{Floods, Fleas, and the Flu}

You know how sometimes you just have to laugh at life? Because, really, that's the best way to maintain sanity. And joy.

The last several weeks have been rather wild with my husband gallivanting about the globe. Slovenia and Haiti and such. It's all good, but it's these situations that remind me of how important it is to be grounded.

Sometimes, however, that ground gets . . . soggy. Literally. Thankfully Jamie was in town when we had to address the leaky pipe out front. Also thankfully, it didn't require digging a trench through the entire front yard. (I was just sure it would be a huge undertaking.)

Aidan, ever the optimist, was downright thrilled. This all took place during a school day, and I figured digging and fixing something was much more practical than diagramming sentences, so I told him he could help. "Tomorrow we get to dig!" They dug. They scooped out the gushing water and eventually found and fixed the problem.

Of course, if Aidan didn't have to do school, Little Miss wanted out, too. She suggested that she might practice her piano for a nice long time instead. I let her. It was poignant to hear her recital pieces (I Surrender All and My Favorite Things) filling the air as the guys worked in the muck. Because it's in the surrender and in focusing on the beauty of "raindrops on roses" and "bright copper kettles" that we see it all as a gift. A flood of grace.

Shall we move on to the fleas now? Not much to report, just that we have a dog who is low-to-the-ground and long and hairy and sweet as can be, but tormented by fleas. Poor puppers. I had to run to the vet for her medication, but I wasn't quite sure when to do that because . . .

My kids have the flu.

(Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens . . .)

Thankfully they're on the mend (and so is the puppers), but it just took a long time for everyone to get it (the flu, not the fleas). Funny how a week can feel like an eternity. (I'm also thankful for Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music and Pride and Prejudice as we while away the feverish hours.)

I've learned that it's best not to face these trials on my own. At the beginning of the week I asked a few friends to be praying for me, and I truly feel as though I've been carried through each day on cloud-like pillows of grace -- grounded, yet soaring.

(Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings . . .)  

I'm so grateful that our Father cares for His own -- floods, fleas, flu and all -- and that His sense of humor toward this daughter often includes alliteration.   


When the fleas bite,
When the pipes leak,
When the kids have flu,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feeeeeel so blue!