a few posts

I'm gonna try to have a few "embargoed" posts while I'm visiting family, as I think of things to say over the next few days. (And internet connection at home willing.....)

It's weird, though, to be taking a break now after not really having taken one since Christmas. I took a couple days off on Spring Break but it was just "in town" more or less (and anyway, I still wasn't feeling 100% at that point). It's different making a big break where you essentially lay down your responsibilities and work and at church for a while and have to say "No, I can't do that because I will be Visiting Family."

But more and more, I think visiting family is important for me. My dad's trip to the ER in January really brought that home, even though it had an ultimately good outcome (and after a talk with his doctor, he was able to drop one of the medications that probably was involved in the interaction). But also, seeing my friend at church - who is about 10 years older than my parents - go through so much and having two separate instances where we all feared she wasn't gonna make it - that brought it home to me too that I want to spend time with the people I care about as often as I can.

(Also seeing other people dealing with issues with nursing home staff not doing what they are supposed to be doing....and if it ever came to it? I would either quit my job and move back up there to care for my parents, or I would send money (as much as I could) to pay for a home-worker to come in, or I would move them down here and set them up in a house (probably a rental, as I doubt I could afford to buy another house) near me and just watch over them. But I hope it doesn't come to that; it didn't really for either my grandma or my Aunt Chickie so I'm hoping my parents remain strong and capable until that last day....)

But yeah. Getting older stinks but seeing people you love a lot get older stinks even worse.

And I don't even have all that much family LEFT - my grandparents are long gone, my mom is the only sibling left on her side (she was very much a caboose-baby, and apparently a "surprise" caboose baby at that). I have two uncles and their families but my cousins are spread out all over the country - shoot, all over the world (I have one cousin who lives in Hong Kong, now). And we were never all THAT close once we reached adulthood; our lives took different trajectories. And my brother and his family live far from me but someday I do want to take an extended trip to see them - it will require saving up as they have a small house so I think it would be only fair to stay in a hotel for that time.

(I also wish I had more, what they sometimes call, "Honorary Family" - this is also another beautiful concept floated in MLP:FiM, both that all of the Mane Six are "honorary" Apples, and also that Pinkie and Applejack may be distant cousins or may not but does it really matter? They are close like family and that's what's important. There are still a few friends of my family around that would count but most of them are back in Ohio, and many of them are getting up in years....I have not pushed to form friendships while out on my own the way I probably SHOULD have.)

So I've got my patterns and my yarn and some books and plans to help my mom with any heavy yardwork that needs to be done or any household things that require kneeling down to fix (so my dad can't do them) and hopefully maybe do a little shopping - my dress shoes are about worn out and I ruined a pair of jeans fixing my roof and I really probably need another summer skirt or two....