Is It Full Moon?

Weird stuff is happening around here today. 

*Kye went to school with his toes poking out of his shoes because for some reason he never thought to tell me his shoes were broken.

* I wore a scarf over my sweater to hide the fact that a button had fallen off.

* A mennonite guy fell off his bike RIGHT IN FRONT OF US.  Praise Jesus, Larry swerved in time and we didn't hit him.  My heart did funny things for a few miles.

* I asked a complete stranger if I could pray for her grandson.

* I started taking antidepressants.

Ok, the first one (I think) is typical of kids.  Especially boy kids.  It still makes me feel like a bad parent.  Oh well, new shoes comin' up tomorrow!

The second one is just me being lazy.  I have a needle and thread and am fully capable of sewing a button back on.  But, meh.  Wrapping a scarf around my neck is a heck of a lot faster.

Number 3.  Holy Cow.

So, the stranger?  Larry and I went to September Farm for supper tonight.  We'd never been there before but heard great things about it.  Three words:  Fried Cheese Curds.  I know, I know.  Ew, they have a terrible name.  But your taste buds don't care what those deliciously gooey things are called.  Trust me on this, eat them.  

Anyway, we ate our dinner, wandered around the store, and then went to order some ice cream.  While we were ordering, an older lady comes in and gets behind us.  

"I know, it's crazy to be getting ice cream on a night like this," she says to me. 

"There's no bad time for ice cream, " I say like a girl who works in an ice cream shop.

Ok, technically this is the ice cream truck, but you get the picture.

"You see," she continues, "my grandson is having a serious surgery on Friday.  Today his mother sent me a picture of the two of them eating ice cream in the hospital with the words 'There's nothing like ice cream to make you feel better'."

And I did see.  She wanted to join them in the ice cream eating.  She wanted to feel better.  

Then, The Nudge.  Have you felt it?  When Jesus says, "Ask if you can pray".  And I hiss back, "REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE ME AN INTROVERT?!"  Then Jesus gives you The Look.

Ok, not really.  But I can see him looking at me like that in my minds eye.

"Can I pray with you about your grandson?" I hear myself say.

"What?" she says.

"Can I pray with you about your grandson?" I repeat.

Look of surprise, "Well, yes."

"What's his name?"

"Kyle."

So we pray.  Right there in the middle of September Farm, me holding an ice cream cone in one hand and this precious lady's arm in the other.  Her hand covering mine.  We pray for healing, wisdom, complete restoration.  And the September Farm Ice Cream Scooping Girl says "Amen."

I started taking antidepressants today.  My doctor agrees with me that I have Seasonal Affective Disorder.  She put me on a low dose of Sertraline.  I was reading the paper work that came with the drug on our way to September Farm.

"Antidepressant medications are used to treat a variety of conditions, including depression and other mental/mood disorders."

I have a mental disorder.  There is so much stigma that comes crashing down with those words.  But I know that this is something that is beyond my control.  If I had strep throat, I would take antibiotics to bring healing.  Since I don't have the right balance of serotonin (a brain chemical that affects mood), I will take sertraline to bring healing.

Then there are the side effects.  There was the usual nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, blah, blah, blah.  But then this: "Get medical help right away if any of these rare but serious side effects occur:...vomit that looks like coffee grounds."

What?!

And also this fun paragraph: "Some conditions may become worse when this drug is suddenly stopped.  Also, you may experience symptoms such as mood swings, headaches, tiredness, sleep changes, and brief feelings similar to electric shock."


Brief feelings similar to electric shock, huh?

Here's the bottom line:  I'm broken, just like Kye's shoes.  I have a mental disorder and to help balance my brain I'm taking a medication that could (but probably won't) make my vomit look like coffee grounds and make me feel like I'm being electrocuted. 

And Jesus asked me to pray for a woman tonight who needed to know she is loved.

No more excuses, k?  Jesus uses the broken for his glory.

Go get 'em.