Catching my breath...

This time of year we hear that a lot..."if I could only stop for a moment to catch my breath..." - and I wish mine was JUST that easy!

My Oct. sinus infection, November respiratory cold that threw my asthma so off, now has me welcoming December with something a bit more daunting...but I don't know what to call it - since the Dr. yesterday didn't give me a name to call it....well, not exactly.

(it's the ONE thing I don't like about our dr. office - no receipt at the end of a visit that's coded with the diagnosis...grrr...why does that bring me so much comfort??)

But I really like the doctor and staff, and feel thankful that God took my HUGE medical phobia and put me in one place that has done a great job in the 2 months I've known them...and the first medical help we've needed since we made our move... I had been so healthy!!

So this appt yesterday, the one with no diagnosis, has a list of doctor's orders, and i learned a lot...like my 3 day old headache was being caused by not getting enough oxygen...because I couldn't catch my breath. What I have might be pleurisy - since I'm wheezing on one side, it hurts to breathe on that side, and I'm relieved when I lay on that side; or it might just be pneumonia. My cough is nasty. I'm exhausted from it.

So bedrest, yes - permission to sleep 12+ hours a day all week long, 3 weeks on Prednisone (please pray for my husband as this makes me just a teensy tiny bit emotional...like PMS emotions...which we haven't had to deal with in a while...), 3 days of powerful antibiotics, and a lot of other meds that I take all the time now for my recently found asthma....singulair, inhaler, thyroid med, etc.

And in the midst of all this, I slept through Thanksgiving Day - allowing my daughter and husband to do all the cooking without passing a recipe or making a decision. It was easier than I expected to withdraw from that role, but it helped that I didn't care at all! (Thanks Mark and Jessica for doing such a great job!!)

I missed visiting with the kids, and getting to know Jason's new girlfriend, and walking the 5k Turkey Trot that we had spoken about since spring, but I'm so glad I didn't go and walk in the pouring rain, and am so proud of Mark, Becky, Jessica and Joshua for taking it on! Maybe next year I can join in...as long as it's not raining, or snowing....

Now my home is lacking any evidence of "Christmastime is Near"... except if I play the song from my playlist - it IS my favorite Christmas song ever. If it's not a familiar title to you, think Charley Brown Christmas...the song that plays in the background that's sort of slow and melancholy - even though the lyrics are special and sincere.

I WANT to have my house decorated, but just thinking of it wears me down....just like sitting on the couch as I type on my laptop - WHO KNEW it would wear me out just to type?? Just to breathe?? But it does....I can hardly keep my eyes open now...so I should go work on putting in my 12 hours for today...

No matter what your home looks like, may you feel His Spirit of Christmas there...and may your heart feel the nearness of Him as we celebrate Jesus' birth....