There is something indefatigable about an intimate family life, something most beautiful when things are darkest, or most absurd. It’s like, the cynic in me, the girl-then-woman raised in a “militant agnostic” home (my father, anyway), some of the reasons I’ve written here for years is an attempt to communicate what it’s like to live my experience. The more I’ve written, the easier it flows, and the happier I feel. I mean often I don’t even think how valuable or interesting this might be to others, I’m just compelled to try to tell you about it if you want to read. I think there’s a lot to gain in relating to one another.
But yeah, there are these great moments in a family that are kind of … terrible moments. Like yesterday while we drove out to a birthday party, with three kids packed in the back of the car, one kid holding a cake and another a cat in a carrier (for a “pet show” of sorts), and suddenly the cat starts puking. Like you can really hear the chunkage, back there. And then there’s this sudden silence from three previously-rowdy kids and my daughter silently rolls down the window and somberly says, “You in the front: you’re lucky.” I mean I felt terrible for my kitty – who ceased vomiting upon arrival, only hours later to start up again as soon as we got back in the car – but it was one of those deliciously ridiculous FAILmoments that is best experienced with those you love, love, love.
Cake and birthday wishes. An honor to share them with others:
“Pet contest”, Harris was given special consideration for his sadness. Those are my two kids at left in the eared-hats.
Life has been lovely the last couple days. Today I’m having another painful series of episodes with my kidneys. That is never encouraging. I have accepted my illness in full (except for one nagging caveat, see below), and I am grateful for these repeated bouts of pain as they have taught me a great deal about acceptance. These experiences have also taught me a great deal about unconditional love, to wit: I receive it from many of my friends, and all of those in my close family.
Having this ailment has taught me a lot about humility.
I know it seems like I wouldn’t have anything good to say about a supposedly zero-sum illness, but I do. Still, sometimes the remnants of denial rear their head. I keep thinking, Why me? (not out of self-pity, just a genuine bit of confusion), or thinking, any minute I’ll be “cured” and this won’t be happening any more. Still, these are only blips on my radar, persistant as they are. To the extent I am serene and genuinely grateful through such a puzzling experience, I can put that at the feet of first my alcoholism and then my resultant experience in Recovery.
I know I’m going to learn more about why I’m sick in this way – if not the nuts and bolts or a scientific explanation – and one day I’ll be able to tell you, Why Me.
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By the way. In honor of Father’s day I’m re-linking a couple posts about my father’s influence on my life (and my thoughts on his death), recent writings if you didn’t see them the first time around. If you have seen them, apologies for redundancy. I didn’t need to write another piece, so soon, and I didn’t make time to write one about Ralph or any other fathers in my life.
What a poignant post! Celebratory and elegiac all at once.
The puking incident reminds me of our trip up the coast last fall – we’d barely made it out of Olympia when Tallon hurled his entire dinner. We ended up having to stop in Elma and buy a roll of paper towels to clean him and his car seat off and get him into clean clothes, then continued all the way to Kalaloch, with a brief stop at the Walmart in Aberdeen to get an extra shirt and pants, just in case the puking necessitated another clothing change. And then, of course, there was no laundry anywhere near we were staying and I had to wash everything out by hand… As you say, a FAIL moment, indeed.
Thanks for your insight into acceptance of illness. I needed to hear that right now, as I’m sort of going through my own “Why me?” moments with physical issues. It can be hard for me not to fall into those self-pity traps and you remind me that it does nothing good for me to get lost in those emotions. I was sorry to hear about your bout with constipation – been there, done that and I know how incredibly painful it can be. Glad that you’re feeling better, if not 100%.
Always happy to see another post. Sometimes I scroll backward in my little reader thing to see if maybe I had missed one so there is more to read. Such a treat. Sorry you are still sick. Such a gift that you can be thankful for parts of it. I’m in the midst of a less fun time and try hard to be thankful for all my problems which, in the scheme of problems, are not HUGE and to be thankful for the chance to grow but so far I haven’t really gotten there quite yet. Good to be reminded that it is possible.