The Day after Christmas…

This has been hectic week and this morning there is a quiet settling over our home…

It has been many years since our last bout with “flu” during the holidays. When my own kids were very young, I recall spending two nights sleeping in the pediatric unit at our local Florida hospital while my beloved mother took care of my other child at home.

As a young mom, who was also a pediatric nurse, I simply ran with it and with the help of my family we pulled off Christmas.

When “In Flu Enza” arrived and changed our Christmas 2012 plans…I wasn’t sure I could pull off changing from Christmas dinner to Christmas “brunch”…but with the help from “family” …we were all able to prevent the “Grinch from Stealing our Christmas”.

Last night after all the excitement of the day was over…I stood on the staircase landing and looked at our Christmas tree that has adorned our living room for the past 18 years. In all its splendor it stood there, its’ glowing lights reminding me of all those who have shared Christmas with us over the years.

For a few fleeting moments, I visited Christmas Past and saw my sweet mother and uncle sitting on the sofa sharing the excitement of Christmas morning…it has been over 12 years since they sat in that spot together but it seems just yesterday…there they were ….

For a couple of years, my husband’s mom shared Christmas and Chanukah with us…she too sat on the sofa….enjoying the holiday excitement.

Christmas Present…my husband and I are now the “elders”…this morning we sat together on the same sofa watching over the Christmas excitement.

Christmas Future…I don’t know what you have in store…but bring on 2013!

 

 

 

 

Coping with life… and …death…

there has been an ongoing turmoil in my heart and head

since hearing the tragic news last Friday.

to be truly honest …

I was recovering from anesthesia when I was told about the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut…

children cut down in the “safety” of their own classroom…some watching their classmates and teacher die…horrific!

an anesthesia induced fog initially protected me from the reality of yet another

senseless shooting…

when I finally awoke and turned on the television I could not believe

or

rather I did not want to believe what I was hearing.

my first thought…

my granddaughter must be shielded from the news…

as the days have passed

I have prayed and touched all my family…

many thoughts have crossed my mind and continue to do so.

life events have surfaced

as they always do this time of year.

I am thinking of all of my family

especially those who are no longer with us to celebrate this holiday…

I am tearful at times…

but I always return to a feeling, instilled in me by my grandmother…

when bad things happened..

“life is still good”

I just have to remember her words…

she was a devoted mother and grandmother…

“in service to others”

the words of St. Ignatius Loyola

as a wife, mom, and grandmother…nurse and social worker

I also try to serve others…

this morning these were my thoughts….

years ago, as a young nurse, I took care of some little angels…

one…a young teenage girl with non-Hodgkins lymphoma died as her parents kept vigil.

that morning I learned that parents who lose a child cannot be consoled,,,

I thought about their painful loss as I tearfully prepared their young daughter’s body and delivered her to a cold slab in the hospital morgue.

not long after this young girl’s funeral, I met her mom in the grocery store.

I told her I was so sorry …

through tears, she thanked me for the care that I gave to her family and daughter…

and then…

she said something I have never forgotten…

nothing you or anyone can say can ever justify my daughter’s death

we hugged…

and went our separate ways in NYC…

 

 

Susan Stiffelman: 14 Tips for Managing Anxiety After the Shootings.

A Letter To Sandy Hook Victim, 6-Year-Old Jack Pinto, From His Best Friend (PHOTO).

Talking to Your Kids About the Newtown Tragedy | World of Psychology.

‘I Placed [My Son’s] Face In That Room’: How Parents Cope With The Newtown Shooting.

I just saw the news release from Oceanhouse Media. They have set the book app The Kissing Hand free to support the families in Newtown, CT. I did not get a chance to download the app yet, but knowing Oceanhouse Media and knowing the print book was a New York Times bestseller, it should be a good one. I want to pass it on to everyone when we all can use some reassurance of love and support!

via App Went FREE: The Kissing Hand — iGameMom.

Mindfulness Week…

Gingerbread Fun!

This week I am somewhat missing in action…I have decided to take a break from the social media frenzy as well as from my blog.

I must admit that I am really missing it because I love blogging and keeping in touch with my virtual community on Facebook and Twitter.

I hope you are all enjoying a good week so far…I will be back soon.