Sick. And not the good kind.

I have been super sick for a little over a week. Like, sleeping on the couch, waking up at 4 AM, going through two rolls of toilet paper blowing my nose kind of sick. And it has been awful. The house was basically falling apart (things are starting to look a bit better now), and I was feeling so depressed. Lilah was basically my best friend while I was sick. She would come out of the comfy bedroom to check on me in the middle of the night and keep me company. Love that pup :). Still, I'm recovered now, and looking forward to taking care of things again.

Saturday I attended an all day training program to facilitate a group at the Children's Grief Center. The role of a facilitator isn't to council, but rather to "hold a place", to listen to the stories of bereaved children and monitor the discussion they have with one another. The environment, having a place where those around them are suffering with the same issues and pain, is what's crucial, and it's the role of a facilitator to just maintain that. I have one more training day before I can start with a group and begin the year long commitment. I have a feeling it's going to be emotionally challenging, but so rewarding.

Because I was sick, Andrew went to our community group alone. The need for a social activity in the next few weeks came up, and Andrew volunteered our home and the park on base nearby. I'm a bit nervous about hosting everyone (the most we've had over at once has been a grand total of 2...and another dog, if that counts), so I'm hoping it will go smoothly.

In the spirit of blogging, I want to end with a series of questions I can answer weekly, mostly just for fun, but also to help me regroup and consider. So here it goes:

What I'm reading: "Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood. I read "The Handmaid's Tale" by her in college and enjoyed it, so I thought I'd check this one out. It has a 1984 vibe to it.

What I'm thankful for: Lilah! Seriously, her companionship has been invaluable this week. Sam's wonderful, too, of course, but he's definitely more of a Daddy's boy.

What I'm looking forward to: Going to community group for the first time! I've met a few of the couples, but have yet to attend a group thanks to the weather/being sick. Very much looking forward to it.

A goal for the week: I'd like to get started on a little indoor garden I can put under the window in the dining area. Step #1: purchasing a bench. I'd love to get an old workhorse, but I can't seem to find what I'm looking for, so an inexpensive oak bench would be lovely.

Happy Tuesday!