Some of you folks know that I have had bouts with dry eyes for quite a long time. At differing times of the year, my eyes will get pretty nasty – with the eventual, untreated result being corneal ulcers. Let me tell you, if you have ever had a throat culture for strep throat, you don't want to take that experience and have it applied to your eyeball. Been there, done that, no thanks. This dry eye thing has many unhappy results for me, including my present inability to wear contact lenses.
Last Friday – I had reached the point where I was out of my needed eye drops, so it was time to exit the office and head to the eye doctor for a quick visit. Upon leaving the eye doctor, I was ready to head back to the office, when the phone rang. It was Kathy, who indicated to me that John Michael had fallen at the skating rink and needed to get some stiches in his head.
About three hours later, we left Scottish Rite Urgent Care with John Michael proudly sporting five staples in his scalp. The nifty thing is they gave him no shots. Just a gel that completely numbed his scalp – what a country, right?
No work accomplished as I went to Pizza Hut with the boys and then home for some Game Cube college football. **sidenote to Brad Williams** My dynasty lost to Georgia Tech 19-15, in the final game of 7-4 campaign.
While we were playing, Ellie threw up (read: blew chunks) on the plastic cowboys and indians that Jackson was playing with. After about six hours of spewing, we decided to take her to Scottish Rite to get her checked for dehydration. Again, they hooked her up with this magical gel – on her hands in preperation for the impending IV. About four hours later (at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday) we left – again with our daughter not shedding one tear from the IV – amazing, this gel.
So – now with the Rotavirus in full swing in the Lee household, we came home to sleep but a few hours. I tried to get some work done at the office, but you know it just didn't happen.
My boy Ben Habeck did me a monumental favor in printing some stuff I was responsible for at church. Thanks, Ben, I owe you.
Jackson had a baseball game Saturday night. Have any of you ever spent two hours outdoors with 5 year olds playing tee-ball in 40 degree weather, with wind chills around 25? Fun. Afterwards, we got some hot chocolate and went home – where Kathy and I stayed up all night concerned with Ellie's 105 F temperature.
About 6 a.m. on Sunday, I fell asleep for around 45 minutes. Then off to church.
All of this to say that – God is very good to us – and we certainly don't deserve His goodness. I was encouraged, our family was helped, and what could have been just an absolutlely frustrating and impossible weekend, was made possible by the body of Christ.
From Ben Habeck, to Tim and Laury Richardson, to James Moore, to Mark and Susan Stoerker, to Pat and Barb Dirrim, to Dan and Vicki Miller, to many others – God encouraged and sustained us in tangible ways – ways that I never would have anticipated or seen. And even though it was a long weekend, it was entirely bearable, because not only did I know that God was with us through it all – I saw His working through the hands of His church.
Thank you, God. You indeed are good.