Shots, Hearts, and Ice Cream

After school yesterday, the 5 of us piled into Eric’s little gray Mazda and headed to Oakland Kaiser to get our travel shots. Not remembering how many shots, what kind, or who needed what, we all entered the large cement building with the dread of being stabbed with different needles by a patient lady wearing a lanyard and a mask. The gloomy rainy weather set the tone for our feelings, the line of more than a dozen patients in front of us added to the amount of time the kids’ anxiety was allowed to build. The Lord had gone before us, because apparently we were supposed to go to two different places to get the shots and not just one. The clerk explained that today there just happened to be a pediatric nurse in the joint to hook us all up in one fell swoop of injections. I really do appreciate when God “just happens” to meet our needs and provide exactly what we need when we need it. It’s not luck, it’s love, and Eric and I were relieved to not have to trek our nervous little humans to another building in the rain.

Despite the length of the line, we must not have waited very long. I know this only because I had not read an entire chapter to Beth from her latest Harry Potter book before “McKinley” was being called.

We crammed into a little room with the usual desk, computer, shelving, cushy patient examiner table thingy (what is that even

called?) and of course a tray ready with 5 needles.

Beth’s anxiety quickly vacuum sucked her into the corner of the room behind the door, and Tali volunteered to go first. As it turned out, Tali was the one person in the family who did not need any shots because she had already had all of the necessary shots at her most recent appointment. Elated, she received a cup of apple juice as reward and sat down in the only other available chair in the room. Beth and Zac were already crying. They were not going to let this go down without a fight. Eric stepped up, got poked in the arm; I sat down next to find out that I needed 2 shots -- both TDap and Typhoid. Eesh! that TDap needle HURTS!

Two more to go. Eric pulls up Bluey on his phone in hopes to distract them, but we were too late and they were already over the edge, down the rabbit hole, and into the abyss of thinking “This is going to kill us right now!” We gave them the option of cooperating with Dad, or submitting to a pretzel hold from mom. It was a mess. Zac ended up getting pretzeled, picking a thigh location for his shot, and then gladly inhaled his apple juice on his way out the door.

The sweet lady tried to reason with Beth (like a newbie) telling her that if she wanted to go to South Africa, then she would have to get this shot or they wouldn’t let her in at the border. Tali had tried this reasoning with Beth earlier in the day and it had backfired just like it did now. “I DON’T WANT TO GO TO SOUTH AFRICA! LEAVE ME HERE WITH PAPA!” she screamed. After confirming that rational reasoning was not going to be the effective method of achieving the goal today, the nurse looked at me and told me that if we were not able to get her to cooperate soon we would have to come back later. The line of patients had not diminished behind us, but had only grown.

Returning was not an option in my mind. I took my shoes off to signal to Beth that I meant business, and in my softest, most serious and patient voice, gave Beth one more chance to cooperate. I counted. She screamed. I held her head in my hands and prayed for her courage as I kissed the top of her head. I then used my newly developed careful Jiu Jitsu strength to calmly and gently fold her body into my lap. We exposed her arm, and she relaxed and melted into me. She was brave, even though I had to force her to this point. We were all relieved. We were done. We jogged through the rain back to the car and drove home.

I notice the hearts of my children and their reflections of mine in each of their reactions. Enthusiasm to get it over with and choosing to go first, dread and horror of knowing the pain will indeed happen, not trusting that it’s for the future good of our little bodies, and last but not least, my favorite reaction was the honesty of Beth’s. Kicking, screaming, letting it be known exactly what she doesn’t want, but when completely enveloped in the strength and power of her parent, she surrenders. She let go. She relaxed and submitted. I want to do less of the kicking and screaming and more going straight to the strength and overwhelming will of The Father, but alas sometimes I’m more like Beth. I am grateful that He does not let me leave the room until He has accomplished his plan. I feel a mix of all of these reactions and feelings as we leave. As we say goodbye to friends and family my heart wrestles with what we have been called to do. It may hurt, but when I’m in His arms, trusting in His strength, I can relax knowing that He is working all things for my good because I love Him and have been called according to His purpose.

Because Mary Poppins tells us that “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down” we were sure to load up on discounted pints of ice cream from Grocery Outlet and reward ourselves after dinner with ice cream cones.

If you see us this weekend- hug gently- our shoulders are tender.

My Favorite Song of the Week: There May Be Tears by The Scott Cunningham Band