3rd 504

"No," I told my muscular, usually active 16 year old son, "I don't think you have a clue how wiped out you are right now," in response to him wanting to go into Kroger with me, to pick up his prescription, on our ride home from the hospital.

He's stubborn though, getting out of the truck and shuffling behind me like an elderly, tired, old man. Dude, I don't stroll, I take big long strides, lots of ground to cover in very little time.

He's wiped out, taking our back set of stairs one foot at a time like a toddler, hanging on to the railing. "No, you are not going to school tomorrow," I'd already barked. Duh, son.

The storms had knocked out our internet two days ago, but I'd not noticed since I'd not been home in two days, still oh so thankful that most of my family'd been at The Mix, and I didn't need to fret over them while sitting bedside at the hospital.

Michael brought the exhausted teenagers home for me and to me, such a blessing for me, it's rare, no, it's almost impossible for folks to be able to ever help, as a 15 passenger van is necessary. Michael has a wife and two kids, yet fit in my difficult teenagers into his schedule. I don't know what I'd have done otherwise. I'd have had to call Pastor Chris, but he needed to be at the church as a hundred other teenagers were arriving.

Grandma had fixed a Sunday afternoon dinner, which also was a blessing, the kids pretty much all fell face down snoring afterwards, it was a chilly, windy afternoon so why not rest? March always come in like a lion.

Will I ever finish the strawberry planting? This is karma for me bragging about how fast I thought I could've gotten it done.

I have another 7:45 a.m. 504 meting this morning at the high school. I stay up there it seems, should I just drag out my old teaching credentials and return to work? Oh heck no.

I've got to get Chuy a Pediatric appointment today, get him released to return to school fairly soon.

Even after all these years of parenting, Yolie was again explaining, no she was translating, how in traumatized children's minds, when there's a crisis, they feel so much more insecure than a bonded child would feel. Mr. StandOffish here with ten years of living with me, laying there so helpless, nearly unconscious in the ER, well this was difficult certainly on every level. That spinal tap was a doozy. I'm not very good in nurse mode, I'm medically challenged, hating the windowless room, breaking a sweat just from fidgeting and squirming.

I was in crisis mode, dealing with decisions, googling medical terms on my phone, as always my body completely shuts down, I don't stress eat, I hardly eat at all, knowing I'll make up for it later. It's tough to sleep, exhaustion eventually sets in, and now that he's physically mending, is totally on the upswing, I'm gulping huge breaths of relief, not sure I was even breathing at all this past weekend.

I'm worn out and very hungry now.