Dear Reader, I missed a post in all my camp adventures. It’s time to catch you up on all the good, bad and the ugly.

Remember how you or your kids wrote a letter from camp? My letters usually began something like this: I hate this place! Come get me before they kill me! The bugs bite! The campers don’t like me! The shower is cold…but…the swimming is great! Wait till you see what I made with seeds!

This is what my month at Camp NaNoWriMo feels like. There are eight days left. I am so far behind! I have written 8,000 words of my 15,000 word goal.

Visits to the health clinic and some required field trips have slowed me. It started with herbal gardening on Friday April 6th. I took a break to do some gardening in the sunshine right? Well that was the first trip the camp health clinic. By Saturday my arm was swollen and inflamed. The pain was intense. My doctor and I determined I had been bitten several times by a jumping spider. Nasty little creatures they are. It has taken nearly two weeks to heal. It’s hard to write with one arm soaking in an Epsom salt bath!

On Wednesday, I needed a root canal. Of course it had to be the second worse root canal of my life. Unfortunately I’ve had several of these procedures. I am a connoisseur of root canals. My husband really should have checked my teeth before marrying me. Well apparently I am “long in the tooth.” Literally!  It is a small front tooth that is buried deep in my gum. It is the iceberg of teeny tiny incisors!

I am still in pain today but at least it is bearable. For three days I couldn’t write. When the painkillers worked I would sleep. Otherwise I was just looking for ways to ease the pain. Like ice-packs, warm showers, and painkillers both natural and pharmaceutical.

So there’s the bad and the ugly. Who knew developing a habit of writing 500 words a day would be so hard! Did some good stuff come out of all this you ask?

Oh Yeah, I took Smoothies 101, Rolling Power Bites Competitions (My new favorite snack!), Homemade remedies like clove compresses, and I made mascara! Didn’t work well for me but it was a fun distraction.

I did have required field trips this month: We explored lawyers offices, dentists, and assisted living facilities. As of this week, dad is now placed in a small memory care facility. He is still settling into a new home. A weight has been lifted off my shoulders now that he is safe. He is already doing better physically. The work begins for us as we walk through the legal maze to get him the care he needs.

Through the whirlwind of this Easter Season (Remember Easter season started April 1st). I found one spiritual gift strengthen. It is the gift of gratitude. I am grateful for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The vision of the doctors for my dad. The discovery of his new home. The legal, medical, and family advice getting us started on the path to securing dad’s future.

I am grateful for my Lord who never leaves me. On Friday night I was crying in pain because the new prescription of pain killers didn’t work. I also had a reaction to the drug. Which meant no more painkillers for at least four hours. I prayed for help. I ask why was this happening now?

I thought of Holy Week. I walked with my Lord through the Last Supper, the Agony, the desertions, persecutions, beatings, mockery, and finally the Crucifixion. I knew this pain is temporary. A rough few days. Not fun! Don’t want to do it!

I thought about the suffering of God made man for us. He understood the pain I was enduring that night. The realization of his physical pain made my heart break for my God. He did that for me. He doesn’t deserve the pain. I could feel the Holy Spirit wrap comfort around my shoulders. I only could whisper, “How did you endure it? I am grateful.”

That night the Spirit blessed me with exhaustion and I was able to sleep the few hours I needed to get through. I woke to 800 mg. of Ibuprofen. His mercy even in the little things like sleep touches me. I am grateful.

I am grateful to have another week ahead to reach my goal, catch up on my housework and face phase II of the root canal on Thursday (No this one is not that easy. It has to be done in two visits).

Gratefully yours

Milly

P.S. Today my little shamrock surprised me with blooms. It must like that sunny spot in the window!