My Mother Used to Say from Time to Time...

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"The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be happy as kings."

And I feel the same way.   In some people's minds, I may not have anything they'd envy or even want to have, but in my mind, I'm rich "as a King."

I tend to be the kind of person who thinks of my life in comparison not just to the people who have more than me, but in comparison to all of the people in the world now and all of the people who have lived in ages before me.   And I marvel at how much better I have it than so many millions and millions.

Strangely enough even something as ordinary as having toilet paper in my bathroom often brings back memories of when I had to go to the outside toilet and use old catalogs for "toilet paper".   (You have to crumple and uncrumple and crumple again and uncrumple.... many times over... to make those catalog pages "soft".)

I feel so very blessed to have running water (some of it already heated).  We had a pump and barrels under the rain spout from the gutters that caught rain water for washing clothes and taking baths.  We drove to a big spring and filled stainless steel milk cans to get drinking water.

I could go on and on... but there's no need.   Those who are thankful are thankful.  Those who always want more will never see life the way I do.   But I am so blessed and I am so thankful for those who have absolutely gone far "beyond the call of duty" to take care of my needs.

And my life is full of a number of things....   I am happy.
Sometimes it's so full, I just don't get done all that I'd like to.  Other times, I just fill it up with things that I enjoy instead of doing the things that cry out to me that they NEED TO BE DONE INSTEAD.  I'm all alone and I have no one but me to criticize myself for the way things are.   (Well, almost no one.)  So I tend to do what I want to do sometimes to the neglect of things that others would choose to do.

I've always been one who preferred to help someone else out more than do for myself so it's no wonder that when there's a way I can still do that, I still do that.   Even though I'm working and have much less time to take care of what needs done at home, I still prefer doing what I can to help out when there's a way I can.

Lately Jeni has been training to be a doula.   She became an adherent of "home births" with her last two children.   She really didn't have them at home.  She went to a birthing center of some sort up in Tennessee where midwives are allowed.   She has been an advocate for midwives and recently decided that she would like to participate in making these type births possible.   She's been doing the studies and there is practical training involved as well.

Jeni at Midwife Workshop

Walk for Midwives in Huntsville

She had made arrangements for someone to keep the girls and Brad while she did two days of training, but at the last minute that fell through on her.  What didn't fall through was the scheduled training.  So she had to re-arrange who would keep the girls and Brad.   She found a sitter in Morgan City, so I brought them to my house for two days.   I actually brought them home with me on Tuesday and they stayed here until she was finished on Thursday because right in the middle of the training, a birth took place.  That became a part of her "hands-on" training.

All of this to say that, from Tuesday through Thursday, my days were jam packed because I also had to go to work.   Thankfully, the kids LOVED their sitter and there were no problems on that end of things.

I did get a call from Tim on Tuesday evening.   His whole family was sick with a horrible virus.  Felicia's mom had taken her kids back to Cullman to give them a break since they were all sick.  He called to ask me if I could bring him and Felicia something to eat because they felt so bad.  Believe me, I'd have done it gladly since they are always calling me up at work and asking me to stop by for a meal on my way home.  He didn't want an elaborate meal.  Just anything.   But I couldn't go because I had the kids.  He understood.

I might have got worn down somewhat because by Thursday evening, I felt like I was getting some kind of virus.   (I was "scared" because I had gone by and visited with Tim's bunch on Saturday and they got sick that very night.)   But a good rest on Thursday, more fluids, and my vitamins seem to have knocked that out.  (Thankfully, I have a good immune system.)

I'm finding that I don't look forward to going to work anymore.   I don't mind it when I get there, but I used to really like my job a lot and I actually looked forward to going.  Now, I still like it, but I'm glad when the day is over and I can come home.  And when I'm home, I'd rather just be here and not go in.