Battling our way through life....as a family

Autumn brought many battles into my life and the lives of the people I love. 

Hurricane Irene, battled for my families energy and resources as it shortened  our family vacation week, left our home with out power, and  created the look of battlegrounds instead of tidy communities in parts of the Northeast.  We lived through the community repair that took place, thankful that very little damage occurred to our home and property.   We ended the day always in awe of what might have happened or what we witnessed each day.  We battled down trees and downed power lines trying to make some sense of it all.

Battle Preparations as Irene advances

Saturday, September 17th just a few short weeks later, the  biggest battle was occurring inside of my otherwise healthy mother.  She was diagnosed with post surgical embolisms and we almost lost her that morning. I was nine hours away, it might as well have been nine light years, I felt so far.  However,her healthy body was ready for the war despite the ominous presence of the foes, one of which was the largest embolism any of the doctors in her large hospital had ever clinically witnessed. Her heart and lungs became soldiers, pumping on in a victory like cadence allowing her knees to recuperate and heal despite her new limitations.

The third battle was a Freak October Snowstorm, less than eight weeks after Irene, which dumped 12 inches of the wettest snow onto trees already damaged from Irene.  As darkness descended that night, the snow brought little happiness to four children who otherwise live for wintertime.  We listened to the "CRACK" of tree tops breaking off when the weight of the snow became too much.  Then waited for the "BOOM" as it landed onto the snowy ground below.  We uttered a prayer each time we heard one of those booms, thankful that the landing was the yard and not our roof.  Our oldest daughter had received the Sacrament of Confirmation that same afternoon.  She had chose Saint Perpetua, a good choice for her as she is a perpetually positive person.  She found herself giving into negative thoughts and fears during the night and I believe that Saint Perpetua was present with her to calm her overworked nerves.

http://www.loyolapress.com/saint-perpetua-and-saint-felicity.htm

When we awoke in the morning, we were relieved to find everything, once again, still for the most part intact.  We marched out of the house onto the White Battleground and again began our fight back to normalcy in our home and community.

The fourth battle was at a four way stop in a small town.  My father in law was at that intersection, on his way to repair a faulty window at their church.  The foe was a car who decided not to follow the rules of engagement and plowed into the intersection without stopping, maybe without even slowing down.  The battleground was littered with splintered and broken cars, windows and so much of my father in laws blood that the firefighters had to come in with hoses to wash it away.  My father in law is a warrior, stronger than his car.  He is sitting next to my mother in law, drinking his morning coffee today while his destroyed and broken very large truck is laying in a heap in the junk yard.

My own mother and my father in law, are part of the generation born at the beginning and after the end of WWII.  They have such strength, such resilience, such courage.  Is it something the era poured into their veins and pumped into their beliefs?  Whatever it is, it brings to mind the story, Unbroken

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unbroken-laura-hillenbrand/1100045446?ean=9781400064168&itm=1&usri=unbroken+a+world+war+ii+story

In that story, despite the negative surroundings, despite the ominous Bird person, despite the circumstances, the foe did not win.  He may have had the advantage at times but in the end, the hero soldiers on choosing to pick up "the one piece of positive" and focus completely on that. 

Whatever it is, they taught it to us: when we were young and receptive, when were teens and rebellious and when we were young adults and seeking advice.  They are cultivating another generation of family with courage and conviction, while still fighting battles of their own.  I love them for that.

When my children see me stand tall in the storms, I am perfect to them.  When I do fall apart in the storm, I remind them that even mom is human.  I have much to teach and still more to learn.