A little dream.

I've been down with a bad Sjögren's flare for the last couple of weeks now (that bike ride really did me in!). I've only managed short grocery trips, but that's been alright. I tend to shop ahead when I have strength and our freezer and cupboards haven't run bare, even if we have had to be a bit creative with our meals lately. The really sad part has been my housework. I have the heart of an old-fashioned homemaker. You know the sort: enjoys doing dishes, sewing, gardening, raising kids, and generally being both a practical and financial benefit to her family. So when I'm down, the things I usually do go un-done. My darling husband jokes that what we need around here is a second wife to fill in when I'm broken. Truth be told, I'm half tempted to agree with him!

Now, we're good Christian folk who don't take to the Old Testament nonsense of multiple wives, but extra hands would be nice. Sometimes I like to sit and daydream that out there is a middle-aged Christian spinster woman who would be willing to be a live-in helper in exchange for room and board. Sadly, I'm fresh out of able bodied aunties or unemployed cousins who could fit the bill. And I doubt I could find someone in this day and age who would be willing to work for the practically nonexistent wage involved. Because let's face it, it's a LOT of work tending to a husband, four young-uns, four ducks, a home, a garden, and a new kitty (yes, I'm crazy enough to have insisted on a new kitty to replace our old one). Still, you never know. There may be someone out there with a God-given burden to serve who would love to help me care for this crazy, wonderful family of mine. Someone who would love to sit and have coffee and a quiet bit of Bible study in the morning with me before breakfast, work beside me through the day so I don't overtire myself, and help me brainstorm and remember things when this illness robs me of my formerly keen memory. If you feel so led, go ahead and drop me a line :)

In the meantime, I may need to get some steroids or stronger pain meds and see if that helps me get on my feet and back in the swing of things. And my doc says he wants me to see a neurologist to see if we can't figure out why my memory is slipping. Praise God it's not worse than it is, but it's still no fun to be epically forgetful!