New book

My mother in law gave me a new book called Divine Confinement. It is written for people confined because they are caring for elderly parents or preschoolers. It sounds like something I really should read. But I cannot get past the line in page ten, "The life lessons that we learn today in our tough places will better prepare us for those that are to come."

I could really use a break. But clearly the answer is, "No".

Today, I spent the afternoon at the ER with Amie. The open/close the door game (With assistance of other children) included her right thumb getting stuck and needing stitches. Her thumb will be fine. I will be fine.

If ANY day would be a bad day to go to the ER... today would be the day. One year ago, (Tuesday, October 24th) I had to take my aunt to the ER and she died. I really didn't want to go to the ER today.

But, it was a different hospital and a much better experience!

On to the blessing part. My aunt always purchased a little squishy doll for the babies in the family. Each one was a different color. With Amie... we ran out of colors and my sister wasn't too keen on sharing the "pink" one. Well after my aunt died, we went to her apartment and found a "pink one" in her closet. She may have been waiting for my sister to mature on the topic. My sister gave us the pink one! All 3 of my kids slept with them... Maggie's yellow, Abbie's multi colored and Amie's Pink one. So when their rooms were completely incinerated, I mourned the loss of this tradition. The company no longer makes them. But just yesterday in a bag of dirty stuffed animals that were downstairs during the fire, out pops a perfectly clean "pink one"...

I am still crying.

In my mind it is just a stupid stuffed doll... but thank you Lord for the blessing, this dark week, for stupid squishy dolls coming out clean from the ashes!