I was having one of those days today, too. The kind of day when you think, I just don't know if I can keep this up. As a mom homeschooling a teenager, I get discouraged at times. We have our ups and our downs, but lately we seem to be having more downs than ups. And I tell him... "I just can't do this anymore! Something has got to give!"
I love him to death, but some days he drives me plum crazy with his procrastinating, excuses, and the disrespect. Here lately he has taken to raising his voice at me when he answers me. That is getting under my skin. Um... that really gets my temper going, and I hate that!
But then, I sat here reminiscing about yesterday evening... I was sitting in the ER waiting to go back after making a mad dash to the hospital because my granny had taken a fall. The neighbor brought her to the ER. My mom was on a "sisters outing" in Texas (with her five older sisters), so she couldn't get there for a while being a few hours away. My dad was right in the middle of a project.
I volunteered to go until one or both of them could tie up loose ends and make their way to the hospital. As I entered I only noticed two other families in the waiting room. One woman was chatting on the phone, while another woman sat holding a beautiful little boy who couldn't have been more than three years old. His gorgeous smile caught my attention more than the cast on his leg.
As he and I exchanged smiles, I noticed his clothes. He was only wearing a sleeveless tee and a pair of underwear. The hospital was freezing. I felt so bad for him, but that smile never left his face. I began to chit-chat with him and his mom a bit and she told me he had just had his leg amputated above the knee. He had it done over 3 hours away from here, and had some complications. At a nearby hospital they had put a cast on his leg that morning. Tonight they sat in the ER for hours waiting for another cast, because without a foot or even a lower/leg and knee joint this poor lil feller couldn't hold that cast on. It kept sliding off.
I didn't think much more about the little boy, as I went back to what condition my granny was in. She had taken a fall in the craziest way while helping another lady move some furniture out of her house. Evidently part of the bed was in the living room at the time and she got tangled up, some how sailed over the top of the bed, hit the carpet, grabbed for something to catch herself, and then pulled the television down over the top of her. She had a 10 cm gash (from one side of her right knee cap to the other). I of course examined it when I arrived, and it was pretty gruesome looking. I have a pic, but I will of course spare you that! I could see everything mind you including the knee cap! It's one of them things my husband would have said... Cool! b/c he's weird like that!
Thankfully she wasn't in much pain, but they were taking forever. I always thought older people had a lot more patience, but not granny! She was getting pretty ticked. If you think about it, if you were laying there staring at your knee cap, you'd probably be pretty impatient, too!
We talked about everything under the son, including discussing whether the nurse was a male or a female. That kind of disturbs you, especially if the name is gender friendly, too. We're yes sir/yes mam people here in the South... and well... what do you say when you don't know ... yes'um, no'um?
We tried to find something to watch on the television, but every channel seemed to have someone making out on it! lol! We opted for the good old standby... Food TV! but then granny was starving! lol!
I updated my dad, mom, husband, and our pastor via text message including the picture in the text. Put in an order for granny some food. Mom brought it when she came. Shortly there after dad arrived, so I went home to my hubby and the kids who had waited up for mom (so was their excuse for getting to stay up late).
My mom called me this morning and told me they didn't get granny home till after 2am and mentioned something about the doc coming in and having everything out to stitch her, but left to go deal with some kid who's cast was coming off. I knew exactly what child they were talking about... I could never forget that darling lil face. I recalled again his leg, and thought about how different his life would be as opposed to other children (like mine of course). I felt bad for him, but I felt bad for my own kids, because I think sometimes they don't know how good they have it.
When things don't go exactly our way sometimes... like this horrid pain I have in my lower back right now, my granny's split open knee, our home-schooling mishaps due to the friction between mom and teen... we do wonder...why is life so hard?
Yep...Life is hard sometimes, but sometimes it is way harder for others! Our problems seem almost minuscule in comparison to what some face and will face for the rest of their lives.
I recently heard rumor there is a family living under a bridge about thirty miles from where I live. While my family and I sit here with a warm pan of cornbread fresh out of the oven, a roof over our heads, and a soft comfy bed to lay down to sleep at night... there is another family only minutes away from us, resting under a noisy bridge. It makes me ashamed of myself that I complain sometimes and that my kids complain!
We really have so much to be thankful for! I am sure you do as well! Tonight as I lay down in my nice cozy bed, I will pray to God for all he has blessed me with especially my children (though they drive me crazy insane sometimes). I will be mindful to pray as well for that little boy and his family even though that I may never meet them again. And of course rumor or not, I will pray for the family under the bridge (just in case it's true).
Sometimes we don't understand why things happen to people or the circumstances to bring them where they are today, but I guess we're not supposed to. We can only pray and ask for God's Perfect and Devine will to be done... and... Be thankful and appreciative of the life we have and those God has blessed us with who enjoy life right along with us!
Well, I'm sorry if it seemed as if I was rambling, but I really couldn't think of anything to blog about today... this was running through my mind off and on like crazy today. I almost didn't post today, but then I came in here and read today's devotion at
Proverbs 31 Devotions blogspot. I thought... this fits wonderful with what and all was weighing on my mind. So a big thanks to them for this wonderful devotion, and blessings to you all who may of happened upon my page and read this. I hope you, as did I, might now tell yourself... "Hey, today wasn't really as "hard" as I thought! I will persevere! I am very blessed and I am thankful!"
Good-night and God Bless,
