Sick Babies and the Pink Candle…
Of course I know he is no longer a baby, but my children will always remind me of their birth…so when they get sick, I become the ultimate mama bear. Maybe it is because I know how awful it feels to be sick… I get it, it is familiar, and I don’t want them to suffer with illness too… But my children’s illnesses make others worry as well… While I am comforting, handing out popsicles and motrin, rubbing backs, emptying trash cans of puke, I’m what they need… (Dad is awesome too!)
But, while I go about the routine of just being Mom, everyone else worries in the back of their minds, “is Kathryn going to get it.” And if she does, how bad will it be and how long will it last…
The worst times are when I’m too sick to get out of bed to care for them, MY BABIES! I’m their Mom… I know everyone gives me an example of other parents who can’t be there, Moms in the military serving abroad, Moms on biz trips… I hear all that, but it still doesn't fly. I want to be here, present, caring and loving… The good news, the kids will be healthy by Christmas…
What I try to remind myself is that it’s just a bug and in less than a week they will be up and running and I do them no service if I completely wear myself out, and then put myself in bed for weeks… Sometimes I just have to breathe and know that my hugs and love are good enough, and they want me dressed and not in PJs coughing up a lung…
I am reminded of the Blessed Mother Teresa, who once said, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”
So as the pink candle burns bright this third week of Advent, remember that sometimes doing less is more, and sometimes not doing is as important as not overdoing it!
Namaste…
