8:53 p.m. - 2002-12-25
Counting My Blessings
Hmmm..... one of those 24 hour periods when just about everything goes sideways. Not that that's a bad thing - as long as you see it as an adventure.
Just as I was finishing my entry for yesterday (Christmas Eve) the site froze. It has happened once or twice before, but a copy and paste into wordpad ensures that nothing is lost. I knew what I had planned for the rest of the evening - not to be. Pasted and saved the entry, then called one of my sisters. I needed to know the name of one of our guests today - knew it started with a "c" and ended with an "a", but couldn't, for the life of me fill in the middle. She said she thought it was "C...a". Wrong.
We got to talking about my Dad. He's very independent, but his health hasn't been very good this past while. I think it may be the flu virus - Norwalk - that has been plaguing large segments of the city for over 4 months; Dad just can't seem to shake it. We were discussing if there was a way to help him out a little. I know myself that in cases where people have intervened "on my behalf", even with the best of intentions, during the past few years, it often created more problems than it solved. For example, the last time I went in to see my supervisor, he pretty well admitted that he hadn't placed me into another assignment right away because my health has been so compromised; the comment was "well it won't help you if your not alive will it?". Problem is, other than the initial allergic reaction, a major factor in the continued illness has been unremitting high levels of stress - work and family related. While not working did give my admittedly exhausted body a rest, it increased my stress load ten-fold. No income with bills rolling in can do that to a person. He also made that decision without asking for my input. That says to me he doesn't feel I'm competent to manage my own life. That's a lack of respect that is bound to affect every other decision he makes down the road. Even if it doesn't, I'll be constantly wondering where else he isn't being honest with me. To me trust is the one essential in any relationship - work or personal. To get back to my Dad's health problems, it is imperative that he always knows he is control of the final decisions. My sister and I decided to try doing a little of his housework, but without implying that his independence is in any way being questioned or challenged.
Next, the phone rang and it was my brother. Dad just called and asked if we could change the location of our Christmas gathering. Sure but why? Well, he thinks he may have measles or chicken pox and he doesn't want to infect anyone. Surprise! How can someone in their '70's still be susceptible to childhood diseases. Immunity wears off after awhile. Questioned my brother for more details and then called my Dad directly. Don't really care about the measles part - you're infectious BEFORE you break out - but it was important to be sure he was ok otherwise. His description of his sequence of symptom development was consistent with the disease. A visual check today makes it pretty likely. Nice Christmas present, eh?
The decision was made in the morning to gather at my Dad's since he was feeling ok other than being itchy. We offered to make some "dummy" mitts for him. In the meantime, all the time I had spent on the phone Christmas Eve meant no baking or dancing. Got up this morning made two double wide cheesecakes - one cherry and one pumpkin - and four dozen butter tarts. Oh, and then I had all the gifts to sort and package up pretty. As I mentioned earlier, I had picked up little bits and pieces over the past few months - books mostly, from the bookstore near where I work that seemed to constantly having really great sales - but I hadn't really sat down and figured out if everything actually balanced out for everyone. Had to spend some time working through that before I could wrap. My guys were very helpful so we even finished with time to spare. Good thing. Someone must have left some kleenex in a pocket of their dark jeans; one load of wash later the sweater I had intended to wear was all linty. Of course, I didn't realize the problem until I put it on. Second change of clothees necessary. Still had time to check my e-mail and watch the kids from the neighbourhood skating on the rink across the street (no snow, but the city will berm part of a tot lot if a nearby resident will flood it) before my brother arrived to drive us over to Dad's. Note to me: kittens don't need catnip as a gift.
The Day? Any time with family is well spent, but today everyone seemed to be extra mellow and accommodating. It has been a challenging year for everyone in some aspect of their lives, so the positive mood and upbeat antics were greatly appreciated. The Ukrainian gift exchange was very entertaining - seemed to be an awful lot of trades where beer, wine, and calendars were concerned. Gifts, for me, have never been a big issue, but everything I received this year seemed to be very meaningful. I must admit that what I am enjoying the most right now is a glass of ambrosia in the form of Japanese Plum Wine - yum! That and a rather odd gift from the body. When I stepped out of the car at my Dad's I looked down and realized that my slip was around my ankles. That in itself was pretty embarrassing. Lucky I had a long skirt on so it wasn't too obvious - at least not until I tried to slide it back up into place since I couldn't take a step without doing so - but it does mean all that exercise and dancing I've been doing is starting to pay off. Truth to tell I knew my clothes were looser, but I didn't realize that they were that loose. My sons offerings were all very special each reflecting their unique personalities and from the rest of my family showing their care. Good day. Bing Crosby's "Counting Your Blessings" - White Christmas is on right now - sums it up best.
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