Friday, July 24, 2009

Thank You Lord...

...for bronchitis! As you can see I am back to blogging. By God's grace, after 10 days of a powerful antibiotic, I am also back to breathing, sleeping through the night, standing for longer than five minutes without needing a two hour nap, and a myriad of other seemingly simple activities. During this latest illness I was made aware of many blessings which God showered on me. I can't remember all of them now, but I wanted to share a few that I can recall with you.


*It created a thankful heart. I am never so thankful for my usual good health (that I too often take for granted) as I am when I'm sick.

*It reminded me of how many wonderful people the Lord has placed in my life who encourage and support me. From taking me to the doctor, to midnight check-ups, to uplifting e-cards, friends and family met so many of my needs.

*It provided another reason to be thankful for my current living arrangement. I distinctly remember being sick in the dorms my first year in college, and how miserable it was to go through it on my own. My aunt and uncle were amazing! My aunt was literally in and out of my room the whole first night, and she even stripped my soaking wet sheets off the bed after my fever spiked to 104.5. If that isn't love...:o)

This was the make-shift sick bay they set up in my room. Let me just say, it was wonderful!

*My nursing instructor allowed me to miss a day of clinical. Not my first choice, but definitely necessary at that point.

*This is a bit of a random one, but I had ordered a few "fun" books a little while before I got sick. I had had some recommendations, and decided to check them out despite my limited time for reading. They were a little later than expected, but that made their arrival precisely during the time I was laying in bed. Time and books...how rarely those two things coincide!:o)

*I had wise family members who suggested I visit the doctor. Those of you who know me know how bad I can be about doing that, but I am quite certain the bronchitis would have drug out much longer without the prompt treatment.

*The two midterms I took right as I was starting to feel a little better went really well. (My uncle suggested that it was because I was taking "performance enhancing drugs"...;o)

*At the advice of those wiser than me I took some time off of work while recovering, and that allowed me to spend time with my aunt, uncle, and another family member who was visiting. We even took a trip to the Reagan Library, which is always a treat.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I cannot possibly remember (and likely was not even aware of) everything. I mostly wanted to share my experiences of God's faithfulness and sustaining grace in the midst of a few tough days. My prayer while I was sick was that above all God would be glorified, and He certainly provided for all of my needs and more. I am excited to be healing and feeling a million times better, but am so very thankful for all that the Lord taught me through it. If nothing else it reminded me of how thankful I am that this world is not my permanent home, and how eagerly I am anticipating an illness free eternity with my Savior.

2 comments:

Sara-Grace said...

How awesome our God is! Thanks for sharing. I am glad you are feeling better(-:

Kristen Hamilton said...

1) A sign of a good nurse, one who listens to the advice of other not professionally trained in the field. I'm impressed! But not surprised... your folks raised you humbly.

2) I, too, am not trained professionally but I do know a few things about bronchitus and want to encourage you to look into the affects of bronchitus, particularly the long term affects if not treated promptly and aggressively. My mom for years would get bronchitus and, like you, put off going to the doctor. As a result, she now has a pretty low lung capacity that limits her freedom. Living in the valley with the fires has made her home bound for days on end and it's tough for her to come to higher altitudes to visit us. She frequently has to depend on a nebulizer to get through the day. Kind of saps your energy level when you don't have full lung capacity. Yes, she is just a wee bit older than you but it started years ago and over time, that thing just ate up her lung.

3) I miss the "Hall outlook" on life. You (and Becky) have it and it's a beautiful thing. Thanks for sharing it and thus encouraging the rest of us to really appreciate (and be thankful for) the little things in life.