A Two Pot Day

John 16:33

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

My husband and I have this little joke referring to the difficulty level of the day at home. Upon arriving home he'll ask if it was a one pot or a two pot kind of day. If it was a one pot day, it generally means that the day went by fine and the first pot we made at 5 a.m. was sufficient to last the entire day. If it was a two pot day - well, we had some extra tribulation. John 16:33 tells us that we will have that in the world and our home is no different.

Today was a two pot kind of day. It started at 2 a.m. when the first child woke cold and shaking with a sore throat and head ache. I comforted that sweetie and tucked her back in bed, then was awakened again when the same child was dripping wet with sweat at 3 a.m.. At 4 a.m. the next child could not find his beloved blankie when he rolled over and thought we might have better results searching under his covers for him. At 5 a.m. the alarm clock went off and I stayed in bed while Nic scrambled off to work. I had made a choice to forgo any coffee and prayer time with him this morning. At 5:45 a third child was up with fever, aches, pains, sore throat and a head ache. When I made it to the kitchen for my first cup of coffee and to dispense a glass of ice water and tylenol to this next sick child I realized that last night's supper hadn't been cleaned up (a rarity!) and the latest science experiment on making home made laundry detergent had also not been cleaned off the stove. (Oops!) I could quickly see that God was reorganizing my day from the start and that it would be best for me to let go of the plans I had made for myself and the children today in order to accommodate this alternative place we were beginning.

I managed a peaceful quiet time while comforting another child before everyone else woke up and got the kitchen cleaned up while pulling breakfast together. I got the least sick children to work together to bless the most sick children by helping with their chores and we enjoyed a healthy breakfast and Bible lesson. I was quite content with a rearranged day of peaceful school all bundled up on the couch. I was looking forward to finishing reading a good book to the children along with several books on science and history that we were well into. Peaceful and joyful acceptance was washing over me.

And then it hit.

Me.

A migraine. I have struggled with migraines since the third grade and have had them largely under control for the past three years. They have always been so severe that I lose my vision and become extremely nauseous, sometimes lasting for hours or days. I have tried everything from eliminating chocolate (I don't recommend it!), nuts, caffeine, nitrates, msg, to taking the typical migraine meds. None of it ever worked for me. Finally trying an anti-seizure med seemed to help prevent them. Stress is always a trigger and the migraine always comes a day or two after a stressful event. I'm not even sure what could have been the trigger this time, but here I was with kids all snuggled up, ready to read together and me all ready to hide my head under a pillow, bucket by my side!

A few ibuprofen, a quick 15 minute nap, some quiet reading time rearranged from later in the day, another pot of coffee started, and our day was back on track. Well, the re-rearranged track for today.

I will most definitely be looking forward to getting to bed early tonight! Of course, that is after assessing the need for any strep or flu tests at the wait-an-hour-and-a-half minute clinic this evening. It is good to know that we can take heart because these tribulations are small and He has overcome the world!