Good Things

The last few days have been busy.

Friday night and Saturday there was a women's event at church. I really wanted to go, but didn't think I would be able to since I still have foggy vision, dizziness and disorientation from the mono that makes driving--well, not such a good idea. My friend CreativeCrafty from our home group volunteered to drive me, though, so I said I'd go if I felt up to it.

I checked with our women's pastor and found out that it would be all right for me to lie down on the couch in the mother's nursing room and listen to the sessions on the speakers in there. Since I no longer have a fever and mono isn't terribly infectious by that point, I wasn't too worried about exposing anyone. I would keep my distance from the babies and, of course, not share food or drinks with anyone.

I felt pretty good Friday morning, but by lunchtime I had already hugely overdone it for the day. Just trying to have a more involved day of homeschooling completely did me in.

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My grandparents had dropped off about 6 meals that Grandma had cooked and frozen for us in the morning, which was wonderful. But I was on my own with the kids for the day. There was no way I was going to be able to go to the event that evening, the way I was feeling by late morning.

By lunchtime I had used up my last reserves of energy and was on the verse of collapse, but Baby E was showing no signs of being ready for a nap. I was just thinking about calling DH and asking him to come home from work when the phone rang.

It was Morning, calling to see if we needed anything from the Trader J's store near her house.

"I was thinking I could pick up some groceries for you, and then play with the kids for a while so you can take a nap," she said. I almost cried. If I could have hugged her over the phone, I would have.

I slept all afternoon while Morning took the kids out to ride bikes and play in the yard. She stayed until DH got home from work and took over.

I got up just in time to get dressed for the event, and DH and the kids drove me to church. CreativeCrafty drove me home, and then picked me up and took me home again on Saturday while DH took the kids to swimming lessons.

Going up to lie on the couch in the mother's room during the teaching sessions worked perfectly. A couple of times I tried to sit in the sessions with everyone else, but sitting upright and still for so long with bright lights and loud noise tired me out very quickly and sent my pain levels up several notches within minutes. It was so nice to be able to go lie down in a dark room with my eyes closed and listen on adjustable-volume speakers.

With resting during the lectures and worship times, I was able to sit and interact during the group discussion times and meals. The people in charge of food even arranged special meals for me with no sugar, dairy or gluten. Have I mentioned that I really love the people in my church?

The event was great. I made some new friends, got to know some others better, and was touched and encouraged by the messages and the discussion/sharing time.

I'm so glad I had friends that made it possible for me to go.

By the time I got home Sunday afternoon, I was completely exhausted and in a lot of pain. I was a bit worried that I'd overdone it too much and would be in for a more difficult next few days as a result. I hadn't been able to sleep much lately, and I knew I really needed to sleep that night, so I took a couple of Ibuprofen--something I really try to avoid doing. It took the edge off the pain and muscle spasms just enough to let me sleep. I rested, slept, and rested some more. I finally got up about 24 hours later, just in time for the home group meeting at our house.

Our friend Loves to Clean came early to help DH and the kids get the house ready for home group. The families in the group have been taking turns doing that so I can rest until it's time for the meeting to start. By the time LTC was done, I think the house was cleaner than it's ever been for a home group meeting before. She was even scrubbing walls.

A solid 24 hours of rest made a huge difference for me. That, and I'd had 2 days on the treatments my naturopath sent to take for Mono. People would walk in, take one look at me, and say, "Oh, I'm so glad you're feeling better!"

I slept well again last night. Today I was still very tired and easily fatigued, but definitely better. For the first time in a month, I didn't have a sore throat or a severe headache. Hopefully that means the acute phase of my mononuleosis is coming to an end.

My 16-year-old mother's helper came this afternoon for the first time. She took the kids for a walk and played outside with them while I napped. The kids absolutely loved her. I'm so excited to have found such a jewel right here in our neighborhood.