So yesterday I categorized a rough day. As my body adjusts to the full use of my jpouch, I'm still figuring out how much water I need to drink (which is a lot!), foods to avoid, foods to limit, when to eat certain foods, how much rest my body needs, etc it's all part of what I'm calling my year of transition.
Sunday night I was up half the night which led to swelling in the morning and just overall not feeling great all of Monday. Add to that, Anya gets up early for school, and then Sasha & Karina didn't sleep in and got up when Anya and Eric left, so it was a not well rested bunch most of the day. Which of course leads to meltdowns, outbursts, etc.
Despite the "rough" day, it was my sweet Sasha who helped me put things in perspective and focus on God's blessings of the day and not how awful I felt physically, emotionally, etc.
Each night at bed time while we're cuddling with the girls we ask each of them what their favorite part of the day was. Monday night Sasha led the charge and as I was cuddling with her she asked me to go first. My first thought that I didn't voice was "Right now because y'all are going to sleep and then
I am too!"
But I caught myself and reflected, allowing the Spirit to work in me, truly a God thing as I was physically and emotionally spent.
"Sasha, my favorite part of the day is right now, cuddling with you girls and singing song," I said as it was and at the same time all I could think of.
But as Sasha, Anya, Karina and Eric each shared their favorite parts of the day, it made me realize I did have favorite parts of the day.
"Oh, Sasha I have one more to share," I said, "Another favorite part was after I picked Anya up from school and you all requested to hear the Bare Naked Ladies song 'Popcorn'": (off a CD called Snack Time that BNL made for their own kids), "and each time the song said 'Pop' the three of you bumped up and down so hard in your car seats that you made the van shake as we were sitting at a stop light and I looked back laughing and smiling." I concluded.
"Oh, wait, Sasha I have another one, when we were at the grocery store today and I explained to you why it was important and how to control your kid shopping carts and then you all did and were amazing little safe shoppers!", I gushed.
"Ah, Sasha I have another one to add. I love how we all sat down during dinner and truly had a family dinner and each one of us talked, discussed and laughed. And how we talked through what the decision should be as far as whether or not the Wii should go in time out due to toys not being picked up within the time period I stated, and how you finished picking up the toys and how each one of us weighed in on the decision, but ultimately Daddy decided what would happen and there was peace and fairness felt on the decision," I exclaimed.
And I listed a few more I think that I can't recall now, but the point is this.
The Lord used my sweet Sasha to give me a perspective that despite how "rough" I felt the day was, there were still nuggets where I was able to reflect and truly enjoy the riches of the blessings of the family God gave me.
And the realization that as I move into this new time of adjusting/transitioning from my last surgery, I finally have the capacity to take moments to teach my kids how to control their shopping cart at the store and why it's important, instead of before my surgery just trying to race through the store because I was always minutes away from having to find a bathroom and/or already had an accident and needed to clean up (just keeping it real).
Before the surgery, I barely had moments like this. I now realize how much my ulcerative colitis and the medications I was taking for it affected me in such a negative way. Now, being healed from the disease and no longer having it and no longer needing medication, I'm in awe each day of the new healthy life the Lord's given me.
I have and am growing in such a huge way over this past year and continuing to as God's carried me through what I call "the nightmare of 2011: colon surgery & recovery", that I'm actually in a place now where I can live out what scripture teaches in James to be thankful for trials as they give tremendous spiritual blessings:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance," James 1:2-3
A year ago I cried when I read this verse and when it was taught in our church last Spring.
God is bringing me around, a I try each day to surrender my life fully to Him.
Now that's a way to experience Life in Christ my friends :)
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