Health is wholeness and balance, an inner resilience that allows you to meet the demands of living without being overwhelmed. ~ Andrew Weil

This week… Anaïs was home sick with a fever (she slept for two days… that’s never happened!!!… the sleeping for two days, that is, not the getting sick!!), Leo got a black eye, and Isabel fractured a bone in her wrist. Somehow, all have managed to survive it with a smile… and in my books, that is noteworthy.

On Thursday, Leo was playing with a wooden toy bus in the kitchen when the wheels rolled out and his eye met the bus full on. The result was a swollen left eye… which has now turned several different shades of purple, black and blue. Despite the shock, he managed to pick himself up quickly and it seems mama shed more tears than he… as he cuddled up and let me put arnica directly under his eye and hold an ice pack to his eye for a few moments.

On Friday, I got a note from Isabel’s school that she had fallen on the ice and hurt her hand… it did not seem serious, but she was feeling very sensitive. I had a gut feeling that this could be more… and as soon as I saw her sad face when she got home, I knew we needed to monitor the situation. Turns out that she was pushed on the ice by an older boy who was playing a little too rough.

While Isabel is very emotionally sensitive, she is a tough cookie when it comes to pain (she gets it from her Budi, and Bodhi too!). However, she was exhausted and needed some rest. I bandaged up her sore arm (which did not look bruised or swollen, but then there was the ‘mother’s intuition’ telling me otherwise) and got her to bed. First thing the next morning, she was off to the hospital for an x-ray… just to ‘rule out’ the suspicions roaming around in my mind. Turns out, she has a fracture; and due to the location needs a full arm cast so that she does not bend her wrist, but also so that she does not twist it. She has been such a trooper… it is incredible to witness. She is aware enough to know when she needs to be alone and have some quiet time. She is also fiercely independent and insists on trying to do everything on her own to the best of her ability (in this way, she has reminded me of my mother so much it’s almost eery to witness just a year after starting the journey of caring for my mother). Another incredible irony… I had a full arm cast having broken a bone in my right hand at EXACTLY the same age. Of course, all of this has made my mom feel extremely present… both the reminders, but also the longing. Isabel wants to know all the details of when I broke my arm: what my cast looked like? how long i had to wear it? and so on… I fill in the blanks where I can, but feel a pang of ‘missing’ as i can’t just call my mama and ask her if she remembers. Of course, she might not have remembered the details either… but the sharing and the knowing still matter. Amazing the things we take for granted… until they are gone.

Isabel has been incredibly strong and aside from feeling a little sensitive as she gets used to ‘her temporary arm’; she does not complain about the pain, or itching. As she so eloquently stated after returning from spending over five hours at the hospital emergency to get x-rays and cast: “That wasn’t fun, but it was necessary.”

Anaïs has not been sure what to do with all the commotion, and has herself felt rather emotional moving along with the troubles of her brother and sister. But today, we managed to take her out on the driveway to try skiing… her first time on skis and she was flying. The smile on her face each time she moved down the hill… the laughter was truly contagious!!! She has so much desire to explore and try new things… as soon as her little body allows her to have more independence in sport and other physical activity… she will no doubt be exploring her personal edge…