Sickness




This week I've been feeling frustrated with illness and found myself saying, "Why do I always have to be sick?"

And I was drawn back to this journal entry.  I wrote this from the hospital. The same hospital she had been to so many times she knew the room numbers and many staff members, many who had been providing care since her preemie birth at just 1 lb 3 oz.  This time, at 7 years old she had just had a life saving surgery for a retropharyngeal abscess. 

"She is NOT happy to be here. 

She said, "Mom, why did Jesus make sickness? Cause I've been sick even from when I was born. Sick was the first thing I was! I'm tired of being sick!" 

So we talked about how maybe he doesn't make sicknesses, but he allows it. 

We talked about all the good things she has seen when others help us. And how it feels to know others are praying for you. 

We talked about how much stronger her body has gotten over the years. We talked about how our immune systems can only get stronger by fighting things off one by one. 

And I held her and told her its okay to be frustrated and mad and say its not fair. 

I told her I wish I could be sick for her and take all her pain and so would Daddy. 

We read scriptures together like John 16:33 - "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." 

And 2 Ne 2:11 which says, "It must needs be that there is an opposition in all things." 

If we never felt pain we wouldn't know how to appreciate good health. 

If we didn't have reasons to call on God we might forget Him, even when we should be grateful. 

Then we talked about how she hasn't really been sick her whole life. Yes, she's had her fair share, but she has had WAY more good than bad days, this is just another bump in the road. 

Then she smiled impishly and said, "I understand that Mommy, but I'm still not thankful I'm sick!" Me neither, Ella Boo, but thank you for a teaching moment."

And thank you for reminding me all these years later.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Trust

Image
  As I was riding a bike down the former train route along the Idaho-Montana border, I had hours to quietly reflect and appreciate the lush mountain landscape extending around me as far as I could see.   I was in a prayerful state, open to the promptings of the Spirit.   At one point I came to the edge of a meadow and needed to sit and rest for a bit.   There I found a lovely rustic bench made from a tree right there in the forest.  And it occurred to me how often the things we need are right there in our lives around us. The people, the resources, our talents and gifts. Psalm 34:8 lovingly promises “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him”. He will provide.   And as we learn to recognize that help, we will become more grateful and happy. 
Read more

Pancake Stirrers

Image
 Have you ever found yourself super upset over a rather simple offense? Generally when that happens it is actually due to much more than that incident.   It is likely just that incident that was the last straw, or used up your final bit of patience. Yesterday I had a student come to my room absolutely outraged.   She has a significant trauma history and so has learned to fight at all costs. Her counselors and our staff are working to help her build some new, more effective ways of dealing with frustration and confrontation. In this instance her role in her culinary arts class was to stir the pancake batter.   Only someone else did and her immediate reaction was to want to fight her. She knew that wasn’t appropriate so walked out and came to my room. After she had vented and calmed down, we talked through it.   Humor is a very effective tool for her so after gauging her body language I simply asked, “Are you going to let your whole day be ruined because someone else stirred the pancakes
Read more

Entitlement

Image
  As we stopped to get family donuts this morning, the sign in the restroom caught my eye. “Please be considerate of others and clean up any messes you may have left.” It reminded me of a sharp contrast I observed several years ago.  As a young class visited the restroom, a student balled up their paper towel and attempted to toss it into the trash can from across the room. He missed and went over to pick up the paper. His teacher immediately stopped him and commented, “Oh you don’t need to pick that up, that’s what we have janitors for.” What a missed opportunity. The child had naturally felt responsibility for his own actions and had tried to pick up his mess. Yet instead of helping cement that foundation of personal accountability, the teacher had reinforced entitlement and laziness. This same attitude is increasingly prevalent in society today.   It sounds like “Why should I have to?”, “Someone else will do it” or “It’s not my job”. Elder Dallin H Oaks stated, “The values of the wo
Read more