Tender Mercy: Lemon Honey

It only took 6 years of marriage, but I am finally converted to the use of lemon and honey in warm water to cure coughing and sore throats.

I have been up all night with this terrible, unending cough. I'm thankful we got a friend to pick up my mother from the airport in the hopes of getting us both some sleep because if I had tried driving I would have totaled the car and probably us with these hacking fits. I have Never had a cough like this, and I've had people comment, "Y'know, Derrill, I don't believe I've heard you cough recently." Right in the throat, ripping it out with steel claws cough, makes everything worse and the next cough all the more likely. This is bad stuff.

I was on a double dose of cough syrup plus three drops (2 for pain, 1 for the cough) and nothing could shake the cough. I gave up trying to sleep before Princess was born and went to the internet for some home remedies.

Lemon honey, hunh? I'm desparate. Sure.

Now Joy loves lemon honey. Always has. I made it for her daily during our first year of marriage. (We were both sick a lot that year.) It never really did much for me and I didn't like the taste. If I need a warm, soothing drink, I'll stick to a fruit tea or hot chocolate, and the fruit tea didn't help. But I'm desparate. I'll try it. Here goes.

Wow. Has it been five minutes since I last coughed? 10? Am I cured? *cough cough* No. Well, let's have some more drink. Another 10 minutes of freedom.

I can get 10 minutes of freedom at a time by sipping this little concoction. Not enough to sleep on, but enough to make life bearable. And maybe enough to help Joy get a couple hours before we leave.

That will make 2 more hours than either of us got the last time we gave birth.
 -- DW