Just Another Day in Paradise

The title of this post seems apt...a country ditty which explains why my posts have been so sparse of late. Ever have one of those morning? I awoke early to check R's homework (TWO weeks worth) and wake girls to get dressed and pack their school lunches. H stayed in bed. I felt rather "hungover" from a fourth night comforting Susie through the latest viral illness. (Her fever broke Sat. night...Jonathan got his last night!) I heard a scratching in the kitchen. Sliding the lazy-susan around, a sleek brown haired fat mouse is nibbling on the Raman noodles and has eaten through several packets of instant oatmeal. Rebekah and I stare in fascination at the long mouse tail as we spin him around the cupboard too chicken to try and catch him and too tired to let him go...Dread. Now in addition to the daily chores, I will be sanitizing, cleaning and throwing away stuff from inside my cupboards. (Don't you wish it were code to have a spring-loaded door closer in a house with children?!) I dropped R off to school late, H ate breakfast and felt better. I dropped her off. Got medicine and a warm bath for J, changed S, and then started getting calls about my brother who I had to bully back to the hospital last night. Diagnosis from the ER on Saturday night (two herniated discs is NOT the solution to the numbness that now had gone into his torso and arm!). He was hospitalized at 3:30 a.m. because he needs a spinal tap and an MRI of the head to diagnose between Guillian-Barre Syndrome and MS. (His fiance, Beth--Joe's sister, was with him and we helped last night with his children and her children and our children!). Still awaiting the news. Turned on the TV to pass a few minutes and the BYU Devotional was playing. It was Elder Holland (1/17/89) speaking on "The Will of the Father in All Things." Even though the circumstances around us rage at times, there is peace within the eye of a storm.