Sometimes it just feels like you're being tested...

Oh, my dear friends---it has been one of those weeks......

First of all, about 11:00 Sunday, one of the headaches from heck hit. Perhaps I should back up a bit and explain. For the last way-too-many years, I've been fighting these weird headaches. They don't have a huge hormonal connection (only sometimes), but they do have a weather connection. After way too many attempts to rule out sinuses, migraines, etc., the doctors determined that I have TMJ. That has been treated with drugs and physical therapy--but mostly drugs that make me feel logy. Basically, I've had to take drugs and just go to bed until the spasms in my jaw stop.

This therapy changed this past summer when a very good friend of mine introduced me to her orthodontist. He's a specialist in TMJ, and treats the problem by realigning your jaw and bite. The x-rays he took of my neck and jaw convinced me that he could help. So, since this summer I've been wearing a "pivot splint" (it looks kind of like a retainer) on my lower teeth to realign my jaw, and since about December I've had braces on my upper teeth---


They're oh so cute--not. I feel like I have transcended geeky-ness here. The good news is that this has been working--I haven't had any bad jaw problems for a LONG time.

The latest change is that I'm supposed to be weaning myself off the splint so that I can have braces put on my bottom teeth the week before Easter. Well, I went too long without the splint the other day (Friday), and then spent most of the next day hunched over my laptop writing a lecture for my online class. And BAM, on Sunday, it hit with a vengeance.

Ok, so I'm better now--I went to the chiropractor yesterday, she gave me a "talking to," said I should have come in sooner, and proceeded to get my neck back into place. She also put two acupuncture needles in my ears to help with the pain in my jaw. Now, I've never really been a big fan of the needle thing, but I have to admit that this worked. Today I feel much, much better.

But here's the weird part. On my way to the chiropractor yesterday, on the HIGHWAY with some substantial traffic, in the middle of the afternoon, a wild TURKEY ran (not flew) out in front of my car and committed suicide. I kid you not. There was no way, with the cars around, that I could have missed the sucker. It wasn't until I came out of the chiropractor and looked at my car that I realized what had happened:



So, I had to come home, call the insurance company, and tell them that I played Dr. Kervorkian for a turkey. The lady at the insurance company actually laughed out loud--but they are going to fix the car. The thing is, I grew up near the country, and saw turkeys (and deer and all those things) all the time--but I never hit one. I have to be in an urban area to hit a turkey! Perhaps it was a turkey that was fed up with all of the challenges of urban living...who knows. The good news in all of this is that it's all good or in the process of being good, now--but this, coupled with the transition from one class to another, and working on finishing up grading made for a stressful last couple of days. I will breathe a big sigh of relief about the middle of next week, when most of the big stuff for me will be done.

I should probably add that we have one other stress right now. We talked with C at the agency yesterday, and she suggested that we consider trying to register in one of the regions that they work in that just recently announced they were re-opening to international adoptions. There are positives and negatives to this, just as there are in all regions, and we're prayefully considering exactly what it is that we should do here. I know that God is in the midst of all of this, and, like the song says, "little ones to Him belong." But I also know that we will have to make the decision. Please pray for us that we are open to God's direction in this decision, and that we listen to his voice.

I am so grateful for all of you. May you have an amazing weekend.