Thankful Nonetheless

What an odd Thanksgiving/Birthday.

Well it is 12:35 A.M. on Friday, November 28. I'm not asleep yet and can't seem to accept the fact that my Birthday is over. It was a big one. You know, one of those that ends in "0." Though I am not one of those people who refuses to tell their age, (I'll tell you if you ask me directly,) I just don't feel like splashing it out there in print. Well, it was kind of cool that it was falling on Thanksgiving. Kind of a distraction from the fact that I am getting older. As if.

Anyway, it turned out so weird because nothing at all went according to our plan. The day was just about over before I had a chance to even think much about the big "_0" part of it. See, we were supposed to leave yesterday, er, Wednesday to drive up to my parents house, a.k.a. "Papa's Farm," and be in place to go literally through the woods to my Uncle and Aunts house for the annual Thanksgiving Day tradition that is always such a good time. Instead, I finished laundry and packed while anxiously watching my sweet 7 yr. old as she progressed from "not feeling good," to hurling a trail that led from the living room, through the kitchen, all the way to where she stopped....right in front of the toilet. !

And so began the vigil, the fever...etc. My child is not the first to get a stomach virus. It was just the timing....So we let the family know what was going on and decided to give it another day and just drive up early on Thanksgiving morning. (Also, don't forget my Birthday.) Oh, and here is how my actual birthday began. At approximately 3a.m. ish---when she was calling out to me that she felt worse, the precious girl was trembling with chills. I decided it would be best for me to sleep beside her on her little twin bed. So, I put my head at her feet and my feet beside her head. (Hoping this might keep me from catching whatever she had.) Then it occurred to me that there was no toilet tissue in the upstairs bath and that if she threw up again this would be needed. (Not that it is not always needed.) Just follow me through all these endless details, there is a point. To obtain this needed toilet tissue meant I had to climb back out of her bed, go downstairs, and tiptoe across the very cold tile floor to the laundry room. Upon picking up the bag of toilet paper, I upset the broom with a metal handle. It fell forward and smacked me basically right between the eyes. ! Have you ever? I knew this did not bode well for the rest of my day. Funny how things pop into your mind but right at that moment, the moment where words I will not print and I am asking the Lord to forgive me for were proceeding from my mouth, it occurred to me that this was about the time of morning I woke my parents from a sound sleep lo those many years ago that end in a "0." Yep. My Dad has often threatened to call and wake me up on my Birthday at exactly that time as a kind of payback. I told him what happened, I think he felt sorry for me which I needed.

The rest of the day is kind of a blur. I did go back to sleep for a few hours, then began the dilemma of deciding do we stay or do we go. After a delicious Thanksgiving lunch of General Dollar Store brand chicken noodle soup, the kids and I eventually got out the door without the company of my husband who unfortunately had chills and nausea. He said he would join us tomorrow, er, today now...if he got over the virus as quickly as Alyssa did. We did finally make it to my Aunt and Uncle's house, the kids and I got to see the cousins and eat leftovers from the huge Thanksgiving Dinner. I got to blow out candles on my cake that end in "0," and .....well, just like that it was all over.

I'm glad it is not all about me. Nope.

• I got to hold the cutest little nephew you ever did see. He leaned out as soon as he laid eyes on me with pudgy little arms reaching.
• I saw the same cousin I used to carry around in my arms when she was a baby, with her brand spanking new baby and he is beautiful, just like she is.
• I saw the relief in my Daddy's face when we all finally got their safely.
• I saw the cool new bright red mustang that belongs to my second cousin who just turned 16. Precious, sweet girl.
• I saw every other aunt, uncle, and cousin, and got to talk and catch up a little.
• Played dress up with a four year old who dressed me up in some flower child/diva get up and then proceeded to parade me around the house for the "pageant" as she called it.

I could keep going for another 20 bullet points without trying very hard. The end of it all is this. Yes, I am older. It was "the big _0". Big deal. The bigger, much greated deal is that I am surrounded by blessings and wonderful, precious people in my life. And loved by a Savior who is faithful to me and never changes. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I do know who holds tomorrow in His hands, I know that I am His, and I am Thankful.

Praying for your Blessing,

Leisl