Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being
there for each other.
Carol Saline, from "Sisters"
Of the many blessings I have received, one of the most special is the wonderful abundance of sisters-in-law that I am fortunate enough to have. Each one has her own special talents and is equally important to me. I know I do not show my gratitude enough. I feel it in my heart, but am definitely not as demonstrative as I should be. I hope that each one realizes how much I appreciate her and how much each one means to me.
After work today I made a point to leave early enough to enjoy a stroll on the beach with the children and the dog. On the first leg of the trip, the children and I laughed and giggled and made up new verses to the never-ending diarrhea song. Today's focus was on the dog since she had performed an act that brought the song to mind once more. One of the winners today was, "When it's nice and hot and you see the dog squat DIARRHEA! DIARRHEA!" Yeah, I know, Mom-of-the-Year material here. On the way back, each of us separated for a bit. I guess we all enjoy the solitude a good beach walk can provide. During my alone time, I was struck by the beauty of God's work. I also recalled the sermon our pastor had preached on Sunday. This is perhaps just a small tidbit of what he was trying to convey, but it's what jumped out at me on today's jaunt. He was comparing "church prayers"...the ones that were quite formal and spoken during the service....to our own personal prayers. He spoke of how his private prayers were more like little one-liners. He believed that God was able to interpret it all and make sense of it. I think this part of the service popped into my mind because moments before, without really realizing it, I had been praying. I was thinking about one of my sisters-in-law who is going through one of the most agonizing things I can even imagine: the terminal illness of her husband. It pains me to even write that t-word. I was asking for God's help. It wasn't a formal "church" prayer, but more like a mulling-things-over-in-my-mind kind of prayer. I feel extremely helpless. I want Him to help me help her. My mind and heart are filled with thoughts of her and Lemon-Pie Man and their family. She lived with us for about 9 months while her home was being repaired after Hurricane Isabel. During that time we had many chats....many of which involved issues I had dealing with the death of my mother. She always had the right words to say and always made me see things from a better perspective. She was even the one who told me in her lovingly blunt way months after Mom's death (before living with us) that I needed to get it together or "see someone". It wasn't until that moment that I realized that I had just been going through the motions of existence rather than living a life. While living together, we even discussed that moment. I know, as do many others, I have a revulsion to personal failure. Supporting my sister-in-law is a no-room-for-failure situation. I pray that God will give me the right words to say and enough strength to support my sister-in-law and her family. I pray that He will help me be more demonstrative in my love for all my family. I have faith that He will get us through yet another storm. As the stained glass window inscription Hubby's side of the family sponsored in the church says, "For the storms we weather." Together we weather many a storm. Even when storms brew amongst us, the love of God and the love that binds our family get us past the most difficult trials until we are once again lulled by the calm.
After work today I made a point to leave early enough to enjoy a stroll on the beach with the children and the dog. On the first leg of the trip, the children and I laughed and giggled and made up new verses to the never-ending diarrhea song. Today's focus was on the dog since she had performed an act that brought the song to mind once more. One of the winners today was, "When it's nice and hot and you see the dog squat DIARRHEA! DIARRHEA!" Yeah, I know, Mom-of-the-Year material here. On the way back, each of us separated for a bit. I guess we all enjoy the solitude a good beach walk can provide. During my alone time, I was struck by the beauty of God's work. I also recalled the sermon our pastor had preached on Sunday. This is perhaps just a small tidbit of what he was trying to convey, but it's what jumped out at me on today's jaunt. He was comparing "church prayers"...the ones that were quite formal and spoken during the service....to our own personal prayers. He spoke of how his private prayers were more like little one-liners. He believed that God was able to interpret it all and make sense of it. I think this part of the service popped into my mind because moments before, without really realizing it, I had been praying. I was thinking about one of my sisters-in-law who is going through one of the most agonizing things I can even imagine: the terminal illness of her husband. It pains me to even write that t-word. I was asking for God's help. It wasn't a formal "church" prayer, but more like a mulling-things-over-in-my-mind kind of prayer. I feel extremely helpless. I want Him to help me help her. My mind and heart are filled with thoughts of her and Lemon-Pie Man and their family. She lived with us for about 9 months while her home was being repaired after Hurricane Isabel. During that time we had many chats....many of which involved issues I had dealing with the death of my mother. She always had the right words to say and always made me see things from a better perspective. She was even the one who told me in her lovingly blunt way months after Mom's death (before living with us) that I needed to get it together or "see someone". It wasn't until that moment that I realized that I had just been going through the motions of existence rather than living a life. While living together, we even discussed that moment. I know, as do many others, I have a revulsion to personal failure. Supporting my sister-in-law is a no-room-for-failure situation. I pray that God will give me the right words to say and enough strength to support my sister-in-law and her family. I pray that He will help me be more demonstrative in my love for all my family. I have faith that He will get us through yet another storm. As the stained glass window inscription Hubby's side of the family sponsored in the church says, "For the storms we weather." Together we weather many a storm. Even when storms brew amongst us, the love of God and the love that binds our family get us past the most difficult trials until we are once again lulled by the calm.
3 comments:
I am sure you will be given the right things to say...this is not a situation where you can fail, when you make a commitment to "be there". In fact, there hasn't been a single thing/event/storm that your family has weathered in the past couple of decades, that I haven't been amazed at your grace and your complete inability to fail, or drop the ball. My prayers are with you also. I love you.
Sometimes, just the being there is all that needs to be. Your sisters-in-law are a wonderful bunch of very caring women and I find myself longing for that kind of family here. I know my Hatteras Sisters will always be there but nothing beats family(even when you want to do the beating). The Lord works in strange ways and I think those prayers that you say when you don't even realize your praying are the ones He hears the most. He will guide you when you need Him. Thanks for being my Hatteras sister.
i know that you will find the right things to say when they need to be said - bring there is often enough, and sometimes the best thing to say is "i don't know what to say" because words never change the reality of something like this - but, knowing you want to be there and help is enough. love and prayers with you and all your family. . . carolina
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