You see, this week I have had the shingles. Really badly.
This is a re-occurring health issue with me. This is the third break out I have had in eighteen months. The first two were on my left side, easily seen, easily recognized, and easily and quickly treated. This breakout started on my scalp and felt different. Thinking I was suffering from the after effects of a tick bite, I assumed the doctor was going to tell me I had Lyme Disease. And by this time, the shingles were in full breakout mode. By Tuesday of this week, they had sent me to the emergency room at High Point Regional Hospital (great folks there) for an injection for swelling (because seeing out of your left eye is important), and I was beginning to look like Quasimodo's long-lost sister.
Long story short, I'm on some pretty strong anti-virals, an antibiotic, a special face wash (because God forbid these suckers get in my eye), and a pain killer that makes me wonderfully sleepy.
I had so much I needed to do this week, but I didn't feel like picking up a needle until last night.
So yes, this is the most un-quilty blog I think I have every posted. I had already used up my "stored" written material and pictures last week, and I was coming up empty.
And feeling pretty darned sorry for myself. See, the additional side-effect of having shingles on your face and scalp is that I can't wear contacts or make up or use a curling iron. The upside to this is that it now takes me only 10 minutes to get ready. The down side is I still look like Quasimodo's long-lost sister with really bad hair.
So I was getting ready to send out invitations to my pity-party, when God taught me something. This is now in my kitchen window sill.
It's a tiny House Wren nest. It was fun watching them build it. Early this week, the tiny bird-babies hatched out. In this view, you can kind of see the tail of Momma or Daddy House Wren bringing lunch to their littles.
For some reason, they don't mind if I'm in the kitchen. They will carry on taking care of their kiddos. Anyone else strolls in the kitchen...especially these two...
And the birds will fuss like crazy until they leave.
What this un-quiilty quilt blog boils down to is this: Those tiny birds helped to teach me a great lesson.
I worry. A lot. I don't often show it. A lot of times -- most of the time -- it hides behind a veil of humor. In a lot of ways, it has to. If humor doesn't work, then work has to work. If I'm busy, if I'm productive, whatever...WHATEVER it is I'm worried about is shoved down and dealt with later when I'm supposed to be asleep.
But these tiny, brown birds brought a Bible verse to mind that I've counted as one of my favorites....
"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart" -- Psalms 91:4
And then I was reading through Michelle May's Raspberry Rabbits blog today (If you don't follow her, you should. She is such an artist with wool! I adore her stuff!!). She, too, was writing about birds. Canadian Geese to be exact, but she pointed her readers to another blog: http://www.hopalonghollowgazette.blogspot.com/2014/05/babies-for-tilly.html.
Again, about birds and how they take care of their young.
So between all these life lessons about birds and Psalms 91:4 and the fact that stress can exacerbate the shingles virus....I'm not putting anything down to happenstance this week.
Lesson learned.
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