Sunshine and scribbles

Yesterday, I told Mr. Keller yesterday I'm sad to see January go. I have never said that before in my life! What a productive month full of cleaning, organizing, reflecting. I have so enjoyed getting outside by myself for twenty minutes every morning. Who knew January was beautiful? This winter, I have been amazed at the beauty I've never taken the effort to notice before. I'll never forget how beautiful New Years day was. It was cold as ever, like 8 degrees, but it was so bright out. The sky was bright blue, and the sun was shining and it was so cold, ice crystals were falling from the sky and glistening all around me like glitter. It was breathtaking. And one night, before bed, I looked out the window and saw ice crystals on the blades of grass all across the lawn and they were reflecting the light of the moon in such a way that it looked like the ground was the sky, and there were thousands and thousands of stars. It was pitch black outside, except for the ice crystals and the moon. It was the coolest thing. I have learned the fog, the clouds, the snow, and of course, the sun, all have this undeniable beauty, even when the earth around is cold and sleeping.

I've thought a lot about the sun. The other morning, it was so cold outside, but as soon as I turned to face the sun, the warmth was immediate. I thought about how precisely this parallels to life. God is sunlight to us. No matter how cold it is around us, if we turn ourselves to face him, we will feel warmth. It is simple and elemental; this eternal concept that literally applies to every one of us. I'm very thankful for these quiet mornings I've had to myself this month. They were deeply needed.

As for the rest of the month, we have been sick-sick-sick. Two weeks ago, Morg woke up with a very high fever and a really bad, deep cough. He had been sick three times in the last six weeks, and his cough had never cleared completely. I immediately thought pneumonia, so I bundled him up and took him to our quick care place down the street. They said his lungs weren't too terrible, but they swabbed him for the flu, and diagnosed it as the Influenza A, H2N3 virus. He ran a high, high fever for four days straight. It was so scary, but even more so, because they really couldn't do anything and had nothing to recommend. I had to call back twice, and take him in one more time before I convinced them that he desperately needed antibiotics. The PA we normally see (and love so much) was out of town, and I was getting extremely frustrated with the people I had to deal with in his place. Finally, they wrote me a prescription and within a few hours of giving him his first dose, he was improving. We were so relieved, but were still very leery. This was the most sick either boys have ever been. Morgan's fever would lower for a bit, and then raise just as high as it had been before. It was so scary to keep hearing repeatedly in the news about kids his age dying of this virus. It has killed a record number of people in the last month and is an extremely potent strain. Perfectly healthy children are collapsing and passing away from it, several of which, I must mention, had received their flu shot this year. We do not do flu shots in this house. And never will. Even after what we just dealt with.

We prayed. A lot. And one particularly trying moment, I had the thought to put his name on the prayer roll at the temple. So I called, and tried not to cry on the phone, and within an hour his fever dropped to normal and it never rose again. Danny caught the virus a few days later, and ran a fever for a day or so, but never did get near as sick as Morgan, and hasn't coughed near as much either. Morg's little body was so run down from being so sick consecutively.

And oh, the herbal concoctions I tried! Everything I could think of, everything I read up about, everything recommended. He was such a good little patient of mine. He's always so good to drink this and swallow that, no matter how nasty it looks and tastes. He and I were both so tired by the end of it. Night and day care! I felt like I had a newborn for a while there. I have learned that consistency is so imperative when you're treating a body naturally. It's a huge task, and how exhausting it can be. The first PA we saw rolled his eyes at me when I refused his tamiflu RX and told him I would be treating him naturally. He said, "You know there is no homeopathic medicine for the flu virus.". Except, I could name about ten different herbs and oils that have done so in the past for me. And tamiflu doesn't treat the flu either, it only shortens the duration by a whopping day and a half. Is there a magic remedy that keeps us from ever getting sick? No. But I do believe with all my heart that when you turn to earth-based medicine, the symptoms are lessened and aid your body in healing itself, as it was designed to do. Oregano, melaleuca, peppermint, frankincense, elderberry, raw honey, lemon oil, cinnamon, half a dozen natural flu serums, bee propolis, garlic, onion poultice, on and on. All things I treated Morgan with. It has taken me years, and lots of money, to build up my medicine cabinet, but I have no doubt we would have been in the hospital last week, were it not for these things; these gifts to us from God.

As for Mr. Keller, he came down with it earlier this week. He missed quite a bit of work, but he's on the mend now. I still have my fingers crossed and am hoping I'll be able to escape. God has seen fit for it so far! He really does love his mothers. I know this in my heart.