Elijah and the Widow

Its the end of the month, which at our house means a visit from the UPS guy.  He brings us 4 large boxes full of Caden's supplies every 28 days.  The boxes are a little treasure trove of set bags, tube extensions, gauze pad, Mefix tape, and the all important Elecare. Caden's doctor has ordered 25.2 cans of Elecare for him each month, which means the nice people at home health round that up to 26 cans delivered each time.  For a while we used that tiny bit extra each month to build up a little bit of a food storage for Caden.

Then Eric started needing the formula as a supplement, so we'd give him a little of Caden's shipment and buy it as needed.  Eric uses 1-2 cans per week so we used up the stockpile we had pretty quickly.  At $35-60 per can, even supplementing is a little pricey.  Then I weaned Kyle and the pediatrician recommended we give him a small amount of formula each day.  We had no clue how we were going to afford having yet another child on an elemental formula.  But we prayed about it, knew it needed to happen, and forged ahead.

There are a variety of ways to get formula.  The first, and most reliable, is the little bit extra Caden gets every month.  Then there is the not so desirable surplus if Caden gets sick or isn't able to tolerate his feeds as fast as he is supposed to.  Visits to the GI or allergist usually yield a can or two that the pharmacy reps leave as samples.  My favorite is the kindness of strangers - people in my support group who stockpile that little bit extra every month and then give away a can here or there if its about to expire.  When we get desperate we  buy it online, from the manufacturer, or from a pharmacy.

In 2012, we haven't had to purchase a single can of Elecare.  We've picked up a few cans every now and then, but for the most part we have somehow subsisted off of Caden's monthly shipment.  The math doesn't work out.  I try hard not to think about it.  But toward the end of each month when I get a new can out of the cupboard and see the dwindling supply its hard not to look at the calendar and make the quick calculation that we are going to run out 2-3 days before the shipment arrives.  So I start looking for milk online.  While I'm still checking the online classifieds daily, the UPS guy shows up and I realize I'm pulling my last can out of the cupboard.  Somehow, the milk never runs out, even though it should.

And I think of Elijah and the Widow of Zarapeth.  She does as the Lord directs, even when she doesn't see how it will work out.  Then the Lord provides.

1 Kings 17:16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord.