Work and Grace

So, this week I have been thinking about:

Works  Last Sunday, the week anniversary of our pediculosis treatment commencing, involved saturating everyone's hair, letting them sit for ten minutes, rinsing them out, combing them out, stripping bed linens and blankets, replacing them, and washing mountains of laundry.  It was less work than the previous week when we also had to bag all pillows, stuffed animals, baseball hats, and buy new pillows.  But we had had Mom and Dad then who were eager to run around like headless chickens.  Now, it was just me because Dave had to take James to baseball.

And then, Monday, I received a phone call from the high school saying Abby needed to be picked up because she had too many nits.  Officially, we are a nit-free district, and the elementary school was very strict about not allowing Andy back, but the high school had said since we were treating, Abby could stay... the previous week.  Not this week.  The middle school kindly(?)/crazily(?)/ignorantly(?) ignored James and Jack, for which I felt guiltily relieved.

So, I took Abby to Urgent Care and asked for the antibiotic that they had prescribed for Jack and Andy that helps break their life cycle.  And the doctor was very nice, relating his own personal fight with the parasites when his kids both had them.

And then we headed home to wash her head again and spend an hour and twenty minutes combing it.  It was sufficient to let her into school the next day. 

And then, I realized James also still had nits.

And Jack's head was itchy.  Andy who had had them the longest seemed miraculously free and said his school nurse had re-checked him and declared him clean.

So, I smeared tar shampoo over everyone else's head for fifteen minutes and combed them out and began the daily ritual of stripping beds, washing sheets and blankets, soaking brushes and combs (although honestly I think I only managed that once).  And got some other medicine for James from the pediatrician who wouldn't prescribe the antibiotic.  And decided to comb every other day.

And with at least six loads of laundry a day and stripping and making beds, dinners became frozen stuff, leftovers, and pizza (to the great delight of the kids--sigh).  And I struggled not to wallow in pity and contemplated all this work that may or may not have any effect... and thought that this is like all our works to please God, the guess work and double guessing, the guilt at seeing new nits, the new resolves to do better, but lice is so insidious that expunging it is near impossible. 

And then I thought of the lot of so many women the world over for whom laundry or the physical labor of domestic life is their life, and it is good to share their lot for even a bit. 

And then I wondered about all those people who must live forever with lice because they can't afford the medicines, the time, the strict cleaning to simply live comfortably.  And I'm not sure that I could figure anything out of all those thoughts...

But then,

Grace  I have been sleeping terribly since August, waking up every night around 3:00 or 3:30, sometimes earlier, for hours.  It was fine in the summer when I could sleep until 8:00 or 8:30, but then school started and I became a wreck by the end of the first week.  Until I remembered Tylenol PM.  So, I took that every weeknight and then experimented with Claritin and more natural approaches on the weekend.  But Tylenol PM was the only thing that really worked, although I disliked the hangoverish feeling in the morning.  So, lately I had been trying Midnight, a more natural sleep aid, and although I didn't sleep as well, I felt better the next day, but struggled to stay awake until 9:30 or 10:00.

Then, Wednesday night, I was a bit hungry after dinner, so I had a cup of hot chocolate.  And I slept!  I woke up briefly but went back to sleep.  So, I tried it Thursday and slept!  Like the kiss of God in the midst of the discouragement and struggle.

Not sure what it all means, just the contrast in my week.--Rachel