An Attitude of Gratitude
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to complain about life when things aren’t going easily? I found myself telling two of my friends this week that even in the midst of a hard week, I was seeing how God was providing small gifts in a variety of ways to help me through the week. But for some reason, I felt that I had to disclaim that because I don’t believe that this life is for our comfort and that God is going to ease every burden, but this week, I became convicted that too often I just share with my friends the things that are going hard, and not the ways that I am feeling God’s presence and answer to prayers.
Photo credit: Ryan Melcher
Mountain Laurel on recent hike.
We agreed that as friends who have known each other through thick and thin for over 20 years that we don’t need to have a filter—we can share the good, the bad, and the ugly with each other. And, today, I am sharing a bit of my week with you. Unfortunately, I realize that you only see the highlights of my life here—more of the beautiful and not the ugly. It’s hard as a blogger to know how much readers want to know about my personal life versus just coming here to find inspiration for creative ideas.
But today’s post is about my week. If you were hoping for a bit of creative inspiration, don’t click or scroll to read more this time. It’s all personal today…
Last Saturday, I woke up before the rest of the family. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning—the perfect kind to drink coffee on the deck. So, I made my coffee and went outside, thinking I would stay out a few minutes. But the dog, our lovely Golden Retriever, came with me and snuggled up to me as I sat on the deck floor. As I ran my hand over his fur, I noticed how badly he needed a brushing so I groomed him once I finished my coffee. The cool breeze felt amazing on my face, and the sounds of nature refreshed my soul. That time felt like a gift.
Later that day, I left the house to teach my quilting class. As I was en route, Ryan called to say that Ellie had fallen and hit her head on the hiking trail. He wasn’t sure how badly she was injured, but that he was going to be heading home and would fill me in when he assessed it further once we were home. Of course, it was hard for me to hear her crying in the background, “I want Mommy.” As parents, Ryan is always the one the girls go to for fun, and I am the one they come to for comfort.
Photo credit: Ryan Melcher
The girls at the summit of the hike (before Ellie fell on the trail).
I went ahead with teaching the class, but I must admit, I felt a bit distracted. Ryan did send a picture of the wound, which eased my mind a bit, but he also said that she was feeling nauseated, which instantly made me think of a concussion.
Anyway, I finished the class and discussed future classes with the owner of Sew Classic Fabrics and picked out the supplies to get the samples ready (stay tuned for those details!). Ryan told me to pick up first aid supplies on the way home, and I got some ginger-ale to help with Ellie’s nausea. As I drove home, I was so thankful for the leftovers that were in the refrigerator so that I didn’t have to face cooking dinner!
The wound on Ellie’s head seemed okay. I bandaged it with fresh supplies, and we went about our evening. But at bedtime, she was shaking and cold, a bit pale, and complaining even more of nausea. After consulting others, we decided to take her to the ER. And so, at 9 p.m., we arrived. The time moved so slowly. She didn’t want me to read to her (very unusual), and we were both exhausted! She kept begging for me to take her home to bed. She started to feel less nauseated. Her color was returning, and we had no idea how many hours it would be until we were seen. I talked to a nurse behind the desk, explaining that she was feeling better. The nurse agreed that getting her home to bed was the best thing for her, if she had a concussion.
I felt like a zombie on Sunday. Even though it was Father’s Day, Ryan, bless his heart, handled dish duty in the kitchen, even telling me at one point to go take a nap while he emptied the dishwasher. That felt like a gift.
That evening, we let the girls stay up later than normal to catch fireflies. We sat outside on blankets and drank hot tea, while Ryan read to the girls. Then, we cautioned Ellie to be very careful, but allowed them to catch a few fireflies before tucking them in. The weather was absolutely perfect, and I felt so thankful to have a husband and precious little girls to celebrate on Father’s Day. I also felt incredibly thankful for the Dad that I have—someone who is kind, patient, and steady. As my doctor once described him, my Dad is a “rock” in the very best sense of the word.
Monday and Tuesday, I was babysitting our neighbor’s toddler. We have taken care of her off and on since she was a couple of months old, and she is a delightful little girl. She is like a little sister to my girls. I was evaluating Ellie all day, trying to decide whether to take her to the doctor. She was barely eating, complaining of nausea, and started having some cognitive glitches. I was so glad that I finally talked to a nurse, who set up an appointment for the following day. I took the toddler with us (with the parent’s permission, of course), and she did so well while we were out and about. The doctor diagnosed Ellie with a concussion. Knowing for sure what we were dealing was actually a relief.
Ellie sitting on the front steps of the farmhouse where my Mom and Dad live, shelling peas, wearing a vintage dress and Grammy’s apron.
On Wednesday, I worked in the garden, but the ground was so dry! I was incredibly thankful that we had a storm that night that brought a little over an inch of rain to the garden! And then, I went back on Friday to pull the weeds that were so hard to get out of the dry dirt on Wednesday!
But, the thing that I feel absolutely, most incredibly grateful for is the healing that I have experienced over the past two months! If you have been a reader for long, you will know that a couple of years ago, I became almost entirely unable to function. I was so sick that my sister-in-law came to clean and help with food. I was going to medical appointments constantly for tests. Eventually, I was diagnosed with MCAS and put on a life-changing, incredibly-challenging low histamine diet. Fortunately, my symptoms improved, and I was functioning again, but still having debilitating flare-ups. Over Christmas, I became really ill again after not following the low histamine diet over the holidays, and for the most part was functioning normally about 50% of the time for the next few months.
My brother and sister-in-law told me about an alternative treatment with a doctor in Maryland and offered to sponsor a trip there and the first round of treatment. I was highly skeptical by the doctor’s claim that I would be cured of MCAS in 8 weeks! But at the end of March, I brought home the homeopathic remedies. I waited about two weeks to start the treatment, waiting until a point in my schedule that allowed for rest if my body reacted to the remedies. I have been doing so much better since starting the treatment! Instead of spending about two weeks a month in bed, I have had an occasional bad day in the past two months! My follow-up visit was this Thursday. Ryan went with me to discuss the plan of action for the future with the doctor. The doctor gave me permission to start a “normal” diet (for me, normal still means gluten-free since I have Celiac). Ryan and I celebrated with a meal at Carrabba’s on the way home. We hadn’t been out to eat since February 2020. As I ate a delicious Johnny Rocco salad, I almost cried with joy!
So, yes, even though this week had some exhausting challenges, throughout the entire week, I found moments to be incredibly grateful! I had pockets of time to relax and enjoy nature or enjoy the gift of friendship, and most of all, I have a returned hope of being able to enjoy a normal life because of the alternative treatment I am taking.
If you have read this far, I am impressed. Please comment below with something that you found to be grateful for this past week, and I will enter your name in a drawing for a giveaway for something I have made. I will pick a winner next Friday, July 1, announce the winner in my next blog post, and will give the winner a choice of a few handmade items.