Having the flu is a terrible thing. As I type, I’m sitting up in bed on day 3; the day I’ve done the most sitting up yet. This afternoon I realized that I haven’t been out of my house since Thursday morning, nor out of my bedroom for the previous 24 hours. It’s weird when parts of your house seem foreign and unfamiliar.

But I must confess that a deep and priceless blessing has come from all this. I have been reminded just how profoundly and sincerely I am loved by my wife and kids. Anyone who knows me already knows that I already knew I had the best wife in the world (no offense to all the other wives out there). With tenderness, patience, compassion, and sacrifice, she has done above and beyond all she can do to bring me comfort through this illness. Running to the store to grab whatever the latest need is, bringing me a small stockpile of movies, and keeping the medication coming right on schedule. What a woman.

Each of my kids as well have in their own individual way shared their concern and sorrow at my sickness. With apologies as simple as “I’m sorry you’re sick, Daddy.” to lots of tears being cried from concern for my health, to one amazing scene I keep playing in my mind. Yesterday while at school, my oldest son was given a brownie by a friend at lunchtime. But instead of eating the brownie (which he loves), he decided to instead save it and bring it home to me as a get well gift.

That is how a 9-year-old boy expresses love in the deepest way he can: brownie forfeiture.

So, while this flu is still the flu, and has come after 4 weeks (and counting) of sinus infection, I lay in this bed with a box of tissues to the left of me, a glass of OJ to the right of me, feeling pretty much like the most loved guy on earth.