Be Still and Know

Suddenly, I find myself in the midst of an exercise in sitting quietly with my thoughts.

The sprained ankle, which seemed mild yesterday, has become worse every time I've tried to walk on it. Even just moving it while lying down sends stabs of pain shooting up my leg. I really need to be able to walk on it by Monday when DH has to go back to work, so we agreed that I need to try to stay off it completely this weekend.

Most of the day I spent lying in bed, sometimes sleeping, often lying awake and looking idly about the room like RLC's protagonist in this story. I thought often of my friend miraclebaby, on bedrest for the duration of her pregnancy.

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I couldn't get to the computer or even a book to read, and was hesitant to pull DH away from caring for the kids and household tasks. So I rested a lot and just sat quietly, fluctuating between feeling fidgety and reminding myself to enjoy the rest.

Sitting in quiet is not something that comes naturally to me. It's good for me to practice the discipline of stillness. Psalm 46:10 highlights the importance of quietness: "Be still and know that I am God." Time to slow down is invaluable, even if forced.

DH took his first outing with all three girls. He weathered it well, having me feed Baby E just before they left and taking along solids to tide her over. They headed home when, in his words, she missed me too much.

Now I'm sitting on the couch downstairs, feet up, typing on DH's laptop and eating chocolate and listening to the Lawrence Welk Easter program on TV while Baby E plays on the floor nearby. The show brings back memories; my grandparents like it, and I remember watching it during my summer stays on the farm as a child. DH and the girls have gone out again briefly to do some grocery shopping and to rent a pair of crutches. It's a good thing, too, because DH considers the Lawrence Welk show "pure torture."

His comment: "You know, they have TV in prison. They should just stick it on this show; constant reruns. That would be torture. It might even qualify as cruel and unusual punishment."

Tomorrow DH is singing with the choir and worship team, so he'll have to be at church very early and stay for all three services. I'm thankful that the older girls are old enough to help a lot with getting themselves ready and getting breakfast. Maybe I'll see if I can talk DH into helping me make cinnamon rolls tonight to eat in the morning.

It will be interesting to see if I can put Baby E in the sling and get around on crutches to get us ready and to church. This may sound strange, but I'm looking forward to the challenge. Thankfully, it's my left ankle that's affected and with my automatic transmission I don't need that foot for driving.

I didn't grow up celebrating Easter, so it's natural for me to keep things low-key. The older girls picked out favorite dresses from their closets to wear tomorrow, and we'll all dress with special care. I'll probably French-braid their hair, which they love.

We'll talk about Christ's death and resurrection on the way to church, and probably read the Bible story in the afternoon. I think we're going later in the day with my parents and sister to visit my grandparents, who are still mostly housebound as Grandpa recovers from hip replacement surgery. Hopefully we'll get a chance to swing by and see my parents-in-law at FIL's church sometime during the day, too. We'll have to play things by ear with the kids and my ankle.

Altogether, I expect it will be an enjoyable and celebratory weekend.