It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times

Remember that classic line from Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities? I call it a classic because I know the line, even though I never read the novel! It just seems terribly appropriate to my situation of late.

I wrote (briefly) yesterday of suffering from the flu while simultaneously trying to care for one rather seriously ill child--that was no small feat in itself. And honestly, I don't recall EVER feeling quite so sick as I have felt since last Wednesday; I guess I won't be thumbing my nose at the ol' flu shot next year!

So the worst of times have come down to this: I have been more or less confined to bed since Thursday morning; I feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest; but worst of all, not only did I miss the a.m. assembly today, but I also missed Peyton's "Solar System Safari" on Friday in which she portrayed a NASA scientist AND I missed the PCA Talent Show last night in which Tyler, Darcy and Peyton participated! Yeah, I only thought I couldn't feel any worse.

So how could there be any good times in the midst of all the sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching and fevering (if you're wondering where the "stuffy head" part went, I guess it went underground when it became illegal to purchase pseudoephedrine over the counter)? Well, let's see:

#1 I got 1,000 more hugs from my kids than I usually do and that's saying quite a bit because we're a pretty affectionate lot. And to be quite honest, I think I probably enjoyed hearing about the talent show from them more than if I'd actually been there in person. It cheered me up last night, listening to them chuckle and recount some of the acts they'd seen. Tyler, especially, made me laugh as he described one kid whose talent was telling jokes, some of which were "okay," but many of which were "downright ridiculous!!!" That's elementary school humor for you.

#2 After the first couple of days during which I couldn't even raise my arms, I mustered the energy to start reading and I opted for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows--again. I just finished it this afternoon and was reminded all over again how brilliant I think J.K. Rowling is. I was also reminded, however, that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince notwithstanding, Book Seven may be the first book that Sawyer will have to wait until he's much older to see on film. What a bloodbath! But an incredible story, no matter how you slice it. I know I may have readers who don't share my feelings on that score so we'll just have to agree to disagree.

#3 I spent some sweet, sweet quality time with Sawyer, even when I was at my sickest. I suppose it's no wonder that he's been ill for the last two days because he was my constant companion at my bedside, playing with his ten for $1 dinosaurs, reading books to me, watching movies that his daddy set up for him on the laptop while I slept. I firmly believe had he not been with me all day Thursday and Friday when the kids were at school and Randy was at work, I would have completely descended into self-pity. He was definitely my bright spot in some relatively dark days.

And then, bless his heart, the fever started. He was so sick yesterday--Randy said his fever was up to 104 in the afternoon. He slept late, he took a nap, he languished on my bed--he was pitiful. Then came the cough. His body was wracked by these great, heaving barks that caused snot to go flying out of his nose (because he was covering his mouth!). He seemed to rally for a bit this morning, but later this afternoon he came trudging in and got up on the bed beside me. "Mom, I am in so much pain." "I know you are, Bubba." But as though acknowledging his statement wasn't enough, he sighed and said, "Mom, will you feel my pain?" More than you know, buddy, more than you know.