Hat trick

My headaches tend to cycle. There's an occasional curve thrown in, but for the most part, there's almost a schedule-like quality to their frequency. The schedule shifts over time but tends to hold its pattern long enough for me to at least be aware of it.

I've come to see that there's great blessing in their predictability. Having a sense of when I'm likely to be down gives me an opportunity to work around the headaches, anticipate problem times. Of course, I rarely actually do this. I breeze along on good days and on the bad ones repress the tell-tale signs and live in denial that there's a day off the grid right around the corner.

When I woke up with a headache this morning, I realized I am on a seven-day cycle now. I know this because this is the third Sunday in a row that I've been in pain. Sundays, with worship and preaching and fellowship, are my favorite days of the week, and the last two weeks I haven't been able to be there because I was in pain. Today will make it three in a row.

I miss everybody so much. But I'm prayerful that this cycle will soon break and let me get back to where I so want to be.