The Task of Healing

It's been over a month since my last post.  We've had an unexpected last few weeks, beginning with a Sunday morning trip to the emergency room for me.  We were so grateful for two friends who dropped everything that morning and afternoon and took shifts caring for our kids.  I was experiencing severe pain and was quite nervous about what may be wrong.  It turned out to (just?) be a herniated disc in my lower back, not due to a specific injury but the culmination of genetic (hyper-mobility) and occupational (motherhood) issues.  Apparently, it was inevitable for me.

What has this meant for us?  Until I heal, it means drastic life change.  I can not pick up Eva.  I can't play on the ground with the kids for more than a couple minutes.  Sitting for longer than a few minutes is uncomfortable and means pain later.  Walking more than 10-15 minutes is difficult.  The bending and lifting that goes with normal life tasks (grocery shopping, using the dishwasher, making a bed, etc.) is not advisable.  As you can imagine, Gregory dropped everything for nine days to care for the kids and me until my mother could arrive to help.  The two of them have made an amazing team, and I have been able to rest and recover well thus far.

I admit that I am a bit nervous about how I'll do while my mom is gone for two weeks.  (She and my dad return in early December for a couple weeks here, a trip they'd planned months ago!)  I am sure it will be a humbling and stretching couple weeks; I wonder what the Lord has in store for us.