Wednesday, May 21, 2003
Heather:
I rewatched the season finale of ER this afternoon. Some of you readers don't have TV's let alone watch ER, so I'll sum it up. Dr. John Carter goes to Africa as a volunteer through an organization similar to Medecins Sans Frontières. He then deals with things like kids infected with polio, pertussis, and a host of other preventable maladies. One young boy is going to die of whooping cough because they don't have erythromycin--$10 worth. Dr. Carter, regular watchers of ER know, comes from a rich family. RICH. As in, didn't want him to be a doctor because it meant he couldn't be on call to dispense the family fortune. I watched it with my son in my arms.
On a somewhat related issue, Dale and I are doing a personal analysis of our financial situation. We want to be in a bigger house, I want to stay at home next year (possibly permanently). We aren't sure we can afford for me to stay home and buy a house with more space.
I get tied in knots thinking about what next year will be like if I'm back at school: up at 5:30 to get both kids and myself ready (yes, Dale will help) and out the door; giving up half my conference hour to pump again because we don't want the expense of formula; coming home with both kids, diaper bag, pump, and bag from work; pump again; check the mail and machine; let the dog out; start dinner; eat dinner; wash dishes; wash kids; freeze what I've pumped; wash pump equipment... I get exhausted just thinking about it.
Dale beats himself up feeling like he's not providing for his family. I don't think I need to elaborate much on that; it's a pretty profound statement all by itself.
How are these things related, you ask? What does a TV show have to do with our situation? LOTS.
We have two beautiful healthy children. How many people are there with none and instead have an ache in their heart?
We live in a country with excellent health care, where our children get immunized on schedule and will grow up free of worries of polio, diptheria, measles, mumps, whooping cough, German measles... Even chicken pox, which I caught when I was 17.
We have a home we can call our own, with working windows and furnace. The roof doesn't leak, the toilet flushes, and the floor is complete and even quite attractive in parts (the kitchen linoleum is stained, but that's what you get with white kitchen flooring, frankly). How many families in the world lack one or more of these?
I tell myself God will provide, the right answer will come. Does it mean staying in this house longer? Going back to work next year? Taking one year off and then returning? Dale finding a better-paying job?
The show reminded me to count the tremendous blessings we have, and suddenly I'm not feeling quite so sorry for myself.
I rewatched the season finale of ER this afternoon. Some of you readers don't have TV's let alone watch ER, so I'll sum it up. Dr. John Carter goes to Africa as a volunteer through an organization similar to Medecins Sans Frontières. He then deals with things like kids infected with polio, pertussis, and a host of other preventable maladies. One young boy is going to die of whooping cough because they don't have erythromycin--$10 worth. Dr. Carter, regular watchers of ER know, comes from a rich family. RICH. As in, didn't want him to be a doctor because it meant he couldn't be on call to dispense the family fortune. I watched it with my son in my arms.
On a somewhat related issue, Dale and I are doing a personal analysis of our financial situation. We want to be in a bigger house, I want to stay at home next year (possibly permanently). We aren't sure we can afford for me to stay home and buy a house with more space.
I get tied in knots thinking about what next year will be like if I'm back at school: up at 5:30 to get both kids and myself ready (yes, Dale will help) and out the door; giving up half my conference hour to pump again because we don't want the expense of formula; coming home with both kids, diaper bag, pump, and bag from work; pump again; check the mail and machine; let the dog out; start dinner; eat dinner; wash dishes; wash kids; freeze what I've pumped; wash pump equipment... I get exhausted just thinking about it.
Dale beats himself up feeling like he's not providing for his family. I don't think I need to elaborate much on that; it's a pretty profound statement all by itself.
How are these things related, you ask? What does a TV show have to do with our situation? LOTS.
We have two beautiful healthy children. How many people are there with none and instead have an ache in their heart?
We live in a country with excellent health care, where our children get immunized on schedule and will grow up free of worries of polio, diptheria, measles, mumps, whooping cough, German measles... Even chicken pox, which I caught when I was 17.
We have a home we can call our own, with working windows and furnace. The roof doesn't leak, the toilet flushes, and the floor is complete and even quite attractive in parts (the kitchen linoleum is stained, but that's what you get with white kitchen flooring, frankly). How many families in the world lack one or more of these?
I tell myself God will provide, the right answer will come. Does it mean staying in this house longer? Going back to work next year? Taking one year off and then returning? Dale finding a better-paying job?
The show reminded me to count the tremendous blessings we have, and suddenly I'm not feeling quite so sorry for myself.
