Sickness

I was sick a few days ago which is an occurrence that doesn’t happen often. Usually I can shake it off. I mean, as a mom, I have to. But what started out as just not feeling so well turned into fever, chills, aches, misery. These symptoms lasted all of about 20 hours, thankfully. However, my precious children tolerated it for all of 3 hours. At 7:00pm they all rushed to grab blankets and pillows and be at my beck and call. Hugs and kisses and much sympathy ensued.  Andy was a dear and got them all up the next morning and off to school so I could sleep. But as soon as I awoke, the “so are you better Mama?” began. Josie needed to go potty. I told her to ask daddy to take her since I was sick. “No! You aren’t sick! I want you to take me! You aren’t sick Mama!” And by about 3:00pm I was back up, pushing through, folding laundry and making dinner. I was talking to a friend once who was recalling the days when she had two toddlers at home, had just been abandoned by her husband, and was going through chemotherapy for cancer. I listened in shock and awe asking her how in the world did she do it? “Put on a movie, spread out toys all over the floor, and just laid there with them in between running to the bathroom to throw up. You just do what you have to do to survive.” I am in no way comparing my 20 hours of sickness to battling cancer, but her words have stayed with me. Because that’s what all moms do. We do what we have to do to survive.