Saturday, January 21, 2006

Up from the Ashes

Conversation Friday at our lunch table: "What'd we do yesterday?" asked Erin. "Don't you remember? You died," stated Brady flatly. "Oh yeah...," started Erin. "But then you came back to life like Fawkes the Phoenix in Harry Potter," added mom with a big grin.

We all got a chuckle from this. And what a grace to be able to laugh about something that was not funny at all the day before. We've all "died" a few times in the last 15 months...days when we just don't know how we will be able to survive another minute. We really feel as if we are on the way to our earthly end. It was Erin's turn on Thursday. Two days of the stomach flu (added to the everyday symptoms of fatigue and other aches) had left her miserable. She couldn't read another word, she couldn't sit and stare at another movie, she couldn't google one more thing on the Internet; yet she felt too awful to do anything else. I got out a two hundred piece puzzle and started putting it together in front of her hoping she would join in. She didn't, but it kept her entertained a bit. Suddenly she knew what would make her feel like a real person again. "I need to go to the library," she said. She said this hesitatingly as though remembering she couldn't possibly go out without taking a shower. I could tell the fight within her had started (sign #1 of new life.) It was the fight "of needing to do something so badly vs. not being up to do prepwork that was necessary." Which side would win? I prayed. Finally she got up to shower - it wasn't a pretty sight, the battle was raging both within and without by now. Getting up the stairs won half the battle. With victory in at least glimpsing distance, Erin continued to fight. Not long after, Erin was downstairs with wet hair and fresh clothes (sign #2 of new life.) Rest was needed. But in not too long she was ready to eat a snack (sign #3 of new life.) Then it was off to the library with dad as chauffeur. I knew at that point that she was out of critical condition. Later, Erin walked into the house with an arm full (not an armful, but an arm full) of books. She displayed and told me about each book as if it was a rare jewel that she had excavated from a cave rich with treasures. They had also picked out a movie that she thought both her and Dad would enjoy since she knew she wouldn't be able to sing with us in choir that night. She sat down and chose a book to start reading. Battle won! Erin had new life once more. Thank you God! After choir, my new bud greeted me bursting with new blossoms. The movie she and Dad had watched was a perfect one for the two of them to enjoy together. As I tucked her into bed she was in full bloom, talking, talking, talking. (Why is it that full bloom time for Erin often occurs when other blossoms close up for the night?) I said another prayer. God is good - Amazing doesn't even begin to describe His grace to us.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mrs. McIntosh,
Wonderful job describing Erin's day :) I can just picture it and it was really fun to read.

Kelsie

Sherry said...

Thanks for the kind words, Kelsie.
Mrs. Mc