I’m an unusually happy person. I wake up singing. No joke! Singing. But these past few days have tempered even my sunny disposition.
Mi Suegra
My mother-in-law, Mary, has been in the hospital for the last three weeks. My husband went back to Boise to help her transfer ultimately to an assisted living situation. In the meantime, he has to be her full-time caregiver. He’s never been good at these types of things, and now he is responsible for making sure she is compliant with her care instructions. Never mind that he has to get her to acknowledge that she can’t stay in her apartment, will have to get rid of 80% of her stuff, and probably won’t be able to keep her dog. No fun.
Even though he will be there a total of 20 days, there is so much to be done that it is doubtful he will get through it all. His brother will be coming to help out for a couple of weeks as well. Ultimately, I don’t know what is going to happen, but there isn’t anything I can do about it from here. I’m working really hard on letting this one go.
Mi Familia
Even though the new baby is only a week old, there is already drama on the home front. I really dislike drama. Now I am the one in the barrel. My niece is angry with me because I said she needed to be respectful of her grandparents who are getting on in years and have their own issues. You see, she and her boyfriend and the baby are moving back home, into Bob & Ellen’s house, that is. Having a newborn baby around isn’t easy when you are the mother, never mind when you are older. Crying babies, dirty diapers, extra people and a dog can all add a lot of stress, never mind expense. More laundry, more showers, more electricity, more people, more money.
What can I say? Bob and Ellen have been the bedrock of this family for 50 years. They have given and given and given, yet it is rare that anyone takes their feelings, needs or wants into consideration. It makes me angry.
They, however, just keep putting up with it. “Going with the flow,” is what Bob said to me this morning. At some point, the “flow” just might drowned him. And then what will the family do?
Ah, well. I promised myself I wouldn’t get too enraged about this. Again, I have to let it go.
Let it go.
Let it go.
Let it go!
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