Kaleb's Turn

30 Jan 2013

It was COLD last night!  Ice in the desert really put Kaleb’s nose out of joint.  For some reason he believes that good weather must follow us all the days of our lives and after the wet summer we had last year he was expecting nothing but sunshine and warm tropical breezes.  Our pipes were even protesting as they nearly froze solid.  Weather happens.

Kaleb took a few hours this morning to decide if he was sick or not.  He has been coughing and his cheeks looked flush, but by 10:30 he decided he’d go help Kory on the jobsite until lunchtime.  They were setting a second beam for the roof, which he helped place, and he was able to haul concrete in buckets to the workers.  He came back feeling pretty good about his contribution, so that’s why we are here and that’s what we are looking for – a boy who knows how to work!  But after lunch his energy level plummeted.  He curled up in the fetal position for a while.  One of the workers needed help unloading his tool trailer so Kaleb offered to help, but only made it about an hour before he was burning up with fever and just couldn’t carry on.  The two of us spent the afternoon moaning about our various aches and pains.

I was so hoping to be able to do something as simple as sort stacks of sheets into twin sizes or double sized, but I just couldn’t get up the energy to tackle that job.  I laid in the sun for a while, breathing deeply trying to get more oxygen to my lungs, then went in the RV and fell asleep on the couch.  Kaleb was lying on the floor next to me, curled up in the fetal position again, letting out little sighs of pain every few minutes.  We were pathetic and of no use to anyone.

At least Kory remains strong.  He took a break from the dorm building to start building forms for a set of stairs that Yvonne really wants in the back of the cafeteria.  He feels he can only do that job when there’s nothing else pressing, however, and he ended up making a concrete vault for some water shut off deal this afternoon.  I hope he’s able to get those stairs built before we leave, as that would be at least some evidence that we were here. 

Bob is improving but his heart rate has increased so they are still holding him in the hospital.  Even if he gets out today, he’ll probably stay in Nogales as tomorrow one big group flies in to Tucson and he will need to escort them across the border.  I sure hope I get a little time with Yvonne before we leave on Monday!  This week hasn’t turned out as planned, but we just gotta roll with the punches.

I didn’t even take any photos today as my energy level just wasn’t up to walking anywhere.  Also, my glasses got sat on by someone (not me!) and I can’t wear them until I get to Costco to have the frames straightened out.  I brought a spare pair but they are an old prescription so I hate to wear them unless I have to. 

This has been one interesting week, so far, but probably the best place to be if we are going to be sick.  Having to travel would be the worst and I’m thankful Kaleb’s got time to get better before he goes to Space Camp on the 10^th.   The best part is seeing Kory get so charged up about contributing to a construction project.  I guess a lot of his self worth is wrapped about what he can do with his body, since that’s what he’s done all his life, and he’s really perked up since he’s been here so Hallelujah for that.  He’s just downright giddy every day.  Go figure.  He shouts Hallelujah on the jobsite, and that’s just not something that Free Methodists are used to doing, but they told him at dinner last night they enjoyed his praising the Lord like that.  (Everyone went out for tacos last night but Kaleb and I had no appetite and were too sick to join them.)

I’m currently praying for a “loaves and fishes” kind of experience with the last Kleenex box we have in the RV as Kaleb and I are battling the drippy nose.  Kaleb’s not complaining much about being sick because it gets him out of schoolwork and working, but he did complain he’s already read every single book on his Nook and he doesn’t know what he will do without a book to read.  I know what he’ll do, he’ll just read them all again.  When I’m sick I can’t concentrate enough to read, but I have been able to get nearly all my photos and documents on my laptop organized, which has been a huge undertaking, and normally I wouldn’t be able to sit still long enough to do it, so there’s some good that’s come out of this sickness.