1 Timothy 6:12

Every once in awhile, you just need a subtle little reminder to keep doing the right thing.  You know?  (Or am I alone in this?)

For example, the other day I was stressing about money.  (That is a common occurrence right now as our expenses have changed so drastically over the last year.)  Even though I do not believe in gambling and haven't ever bought a lottery ticket, I'll admit to you that the thought crossed my mind the other day:  Maybe I just need a lottery ticket.  I considered it for the ten minutes it took me to reach my next destination and then dismissed it from my mind. 

God must have been watching.  ;)

Later that afternoon I was listening to the radio and they were interviewing this lady talking about how she just felt like maybe God was leading her to buy a few lottery tickets.  The hosts (obviously Christian) began to explain to her all of the reasons why they were certain that God was not leading her to buy a lotto ticket.  I found myself agreeing right along with them and wondering what was wrong with Ms. Get Rich Quick when God reminded me of my very struggle that morning.  I had just entertained that thought earlier that same day.  No, I didn't act on it ... but I did entertain it.  I flirted a bit with the danger. 

God had to gently remind me to keep on doing the right thing even though I can't see the end of this tunnel right now.  I got another gentle reminder this past weekend.

Julie was getting ready for school last Thursday and came to me telling me her tummy was hurting.  I never know what to make of Julie's physical ailings though because sometimes they are a cry for attention and other times she actually has something wrong.  So, I told her to drink some water and then tell me later how she felt.  I totally forgot about it until I was taking photo's at my job later that day and began to notice my stomach was hurting. 

We haven't been sick in so long that I wasn't sure if I was actually fighting something or if I had just eaten something that didn't agree with me or if I had nervous stomach. 

Fast forward about six hours.

I picked the kids up from school only to discover Craig had been battling a stomach ache (and some bathroom issues) all day at school. 

Lovely.

So, I prepared myself.  I began making preparations for chicken noodle soup, crackers, ginger ale .... You know - all the basic necessities for a battle with the stomach flu.  I gave myself a pep talk as I went to bed Thursday night knowing I'd probably be cleaning up body fluids during the night.

Fast forward twelve hours.

I wake up and realize no one has needed me ... or have they?  I race into their rooms to discover they're both still asleep and there is no putrid smell.  Hmmmmm... 

My own stomach just felt slightly "off" so I went about my morning routine and waited on the kids to get up.  Julie felt fine upon waking and Craig told me he had gotten up twice during the night and gone to the bathroom, but that he felt fine.

Julie and I spent the next two days feeling normal most of the time and then getting a slight stomach ache for a few minutes here and there.  Other than that - there were no symptoms.  No nausea.  No fun bathroom excursions.  Nothing.

Craig, however, had a little rougher time.  Granted, it didn't take him down - but he struggled a little more.  His lasted four days and affected his energy level slightly and took him on frequent (somewhat emergency) trips to the bathroom.  It wasn't significant enough to call him officially "sick", but it was significant enough that I can still tell you every bathroom from here to Waller as I had to prepare adequately to travel with him on Saturday to the playoffs.  He finally kicked it Sunday and was back to his normal self.

What's my take-away?  What do I learn from any of that?

Well - we will never know for sure, but I think we had a little stomach virus.  Given everything we have changed, me and Julie were able to fight it off with barely any symptoms.  However, although Craig may look healthy - we still have a long road ahead of us.  His body handled the exact same thing completely different.  It didn't fight it off quite as fast nor quite as strong. 

That's depressing in some regards because while Julie occasionally gets dairy (which she shouldn't have) or a citrus fruit (another no-no) and Rick and I occasionally eat Chuy's or something, the one person in the house who has not been allowed to "cheat" once on this journey has been Craig.  Not once.  Not for anything.  So, you would think he'd be the healthiest among us.

This little virus showed me that I've got to keep being diligent.  I've got to keep fighting the good fight.  I've got to keep on doing the right thing.  And in the meantime, I've got to stay away from Vegas!