Week 13: Television,Presents, Hospitals and the F word

I’m talking about the challenging F called the ‘family function’. Our family has many females as well ( when I googled family dogpile, this is the closest image to the thoughts I had around my experience of the holidays.

I chose to go back to the states and join in a traditional holiday celebration. This wonderful group of people spend a good part of the year finding funny, sweet, useful gifts to indulge each other.

In recent previous years, I had bought gifts only for my three girls, stopped wanting a cut tree or wrapping said gifts. Our get togethers usually involved a meal or dessert out and about 3 hours of time.

So this year I chose a White Christmas, mall shopping, huge meal consumption, gift buying,wrapping and exchanging and two weeks with a lovely extended family in Chicago.

There are some wholesome intentions in gatherings like this. A lot of love, some drama, and in this case a near emergency. A man my age suddenly displayed symptoms of heart attack as we gathered on the night of the 25th to open presents.

Family rallied, the EMTs were called, the ambulance and a long night in the hospital. After 12hrs of blood draws and tests we discovered he had a deeply pulled muscle from over exertion the week before, what a relief, and for the next day or so each member of the family reflected and adjusted in their own way to this event and what it meant in their life.

How quickly humans appear to adjust to drastic events…And how easily they fall back into their set pattern s.

This second week away is also more challenging. The cards work the best, the reading, the ‘do it now’and the movie trailer.

My daughter likes the cards and is beginning to see the benefit of listing what she has done well rather falling to negative bias.

I think in the coming years I will design my own sacred events. Not for the public, just an intimate celebration for gratitudes, appreciations and a long look at my beliefs. I can see this is a life long process and instant progress as well.

Each tool and symbol in life can support new belief or transport us into what our past has determined, our choice…And I for one choose freedom