hands are raw and my fingertips are sore while I’m typing. Basically, I worked like a madwoman who was fighting a demon.

And yesterday afternoon, it looked as if the good guys had won! Dapples was the toughest little sickling I’ve ever seen, (I’m not kidding y’all, she would vomit and then laugh apologetically and say, “Sorry Mommy” in a way that nearly broke my heart. She was so sweet.) and it seemed like we were through it all…all the food was waiting in the refrigerator, the house was clean, and I was really excited about the fellowship and discussion that was on the imminent horizon…and then…the serpent struck Pace.

One hour before everybody was about to show up (you know that last hour when there are a million little details to be finalized), and Pace walks into the kitchen…and vomits right. there. on my clean floor. I rush forward to try and sweep her away to the bathroom AND SLIP AND FALL IN THE MESS. As I mopped and dumped disinfect all over the floor, and showered as I simultaneously held Pace’s hair back (one of the rare times a girl is thankful for a tiny bathroom), I thought “Maybe this wasn’t Satan trying to stop us, maybe it was God trying to tell us it was a bad idea?!”

It all came together somehow. Between giving a million jobs to my unsuspecting babysitters who happened to arrive a little early and shipping off two sick children with my poor SAINT of a sister-in-law:

(Seriously, how many friends would come over and lovingly scoop away a child who is actively vomiting and another who is barely well at best?)

And then…God showed up. I felt like He did at least. We had a house packed full of men and women who were fighting to get through residency with their marriages–that still honor the God who institutes them–intact. People were honest and frank and even a little vulnerable (which is pretty rare in a room full of highly motivated surgeons, I’d think).

Pace continued to vomit every 10 minutes (I am not exaggerating) until 3:30 am when I (scared to death) carried her to Jeremiah and told him I thought she needed to go to Children’s ER. He never agrees to going to the ER. Ever. But he took one look at her and started making phone calls. He whisked her away, and I got a couple hours of much needed sleep.

When I started writing this blog, this is how I left both of my little patients:

Hydrated (intravenously in Pace’s case), scrubbed clean, swathed in Baby Lotion, and watching PBS while sipping Gatorade.

As I end, this is how I found Mary Aplin…covered in my mascara (and now crying from a spanking). Do you think it was the slithering serpent that made her do it? 🙂
Seriously though, please pray that Jeremiah and I don’t get this virus. If I got it half as bad as Pace, there is no way I could function enough to take care of these two. So far so good!