Some Tough Days

**Sigh**

You know those days when you wish God would stoop down and just give you a big bear hug? Allie and I could use a big hug right about now. We have been persevering though some strange and difficult situations recently and would greatly appreciate a respite. It's not that EVERYTHING is going wrongly. Of course things can always be worse off than they are. I guess we're just pushing through a nasty part of this adventure.

1) The death of childhood dreams.
I think that every child has idilic visions of the future full of cozy Christmases at the grandparents', camping trips with cousins, and family reunion flag football feuds. When the reality of life buries those dreams under piles of steaming anger, mistakes, and good intentions all that remains of those once pleasant hopes are feelings of what might have been. Allie and I are still trying to figure out how to cope with and rise above my parents imminent divorce which has effectively served to divorce the entire family from one other. It's discouraging and exhausting.

2) The struggle with a strange illness.
After a great summer working at Summer Fenn, the summer camp program of The Fenn School, I was bitten by a tick and ended up contracting Lyme Disease. Four doctors, two visits to the ER, a spinal tap, CT scan and several bottles of ibuprofen later, I am finally feeling on the mend. Right now, all that remains are some occasionally achy joints. However, this is still a little-known disease and doctors have not been able to give us a very consistent prognosis for the future. I know this has weighed heavily on Allie.

3) Chloe.
Our little cat, the other love of Allie's life was hit by a car (this last weekend) as she tried to run back across the road. Thankfully, she was not killed. Rather, she suffered a severely broken hip. The vet decided that surgery was not a good idea due to her small size and the location of the break. So, we have brought Chloe home with hopes that her injuries will heal appropriately on their own. The vet assured us that she'll be able to walk and maybe even run after she heals, so hopefully our little fighter will continue to amaze us all.

So, if you remember, please pray for the Stoddard/Provost household. I'm trying not to sound too despondent or complain too much. It's just life right now. God is good, and we know that. And we sure could use a hug.