Sick Mama

February 9, 2009

I'm sick today. I think I must of tempted fate when I wrote last week that winter was treating me well. It was, until this weekend when I got an ear infection. I don't know for certain that it's a medically certifiable "infection". But my body is just plain tired, my throat is raw, my ear aches and is oh so painful each time I swallow.

I don't remember the last time I had one of these and I'm doing all I can to fight this pesky, painful sickness. Lots and lots of garlic. Freshly minced with raw honey, a double whammy for my immune system. And garlic oil drops in the ear. So to add insult to injury, literally, I smell like I'm warding off vampires.

Being a sick mama is tough. I value productivity, efficiency and with-it-ness. I am everything but those when I don't feel well. I feel like my kids suffer, my home suffers and I suffer.

So the word of the day around here is grace. Grace for a mama who's ill, grace for children who aren't getting the attention they deserve, grace for myself. To allow myself to be sick the same way I would allow my children.

Now if only I had a mama around (no guilt mom - truly) who could take care of me the way I would take care of my kiddos. And now I'm off to have a nap, anyone want to tuck me in?