Caleb's first cold

Caleb got his first cold yesterday. I started feeling sick last week already and he was doing great...until yesterday. His little nose is running and his eyes and cheeks are red. He is a little more cranky and I can just tell he doesn't feel quite right. Thankfully he has his 4 month doctor appointment tomorrow, so the doctor can check him out and make sure it's just a little cold.

As I was holding him in my arms tonight, I couldn't help but feel terrible that he was sick. I just felt so bad that his nose was running, and I wanted desperately to take the cold away from him. Then I suddenly remembered back to all the times I had been sick as a child and my mother would always say to me, "I wish I was the one who was sick. I wish I could take it from you." She would crawl into my bed in the middle of the night and brush my hair and sing me to sleep when I didn't feel well as a little girl. She would pull the couch out into a bed in the living room so she could be closer to me in case I needed anything when I was in grade school. She would take me into the emergency room and pay twice the money to see a doctor when I had an ear infection in high school. She would drive 5 hours to Dordt to get a hotel room for me when I was puking for days straight in college. And through all those times, even with very bad sicknesses, she would always say, "I wish I was the one who was sick. I wish I could take it from you."

I never understood how she could say that when I was feeling so miserable. How could anyone wish they had what I had? Why would anyone love me and care about me so much?

I'm beginning to understand now, Mom. Thanks for taking care of me all those years.