Misconceptions…one drop at a time

Many people who ask me about mom have a general misconception about her overall health. The kind of funny thing is that there are two extremes to the misconceptions. One group of people think that she must be bedridden, frail, declining rapidly, and overall doing very poorly. The other group of people see her from time to time and are blown away by her appearance, smile, and strength. This second group is shocked that she looks "normal." Now, if you know my dad, you know he'd have a few comments to make about what "normal" is all about… :)

The truth? Both groups are somewhat right and somewhat wrong, all the time. Did that clear it up for you?

You can't ask mom how her day was if you want an easy answer. You'd need to ask how she is right now, or how her night went, or how the morning had been. Things change, sometimes very quickly. She seems prone to fevers that all but knock her out, complete with flu-like symptoms and extreme fatigue. When the fever lifts and she is able to rest some, she looks and sounds great! On her pre-cancer scale of feeling good, from 1-10 with 10 being excellent, perhaps her best days are a 6 (I didn't ask her…this is just my observation) and her worst days are a 2. I doubt she'd claim a 1 since she's always looking for the bright side and is always aware that things could be worse.

I don't know how she feels about this, but sometimes I struggle a bit with responding to people, well-meaning as they are, when they have these misconceptions. If they think she's on death's bed, I instantly want to prove to them that she's doing well and will be here for decades to come. If they think it's amazing how great she's doing, I kind of want to tell them the hard parts of recent days.

But, really, I think I understand the hearts and intentions of everyone who asks, and I'm thankful for their concern, interest, and prayers. They are thankful that she is doing as well as she is, and they are concerned for her. They earnestly want her health to be restored, and desire to have many more opportunities to live life together.

And that's what we want too.

So we continue to turn worry over to God, offer sacrifices of praise regardless of how much good we can see in any given moment, and squeeze every last drop of goodness out of each day. Some days seem to have only a few drops, but from my experience with essential oils, I know that a single drop can be potent, especially when diffused throughout a room!

Let's not miss the drops of goodness in each day. Instead, let's seek to diffuse that goodness throughout the day, allowing God's blessings to permeate our thoughts, attitudes, words, and actions, reaching those with whom we come into contact.

How's mom doing? She's living life, taking the ups and downs in stride, and enjoying the blessings - one drop at a time.