Article #225 Personal Battles

            During a recent family holiday gathering, I was thrilled to have so many of my immediate family members together: six of my seven grandchildren, two of my four sons and their wives. It was not an easy to arrange with so many schedules involved. We solved the problem of the nearby in-laws who also wanted their family together for the holiday by combining families––the more the merrier. I get along well with all my daughter-in-law’s parents. We are near the same age and have much in common.

            Amid the chaos of so many cousins and siblings playing and moving about, it was possible to visit one on one with most of my family members. However just at dinnertime, tragedy struck when one of the youngest grandchildren, only three years old, was injured jumping on the trampoline outside with her six year old cousin. Her cries immediately brought everything to a stop. Her mom, a nurse, checked out the leg that the child couldn’t put any weight on.  The immediate thought was a hairline fracture of the femur, which proved to be true later. This was almost stopped our holiday dinner in its tracks, until an in-law grandparent suggested that the child lay down and watch a video while the rest of us ate dinner before making the trip to the ER.

            Our celebration ended after dinner when the parents of the injured child left for x-rays. This sweet grandchild’s femur did have a hairline fracture which will necessitate this lively little girl to curtail her activities for many weeks. She is too young for crutches and too heavy to be carried everywhere with a cast on her leg. What a sad development for an otherwise joyous holiday gathering of feasting and visiting.

            Mishaps, accidents and opposition are personal battles to be expected in life even though we try to avoid them. As a parent or grandparent you don’t want your loved ones to have to ever experience pain or discomfort. You would gladly carry their burdens on your own shoulders, but it can’t be done. We, each of us, will have our share of challenges to work through as we assume the responsibilities of parenting and try to protect our family from disappointment, worry or pain. We can rally together to give support, love and prayers as a family as trials come into our individual lives. NEXT TIME: New Traditions