It has been over a decade since my husband or I have had a sibling return home from a mission. "Murphy" arranged to make up for the gap by having one of each of our siblings give homecoming talks and have family shindigs on the very same day--TODAY! We have known about this for over month.
We have been thrilled to have our shiny, missionary siblings back. This day would be staggered perfectly so we could bounce back and forth and make it to everything--a tender mercy for sure!
Our children were not too squirrelly during the back-to-back sacrament meetings. But partway through the second meeting, my daughter showed me a new, blotchy rash on the palm side of her hands. She had fevered off and on all weekend, but I thought she was better. My first thought was that it could be the hand, foot, and mouth virus. But it was blotchy, not blistery, and it was not painful or itchy.
I quickly surfed the 'net to determine my next move. Dozens of family members and friends would be part of this day for us. Was my daughter contagious?
I took my children from church and made some calls. The nurse I spoke with said my daughter should come to the Instacare.
Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (exasperated sigh).
The Holy Ghost told me she was right, so my daughter and I left my son with his aunties and went in our Sunday best to the pathogen-infested Instacare. The nurse was chipper as she talked about all the nasty sicknesses that had come through recently. *squirm*
The nurse swabbed my daughter for strep. That did not occur to me...but sure enough, it was strep.
Positives: my daughter could finally kick this fever business in the rear, strep is easily treated, it is not contagious after 24 hours of antibiotics, strep folks do not hack everywhere, it is self-contained with good hand hygiene, and we can watch Veggie Tales movies for the rest of the day and go to bed early. Sweet.
Negatives: we had to hang out in a Petri dish (clinic) to get the test done, strep spreads easily, we are quarantined for 24 hours, need to buy medicine on the Sabbath, and have to miss the family shindigs.
HhhhhHHhhhhHHH.
My daughter and I went to the nearest, open pharmacy (at Walmart) to pick up the prescription.
By then, we had been vertical aaaall day, we were hungry and tired, we were covered with pathogens, I had driven all over tarnation, and Walmart pharmacy would not open for a few more minutes. It took a long time to get the script filled too. Meanwhile, we walked around Walmart so we didn't have to stand still. Goal: stay vertical.
It was Sunday. It was weird to browse in Walmart. I could think of two grocery items we needed and glanced at a great pair of bargain pants, but I was not there to shop. We were there to get a prescription so we could get the next 24 hours of treatment overwith so my children could play with their visiting out-of-state cousins already!
We got home, changed, and washed up (insert your judgment of my methods here--but I'm well-acquainted with a particularly robust pathogen, remember?). My taller half and son came home at the same time.
That's my story. I kept up the good 'tude for awhile, but now I'm tired. Blessedly the grumpiness has passed (hhhhhhh), and we have had a relaxing evening.
Bonus: my husband had a spotty tonsil that got checked for strep later, and it was negative. He got to shindig with his missionary brother and family after all. I was so glad.
Today was much anticipated. We were scrubbed, pressed (I exaggerate--we don't iron lately, ha), had nice hair, and were ready to face a big day. I'm glad we were ready to face a big day, because it ended up including the things each of us needed, even though it did not go as planned. It still turned out fine.
The higher purposes of the day were achieved. We got to hear our missionaries speak and visit with a few people. My taller half got to do his calling and spend time with his family of origin. I exerted myself, then got to rest and be with my children. I missed seeing the scores of people I hoped to see, but I feel peace. My daughter grew in trust toward me as her personal nurse and advocate; she grew in confidence in advocating for herself at the doctors office, speaking directly to the staff and conquering doubts that they would hurt her. My son binged for two hours straight, per the aunties' and grandma's report (growth spurt!).
It was a weird day, but in retrospect, it was a great day too. Sometimes weird is great. Unexpected circumstances teach us a lot about ourselves. I had a grumpy/hangry patch for awhile, but I feel softened now with this new perspective. And it is not Murphy at all: it is God making sure we are getting all the experiences we need. :)
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