That's what family does....

Oh thank-you so much to those of you who thought to pray for my mom. She is feeling better. She was able to sleep well last night and is eating well. She seems to be getting her strength back a little more each day.

Emily and Todd welcomed their little bundle of joy into their family. ANd just as my mom has done for every single grandchild, she came and stayed with them for several days. My mom is great like that. She takes care of the other little people in the house, does laundry, cooks wonderful meals, and there is ALWAYS someone to hold the baby! And to prove how wonderful this time is, BOTH of her son-in-laws refer to these times as "vacation", and have always looked forward to it. She does it because she loves us. ANd that's what family does.

I think I told you that my folks were caring for a dear family friend (Uncle Roy) of ours who has pancreatic cancer and leukemia. Well when my mom got so sick, you can imagine what a toll this was on the whole situation there. Mom is the appointment maker, pill counter, nutritionist, housekeeper, secretary, dog walker(Uncle Roy also has a teeny little dog). My parents still have several businesses and a farm to run. So when mom gets sick, everything moves to a slow grind, as my dad does the best he can to keep up with it all and be a part time nurse on the side.

Thomasina closed up her studio and spent this past week at mom and dads, cooking, cleaning, and just doing all of the day to day tasks that must be done in a household when people are ill.
She went because she loves my mom, my dad, and my uncle Roy. And that's what family does.

Just days after the baby arrived at Em and Todd's house, they were hit with a wicked virus. It went through the kids. Then on to Todd. Then Emily. Leaving in it's wake fever ravaged bodies, and terrible aching limbs and muscles. They kept fighting. But, oh, these poor people!!!

And then it hit the baby.

Their doctor sent them straight to the hospital. They were emotionally and physically drained, and really fearing for their precious little baby girl.
So on Friday,we called off school, and the kids and I picked up their three boys, and they spent the weekend here with us. We enjoyed them so much. It was such a treat to have little guys back in our house! And we were hoping to give Em and Todd the time that they needed to recuperate, rest and regroup.

Because we love them. And that's what family does.

I know that Em will have so much more to write on all of this if things ever slow down a bit for them. Maisie seems to be in the clear and will hopefully be back home tomorrow.

All of this made me think about the blessings of family. I hope that I am instilling in my own children these life lessons. When push comes to shove, it's always "Family First". That's what family does.

And what a difference it makes. If you are blessed with a family like this, don't forget to thank them and be thankful FOR them.



Cheers!
Melissa