We Make Plans, and Then Life

So, my commitment to you this year was that I would write at least three times a week. Aaaand, that lasted less than a month. 

However, in my defense, there have been some major extenuating circumstances. Let me elaborate:

In the middle of January, on one of the wettest mornings we've known I hurried into our washroom to collect a battery-operated bubbler for our fish. Not only had it been raining for over 12 hours straight, but the power had also been out all night and I was worried about my Christmas goldfish.  I'd waited years to be gifted with a fish tank and I wasn't about to let the little pretties die.

I was also rushing because Tom and I were heading out to Mansa to do the bi-weekly shopping trip. Rushing is never a good idea. 

As I stepped down from the dining room into the washroom I had just a moment to register the huge puddle before my feet flew out from beneath me and I crashed to the floor knocking my head hard on the edge of the cement step behind me. 

It was a good thing we were already headed to Mansa because I ended up needing five stitches. Since the doctor refused to examine me fully, I may or may not have had a concussion. All I know is that I was pretty useless for nearly a week, and am still pretty draggy. My head hurts a ton at the end of the day--especially if I have to use it which at this time of year is pretty much a certainty.

Just when life looked like it was returning to normal and I was able to put in nearly a full day's work, Tom returned from a day of work at Terra Nova and was unable to sleep due to pains in his chest. 

This has been ongoing for several years now, but we both felt strongly that it was not something we could ignore any longer. A good friend of ours (who happens to be exactly the same age as Tom) just had to have a stint put in very recently. We're getting up there in years and can't keep pretending we are immortal. 

We spent much of the night praying and by morning had decided to travel to Lusaka to see a doctor.

A week later we rolled back into Kazembe feeling much better. Tom's heart seems to be fine but we need to make some changes in diet and exercise. More about that later.

While we were in Lusaka we were contacted by the mission hospital near us to say they'd had a mother pass away during a cesarean delivery leaving behind twins! So, the day we got back to Kazembe we drove over to the hospital and brought home a new baby boy and girl. I promise to introduce you to them properly very soon.

So, as you can see. Life has been moving along at a right clip already this year. I'm just hanging on for dear life. 

I'll leave you with my Facebook cover photo for this month. 

And the struggle continues.....this was supposed to auto post on Sunday, but something went wrong....oh well.

Exactly Two Years Ago: Keep Praying for Missionaries
(Almost) Exactly Three Years Ago: Checking In
Exactly Five Years Ago: My Week in Review