We’ve made it people! We’ve made it past the start, middle, climax, homestretch: all the parts of the journey. We’re at Day 27!! What is Day 27 you might ask? WELLLLL, in a resident’s term Day 27 isn’t actually a term, but it is a concept? I coined the name in reference to the stretch of days that Joel worked without.a.break. YEAH! Twenty-seven days ago was Sunday, August 18 where our family was a family of three for an entire day (with Joel on the same “schedule” as us). *SPOILER* He did have a full day off in the midst of this, but that was after he had to switch from nights and he was sleeping most of the day so we don’t count that.
Anywho, PRAISE THE LORD, that Day 27 is here! When this long stretch was approaching, Joel was pretty apprehensive. Rightfully so. All he could picture was waking up at 3:30am for 26 days straight. All I could picture was that alarm going off at 3:30am too and feeling like a “single mom” for those days. We were nervous, so what did we do? We went to the Lord for some comfort. Here were two verses that kept us sane during this working journey:
“Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness’. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me”- 2 Corinthians 12.
We knew we wouldn’t be able to do it with our own strength. So we took it one day at a time, and friends, if you’re going through similar things– you’re a resident, resident’s wife, or heck just someone with a big challenge coming up–that’s all you can do. Take it one day at a time, leaning on God to give you strength. That “each time” really spoke to us. We knew that this was going to be something we had to remember “each time” things were getting tough. This wouldn’t be something that would magically make us strong for the whole journey; we had to submit our troubles and anxieties “each time” they would come up. And then, we could praise and dance for joy after we were given exactly what we needed, for Christ was working through us.
“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who are wearing and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”- Matthew 11:28-29.
This next verse helped us when we were strugggggliiiinnnnnggggg. Yes, we knew all we needed was God’s power and strength and things would be ok. Check. But what actually could Joel do when that alarm went off at 3:30am? What could Joel do when he was tired at the end of his shift but needed to stay longer to do notes? What could Joel do when he was exhausted, but had a little toddler who was jumping for joy seeing his Dada come home and all he wanted to do was go on a bike ride together? What could I do when I felt like a rotisserie chicken all night flipping from one side to the next but needed to wake up with my energetic toddler? What could I do when it would be 48 hours until we would see Joel and I had to do all the morning, afternoon, and nighttime routines by myself? What could I do when it was the weekend and I just wanted to rest, but my little toddler didn’t deserve a boring weekend? REST. We could rest. We could go to Jesus and say “ya I can’t do this” and Jesus would lighten our loads.
Do you know what a yoke is? Egg yolk! Jesus is giving us eggs? LOL no.
A yoke is wooden device harnessed to two animals attached to a plow or cart they are pulling. Man, that would be a lot of work if you were one animal. Heck, all those questions I said above would be a lot of work if we did it by ourselves, but Jesus says “No, I got you!!”. When we admitted we couldn’t do all that alone, we could go to the One who can and always will be able. He would be our partner in carrying our burdens and loads. And that, made things easier. Taking everything one day at a time, admitting we couldn’t do it all by ourselves, and resting and trusting that God had a plan and a way through/out in the end.
As I am always trying to provide some encouragement for those resident families, I want to truthfully say that Joel and I looked back at these past 26 days… and they weren’t that bad. Yes, there were some hard days, but there will always be hard days. There were sweet moments that helped define the tone for those 26 days and will help remind us that it’ll be ok the next time we’re counting down to Day 27. Over the past 26 days, we’ve been able to:
Joel:
- Scale a 10 ft. wall by jumping & reaching up for fellow residents hands during a Resident Fun Day
- Work his first practically 24 hour shift
- Attend & help at lots of OR cases
Josiah:
- Attend his first nursery visit in TN (first time being away from Mama & Dada & family!)
- Practice his letters with our first #Chatbooks (made & designed by Mama)
- Test out “Dot Markers” for the first time and loves them
- Take lots of bike rides
Claire:
- Fail my one-hour glucose test, but then pass the three-hour glucose test #ThankYouLord!! Was asked to participate in a study where I can earn some Walmart gift cards!!!!
- Paint our bathroom & JoJo’s room!
- Make my own starter & thennnn sourdough bread!!
- Sew a backpack & matching lunchbox for JoJo 🥹
- Cook a Detroit Style pizza & had a pizza night with our friends while the resident dads were working!
It’s amazing that we are already 3.5 months into living in TN & we’re less than 1.5 months from seeing Baby Meister! We’re so grateful for this time that we’ve had and are looking forward to some upcoming trips to see family & touring around our new home before our next adventure of #FamilyofFour 💖
XOXO,
Mrs. DeCLAIREing Happiness
mrsdeclaireinghappiness.com 