Sometimes all you need is a hug from the right person, and all your stress melts away.
This week I received a gift that I have needed for quite some time. My little brother has come home to visit with his wife and daughter. After being on the road experiencing life, they have come home to settle things with their house, and potentially set it up to rent out, or sell.
I didn't care what the reason was for their visit. I was just elated that they were here. It had been a year and a half since I had seen them all and I needed to just hug them. The interesting thing was, I thought my overwhelming need was going to be seeing my brother and hugging him for ever, but it wasn't. Turns out, the thing I needed most, to feed my soul, was to spend some quality time with my sister in law. As we all sat and chatted about life and where they had been, I realized my cup was filling up and I finally figured out why.
When Mom was rapidly going through her cancer journey I was never alone with the treatments, my sister in law was by my side the entire time and we dealt with every step together. That was important, because I didn't have the medical background or knowledge like she did. She was the rock that I held onto and gathered strength from. She has this amazing calming effect when it comes to scary things. I missed her heart, and her voice, and her gift of obscure knowledge about everything. We used to show up to family events and I would bring a nice dessert (my expertise) and she would bring homemade bread where she grew the wheat herself, and it was always the best thing I had ever tasted. I'm exaggerating a little, but not by much. 😊 I just figured out, that when they left, I lost a life preserver that I didn't even realize I was holding onto so tightly. That time was such a blur filled with a desperate need to keep someone alive. I didn't realize the intense bond that we were forming while banding together to provide as much care as we could for Mom.
I completely understand why they needed to take the journey they did, and their need to continue it. Life was so intense two times over and sometimes the most therapeutic thing to do, is pull in and saturate your immediate circle with love. That is what they did, and I get it. That's what my husband I did to. We pulled in and nurtured the crap out of each other and our kids.
I realized after seeing my brother that we never disconnected. I think the way we grew up, created an environment where we depended on each other like twins do. Over the past year and a half we have stayed connected through phone chat, or texting. I now understand that they don't have to be home, to be in my heart.
I was given a gift this week that I needed very much. Sometimes all you need is a hug from the right person(s), and all your stress melts away.
I didn't care what the reason was for their visit. I was just elated that they were here. It had been a year and a half since I had seen them all and I needed to just hug them. The interesting thing was, I thought my overwhelming need was going to be seeing my brother and hugging him for ever, but it wasn't. Turns out, the thing I needed most, to feed my soul, was to spend some quality time with my sister in law. As we all sat and chatted about life and where they had been, I realized my cup was filling up and I finally figured out why.
When Mom was rapidly going through her cancer journey I was never alone with the treatments, my sister in law was by my side the entire time and we dealt with every step together. That was important, because I didn't have the medical background or knowledge like she did. She was the rock that I held onto and gathered strength from. She has this amazing calming effect when it comes to scary things. I missed her heart, and her voice, and her gift of obscure knowledge about everything. We used to show up to family events and I would bring a nice dessert (my expertise) and she would bring homemade bread where she grew the wheat herself, and it was always the best thing I had ever tasted. I'm exaggerating a little, but not by much. 😊 I just figured out, that when they left, I lost a life preserver that I didn't even realize I was holding onto so tightly. That time was such a blur filled with a desperate need to keep someone alive. I didn't realize the intense bond that we were forming while banding together to provide as much care as we could for Mom.
I completely understand why they needed to take the journey they did, and their need to continue it. Life was so intense two times over and sometimes the most therapeutic thing to do, is pull in and saturate your immediate circle with love. That is what they did, and I get it. That's what my husband I did to. We pulled in and nurtured the crap out of each other and our kids.
I realized after seeing my brother that we never disconnected. I think the way we grew up, created an environment where we depended on each other like twins do. Over the past year and a half we have stayed connected through phone chat, or texting. I now understand that they don't have to be home, to be in my heart.
I was given a gift this week that I needed very much. Sometimes all you need is a hug from the right person(s), and all your stress melts away.
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