I've been under water lately--or it seems--we've been so busy. My 89 year old mother moved in with us (just after I returned from Grandparent Camp last summer) and it has been exhausting. Some of us in the sandwich generation are squarely between parents and children/grandchildren. It's a blessing.
I know that sounds odd to call it a blessing when I just said I was under water from all the activity, but I've seen people who have no one. Little ladies in nursing homes. Men on the streets. I'm blessed to be able to care for my mother and also be involved with my children and grandchildren.
Sure, it's a lot of work sometimes. We had to organize Mom's things, renovate the house to make it viable, sell the things she couldn't use, move her here and merge our ways of doing things. It was very difficult for her too. I've learned so many things about my mother as an adult that were not apparent from a child's perspective. Who knew she didn't like fuzzy blankets? Or floor lamps?
We'll try to manage holidays, attendance at weddings, vacations, illnesses, food, football weekends, heating, air conditioning and television volume. That's a good start and there will be more to come.
It's amazing how a drive to Kure Beach, where we look out at the waves, hear the gulls, watch the tourists and eat hand dipped ice cream is like a spa retreat for my mother--totally relaxing. That's not so difficult and a lot less expensive than a spa.
Our State Magazine asked clergy from around the state to submit a prayer for North Carolina in one issue. The ones they gathered are moving and more than a prayer--they are epistles to the good life here.
It made me think about asking family members to write a prayer for our family. What would yours say?
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