One of my favorite authors, Nancy Wilson, devoted an entire chapter to “When the Kids are Sick” in her book “Praise Her in the Gates: The Calling of Christian Motherhood.”

I was thinking about it while shoveling snow this morning. (Yes, it was quite a storm – and it’s a very heavy, wet snow. The boughs of our backyard holly tree are nearly touching the ground.)

An excerpt:

“When children are ill, it is a wonderful opportunity for teaching. You can model patience and cheerfulness to them when you get up in the night to comfort and minister to them. One of my daughter’s happy memories is when she was sick with a respiratory illness. We sat in the bathroom in the wee hours of the morning reading stories (Chatterer the Red Squirrel, in fact) and drinking pop while the shower steam helped her breathing. Mothers do have the capacity to make illness a happy memory…”

“If mothers are worried, it will show. We must teach children to trust in God in their illness… When they see you being calm, they will be too. Sickness is a good time to teach them about compassion and mercy, as well as about the frailty of life. Use these times for spiritual profit.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

* * *
T&T seem a little better today. No fevers, and the coughing has died down to only being occasional.

Aiden’s now sick – congestion with the fun green stuff coming from his nose, plus he has diarrhea. He has sensitive skin and a horrible diaper rash as a result. I keep giving him baths instead of using diaper wipes, and have been slathering him in rash cream. The diarrhea may be due, in part, to teething and not necessarily illness. He’s cutting all four incisors.

Sadly, Micah developed congestion through the night. No fever, though. He’s eating pretty well, despite having one nostril clogged. It seems to clog right back up the minute I’m done administering the nose-bulb. He’s coughing here and there, but his lungs sound clear. I’m keeping a watchful eye on him.

I still have a fever, and I don’t feel much better than yesterday.