Not so tickled to be pink

As if the flu weren't enough, today Rhett woke up with what looks to be PINK EYE. This picture was taken after eye drops and thirty minutes of compresses to remove the "gunk". I don't think we will be leaving the house this week. When ever my kids are sick, or I am sick, for more than a few days I tend to start feeling really sorry for us. This morning at the height of my pity party for Rhett (and me), I caught a glimpse of an old picture of me with my sweet "gate kids" in Nairobi, Kenya.

I started thinking about these little kids I played with and worked with in Kenya over a decade ago. Most of them didn't get to go to the doctor when they got sick. They didn't have motrin,tylenol dissolving tabs or codeine cough syrup. They didn't have soft cushy beds and a limitless supply of soup, milkshakes, and icey cold Sprite at their beckon call. They didn't have Dads who could take off work to go get more medicine from the pharmacy. They live in poverty. Poverty is not the opposite of wealth, it is the opposite of adequate. That's why the mortality rate for those little sweet kids is so high.

So yes, Rhett and I have been miserable this week and it doesn't look like it is going to get much better for a few days, but what a blessing to know we will get better! Can you imagine being a parent in a world where every time your child gets sick it might mean death? It makes me shudder. And somehow I do not feel so sorry for myself anymore.

Thank you God for the blessings of my life. Please give a extra measure of health and comfort to the kids of the world who don't enjoy the luxury of medicine, ice cream, and adequate care!