Progress Report

I am following doctor's orders to a "T" and am staying in bed (ie., on the couch) and resting and drinking lots of liquid. I am taking my meds on schedule and seem to have a tad bit of improvement, although I couldn't pinpoint where -- might just be wishful thinking.

A big THANK YOU to my friend Dianne who brought by her humidifier, mandarin orange slices, orange juice, soup and an energy Snickers bar. I'm afraid to eat the snicker bar now -- what do you do with an over-energized person assigned to bed rest? :-) Since I'm sure I'll have tons to catch up on when I've recuperated, I'm saving it until then.

Another big THANK YOU to my mom who brought by a cantaloupe (I've been craving fruit -- probably the liquid), a bag of mixed frozen fruit, orange juice, Kleenex (MOST important as I had run out), and Joshua a pizza for dinner. Since Kevin was out of town today and didn't return until late, I had planned on a dinner of chicken nuggets and fries for Josh. At this point, I'm just glad people are eating and I don't have to fix it. Josh is being so thoughtful and helpful -- telling me once today after we returned home from school, "You need to come over here and just sit down." :-)

My favorite Joshua/sick story is the one where every time I coughed he would cover his ears and close his eyes. I asked him why and he said, "It scares me." I said, "But, Josh, I'm just coughing. It's nothing to be afraid of." To which he replied, 'Yes, but it sounds like you are coughing up a hairball." Ahhh.... only a cat owner can truly appreciate that sick sense of humor.

On another note, I've recently installed FEEDJIT on my blog. It's down in the far left hand corner and it marks the places where my blog readers reside. I know it's not really perfect, because it has me in a town several miles from where I am, but it's fascinating to see. I was FLAT OUT amazed when I saw that I've recently had visitors from BRAZIL, PHILLIP INES, CANADA and UK in addition to visitors from all over the United States. Talk about the power of the Internet. Why in the WORLD would anyone in Brazil care what I'm writing about? It's also very humbling to know that I must be careful of what I write and that I am a reflection of Christ in my Christian walk. It's powerful to know that my words can influence a life on the other side of the word -- without ever intending to. I am reminded again of the song that I posted a video of a while back called Thank You For Giving to the Lord where it talks about how when he gets to heaven this procession of people he'd never met came by and talked about how their lives were changed by what he had done. WOW!!! I want that! I want to be the kind of person that one day, in heaven, someone can say, "You made a difference in my life and I'm here because of you." That's the best gift I think I can give to the One who gave all for me. And, in a blog?? WOW, who knows???? On a side note, I'd LOVE to see a hit from Kyrgyzstan so someone traveling there to visit or pick up your child, hit my site while you are there, ok? :-)

Thanks for all who I know continue to pray for my sickness and for Kevin and Josh as the "survive" my illness as well. Thanks to those of you who continue to read this "stuff" I try to write every day and who continue to pray with us about our adoption -- about Ellie. Oh... ironically, Kevin told me he had a crazy dream last night and that he never dreams. My mother told me she had strange dreams about my dad carrying a baby (whom she originally assumed was me) the night I had my weird dream too. Isn't that odd? I know God is preparing our hearts and lives for Ellie. She is most definitely close. I wonder how I will feel when I first see her face? I'm still rocked by the phrase my friend told me she uttered when she first saw her daughter's photo, "It's you." I can visualize it. It just seems to be the perfect moment and the perfect phrase to capture the years of waiting. I wonder if I will just know or if it will take time for the reality of her to grow in my heart and mind to match the photo in my hands? It will be interesting to see. And you know, as constant and faithful readers, you will read it here.