Friday, February 11, 2011

"Sympathy" Pains?

Right now, Patrick is experiencing what he calls "sympathy pains." In other words, he is frequently waking up in the middle of the night with heartburn, something that never happened before I was pregnant. He seems to think that it is his body being sympathetic to mine as I experience annoying new pregnancy symptoms. I, however, am inclined to think of them more as "annoying pains."

As if it was not bad enough waking up every two hours to go to the bathroom and get a drink of water on my own, it is even worse having someone tossing, turning, and constantly in and out of bed. I feel bad for him, don't get me wrong but . . . waking up with the headache that always follows a night of sleep deprivation for me is getting really old. My body is tired, my mind is tired, and my head hurts. This is the second time this week that he has been in and out of bed for hours on end.

I know, most people would say, "Wait until you have a newborn--sleep will be even more unlikely then!" Before going there, though, just give me some sympathy--the kind that feels good, not that which keeps me up at night. My sister Krista slept in my room (with me) from the time she was a month or two old until she was two years old--I KNOW what it's like to sleep with an infant. The thing is, one expects it from a baby. Granted, I learned to put my pillow over my head and go back to sleep until mom came to feed her, but still . . . it woke me up. ;-)

I suppose that this is God's way of teaching me patience. I woke up in a very grouchy state this morning. In fact, the only bright spot seemed to be that there was just enough milk to cover my Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Unfortunately, the fact that I have never been one who functions well on little sleep is irrelevant. Right now, I need to learn to be cheerful in ALL situations and in EVERY condition. That is not something that comes easily to me when my head is pounding, my back is sore (try NOT sleeping on your back when that is the only position in which you have ever been able to sleep), and my mind is groggy.

My first inclination is to be a total grump. I earned it, right? No. Instead of looking for all of the bad things that happened to me, I should be looking for the hidden blessings and thanking God.

#1. Patrick was up all night too . . . and he had to go to work today. I get to stay home and recover.

#2. There WAS enough milk for my Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

#3. I did manage to get a little sleep after Patrick left for work.

#4. Patrick brought me roses last night.

#5. There was enough milk for my breakfast cereal--I dreamed about eating it last night and then woke up disappointed because I thought that the milk was gone.

While I am still inclined to self-pity, things look a little brighter after I remember some of the things with which the Lord has blessed me. It always works. The problem is that I don't remember to do it often enough. Lord, help me to be patient, cheerful, and to never forget Your blessings.

Harder times, blissful though I pray they will be, are coming for me. If I can't learn to be cheerful and thankful on a little sleep now, then I am in for a very difficult time.

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