February

I have to say that the last week or two has been trying for our family and extended family, as well as our friends.  It has been a week of loss, illness, and fear.  Which, when compacted all into one week, is distressing for so many reasons.  I have always been naive in the sense that my natural state is believing that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people.  That karma prevails.  But the truth is that sometimes, unfair, unexplainable things happen to people who don't deserve it.  I struggle so much with that.  Seeing a 21 month old like Annie suffer is debilitating and consuming...we feel it down to our core-- just such a feeling of despair and a bit of anger, too.  I try not to let myself get beyond the surface levels of those thoughts, for fear of drowning in the "why?" types of questions.  The best I can do is try to help in any way I can, and try my best not to look over my shoulder in fear.

As a family, we spent the week passing illnesses to one another.  I went to urgent care mid-week with strep throat, Parker went to the pediatrician after a bad cold, congestion, stomach issues, an ear infection, etc.  And Matt has had a stomach virus for several days now.  Parker lost about a pound, which is a month's worth of weight gain for him, so we will be heading back to the pediatrician in a few weeks to make sure he has gained it back.

At this point, we are hoping desperately for a healthy, peaceful, and healing week for everyone.