Hello, Dearest Familia! How's everybody doing this balmy, sunny Thanksgiving week? Oh, wait. That's just me. Sorry! I love you guys more than all the water in the whole ocean X 100. I love you.
What a week I just lived. Right now I am very healthy and happy and living well. And I'm grateful for that, because the start of this week was a little rough. I can tell you that because it's over, and now everything's great. This week I caught the dreaded "Zika" virus. That's right! I came down with a mosquito-borne epidemic virus on my mission! I'm a legit missionary! Apparently this sickness is sweeping the South Pacific, and it's just this weird new little thing. What it does is give you a fever and a sick all-over-body rash and achey joints and stuff. But then you get better after four days! Soeur Chytraus and I both got it, so that made for a very non-productive week of missionary work.
I know this sounds cliche, but it really did make me grateful for my health. I think sometimes you need a good swoop of sickness to remind you how marvelous it is to have a body that can hop on a bike and ride up a hill anytime you want.
During the illness, I had a very, very odd experience. So, Thursday night I was laying on my bed being miserable. I could not sleep because I was so achey, and I was just sitting there in the dark kicking my legs and not sleeping. Things were particularly bad because for some reason I thought that removing my mattress would help my back, so I was basically laying on a hard board, loosing my mind. Out of nowhere, my companion started to laugh very hard. I hope this doesn't embarrass her, but she was sleep-laughing. That was already kind of startling and upsetting. But to make things even freaky-er, in that exact moment something caught my eye. I look to my left and our stinking cat is sprinting up my mattress, which is leaned against the wall. Hard board. Companion laughing. Wild cat in my room. None of these events were actually related, but at 3:00 AM it seemed like they were. I wasn't happy about it.
But that moment passed, and it made for a very funny conversation the next morning. But the cat's cuteness-level took a real hit. I don't care who you are, if you are a feline, you can't come in my house. I have been having hard feelings towards her for a couple days. Imagine my delight two nights ago when we came home and found what curled up behind our garbage can? Two tiny newborn kittens.
Anyhoo, it's good to have little adventures. Its makes for some good stories, and it adds a little spice to life. I was thinking today about how infinitely interesting life is when you pay attention to the small things, like kittens and non-achey knees. Life is good.
It is Thanksgiving week, and I am a little sad that I wont be there to hold up my three corn kernels at Grandma's and eat the marshmallows off all the yams. But I am just fine. Because this is where I'm at, and I am blessed. And the fact that you are all there, still you, still my family, means that no matter where I am, I have every reason to be perfectly grateful.
And most of all, I want to say that I am grateful for our Savior. I am so thankful that Someone loves me enough to forgive me every single time I ask, and that He understands me. I am thankful for His perfect example and His perfect love in guiding me there, even when I fall very short. He loves us still, fully and truly. That alone is enough. Life is beautiful.
I love you!
Soeur Mann
