Mama vs. Piojos: Round 3

We arrived in Bogota on Friday and enjoyed a good day getting settled in and getting the children used to the place. In the afternoon I headed out with the children to take photos for their US visas and then on to their doctor's visit with a special doctor who is approved by the US embassy to process medical paperwork for immigrants. The children were not on their best behavior during this appointment, but the doctor and I were able to have a good conversation regarding the children's medical needs, paperwork, the process, and what lies ahead in spite of all the behavior going on about us. The doctor is very nice and I enjoyed my time talking with him, but the purpose of the visit wasn't really medical in nature, it was more paperwork oriented. It made me appreciate our pediatrician at home even more - we happen to think he's the best in the world.

One outcome of our visit to the doctor was to realize that the piojos (LICE) had returned for our two oldest daughters. So, instead of going to bed early, like they really needed after getting up at 4 a.m. for a 6 a.m. flight, I was washing heads and combing nits until 10:30 for all the girls. However this time I brought out the big guns right away. I called a pharmacy that delivers at 7 p.m. and had them bring the oral pesticide (I know, not my first choice, but the bugs are bad!) and more lice shampoo and we got to it. Nobody's head touched their pillows until I was satisfied we could sleep bug free for the night.

Saturday we went to the salon nearby and all the girls (minus mommy) got haircuts - some shorter than others by necessity of our lousy (ha) little friends and the infections they have caused from all the scratching. You'd never know looking at the haircuts that one of the girls had to have a lot cut off and some of it shaved underneath, but they were good sports about it. The salon employees treated the girls royally and gave them special lice treatments while I stood and watched and drank my coffee. It was very inexpensive by US standards and totally worth it for me to not have to spend more hours combing nits in three heads. After all of that we are nit-free! And that made it worth every peso!

And so, in the battle of Mama vs. Piojos (lice): Round 3, Mama wins!

It is amazing how much I have learned from these lousy lice. The girls don't know that you shouldn't share hair things, pillows, stuffed animals, shirts, and switch beds when you have lice. They are unaware of the fact that they are spreading something to someone else or that someone else could be spreading something to them. I have explained it to them, but they are unfazed by it and still need the same amount of hugging, cuddling, closeness, and sharing of everything as a child who didn't have lice. The thing about it is that these sweet girls need it even more with the lice because they need to know that we will love them in whatever state they are in, clean or dirty, lice or no lice, healthy or unhealthy. Our love for them is not conditional upon their being clean and presentable or free of lousy little bugs, or of them being well behaved, on grade level in school, free of disabilities, or being developmentally on target for their age and skill set.

Every time they need a long hug or to be held I wonder how long we might be passing around these lice, and I am reminded of Jesus in Matthew 11:28 when He said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." He didn't issue this particular welcome to the clean, presentable businessmen in suits and ties who had their Blackberries, laptops and Caribou Coffee ready and able to go conquer the world. This invitation was to the weary, the burdened, to those who were the most needy of his respite at that exact time. God is just like that for us. He holds us close with no fear of catching our unloveliness, our sin, our pride, our selfishness. He gladly takes from us our hurts, failures and sins and puts them upon His own son who came as a baby and grew to be our Savior. When I remember how God holds me close when I am the most full of my unlovely "bugs" of selfishness and pride, I am eager to hold my sweet daughters close and let them know that they are loved regardless of their condition. I guess there is a lot I can learn from some lousy lice.