Saturday, November 26, 2011

SHARING THE LOVE

Holidays. Family, feasting, laughter, non-stop TV sports.

And the plague.

While all bajillion of us Kendalls were gathered at Grammy's Thursday for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, one member of the family related how he had just survived a particularly violent case of Montezuma's Revenge. Like just the day before. Wednesday. But he was feeling better now, and thought he could eat a little without having to run to the bathroom.

You've been there, right? That tidbit of news, and suddenly you're afraid to inhale. "Oh, great. Are you still contagious?" you wonder silently. On one hand, you're half-way mad, thinking, "You jerk! If you've been sick, why didn't you stay home today instead of contaminating the rest of us?!" On the other hand, you're sympathetic: "I'm glad you're feeling better now and that you could make it to the party. It wouldn't be the same without you here." Conflicted emotions.

I think because we homeschool, our family has missed exposure to a lot of the bugs that other folks have to deal with. The kids didn't have chronic ear infections or colds or bouts of the flu growing up. A really healthy bunch. We didn't even know about head lice until my oldest was a teenager - picked up a batch of those at a family get-together, too, from the little cousins. Family. Gotta love 'em.

Anyway, Son #1 began bi-valve eruptions last night. Then Dad. This morning, Martha and Tom. The rest of us...we're just waiting our turns. Gonna be a long day.

Tom put it this way: "I feel like a hand grenade with the pin pulled and the lever held down, just waiting to go off."

One day last spring, I was frustrated with my kids for being particularly crabby with each other. Nathaniel commented, "Well, you know how it is. The family that crabs together...is together." Just part of being a family. Guess the same is true for stomach bugs.

It's just another way of sharing the love.

2 comments:

Suzanne said...

RIFL

I have been there. Those conflicting emotions in me...usually the anger wins.

We just survived our (hopefully) last round of chicken pox, possibly picked up from a spotty trick or treater that I tried to convince myself was wearing a costume that included pox-like spots. That child must have been feeling better after days of itching and aching. My 2 were totally disgusted with me for keeping them home even after they felt better and MOST of their spots were scabby. I want it to not be said that my children spread chicken pox, especially virulent cases that trump vaccines.

Suzanne said...

Have you all recovered yet? Love you all.