When your hut's on fire

[author unknown by me]

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he feverishly scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. 

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?" 

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island. It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied. 

The Moral of This Story:
It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God. 

P.S. You may want to consider passing this on, because you never know who feels like their hut is on fire today.

I'm sick again. The doctor speculated that it might be the flu, but wouldn't you know it's too early in the season to even have a flu test available? Vaccines ARE available, though, so get your flu shot as soon as you can.

At any rate. I'm feeling pretty miserable, and I have been since last Tuesday -- yes, before my birthday. Yesterday, I was sick at my own birthday party :P Thank goodness for leftover birthday cake I can eat when I feel a smidge better.

And yet, I feel grateful for many things:

• I could get in to see my doctor today. I adore my doctor, and have never had any trouble getting an appointment right away when I needed one. She's so good at calming me down and listening to my concerns. It's just nice to have your worries validated :)
• According to my bloodwork, whatever I have is apparently not contagious. I'm so glad, because I really don't want to give this to anyone else!!
• I have plenty of food. Between the birthday leftovers (including fruits and veggies) and the massive tupperware of chicken soup that my mom provided, and all the juice I bought today, I should be set for at least 3 or 4 days.
• My friends are awesome. Whenever I feel sad that I'm sick and single and have no one to take care of me, I have at least one person sincerely offer to help. I love that my single girlfriends understand how depressing it is to be sick and not see anyone for days, let alone try to muster the energy to actually make something to eat. To quote Kristen: "Us single girls need to stick together!"
• I can just BE sick, and I don't have to take care of anyone else right now. (I wish I could be more help to my mom friends when they are sick...)
• I've rediscovered popsicles. Perfect for when my throat hurts too much to want to drink water, but I need to intake fluids somehow. Sweet!
• Due dates at work are still a few months away, so I don't feel too horrible about calling in sick. Well, no horribler than normal. I take pride in my work and loathe calling in sick on principle.

For now, my main concerns are drinking fluids, keeping up on my meds, and sleeping as much as I can. I really, really want to be well enough for an audition on Saturday, but, if it isn't meant to be, I'll live with it. Like Larissa says, "These things work out the way they're supposed to" and there are several other auditions coming up I'm excited about, too. We'll see.

Thank goodness for silver linings.