Everyday Abundant

Today I find myself stuck at home in a snow storm with sick kids. A couple years ago this sort of thing would have wrecked me. The prospect of an entire day alone with grumpy, irritable kids, and no one to give me a break. The feeling of having no control over when they will feel better and be able to get back to school. The Fear Of Missing Out, having to cancel commitments or events, feeling the pressure (real or imaginary) to do everything and being forced instead to do nothing.

The pandemic has solved some of these problems for me. When there’s nothing going on there’s nothing to miss out on. And when school definitely does not want snotty sniffling kids in the building, the decision to keep them home is easy and I don’t feel pressured to get them back there prematurely.

I buy three bunches of eucalyptus at Trader Joe’s, plus two bunches of golden rod and some purple statice. I don’t usually keep fresh flowers in the house during Lent but we’ve got 8 foot icicles hanging off our roof, 4 feet of snow in our yard. and we’re currently digging out from our most recent snow storm. On top of that it’s been a long dark winter of kids getting sick, temps too low to go out with a baby, and my mind totally preoccupied with the health concerns of my oldest. Instead of the start of a penitential season, Lent this year feels like the continuation of the penitential season I’ve been in since January. I know that eventually I will get there, I will lean into Lent and mortify my flesh and walk the road to Calvary, but for now, darn it, I need signs of life. So I buy fresh flowers and eucalyptus.

Subscribe