These past two weeks have been the most tiring and emotional weeks of this month! I'm not even sure where to begin updating you all. Well, I've been horribly sick and have not felt this terrible in quite a long time. It all started with a sore throat and lead to swollen glands, sinus congestion, fever, and a deep abrasive cough. It's been lingering around and I can't seem to get enough traction to heal. Despite the pain in my throat and whole body, I needed to visit my soul sister Amanda in Clearwater! I was all alone over the weekend since my family was up in Orlando and wanted to be in good company seeing as I don't do "alone" very well.
The drive was long but so worth it! I coughed all the way there and all the way back. As soon as I arrived in Clearwater, Amanda and I were sharpening one another in the faith, praising the Lord's attributes and basically gabbing nonstop about how far He's brought the both of us and how we see each others growth. It was the encouragement I needed at the right time I needed it. After we actually took a minute to breathe from talking our heads off, we decided to venture out to Safety Harbor for the Italian festival which Amanda so graciously paid for. What did we do there you ask? We listened to Italian opera singers, ate gelato, and of course talked on a bench for another three hours as gads of loud and vibrant Italian people passed us by. After we had our fill of the Italian culture we drove off to find a place to eat. Unfortunately, that's when the brunt of my sickness hit and I was in extreme aches and pains all over my body. We had to make a pit stop at Walgreens where I stocked up on pain killers, cough medication, tissues, and liquids. From there we decided to go to a cute local Italian Pizzeria and Restaurant called Mario's. The food and company were wonderful and yet again Amanda was so sweet to pay for my dinner! It was such a blessing to be cared for by my best friend the whole day when I would have otherwise been sitting in my house alone and ill. In other news, my baby is doing such a wonderful job with his NOLS courses! He scored a 85% on his written test and a 100% in his practical exam! Therefore, he passed his first responder course! He attributes it to studying almost 24/7 for ten days straight. He said he gets to learn how to telemark ski next. I most definetely affirmed him to keep up the excellent work and assured him of how proud I am of him.
Here's a picture he sent me two nights ago after a long hike in the wilderness. I love getting picture updates from him. I've been having a hard time lately in terms of missing him though. Yesterday I was a complete wreck and I have no idea why my sobbing cries decided to show up now and not the day he left. It was the day after I visited Amanda that I woke up that morning, thought about him, and started sobbing. Of course, the sobbing made all my sick symptoms incredibly worse and my fever continued steady. It was then I decided to stay home from church to not spread my germs amongst the congregation, but that meant I didn't get to see my Downin family and being the encouragement that they are to me, I was sad that I felt too weak to spend time with them. I was scheduled to sing for The House that night along with cafe duty and felt like I should at least try to do cafe since I already committed....WORSE DECISION EVER. When I arrived I entered the land of light-headed and nausea. I ran into my friend Austin who blessed me so so so so so so much! He helped me with the water cooler and personally found two replacements for the cafe so I could go home early and rest! I so greatly appreciate you three! Austin, Kelley, and Trish, may you be blessed immensely for your servant hearts! God Bless You!! As far as other news and updates go, I've lost two pounds and now weigh 130 lbs and am sticking to healthy eating. For now, I'm just resting, praying, and studying like crazy for school and teacher certification exams; Soaking in the peace that God allows me to have in these times. I'll leave you with some simple food for thought tonight via Bing Crosby; "Count your blessings instead of sheep."
In Him,
Kelly (Set Sail Author)
No comments:
Post a Comment