As a father, I’ve had many thoughts on my family and my responsibility to them. To me that thought is mind numbing. For the first 20 years of my being a parent, I had help. My girls had, in my opinion, the best mother on the planet. She gave everything to those girls. The last four years it has been just me. The youngest was 13, and the oldest 23 when their mother died. The oldest had been out of the house since she graduated High School. There was really no more parenting that needed to be done there. She was on her own. The next was a senior in High school and I had a sophomore and a 7th grader. These three still needed their mother, and I could not be her.
I struggle through with their help. Their mother did a good job at raising them, I just had to keep things flowing. Lucky me. The first year I had trouble keeping me flowing. The four of us at home kind of flowed with the stream for a while. Not our best moments by any standards, but we got through.
There were 2 high school graduations, 2 weddings, multiple boy friends in the past 4 years. I probably wasn’t the best at handling all that. But again we made it through. I should emphasize that WE made it through.
Video tapes of my daughters in plays were put into a safe place. Birth Certificates were put in a safe place. Those safe places were lost. I found tv remotes in the freezer. Bought more cabbage when I couldn’t find the head I just bought. Found the first head months (weeks maybe) later. By then it was a wonderful science experiment. There were a number of those experiments. But as a family WE made it through.
We all got together last January. My daughters, the extended families, grandkids and all went to the Zoo, went shopping, and just hung out. We made it through.
In the future, no matter how far apart we are, I know I can rely on my girls. We will make it through.
Extended family get-togethers sound wonderful… hope to have many of those when the kids get older. Hopefully they will all get along well enough to want to do so!
They actually seem to get along better now that they are older. In fact the farther they get from each other the better they get along. 😉
Wow. I don’t really know what to comment here. Just remember that Jesus has been right there with you in each of those moments you made it through, and will continue to be there. 🙂
Pick any or all of the following:
Florida in November
Hocking Hills in May
Backyard camping all summer
Gaming night
West Virginia in June*
*white water rafting with the extended in-laws. You and the girls are welcome anytime.
Sleep. Yeah sleep. Sleeping alone. I have been drug free sleeping for a year now. What really helped me is letting the dogs and cat sleep on the bed with me. I don’t feel alone and they snore really loud so it reminds me of when he was alive. 🙂