Oh no- not BLOOD!

I'm not a blood person. My mom was a nurse, but for some reason I just didn't take after her calm, strong, and determined abilities. I don't faint at the sight of blood (having 5 brothers pretty much cures one of that) but still don't appreciate the sight of blood and gore. I thank heavens that my family isn't the type to have countless trips to the hospital, but every once in a while we have to make that exciting trip the ER.

Today was just one of those days that God saw it fit for a certain babysitter to be tested. I was that babysitter. No, Jonny didn't split his head jumping off the bunk bed again, and Caleb didn't run into a beehive. This time I was in the kitchen preparing for lunch when I heard the back door shut and Jeremy (3 yrs.) start to scream. Now, every sibling knows the distinction between an I-got-a-tiny-cut-give-me-pity scream or a my-brother-hit-me-I-want-revenge scream. And when it comes to really being hurt, a family member will be able to tell by the crying. Jeremy was in between crying and screaming, and soon I found out why. His older brother had accidentally shut his finger tightly in the door while they were collecting wood for our wood stove. The first thing any good babysitter does is give the victim a hug, so I held Jeremy in his superman pajamas, trying to get him to show me his hand.

There was blood. A lot of blood. So I switch into nurse mode and start applying pressure with a wad of Kleenexes to his bloody finger. After a close examination (and to my utter relief) I found that his finger had not been severed from his hand, but his fingernail was hanging by a small flap of skin, and the bruising and swelling had already begun to show. So now I'm holding this screaming little boy in my lap with a bleeding finger trying to keep my wits about me while I wait for my rescuer to show up (mom!). Half an hour later we had him at the ER all patched up and chatting nicely, while I'm trying to recover from the trauma and chaos.

Isn't it awesome how God created our minds to handle scary situations? Sometimes I amaze myself by forcing fear and anxiety out of my mind and being strong for those around me. How reaffirming to know that God can give us strengths we didn't even know we could have. And while blood may still not be my thing, I can have confidence in the one who created and controls it!

God bless all you sisters out there who battle the incidents and casualties of everyday life! May we stay strong and determined warriors who fight on the home front. :)