Well I made it through... somehow. I enjoyed having my family here, and seeing their familiar loving faces so much. I cannot believe how much my nieces and nephews have grown, or that it had been four long years since seeing them. Two of them have become adults now, and I must say that they are wonderful, level headed young people, and I couldn't be prouder. It was my first time meeting my older sisters husband, and I must say that it was a more pleasant surprise than I had expected.
There have been some issues surrounding him since day one. He is a diagnosed Paranoid Schitzophrenic, and suddenly one day the two of them decided (before they were married) that God was telling them that he should go off his lithium. Im not sure what the hell voices they were hearing or which one of them were hearing em, but trust me people.... they don't prescribe lithium for shits and giggles. There were issues with him being a horses ass to both my little sister and my father, so I was prepared. I laid it out to my sister before they even left... and told her that he didn't need to be coming to my home, and preaching at anyone in it, because I already know that Jesus loves me. And then I said my last piece on it, "I'm sure that a little walk and talk with me would enlighten him about where I stand, and its a longassed drive back to Canada."
I was delighted to discover that he has seen the error of his ways, and meds are a wonderful thing when taken as directed. And I was even more relieved that there were no ugly confrontations, but just a good loving, sharing time.... as it should be. Especially the part about sledding down my hill in my laundry basket. Bwahahaha! Oh the memories!
The only sour point was with my baby sister. Her husband called her just a few days before Christmas, and said that he had been having an affair and was in love with her, bub bye and you arent welcome at home. Nice. He was the last person that I would have ever thought would behave this way, and it completely devastated her. We literally had to beg and plead and finally got her a seat on a plane here, and she arrived Christmas day. My sister is the epitome of class and money, and would never be seen in public without hair, face, nails, shoes, and purse matching... let alone have a breakdown. So when I arrived at the airport, alone, to pick her up and she finally saw me, she completely dissolved. I knew then that she was going to need me like she has never needed anyone in her life. It was so good that we had all the family and especially the kids around, because she was able to laugh and cry and just be loved, and there is no other feeling like that. She even wore leggings and *gasp* didnt do her hair and makeup for two whole days. hehe.
She has been pretty fragile, and I had 3 weeks straight of non-stop phone calls at home and at work, staying up at all hours of the night when she woke up with dreams and just couldn't stop crying. I am really thankful that she was able to stay with me for 10 days before going back home, because I think that it helped her heal some... faster than being alone would have. She has hooked up with a great therapist who is really doing good things, and just yesterday my sister called and said....I can see the light now, I know I am going to be ok. YAY! OF course it will make it easier getting on her feet because they have miserable amounts of money and shes getting half. Its a pretty hollow feeling though, when all you want really, is your marriage back. I will never understand how he could have been so cruel as to tell her on friday how much he loved her and wanted to start a family in the spring, and then monday her life is forever changed. I am so proud of the woman she has become, and she is truly walking in grace with this.
Anyhoo... I was fiddling with Mapquest and just thought hey... how about I put my current address in and then the address of where I was born, and see what it tells me: I am now 2812.26 miles from where I started, 46 hours, 4 mins driving time and in a whole new country. Wow, how time changes things.
