For the second time in six weeks, I sat in a doctor’s office with my older daughter and had a doctor look at me and say something like “If we don’t treat this correctly, it could kill her.” When you hear that statement once, it’s an eye-opener. When you hear it six weeks later for the second time, it’s like a sledgehammer smacking you in the side of the head.
My older daughter started the summer with a four-day hospital stay and a bout with meningitis. This week, what I thought was a simple virus causing her throat to hurt turned out to be a nasty bacterial infection that caused an abscess in the back of her throat, which is apparently a very scary, dangerous thing that can cause all sorts of horrible complications if it’s not treated correctly.
We’re calling this the Summer of the Needles in our house. My poor daughter has had a spinal tap done for the meningitis and had to have the abscess in her throat drained the other day. It has not been fun. But it has been a world changer.
Proverbs 27:1 says “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” That’s a lesson I’ve learned all too well this summer.
You may have noticed that this space has been quiet for several weeks. Part of that is because we were on vacation, but much of it is because I’ve been trying very hard to be present in my home this summer. Knocking up against serious illnesses twice this summer has reminded me just how precious each day with our kids is. It’s made me realize that all those things I think I’ll do with my kids tomorrow or next week or next year may not be in the cards. And I need to take advantage of the moments I do have.
So instead of writing blog posts, I’ve been doing a Bible study with my daughters and their friends. We’ve watched movies. We’ve checked out the new escape game in town. I’ve been taking my kids with me on errands that are easier to do by myself. I’ve sat on my bed and watched countless hours of “Mystery Diners” with my daughters.
Because these moments won’t come around again. They’re here and then they’re gone. And each one of them is precious. Each one of them is important. And if capturing some of those moments means I write a few less blog posts or my house is a little less clean, then so be it. Because regardless of illness or health, the moments I have with my kids are fleeting, and I want to capture as many as I can.