JUST SOME POSTS

Imagine you are out for a drive. You are motoring along. Occasionally you stop to get a bite to eat or to enjoy some of the sites. But mostly you are cruising and taking in the ride. Suddenly you realize your vehicle is going on it's own. Not too fast, not too slow, but ever moving whether you want it to or not. You realize you are not really even steering the car or choosing the exact direction you are travelling any longer. You run red lights and stop signs. You pass in no passing zones and are passed in others. But, you continue relentlessly forward. There is no reverse. You would love to just STOP, to pull in somewhere and sit and take in the local flavor. You know, however, the only stopping you will be doing is by crashing or just running out of gas somewhere you don't want to be. But, maybe moving towards SOMETHING is better than stopping at NOTHING. Welcome to our life.

Imagine you and your spouse, or significant other, are on a nice boat ride called life. You are on this inconceivably large boat in a sea of unimaginable size on a trip of indeterminate length. Once in a while, you go through some beautiful. almost indescribable days where birds sing, wonderful angelic music accompanies you in your daily activities , and everything you want is there before you. Then there are the dark and stormy days where all you can do is hold on to the rail and upchuck your lunch into the water. Most of the days, however, are just a boat ride. One day your spouse falls overboard, fully clothed, and for no apparent reason. You quickly toss them a line, and say"hold on, I'll get you out!" There is no reason to panic, people fall into the water all the time. Plus, they are a fairly strong swimmer, we will get them out. So, you start pulling on the rope. After pulling and pulling you notice they are not any closer to the boat. You decide you need help....

There are two blogs that I have been thinking of writing for a while. This is one of them. What do you say to a person you love and have lived with for over three decades when they turn to you and say with tears in their eyes, "I don't want to die"? What do you do when you have kids and family members that just ask "How is she doing?" and just want to hear "Fine", or "About the same"; even if it is not true? How do you make people understand that you are living with it every day and that it is not going away and that it is hard? Hard for those of us around her, but even harder for her. How can you watch your wife of thirty-four plus years not able to get out of bed or up a single step unassisted when you still see her as the eighteen year old you married? How do you answer a 53 year old that asks you if she will see her daughter, a junior, graduate from high school? How do you get your kids to get off their asses and recognize their mot...