Recently one of my younger children wished that their New Jersey family was coming for Thanksgiving. They then went on to reminisce about how fun last Thanksgiving was with the New Jersey and Texas relatives all at our house. Fun? I was flabbergasted, how could anyone remember so incorrectly?
Last Thanksgiving one of our children came down with a sudden 24 hour stomach virus the day all the relatives arrived. He managed to throw up just about everywhere during the present opening festivities before we could quarantine his little self with some Star Wars Movies. Great fun. Things just went down hill from there.
Two of our children have metabolic disorders called FOD- they can't afford to have a stomach bug. Sure enough my then 2 yo with FOD had to be rushed to the E.R. in the middle of the night when he came down with the same stomach virus. We had a houseful of guests yet my husband and I spent the rest of their visit in the hospital with our son. Not a holiday that I want to remember. A black hole of a holiday. Just thinking of last Thanksgiving gives me a despairing feeling full of fear. The Thanksgiving we almost lost our son.
While we were in the hospital I prayed and prayed for my children at home and for my unfortunate relatives that were having to fend for themselves. Evidently our relatives were brilliant, so brilliant that my children have wonderful memories of games and ice cream and general silliness.
I'd been remembering that holiday as the worst Thanksgiving ever but as I write this I can see it was actually very blessed. God provided for family to be in town to care for our other children while we were at the hospital. They in turn provided our children with wonderful holiday memories. We brought our 2 yo son home strong, undamaged, and alive. That's a pretty good holiday after all. I was the one who was remembering incorrectly.
This is part of the Steady Mom's 30 min challenge. It have to confess that I lost exact track of time because of little people presenting me with mothering challenges.
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12 comments:
What a great way to think of it! SO thankful that kids help us keep our perspective!!!
THank goodness you had some really great relatives to help out!
I have left you an award on my blog because I like your blog! Enjoy!
Thanks! It is easy to remember things "incorrectly" and thankfully be corrected by our kids!
I love that memory, both of them. They are both accurate enough, but just what is our perspective on life. Sometimes we are so in the midst of things we can't see clearly. What is that old saying??? Something like " We miss the trees for the forest??" Anyway, great reminder to keep our perspective, the same as God's perspective. which is not always easy to do.
Love your blog
Lovely perspective!
My name is Deana, I have a son,6, with a metabolic disease also, MMA Cbl-C. I was introduced to your page by my friend Sarah K.
I'll be following your blog now!
My son's blog is: http://kingofthewildthings.com
It amazes me that children can see the toughest times through a rosy lens. They hold onto the positive and find the good amidst the chaos. That's such a gift.
Susan, this is the first time I've heard about FOD. So do you have to wake them at night to feed them? What kinds of food do you give them? What's enough? A slice of bread? Cracker?
Sorry for all the questions - i'm just so interested.
yes, perspective is a wonderful thing - every time I want to complain about Not Sleeping I just have to remind myself to be grateful that they're healthy. We have a friend whose baby was also born at 32 weeks and has some brain issues, seizures, etc.
Thanks for visiting my blog! I saw the sign idea on a number of blogs and thought it was a good idea. I’ve since bought foam numbers so for future months they’ll be holding a foam number.
Wahaha!!! Memories are made of this... Isn't it funny how we all interpret things differently... I always ask what they remember about an event before I dive in sand make it a tradition...Because the things we work hardest at are the things quickly forgotten and the things we ad lib in a desperate moment are the things they remember - I am sure there is a life lesson here, I am just not a very quick learner!!!
I LOVE that you turned that moment into a blessing...I am learning too that in all things give thanks. Not necessarily for it but that in it God is still God and he has a plan and he will comfort us and encourage us as he guides and directs us.
Leigh, All FOD children are different. Right now my affected two drink a cup of milk with 1/8 to 1/4 a cup raw cornstarch mixed in at bedtime. Raw cornstarch is a slow release carbohydrate that lasts anywhere from 6 to 8 hours. Then I wake them around 5:00 a.m. with a cup of milk. Then they get up and eat at 6:30.
When they are ill with any normal childhood illness or stressed with a growth spurt, etc. I check them hourly to every 2 hours giving extra carbohydrates when necessary. This often keeps their blood sugar acceptable which hopefully keeps them out of the hospital.
During the day they eat or drink carbs. every 3 to 4 hours. My older children call them "Hobbit Meals".
One of my favorite memories is going to see a silly movie alone with my mom and listening to her laugh until she cried. I was a preteen and I just remember loving being alone with her in the dark and laughing together.
When I shared that with her a few years ago, she filled in the blanks for me. Our heater was broken and the roof started to leak. My father had a terrible flu, 104 fever for days. She took my sick father, my brothers and me to my father's mother's house and we were staying there for almost a week--during her busiest time at work. She took me to the movie to escape and laughed and cried to release the tension. I remember it being so sweet and her memory is of one of the worst weeks as a mother :-)
This is so great! I can't say anything different than others have said, but memories are SO relative. They are deeply impacted by what information we have. Thanks for sharing another good insight. Would I be smarter if I'd had more kids? LOL
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