punkinhead

It has been a worrisome week for our family, as one of our closest family member has been diagnosed with cancer.   It’s Stage 1, treatable, hasn’t spread, and, Thank God, not in the lymph nodes.   But still……scary stuff.

Then last night I get a call from my sister and she tells me the boy my niece was dating committed suicide.   My heart breaks for his family and my niece.  That’s a huge thing to deal with at the tender age of 19.   She is the sweetest girl you’d ever meet – I’m so sorry she has to experience that.

Then, believe it or not, while at dinner and my husband, daughter, and I are discussing that news, we get a call that his brother had a massive heart attack and passed away.  

Can this really be happening?   It was not totally unexpected, he had been in poor health, but still shocking at the same time.

While reeling from the news, my astute 13 year old makes the 3’s connection.   Then she makes an even more surprising one:  3 years ago, almost exactly, my mother in law passed away.  Her 2 sisters followed within a few months later.  3 again.   And 3 years prior to that, my grandmother passed away.   Passings that had a huge impact on my daughter.  I wish I could protect her from mourning, funerals, feelings of loss.  But I can’t.   We just had to deal with it and move on.  I know from experience it just takes time.  And more time. 

So, as sometimes happens, this post has nothing to do with baby hats.  Or knitting.  Or anything except reminding us to love our families and hold them close.  Life can change in an instant.

Oh, and check your skin.  Check your boobies.   See your doctor if anything seems amiss with anything in your body.  Early detection is what will save our loved one’s life.  And could save yours, too.

I’ve had one of those mornings.  My daily list of ‘5 things’ includes 5 things that have gone wrong before 9 a.m.  I could keep adding to the list, but I don’t need to bum myself out any more.

So, what do you do when your day starts badly?  Try to change your perspective, I guess.   Yes, many minor things have happened, but I got my daughter to school safely, I had some alone time at work this morning, my workout went quickly, I’m healthy, and I get to go on vacation soon.   There, that’s my list of 5 things.   Did it.  

Though it didn’t help.  I’m still in a funk.  I guess it’s time to change to some real funk, ala Wild Cherry.  “Play that Funky Music” never fails to make me chuckle.  Especially when I think of my 3 year old daughter calling the song “Play that Funky Music why why”.  Yes, I started her musical education early.  As all parents should.

Time to restart my day.