A Small Price to Pay

Well, we Kruggel's are a pretty sorry bunch at the moment. Not all of us, mind you, but over 50 percent of us. Willow's virus seems to have crept across our family and has now infected Victoria, Poppy and me. The only one spared at home right now is Barret. Yesterday both Victoria and I started to feel a little under the weather, and then this morning we could hear our Pop-Tart coughing while she began to wake up. When she stumbled into our study room while a little groggy (where Victoria and I were enjoying a quick cup of java before I headed off to work), Poppy said with a low, raspy voice, "I don't feel good... I got it from Willow." Misery loves company. Later in the day Poppy got a fever (in the midst of our 90-plus degree heat), and Willow now has an ear infection on top of a really nasty cough. The photograph of Alice Cooper to the upper left pretty much paints the picture of how we feel right now (although I guess it's not that bad).

In the scheme of things, however, these are all small prices to pay for the joy we all receive from everyone in our family. Why just the other day I got an unsolicited "I love you, Daddy!", with a strong grip on my leg from Poppy. (Of course my heart melted.) This came just one day after I received a similar expression from her, only that time she followed it up with, "... but I don't like your whiskers." (I'm told they're pretty prickly when I kiss the girls.)

Lest you think everything is always hunky-dory around our household in spite of our illnesses, we were reminded yesterday that sin has a way of creeping into all of lives, even at a very early age. Why this became very real for us when Willow took an unprovoked swing at Poppy. The Poppy-Seed was rather unfazed by it all, but where do they get these things? I'm pretty confident I know the answer to that rhetorical question.

On a final good note, Annie's safe and sound at Mount Hermon now and going through counseling training for the summer. And Austin's tough final (in some multi-linear astrophysical engineering class that I haven't got a clue about) went really well yesterday. Now he's finishing up a big project that's due tomorrow, and then prepares for his final final scheduled for this Friday. Then, for all of our kids, "School's out for Summer!" (- Alice Cooper) I always loved that song. At my age I just wish the lyrics went something like, "Work's out for Summer!

A little not-so-well,

Tom