Frank J. Buchman

Cowboy • Horseman • Writer

Illness catches up with everyone

“Don’t ever think there is immunity to anything.”

Comments claiming we were “too tough” to get sick came to haunt us.

When more than three-fourths of some schools were out to illness, we continued to reflect how during more than 16-½ years of education, we missed due to sickness less than a handful of times.

Certificates in the files verify the elementary record, but high school and college attendance sagged from “perfect,” not to illness, but because we were running around to judging contests, events, etc.

Our work record has been almost identical, although we missed a few days while unconscious after a car wreck. Then, ear surgery kept us out again following that, plus in recent decades, we were absent for arm and eye surgeries.

And, we did slip away to judge horse shows in 20 states, from time to time.

So, even as noted earlier, we have resorted to taking pills a few times for hay fever; our work attendance was pretty much intact.

There might be exceptions, but it seemed all of the other 50 employees in our office had been sick in recent weeks.

Snide comments were sometimes made under our breath about their absence. Seemingly endless coughing, sneezing, nose-blowing were most aggravating, and we became alert to even the slightest wheeze around the office.

Last has often been our position in whatever the endeavor, and we were again this time. After feeling above sickness for months as all of the rest paid their dues, we were stricken, too, with no visible reprieve.

Typically, when we feel “something coming on,” we’ll take a precautionary dose of medication, and “be fine by morning.” This time seemed the same, but within an hour, symptoms continued, and then got worse.

One would have thought we’d fallen off another horse, the way our body ached. So, we took more medicine that night with confidence we’d again “be fine by morning.” But, it continued and continued, and no matter how hard we tried to force our self, we couldn’t go.

Two days of work were missed, then the weekend off, before we were finally back at our desk, as the aftermaths are still dragging on.

Reminds us of Jeremiah 10:19: “Surely this sickness and suffering are mine, and I must endure, tolerate, and bear them.”

+++ALLELUIA+++

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