Trusting God

Hi All, 

I wanted to let you know what is going on with me and why you haven't been seeing me hanging around my blog much lately.  

I have shingles.  

Today is the first day I have been able to tolerate the pain well enough to be able to type.  

For a period of ten days or so I had been suffering from terrible pain in my neck, arm, shoulder, chest, and back.  Everyday it was getting increasingly worse. Simultaneously an ugly rash was spreading all over my left arm.  I was thinking I must have a pinched nerve in my neck and wasn't really sure what the nasty rash could be.  I definitely did not think the two were connected. One morning when the pain was so severe I could not stand it anymore I asked my son to drive me to see the doctor.

Shingles.

It's been horrible.  Horrible, terrible, miserable.  I'm not going to sugarcoat it.  It's the worst thing ever.  Never in my life have I experienced pain like this.  

It appears that I still have a ways to go.  I'm five days into the antiviral medication and the improvement is minimal.  My doctor said two to four weeks until I'm well- I was hoping two to four days. 

I don't have to tell you what happens when a mom gets taken out.  Things here are less than ideal.  The laundry is piled high.  I'm trying to do some each day and the kids help.  The cupboard is bare but dear friends have brought in some delicious food.  Even our extended family who lives very far away sent us dinner.  Our house knows a new level of messy, and school runs a little slower than usual, and the plans I had for myself for the next couple of weeks are kaput.  Everything considered I still must say, our God is an awesome God.  His will is perfect and I am resting in that glorious truth. 

So now I'll have some time to get back to writing, perhaps more like I had wanted to.  My life has been forced to slow down and that should provide me a few extra opportunities to rest and study and write.  I'm holding the ones I love much closer these days and that feels good too.  We sat up all night last night fearing the storms coming through our area.  There's no reminder of God's blessings quite like that.  As some of our kids are really struggling with fear lately we tell them we can trust God.  It feels really good to say that - and believe it.  We can completely trust God no matter what comes our way.