Suffering

I've had suffering on my mind lately.  Perhaps because every single member of our family has been sick (well, except Horace...that guy has the immune system of a metal goat).

Every Christmas someone ties a bow around Horace's neck.  He likes to be a part of things.

Adam had the worst of the sickness.  I was feeling smug that I didn't get it.  I was thinking that by taking zinc, I had been very smart.

I now view the box of zinc sitting on the table with derisive thoughts.

Thanks for nothing, zinc.

I'm at the worst stage of sickness, when you are tired of it already and want to get on with life but you don't feel well enough to do anything.

Suffering.  There's all kinds of suffering.  Public and private.  Short term and long term.  Severe and mild.

There are positive aspects of suffering, it just doesn't feel like it when you're in the midst of things.  So here I go, trying to cheer my sick self up by contemplating the upsides.

1- Empathy.  When you've been through something hard, you get it.  Adam started feeling better as I started feeling worse.  He texted me on his way home from work:  don't worry about dinner.  I'll take care of it.  He probably would have done that anyway since he's that sort of guy, but I know that he understands how I feel and that matters.

2- True colors.  When you are suffering, you see people's true colors.  Some people pat you metaphorically on the head and want you to get over it.  Some people stay by you.  Some people flee.

3- You get stronger.  You just do.  Whether you like it or not.  Sometimes you think, this is horrible and I hate every minute of it, but it isn't killing me.  I'm surviving.  Sometimes that in itself is amazing.

4- Relationships get stronger.  On Sunday our lesson in YW was about how we could strengthen our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  The teacher asked the girls how they strengthened relationships in general.  The girls started talking about their best friends.  Inevitably, it was true that their friends had Been Through something with them.

Also, I think it's incredible that suffering fades away.  Hard times pass.  What a blessing that is.  It is nice to remember.  This won't last forever.