A little worry; a little hope

Ebola has me a teensy bit worried. I am not an alarmist – wait, I am, but I try really, really hard not to be. I’ve read about the devastation it has caused in Africa. I’ve known about it for years. I have. And, honestly, it hasn’t been a priority for me to worry about it.

Now it is here. And, it is sad that it took the deadly disease coming to the United States to get our scientists to really start working with sincerity on vaccines and treatment for Ebola.

So I sit, contemplating the future …

Today, one of my best friends came for breakfast with her two adorable twin toddlers.

After a pancake breakfast and a quick clean-up, playtime was in order.

I watched the wonder in those sweet toddlers' eyes as they laid down wooden train tracks, used colored chalk for the very first time and drew pictures with Crayola Color Wonder markers.

Then tonight, my oldest daughter played the game of Clue with my husband, using logic and strategy to deduce the key components of the crime, while my youngest put together animal puzzles with me. She twisted and turned each piece creatively to make sure she could complete the big picture.

Watching this wonder, this creativity, and this logical thinking gives me hope.

I hope that this same wonder that causes toddlers to lay pieces of wooden tracks to create a master plan is present in the scientists peering through microscopes. I pray that the same logic that allows my eight-year-old to win a game of Clue against my husband is present in those who look at the past research that has been done. And, I am confident that the creativity I see in my pre-schooler also is present in the men and women who seek to find a cure – working diligently to put together the pieces that could save so many.

Juxtaposing the fear that is Ebola is the experience I had last night. A group of my dear friends waited with bated breath while one of our own experienced a home birth for the first time – right next door. We were all supposed to be meeting, but our friend went into labor and she just happens to live next door to the host. As word came that the birth was imminent, we all stayed – waiting, praying and hoping. The news traveled across the yard that a precious baby boy had been born to these amazing parents, turning them from a family of seven to a family of eight. It was such a joyous moment and we all felt like we were a part of it.

Life is precious.

I continue to pray for all those who strive to protect it.

Tonight I am holding my children a little tighter and telling my husband a little more often how much I love him and appreciate him. And, I continue to hope …