Let me explain…

When I was younger, winter felt simple. Cold meant snow days, hot chocolate, and bundling up. It didn’t feel like something you had to survive.

This winter feels different.

For the last six weeks, I’ve felt like I’ve been sick in some form or another. Not one big illness just a cycle of feeling better and then feeling run down again. A sore throat that fades and comes back. Congestion that never fully leaves. Working in a hospital, I know it’s probably exposure layered on exposure, but knowing that doesn’t make it any less exhausting when your body never quite catches up.

Lily has been sick for four weeks now, on and off. Enzo already had the flu once. Some days feel normal again. Other days feel like we’re right back at the beginning. Winter has turned into something we’re constantly navigating instead of something that just passes through.

That’s where rest comes in.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve learned that sleep matters more than anything else. Real sleep. The kind that lets bodies actually recover. Making sure the kids had cough medicine with sleepiness in it at night (when appropriate) made a difference not just for them, but for me too. When they slept, their bodies could heal. And I could finally breathe for a minute instead of listening for coughing all night.

Our days have slowed down because they’ve had to. Pajamas stay on longer. Movies play in the background. Water bottles are always nearby. The house isn’t perfect. Dinner is simple. We focus on what actually helps everyone feel better instead of what things are “supposed” to look like.

Right now, it’s sickness. Later it’ll be something else. But this season is teaching me that showing up doesn’t always look like doing more. Sometimes it looks like staying close. Paying attention. Adjusting in small ways that add up.

The kids probably won’t remember how long they were sick this winter. They won’t remember the cough medicine or the canceled plans. But I hope they remember being taken care of. Being comforted. Feeling safe when they didn’t feel good.

Winter will pass. Health will come back. But these days these quiet, slowed-down ones, are still part of our story.

We just have to weather the season and make extra sure that we appreciate the beauty of this season, like Christmas lights, sledding and cozying up with a warm book.