Thank you all for your words of comfort and encouragement.

I spent the day praying...and some of the night and early morning today as well.

It seems standing in the cold the other morning, waiting with my next door neighbor Dee (how weird is that that we live next to each other! our kids call us Miss Dee when they're talking to us...it can get confusing! and you should see it when our husbands hollar out the door for us when we're outside working in our yards!) while the fire department was putting out the fire and airing out the house, let whatever bug I thought I was beating...win.

Stuffy nose.

Tender tummy.

Sore throat.

True story from my past of how blonde I am.

One bad, winter night while driving home from my parents' house (out in the middle of nowhere...sorry, Mom and Dad, but it is!), I came upon a just happened accident on the highway.

A semi truck had hit a small pick-up truck.

The semi driver was stunned, but unhurt.

The pick-up driver was badly injured and his side of the truck was crushed.

The driver's window was gone and it was a cold, blustery, nasty night.

The driver had severe head trauma and was going into shock.  I knew I shouldn't move him, but wait until the EMT's got there.

So, I stood in front of his window and blocked the wind, rain and snow from getting to him as best as I could.

The EMT's arrived, took my statement, and since the boys were in the car and I hadn't actually seen the accident, they sent me home.

I ended up with the flu and one of the worst colds I've ever had.

While recovering, I called hubby's (please-be-careful-driving-today) work and got the secretary.

Who said she'd heard I'd been really sick and asked where/how I'd gotten such a nasty, persistent bug.

I explained what had happened and ended up telling her I had gotten sick by "breaking wind" for someone else.

Dead silence on the other end of the phone.

And then laughter such as I had never heard.

I have a reputation wherever I go.

I can't help it.

I try.
And I am a trrripp on medication!
I needed help yesterday in the self checkout line at Meijer's.
Oy!

Today, I needed some sunshine.

My friend from yesterday's post has had an awesome and inspiring blog I would visit.  The papers have published its address and she's put it on "invitation only" status now.

They printed her address and showed a reporter at her home, knocking on an unanswered door.
I can't even imagine and I don't want to go anywhere near thinking about things too hard right now.

I tend to go into "Scarlett O'Hara" mode when things I can't change or affect happen.

I tell myself "I can't think about that right now.  If I do, I'll go crazy.  I'll think about that tomorrow."
But, lately, tomorrows have been as bad as todays.

There are times you just want Life to stop...let you catch your breath...assess the situation and form a plan of action/reaction.  But, that doesn't seem to happen.

Sew, all day yesterday...while praying, while teaching, while cleaning, while doing laundry...praying...praying...
I worked on some sunshine.

My Dresden Plate pillow was stitched closed this morning.

Such a pile of fluffy softness to rest on when you're blue.

I repurposed an old sham for the cover on the chair...hoping to use the bedspread to help recover the couch in the family room as well.  I like the way the waffle-weave of the sham fabric (I also repurposed some of the leftovers for my Dresden Plate pillow) plays against the quilt fabric.  I pieced together leftover strips for the outside border of the pillow.  It's very cushy.  A necessity for me.

The boys are all home today.  Public and private schools were cancelled due to icey road conditions.  So, homeschool will be closed too.  Which is just as well, because the teacher is sick and I'm pretty sure she can't find a substitute!

Please continue to pray for our friends and their families.

Thank you.