Over the last couple of weeks, my family has been sick. One of my children has had a rough time this allergy season and required a little extra attention. I have scrubbed our house from top to bottom to get rid of dust and pollen, and even purchased a gadget to get rid allergens. All of the bed linens have been washed and anything that could be bleached has been.

My husband and another son came down with a dreadful stomach virus and I was back to washing sheets and bleaching. The thermometer, sprite, gatorade, and saltines were kept very near because I was checking temperatures, hydrating and calming stomachs.

A couple days passed and I thought we were in the clear and my husband woke me up having difficulty breathing. I gave him a breathing treatment that is used for our son and prayed. It is scary when someone you love cannot breathe. Their face is pale and they are struggling to catch their next breath. His breathing was better and he was able to return to sleep. I watched him breathe in and out for a while before I went back to sleep. I wanted to make sure he was ok.

Taking care of what is dear to me is what is the most important. Making sure that my husband and children are cared for day in and day out, and that I am there when they are in crisis. Family is there for the long haul.

Have you ever given up on a dream because of other people? Others may have not believed in you or maybe it is what they said. I almost gave up on my dream because of a little negative influence in my life. I have prayed about this situation, talked with my husband about it, and have done everything I have known to do.

Monday afternoon I was standing in my kitchen watching two black birds in my backyard trying to take food from one another and defending what they already had and God spoke to me. “You have dreamed of this for years and you are going to let negative influences take it away from you. This is what you have wanted. Don’t let others take your dream from you.”

I couldn’t believe it. God spoke to me through two black birds in my backyard.