by Rebecca on 2008-04-01
William has been sick since last Thursday. He started off with a sore throat, which has turned into a runny nose, congestion, and a raging cough that seems determined not to go away. Heʼs already missed three days of work and came home early today, at his bossʼ insistence. A doctorʼs visit yesterday didnʼt tell us much except that he might have something viral. (But Iʼve never seen a cold like this!) Iʼve been plying him with all manner of OTC medications which seem to be working intermittently, at best. My main concern is that he hasnʼt been able to sleep well at night because of the coughing, and he definitely needs his rest. (As I write this, I can hear him coughing in the other room.) My brother Mark came over last night and gave William a blessing. Now we are waiting to see the fulfillment of those promises of healing and comfort.
Why am I writing this? Because this is the first rough patch that weʼve had in our marriage, and thereʼs not much that either of us can do about it except wait it out. I can tell that he is beyond frustrated with how long he has been sick. But he has never complained and dutifully takes the medicine that I give him.
This is still hard for me. In spite of my best efforts, my sweet husband is still sick, and all I can do is hold his hand and rub his back. I feel pretty helpless, but Iʼm trying to be cheerful for William. I know this will all pass and that he soon will be back to his old healthy self. In the meantime, Iʼm learning (for what seems to be the thousandth time) one of those important life lessons: sometimes bad things happen, and itʼs up to us to determine our attitudes when faced with those challenges.
Thanks for letting me share this.