TIME OUT!

Before I take you along to George's memorial service, I'm going to take a "time out" and talk about families.  If you have lived very long at all, you have probably realized that families can really get weird at times.  I don't care if you grew up in a family where you were the only child, or if you grew up in a family with 11 other siblings.  Families get weird.  

I have six children still at home, ages 5 - 11.  Our family gets weird.  We have conversations that go like this,

Spoken in a high-pitched scream: "MOMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!  He hit me!!!!!!!"

Spoken in a higher-pitched scream: "I did not!!!!  She hit ME!" 

Faces getting red now:  "Well he started it!!!!"

Faces getting redder now:  "I did not, she did!!!"

Rapid "firing" back and forth continues.

Mom can't get a word in edgewise and her blood pressure is going up.  Sometimes if mom takes a time out, just ignores the battle, get's a cold glass of tea and sits down at her computer or reads a book,  it throws them off so that the battle stops long enough for everyone to calm down and get to the bottom of things and hopefully come to some type of resolution.  OK, well that doesn't work all the time, but hey, it's worth a try.  

From our earliest years we never want to admit our fault, we always want to put the blame on someone else, we end up having pity parties, and nit picking parties.  And guess what?  It continues through adulthood.  You've seen it and I've seen it.  And I bet we have all been a part of it from time to time.

And how sad it is that this behavior very often rears its ugly head at the very time when families should be pulling together.  I understand that emotions are at an all time high for everyone when a death has occurred.  But that's why it may be necessary to take a time out long enough to set aside differences and to view things from the other person's perspective.  This is not the time to bring up past mistakes or nurse old grudges.  If nothing else, the death of a loved one should teach us how very short life is and the importance of making the best of whatever situations we find ourselves in.  

Take a time out and set your differences aside long enough to honor your loved one who is gone.  Time outs aren't just for kids, and remember, there is

Sunshine After the Storm

Blessings

Betsy