YET AGAIN... Waiting on the Porch

Last year... was especially a hard one for me. As a matter of fact the first half of this year hasn't been a lot better. 

We've experience loss, illness, death, injuries, sadness and a lot of trials! I'm reminded that my story isn't that unique when compared to the stories of others. LIFE is hard for all of us. 

The price of deep love might feel as though it will kill you. But, those feelings are usually just the "painful middle" in what will turn out to be a beautiful story.

I'm a daughter, a spouse, a parent and a grandparent. My parent is aging and experiencing challenges that often seem surmountable. My grandchild has faced and will face many situations we had hoped would never happen. And... my children aren't really "children" anymore. 

SIDE THOUGHT: Did anyone else out there think that when your child turned 21 that the biggest part of your "parent job" would be over? 

Well, I guess it is... the "parent job" is pretty much over by then. But, the love for each child never diminishes. The hopes & dreams you had in your heart as you held your infant have grown & flourished. You still hurt when your children hurt. And, their pain is no longer a skinned knee or bruised elbow from falling while playing. Their pain can be from loss of a job or a failed relationship or an unmet goal or a dreaded medical diagnosis or...

The list of things which we cannot protect our loved ones from goes on & on & on. How do we cope with that? What about the times when we can't really share what our family is going through out of respect for our loved ones? What do we do when our involvement is no longer desired from those we love? Life is full of times when we find ourselves "waiting on the porch" again to see an answer to unanswered prayers?

Once again I find myself...