We are not to the end of November yet, but almost. And because I am just now feeling better I will try to give some glimpses of these days gone by.
David now has serious sinus gunk and what seems to be a bad ear infection. He actually is having real hearing problems because of it.
His computer, by which he does almost all of his work, has died. Died.
It is only a year and a half old. But out of warranty, of course.
(update since I started this post: last night we decided the best option, after consulting many people, contacting Microsoft support, discussing all options of doing out-of-warranty exchange, the best thing to do is to drop the computer, literally. The next morning, David banged it around a bit, much like you do a washing machine on the brink, Gabrielle laughed and yelled: 'Break it! Break it'. Two minutes later the computer woke up from its near-death coma. Not kidding. It may not be fully well, but it is alive, and David is backing it up as we speak.)
(another update since starting and re-starting this post: his computer died again, the banging helped again, but we are so uncertain with it).
My own body and energy is not full speed, but I am so much better than I was. The body's aerobic capacity is amazing. During my half-marathon it was my muscles that couldn't hack going farther, not my lungs. After this lung infection and almost a month of being on the lem, all endurance is gone. I was huffing up one flight of stairs during my sickness. Now, just getting back to a little exercise, I can't swing kettle bells for 4 minutes (with breaks). I am taking it slow, but how quickly my aerobic capacity diminished.
As we say here in China, Man Man Lai (mon, mon lie), take it slow.
And yes, there are a gazillion other 'little' trials that try to arrest our days and leave us squandering for hope.
But we are not squandering, though we do have to keep seeing every little grace instead of every little annoyance. We do have to talk through instead of grumble through such circumstance.
We do have to stay on the Jesus Way, which is not the easy way.
But it is the ONLY truly hopeful way.
And to be honest, some days that is just plain hard.
Not that our actual faith wavers, it doesn't. I believe fully, entirely, completely. The walking it out can become burdensome when I act like Christian before he made it to the foot of the cross and still had the burden weighing him. How often, when weak in body and spirit, I try to pick it back up, as comfort almost because I have 'things to do' and 'must be able to do this' and whatever lie I tell myself....
And how the refreshment comes when I again look to the Cross, look to the LOVE that bore it all and find real rest and contentment no matter how I feel physically.
Let me move on from my cliche wanderings..
Sophia's school assignment was to bring a food plate and show to the class. It wasn't supposed to be this fancy. She designed it herself and had our helper cut the apples.
And the hooligans in the bath with goggles... Gabrielle now knows how to blow bubbles. Well on her way to being a swimmer!
More November coming up...including our early Thanksgiving.
