In one week's time everything changed. National events like "March Madness" basketball games were cancelled. Disney World shut its doors, and school was postponed for a month. The Governor of our state repeatedly announced restrictions. First it was no meetings of more than 200 than it quickly changed to no meetings of 10 or more people.
Everyone was worried about toilet paper and hand sanitizer. For a few days I frantically cleaned my house as my youngest complained that his chest hurt and his head felt warm. Twelve days after coming home from the Cruise I wondered if he contracted the virus. Suddenly the world shrunk to the size of my baby's face and the way his chest heaved in and out as he took his nap and... the cough. Was it wet or dry? I Googled it? I texted friends whose children had the Flu what did their child's cough sound like? All I could see were the doorknobs, light switches, tables, and toilets. Meanwhile, the fever lasted one day, two days, three days. On the fourth day he had an even harder time breathing so I took him into Urgent care. We were given masks to wear.
The Cruise, our last family vacation before my oldest, Isaiah, was to graduate, no longer glowed in my memory. It was evidence of contamination. The doctor checked my baby's lungs, she swabbed his nose for the Flu, it was negative. She checked his ears, no infection. She checked his throat but he didn't have Strep. Finally after the chest x-ray she shared her concern that my little guy showed signs of COVID-19, but they wouldn't test him because they needed to keep the tests for more serious cases. I was calm at first, but the closer we got to our home the more I panicked.
That night we thanked the Lord for the cool rain. We opened the patio door off our bedroom so Judah could rest on our bed and breathe in the air. His breath was labored but the doctor released him because it wasn't serious enough to be hospitalized. But I was very nervous. I wished there was medicine to help, but all I had were prayers.
It was hard to pray in the dark with my toddler sleeping. I leaned in to hear each breath as I tried to string-a-long a prayer.
"Lord, I know you hear me, please touch my baby."
I felt so small lying there. Waiting. Hoping. Breathing.
The cool air helped his lungs, but I stayed awake most of the night listening to him breathe. The next day he was a little better but he still had the fever. My hands were already raw from cleaning surfaces and washing them while singing the ABC's, but I was even more cautious. On the sixth day Judah's fever finally broke. Thankfully he was on the mend.
The point of my story is...We are not invincible, but we are also not alone.
With school and Church closed my eyes are some how opened to reaching out in new ways to the people around me. It has been a long time since I have talked on the phone, but I have started calling my family more frequently. I have checked in with my friends and neighbors more closely. My days are shut in but turned toward my family in a closer way.
I don't know what to call this season. Perhaps it's an alarm going off to wake us all up to how fast the Merry Go Round of life was spinning us. That Merry Go Round has almost stopped and we are all looking around. In this social distancing time I am learning how to reach out and also how to look up.
No I don't know what to call this season, but as I think back to that stormy night. As I laid in bed letting the cool mist fill my bedroom, I prayed...
and God heard.
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7
What a scary night. I'm so thankful you had God to call out to. He is our solid rock, our hiding place, our strong tower. We trust in Him.
ReplyDeleteYes I am glad he is OKay, but I think this how we got our house guest THE MOUSE
DeleteI’m so glad he’s better. CanNOT imagine how scary that was for you guys. Love you!
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