Further April Dreams
Easter has come and gone
Easter is always a favorite holiday here at the Parsonage. We’ve attended multiple church over the years since we’ve been married and we’ve had different traditions. But all these churches had a fellowship breakfast in common, and I especially love eating together as a church community.
Our days have slowed down a bit since Easter. Some of that is our schedule being less cluttered and some of that is my having been sick for an extended amount of time. When all you can do is sit around and feel yucky, life moves a bit slower.
Wednesday, April 16
I run little boys to the doctor’s today. They have some alarming symptoms that are past my paygrade. I always like to say that I am a fairly competent mom, and I usually don’t need to run to the doctor. But then there are always exceptions. After describing the symptoms and the history of what we had seen, not only in the little boys but in some of my older kids too, the doctor decides to issue anti-biotics for everyone who had been affected, which means more appointments for other kids tomorrow. That means two school days are out for the week, which is incredibly frustrating. Typically, I would schedule doctor visits after school times or once we are on break, but when your kids are sick and the doctor says these are the times available, you have to be flexible.
I’ve been feeling crummy since Palm Sunday, but I keep hoping that I’m almost done and healing up.
Thursday, April 17
Today is a stacked day for my husband. He starts with a local ministry meeting of all the local churches and ministries. Then he’s off to officiate a wedding in Pittsburgh, and then home to lead our church’s Maunday Thursday service in the evening. Phew!
After I run more kids up to the doctor we go grocery shopping, even though I am not feeling the best today. I keep hoping that I am hitting that worst point and tomorrow I will feel better. But tomorrows keep coming and I’m still not better. But this week is not the week to be taken down sick. I just have to push through.
Saturday, April 19
We spend the morning playing at a park. My kids get a solid hour of uninterrupted play time with Dad. He plays gaga ball with them and pushes them on the swings. I am only feeling worse, so I sit quietly at the picnic table and read.
Once we return home, I basically sit around and rest most of the day. I observe that those daffodils I planted late in January are finally up and trying to bloom. It makes me happy. I finish reading The Singing Sands by Josephine Tey. This was part of the Close Reads Mystery Podcasts series available to their subscribers. Only one book a month, and only one episode a month. I don’t really keep up with these regularly, but owing to my illness, I had grabbed a couple of the options from the local library. Nice easy reads that I enjoy when my mind can’t handle much else.
I do make crusts for pizza night, and the kids all make their own pizzas (the littlest ones getting help from older siblings). It feels like such a blessing to have two movie nights in a row, after quite a few misses of this beloved tradition.
Sunday, April 20
Happy Easter! He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!
I manage to sing in the choir’s Easter Cantata this morning. I feel that this might even be miraculous, because there are not any real indications that I’m better, but I’m able to sing mostly and only have to drop out on super high and super long notes.
Breakfast is great and then home early. Since we’d had a sunrise service, everything was done early. We have a late lunch with my parents. Lamb is our meat of choice for both Easter and Christmas, since He is the Lamb sent for sacrifice. We enjoy family and continue to rest and relax. Leftovers for dinner.
Monday, April 21
I meet with my artist mentor today. This has been a great relationship for me, keeping me on track with my current works in progress, giving me great suggestions for other options and shows to enter. I’m hopeful to be accepted to something this year, but so far, that hasn’t happened.
I’ve been stuck on my larger piece that was in response to SAQA’s call for art in response to AI. So, I’ve moved on to a secondary piece. If I get my wish, I get both of these done by the end of the month. Though, with as sick as I still feel, that could be very wishful thinking.
With all my sitting around I notice a robin has made a nest between a downpipe and the house in the back. So delightful to watch the mother bird’s antics.
I also finish the other mystery I had picked up last week. An Agatha Christie novel, one of her later ones, The Mirror Cracked. I always love Christie’s books, and this was no exception. This one is a bit poignant too, with lots of sadness surrounding the aging of the female detective and her limitations for crime-solving. Not that it stops her at all. Very enjoyable.
Tuesday, April 22
I limp through school, but it gets done. I fall asleep in the afternoon, which is a blessing because I go on to our ladies bible study at night. I feel slightly conflicted about going when I still feel so ill, but the resorative power of friends, food, and fellowship are just what the doctor ordered.
Wednesday, April 23
We hurry through school in the morning, which is just fine for my sleep-deprived brain. Then I meet with my regional SAQA group, which is easy-going and not too demanding on me. Attendance is light, but that makes it even better for more discussion.
I drag myself to choir practice tonight. Again, attendance is light. Easter is over and this is a typical pattern. We start a new group of songs. Home and to bed.
Thursday, April 24
School outdoors today. I’m still dragging through our days, craving naps all the time. But all this sitting is forcing me to stop and see the signs of spring around our house, like our beautiful old apple tree. It lost a pretty significant limb this past winter, broken off cleanly from the tree but still stuck in the canopy. When I walk out past it today, I see that there are buds of blossoms on this disconnected, technically dead branch. There’s a metaphor in that somewhere, I’m sure, but I’m too tired to make the connections.
Friday, April 25
I break down and make an appointment to see my doctor today. Typically, good rest and good foods and extra vitamins are all I need to get through an illness. But I recognize that I am not getting better so I take myself to the doctor. She diagnoses pneumonia and prescribes anti-biotics. Within hours I am feeling better. I’m slightly ashamed of how long I took to do this. I’m a huge advocate for caring for yourself as a mom, and yet, here I was, not taking care of myself as well as I could. Soemtimes it hard to know when you need to ask for help.
I am hosting a table for a big fundraiser event tomorrow and I have to get things ready, despite how I am feeling. My girls stepped up to the plate and made peanut butter truffles while I am still pretty sick. After my medicine kicks in and I feel better, I prep the other hand-dipped chocolate items for my table. My in-laws join us for dinner and stay overnight so my Mother-in-law can join us at the event tomorrow.
Saturday, April 26
I am so grateful to be feeling better today. It’s a busy one, with our church’s annual Calendar party for the Women’s Mission Ministry today. What is a Calendar party, you may be asking? I certainly asked it when we first moved here. Basically, it’s an event where a lady hosts a themed table, inviting her friends and family, and sells tickets for seats at her table. Historically, there would be twelve tables, each one themed for a month of the year, but this has moved on to broader interpretations of themes since then, especially because we have more than twelve tables. The money raised by the tickets is given to the featured mission of the day, in this case, our local pregnancy care ministry in Connelsville called Alternatives Yes. My table was themed ‘Chocolate’ and so I had a dizzying array of chocolate goodies for my guests. The day is a lovely time of food, fellowship, and fun. Over $1000 is raised for the ministry. I am so grateful for the generosity of this church community. It’s beautiful to see.
Sunday, April 27
I’m on the mend, but still dragging a bit. Of course, I feel like I’m floating on air, I’m so much better and easier in my breathing. But my body has not fully bounced back. I spend the rest of the day after church just sitting and resting in the sun. I call my dad and catch up. It’s a lovely afternoon all around.
I’m able to reflect on how much my kids have been able to step up and help, both with making dinner and with chores. They already do quite a bit with chores themselves, but to take up my slack was hugely helpful.
Monday, April 28
This is my first day getting out for a walk in over a week. The warm morning sun feels amazing to me. The contrast of the frosty grass, the sprinkles of apple blossom petals on the ground, and the warm warm sun fill my heart with delight. I am so grateful to feel better. I may be pushing myself a bit too much, taking a walk so soon after pneumonia, but I’m happy to be outside. I also have a spotting of my kildeer couple in the graveyard. I hadn’t seen them in a while and worried that they had moved on. But I heard and saw one of them, so I know they are there, just well hidden.
Tuesday, April 29
A hot and hazy day today. The older kids have one more encore performance of their musical. I drop them off at practice and then take off to the park. I sit and listen to the river, the birds, the kids playing. I also plan my menus. A while ago I switched from weekly planning to monthly planning, to save some sanity on my part. The weeks flew by too fast, and I always felt like I had JUST done the menu planning. By switching to a monthly meal plan, I don’t have to plan so often, and it forces me to inject some variety into our meals. I can see at a glance how often I’m serving mac n cheese, y’know? ;) But it’s a lengthy process that usually takes me a couple of hours of kid-free focus time, so I take advantage of not having younger kids with me today and plan away.
Once we get home, I am roasting and exhausted. I take some time to cool down on my back porch. After dinner, a thunderstorm moves through and I go back to the porch to sit and listen. The sounds of rain and thunder are some of the most soothing I know.
Wednesday, April 30
I have a nice walk this morning. It’s damp and breezy, but somehow still warm. We have a new hummingbird feeder up on our back porch and there are at least two hummingbirds hanging about. I love their cute little chirping.
The day slips by me with school and chores. I’m desperately trying to work on my art projects, but time is elusive. I pop in and out of my art space all day, trying to make some progress.
So many illnesses plagued us this past month. I am always amazed at how much physical wellness is tied to emotional health and wellness. When I was sick for so long, it was easy to feel down and discouraged about every little thing. Once I was on the mend, my habitual mentality of gratefulness came bounding back, and the switch was very noticeable. I hope all of you, my readers, make a daily habit of looking for the things to be grateful for. You can pray the list of them, write them in a journal, or some other significant way of keeping track of all of God’s goodness that constantly surrounds you. But train your mind to see it, and when you are sick for an extended period, you have something solid to hold onto in the midst of weariness and fraying.
Looking forward to May being significantly less busy than March and April. Having some time to recover and gain strength from illness, finishing up school, and prepping for a major trip to Europe in June. It’s going to be a great month.