A Nana's Wisdom

For the past few weeks I have been battling Mono. It's safe to say that I've definitely had more fun than this. But while being sick has come at an inconvenient time (according to MY plan) it has definitely been a blessing. I didn't even realize this until just this morning when I checked my email and saw that I had received a message from my grammy. She wrote just a short amount, but it spoke to me so much. What struck me the most was simply:

"Wonder what God is saying about this mono business?
Our plans and His plans"

For those of you who don't know, I do not like being sick (who does?!). I become especially whiny when I have a sore throat (just ask mama about it, she will testify). Earlier this week I would have described my throat's pain as a raging forest fire (and I am not being dramatic!). Yes, this was again an inconvenience, but I was not allowing myself to see the positives of this illness due to the negative attitude I insisted on maintaining.

When I read my grammy's email my eyes were opened to the blessings I have received over the last few weeks. I have spent so much time with my family. With all of our busy schedules it sometimes seems impossible for everyone to be in the house at one time. With camp approaching and then BVS soon after I have felt a need to spend as much time "doing things" as possible. I need to spend time with friends. I need to be out late. I need to go places. Basically, I needed to be anywhere but sitting at home. While I absolutely love doing these things, I was overlooking something HUGE that I needed to be doing. I needed to be spending time with my family.

Sisters are fun!!

They made me! Is that weird?

Why do I always insist on putting my family second? Yes, I'd do anything for them; nobody messes with my sisters but me, and no one sasses my parents but me, but I always assume that "Hey, they're family, so they'll always be here. If I don't have anything else to do THEN I'll hang out with them." Just typing that out makes me want to kick myself! I mean, have you met my family?! They are awesome! Yeah, mom asks a million questions when we're watching movies and dad eating peanuts drives us all crazy, but they are mine and I love them! I have hung out with my sisters and my parents so much more than usual over the last couple of weeks and it does make me sad to think that I won't be able to see them as much come Friday. Don't get my wrong, I am ecstatic for camp to begin! I get to play make friends and hang out with kids and get paid for it! I guess bittersweet would be a good way to describe how I'm feeling. I am very thankful for finally having my eyes opened. God knows that I am stubborn (not one of my finest qualities) so He knows just how to get my attention! I never would have thought that I'd be grateful for Mono, but through Christ my eyes have been opened and I am now able to once again see just how awesome God's plan is compared to my own!

In the coming months and even years, I will be especially challenged to keep in mind the words sent to me from my loving grandmother:

"I wonder what God is saying about [insert situation here]?
Our plans and His plans"

These are my fabulous Nanas!