On My Mind Tonight

So here's the deal: We have the full-on stomach flu in this house. Keiki came down with it Thursday, mama got hit yesterday, Spunky started puking late last night, and Bobcat succumbed this afternoon. You know the type--hits FULL-force, mostly gone in 24 hours. As my husband 1/2 carried me up the stairs last night, changed me into pjs, took out my contacts, brought me a water with loads of ice, and tucked me into our warm, soft bed...even though I was 1/2 out of it, I was still aware of a sense of thankfulness in my heart--

thankfulness for home.

Today as I laid out on one couch, with my listless, 5-year-old Spunky laid out on the couch across from me, I felt thankfulness. We each had a clean glass of Gatorade nearby and loads of pillows and blankets to keep us cozy.

When I started to get some energy back and so went on a bleach-bottle frenzy and threw in another load of puke towels, I felt thankfulness....for wash water...for a wash machine...for plenty of clothing, blankets, and towels.

When I ran a tub of lavender-scented bath water for the 2 youngest, washed their hair, and heard Spunky say, "Awww man....keep doin' that Mommy it feels soooo good." my heart was over-flowing with thankfulness. Again, when I pulled them out, rubbed lotion on their little legs, and put on their footy-pajamas...that immeasurable thankfulness swelled up. How many mothers in this world would do ANYTHING to have a clean tub of safe water to bathe their sick children? How many have no clean water to offer their dehydrated babies a drink? How many little ones have no loving hands to rub lotion into their parched skin? How many go to "bed" cold, filthy from vomit and diarrhea? How many little ones have died from dysentery since I sat down to write this (I recently read the horrific statistic of 1 every 4 seconds.)

We have SO much:

Clean water, warm housing, healthy food. All these luxuries are ours at every whim. We are so unimaginably blessed.

Please join me and say a prayer regularly for all those who are not so blessed as this. When you feel that thankful feeling, pray. Furthermore, let's bring some of these little ones HOME. Let's help others bring them home. Sponsor a child. Sponsor a widow. Give to organizations that help struggling families. Help to provide clean water. There are so many ways we can help, and we are CALLED to do this. I am convinced we were not born into luxury in order to live luxuriously. It's just what's on my mind tonight.