This Chapter...

*Warning: This post has content that is not recommended for the, ahem, how shall I say... people who are sensitive to needles and bodily discharges! (While I'd be flattered to think that my blog had an impact on people... I don't want anyone fainting!)


Please excuse me while I grab a tissue to mop up the constant stream of tears that simply won't quite. It's ridiculous. Just when I think this journey is already pretty stinkin' amazing, my heart breaks into a million more pieces and there's another cascade of tears.

Our family is reading The Hole In Our Gospel together... (I'll have to share more later as we're desperately, prayerfully trying to grasp what we've formally, so casually, looked away from; except for Isaiah who consistently sees brokeness and asks with tear-filled eyes, "Isn't there something we can do?" How much we have to learn!)

On the more fun side of this adventure, (if one can call being stuck with a needle several times fun), we went in as a family last Wednesday, February 24th, to get our immunizations for scary-sounding diseases that we only know about from the movies.

Somehow, the fact that we were all getting shots together was, well... some how... bonding. All of a sudden this journey isn't just another "Paris-for-the-weekend" jaunt. We sat in on a "briefing" of sorts with the Flight Doctor and it was words like Typhoid, malaria, lions, snakes, bottled water... Well, it's all starting to become more... real(???).


I allowed whining for about 15 minutes the next morning and then announced we were through with that -- especially when we reviewed the tremendous benefits and blessings of immunizations and medication that can save our lives. (And I repented of ever whining in the first place... How far I have to go!)

Ezekiel fainted during the blood draw. When he came to, Eli said in typical big-brother fashion, "I told you not to watch the blood go up the tube!"

They brought juice and a couple of snacks for Ezekiel to help get his blood sugar up while his siblings looked on with concern. That is, until Israel inquired as to the purpose of the treats...

Nurse: Well, your brother wasn't feeling too good. He was kind of dizzy and these will help him feel better.

Israel: (wheels turning momentarily) Oh... (and then slowly) Well... I feel kind of dizzy, too...

Eli laughed right out loud but was grateful when his sister scored a Pop Tart for each of them.

Hm.

So this adventure unfolds...

I heard something yesterday that I've mulled over and over:

"We're going to talk about this chapter of our lives for the rest of our lives."

--Bill Hybels

To learn more about the Mocha Club, click here.

To read Amy's blog and learn more about their family's life in Malawi, Africa, click here.