The Bright Side

In my last post I shared with you all how my husband had malaria and a big staph infection in his leg, and also how two of my kids had ringworm.

Since then my oldest child contracted a stomach virus, and as it turns out the other two kids (and myself now) actually have scabies! 

Yesterday I noticed that my middle child's rash now covered most of her body, so I immediately wrote the doctor and sent him some pictures. His best guess was scabies and advised us all to be treated and to wash all our bedding in hot water. 

There were two problems with that. I didn't have the proper medicine to treat it, and we don't have hot water hooked up to my washing machine. Plus without a dryer it will take us weeks to wash and dry everyone's bedding. I very quickly went into meltdown mode. And because misery loves company I informed my coworker of what the doctor told me since her kids have had the same types of rashes as well. She quickly melted down with me as her laundry situation is way more difficult than mine since she is working with a small twin tub that has a broken spinner. (She comes to my house to spin her laundry).

So, I got on the radio to see if this medicine could be airdropped to us tomorrow on a flight that was headed sort of close to where we are located. My sweet missionary friend made the calls to find out if it would be possible, but she did something even greater for me. She told me about when her kids had scabies, and how they just treated it with lice shampoo and didn't wash in hot water (because they had none) and it all went away pretty easily. She told me that scabies was way easier to treat than lice. I sighed in relief and sang the Hallelujah Corus in my head, and decided that we would just wait for our next flight to get the medicine since I do have lice treatment in here. 

It then hit me that the bright side of all this…the words that brought me comfort were, "Scabies is way easier to treat than lice." Ha ha! 

It also made me think about all the other problems we've experienced since coming back and the bright sides that have come along  with those. 

Here they are:

My husband gets malaria- I know I don't have to shave for three days.

My husband gets a bad leg infection- He has to sit and listen to me talk about everything I did that day and every thought and emotion I had while I am bandaging him up. 

My child gets a stomach virus in the middle of the night- We had a slumber party in the living room together and I finally got to spend one-on-one time with her that is really hard to find in the tribe. Sure she had vomit in her hair, but she got to hear me tell her that I love her and she is beautiful without having to hear me immediately repeat it to two other girls. 

My other children get ringworm/scabies- It gives me great conversation material with my Hewa mom friends. I mean it's not like I can sit down with them and talk about the Ferber Method, soccer practice, school, minivans vs. SUVs or whether or not we eat organic. I can't just plop down and say, "So did you hear about Miley Cyrus at the VMAs?" But they can totally relate to their kids having fungus and parasites.

So, see? Life in the tribe is not so bad after all. And I think my new motivational motto when things get tough will be, "At least it isn't lice!"

**now taking suggestions for what my life motto should be if it actually IS lice**