I shall abide

When I was knocked down by a viral infection last week I was thinking about all the things I could have done to prepare myself
for this.
a. Buy those chicken roasters from West Wind farm to make chicken broth.
b. stocked up on some basic foods like cooked beans, ground beef, diced with peppers and onions, a few quick meals frozen and ready to go.
c. My house in order (ok well maybe just the laundry folded and put away)
d. Bathrooms clean, and a dust free house.
e. Honey in plenty, lots of herbal teas and lemons

Being prepared for sickness is such a blessing because your not as stressed, your husband's not wondering what to make for dinner and while your passed out in the bathroom coughing your lungs up, you can rest assured that its not too dirty.
Of course gracious mercies abound for the sick even if we don't see them at first. For me it was the little things that made a huge difference.

a. My husband picked up the slack by taking off from work for the first two days. He folded laundry, cooked dinners and put up with my crabby self.
b. My husband and daughter bonded while I was stuck to the couch. My daughter also was considerate of my needs and took the opportunity to play quietly. THIS was HUGE.
c. I was able to read my Bible, and A Severe Mercy.
d. Most importantly I feel like I was able to take time to wrestle a little with my Savior and learn once again how to trust even when things get scratchy. and pray. pray. pray.

I also wanted to mention, for those who are interested, a few things that I did do that helped with my recovery.

a. I went to my MD right away and was given an adjustment, and some anti-viral and immune booster supplements.
b.For my pinkeye I put FRESH raw milk in my eyes which helped.
c. Kept taking things like zinc and staying away from sugars and nasty but tempting foods
d. I drank water, hot tea, V8, and honey and lemon
e. Gargled with Celtic Sea Salt. (Btw my MIL sent me some wonderful info on gargling in the morning and night as well as swabbing your nose with salt water to help kill germs. Must start doing that)
f. cod liver oil
g. Got myself some IntraMax to help fight things off for my loved ones.

And when things got bad like coughing all through the night and crying because I felt like I was going out of my mind, I clung to my pillow and meditated on the following.... "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.'"
I'm not very good at abiding but when I get sick there is nothing else to do but abide.

I hope some of this has helped. And I'd love to hear about some of what you all do to keep healthy and fight off sicknesses naturally.