Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Suffering has a purpose

I'm embarassed to say, I've been feeling a tad bit sorry for myself lately.  I am nearly 14 weeks pregnant and the "not so fun" effects haven't stopped yet.  This one has thrown a curve ball my direction.  It could be worse.  I know people with infertility issues, another mom of many who keeps having children despite the fact that she gets so sick she is hospitalized multiple times with each pregnancy, I know people who have given birth to stillborn children, I know people who've had miscarriages (we've had many).

I drug myself out of bed too early this morning.  I've noticed a direct link between how early I get up and how early the real crumminess hits.  My ds serves Mass every Tuesday and I need to get him there.  We got there early and people were praying the Rosary.  I sat and prayed in my head.  I was too tired to even mouth the words.  Then a new priest showed up and he was full of energy.  His homily was about how when something good happens, the suffering comes first.  This hit me extra hard this morning.  This baby is a great blessing, and really, the suffering I am experiencing is slowing me down, it's not stopping me in my tracks.

Afterwards, I learned of some other sufferings....

1.  The mom of a 6 year old special needs boy named Peter was there.  She told us he is having some tests done over the next few days to find a cause for his internal bleeding.

2.  The priest told us he has just finished rounds of chemotherapy, and goes in today to receive his test results to see how things are progressing.  He asked for our prayers.

3.  Our pastor has just taken a medical sabatical to deal with some serious health issues.

4.  I checked one of my favorite blogs this morning and the blogger's special needs dd is sick, and when she loses weight it throws of her meds and her seizures increase.

So....at first I was thinking...."what an idiot...there are people with much bigger issues than my own".  Then I realized, I was meant to be at that Mass this morning, I was meant to hear all the news, I was meant to hear the homily.  My little sufferings have a purpose if I offer them up.  They are wasted if I don't.

If you have any sufferings of your own today...maybe you, too, could offer something up for the people I listed.  They surely need it.

2 comments:

The Road Scholar said...

Congratulations! I was sheepish in offering them at the conference as I'm one of those who miscarries and I show at 8wks. You looked great, if that is any consolation.

We prayed for all the above mentioned in our family prayers last night and will continue. We added you to your list, too. I'm also working on sacrifices and will offer those on your list.

God bless you.

Crunchy Momma said...

I know you are sick and I really hate it that I am not closer to help BUT I am so excited about Duckie, I really cannot stand to wait until December for the wee one to get here!

Yes, you are right, it is "nice" (for lack of a better word) that we can all look around and see that our situation is not as bad as what someone else is going through, but do not minimize the fact that you are creating a new wee one, sick, and have A LOT going on in your life. There are people with much less happening that are complaining about it. I hope you feel better very, very soon, but in the mean time... Rest when you can and let Anna drive the boys to serve.

And let me say again, I AM SOOO EXCITED ABOUT THE WEE ONE!