Nothing to Complain About

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (The Message)

I am sick. Youngest son brought home a cold which I caught despite taking massive doses of Airborne. I tried to stop it with sinus washes, but that didn’t help either. My head is achy, my chest is tight, my nose is running and my throat is sore. So, Sunday, even though I really wanted to go to church and see our choir’s Christmas musical and even though I had a ton of housecleaning to do to get ready for Christmas, I spent the day in bed. I slept for more than four hours, only rising to get something to eat and then, collapse back in bed. I watched the last Harry Potter movie, which I had been putting off until I had nothing better to do and two episodes of Say Yes to the Dress. You know I am sick! It didn’t matter that my family will be here on Thursday for dessert on one of stops on our annual progressive dinner. It didn’t matter that I have 24 people coming for lunch in less than a week. It didn’t matter that I still have some Christmas presents to make. Nothing mattered, but feeling sorry for myself because I felt lousy and it is Christmas and that is no time to be sick. Then, I heard about a friend’s daughter who is very ill with pneumonia. My friend has been up taking care of her several nights in a row despite her own struggles to heal after a recent surgery. And I remembered another friend whose husband has been sick for several months and despite repeated hospital stays in a variety of hospitals, no one can figure out what is wrong with him. And I didn’t feel so sorry for myself. So, I confessed to some people that their Christmas gifts would be late, and they were okay with it. After all, we have so many blessings, don’t we? I got out of bed and went to work. I remember a time when the week before Christmas was a slacker week, but not this year. I have a couple of really important projects that need attention right now. I don’t feel sorry for myself. A lot of good can come from them, and besides, I have a job, right? The house will get clean in time for the company, my doctor called in some meds, so I will get better as well. It would be easy to think of the negative things this Christmas, but I have so much to be thankful for. A coworker gave me money for diapers for Guatemala. Some others, a beautiful canvas print of me with my Guatemalan boy, Billy. I am reminded, life could be much worse. But, just in case you are wondering, I really am sick. In the head. Here’s proof. I took the dog to see Santa. She had to have her picture with Santa to put in her boy’s stocking. Really, I have nothing to complain about do I?