Our youngest son is turning seven today, which is so hard for us to believe! …
This has definitely been a winter to remember. We’ve had more snow and more bitterly cold days than any winter that I’ve experienced in my adult life. The kids have had more snow days (and ice days and dangerously cold days) than I can count. Travel plans have been adjusted. My work schedule has been pushed aside again and again. Joe has missed so many hours of his day job because he is home snow blowing the driveway or the roads are impassible or one of us is too sick to work. This past month has been particularly difficult because our entire family got walloped by a nasty stomach virus that was followed by a miserable cold. As if that wasn’t enough, we were healthy for about a week when, one by one, we started to show symptoms of another bad cold, this time in our chest and sinuses. So we are currently quarantined in our house together and taking turns lying on the sofa or napping in our beds and sipping honey and lemon tea or hot broth. And I am tired. Tired of cleaning germs from the many surfaces in the house. Tired of adjusting our schedules, canceling plans, and not knowing what the next day may hold. Tired of trying to maintain our homesteading lifestyle when that means that someone has to bundle up and go outside and take care of the animals no matter how cold it is or how sick you feel. Tired of not sleeping at night because one of the three kids does not feel well and it’s my turn to get up and soothe them. Just plain tired.
As I sit here writing this post, my parents and sister are driving across the state to move all of my parents’ belongings from the house where I grew up to a new, smaller house that is less than ten minutes away from our house. I am incredibly saddened by the fact that we couldn’t welcome them into our home tonight for an emotional and long-awaited celebration. This move has been years in the making and it’s still a little bit surreal that they will be so close to us and there won’t be a four hour drive involved with a visit to Grandmama and Pappy’s house. But we won’t be able to welcome them tonight or tomorrow and maybe not even the next day. We won’t be able to help with the initial phase of unpacking or bring them some home-cooked meals for those first few nights in their new home. It just feels so unfair.
It’s been hard to stay positive but I am doing my best to see the good in everything and everyone around us. Things like the sun shining outside today. And that 60°F day in the forecast for next week. And the extra snuggle time that I have been spending with my children as we lay on the sofa reading a book or watching yet another movie to take our minds off of being sick. And the jar of homemade soup that our neighbors dropped off this morning when they heard that we weren’t feeling well. And the homemade dinner that my in-laws promised to bring to us tomorrow night so that we don’t have to cook. And the fact that, regardless of the moving day not going as I had planned, my parents will now be living just a short drive away from us. There are so many things to be thankful for in this beautiful life. If I can just take a moment each day to notice them.
I’m so sorry you guys have been under the weather. It’s a tough ending to a very hard winter. I can imagine how excited you must be to have your parents close and how hard it is to sit quarantined at home and unable to help! I hope that you’re on the road to recovery and this spring brings lots of fun family time for you and your parents. 🙂
Yes! Lots to look forward to this spring! Hope you guys are all healthy again soon, too!
I just put the whole slew of you on my prayer list. Get well soon! I am so glad that your family will be close to you. What a blessing.
Thank you!
We enjoyed your homemade squash stew tonight. Even though you aren’t feeling well, you still provided us with delicious meals. It has to be all uphill from here! We love our new home and our close proximity to yours. Keep on smiling 🙂
Haha, I hope you mean downhill! 😉 And yes, I am smiling from ear to ear!
It will be so wonderful to have your family close to you!!! Knowing that they are only a short distance away, even if u r quarantined, can make life seem a little less overwhelming. Hope this is the last hump for you and the cold weather/germs let up for your family!!!
I agree, it’s great just to know that they are there and we have many good times to look forward to together!
Sometimes we have to hand over our plans to God, and simply appreciate life! And life is Good! We are looking forward to being so close to you, and all the healthy days in front of us!
I agree, it’s just easier said than done sometimes. Thanks for stopping by today! It was a great start to our first full week of being neighbors!
[…] would have it, we instead ushered them into this new chapter in their life with a wonderful stomach virus, which we generously shared with everyone who came within breathing distance of us. Despite […]