Over the last month or so we've been going through the difficult process of moving my grandmother from her home and into an in-law apartment with my Aunt. I have participated in the process, but with the responsibility of a small child, have not been able to give even close to my fair share in support of the family, something I feel a great deal of guilt about.
As I am observing this process though, I am continuing to learn more about family, and family dynamics in general. Why is it that in families, we seem to give the worst of what we have to those we love most? I've seen this happen over and over again with many different families. I know I am young, and naive.... and luckily have two parents who are in relatively good health and who can, for the most part, take care of themselves. I can't even begin to understand the stress that comes with the worry for the safety of a parent. I hope that when my turn comes, I am able to look back on this experience and be the best version of myself that I can be, but I make no promises.
Tonight I read a post that inspired me in light of all that is happening and I wanted to share it. Shout out to my Auntie Cathy for sharing the post on FB and inspiring me to get back to my blog! The link is below for you to read in detail if you choose (just click on the photo), but the story is about eating burnt toast, yup... you did hear that correctly!
It's funny because that's literally what the story is about... but I see much more than a story about burnt toast, and quite frankly, this story sums up how I feel about life today pretty accurately.
Sometimes you need to eat burnt toast, and count it as a blessing. See the effort, as small as it may be, for what it is. There are times where burnt toast is the best we have to offer. We need to look for the love and the small acts of kindness that exist in our every day encounters and do our best to be appreciative. Losing sight of the fact that we are in this "fight" together serves little purpose but to tear apart the support and relationships that we need most as things escalate and get harder to manage.
My family is full of strong, resilient and loving people... so I know that all will work itself out once the dust settles (literally). But I hope this message finds a home with someone who needs to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Families, communities, humanity as a whole....We are a team. If we set aside our differences, find reasons to show our love and appreciation and be kind to one-another to the best of our ability then we will always come out on top, no matter how treacherous the path to the top may seem.
As always, I love to hear your stories too! Feel free to leave me a comment or message below! And don't forget to take a big ol' bite of what ever burnt toast you've been served today with a gracious smile and light heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment