Saturday, March 13, 2004

Thoughts on Family

A collective sigh of relief comes from my entire family.  Mom will be coming home on Monday.  She has been making excellent progress and the healing journey will continue at home with friends joining in with family to ensure a speedy and uncomplicated recovery. 

As everything in life, the goodness in the flip side of the situation is the amount of time I have been able to spend with my siblings and their spouses.  Especially my sisters.  Each one of us has our own families, extended families, commitments, and obligations.  We get together at least once a month to celebrate a birthday, a graduation, christening and all the other occasions that weave the tapestry of family life. 

The monthly gatherings are usually noisy, boisterous, rollicking good fun.  That is the scene when you gather 25 people together.  People talking all at once, kids running everywhere, food preparing, men gathering around the beer cooler and firing up the grill.  It is great to be engulfed in the pleasure of belonging, but to have honest heart to heart communication is practically impossible. 

There was a lot of engaging dialogue this week. 

I love my family and this is the second time a tragic event has brought us together in the past six months.  This one struck us in the very heart of our being.  The Queen Bee was ill. 

 The out pouring of love and concern for my Mother from the people she has touched humbles me.  She is one of a generation that survived the Great Depression, she was an immigrant kid, she is one of the mothers of the Baby Boom generation.  There will never be another generation like hers and my Dads.  Once they are gone ....It's gone.   

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mary--sorry you are sick. Emotional stress can do a number on your immune system. Great news about your mom! May she continue her speedy recovery surrounded by her loved ones. Lisa :-]

Anonymous said...

I am so glad to hear that your mom's recovery is coming along well. There really never will be another generation like theirs. Having such a large and loving family has to be a real blessing. Take care of yourself!

Anonymous said...

I am so happy for you and your family! Continued good health to all of you... :)

Anonymous said...

It is heartwarming to hear about your close relationship with your family. It is during crises like this that there is no substitute for their love and support. With your love and care, I hope your mother is on her speedy way to recovery.