The Men In My Family

I had the privilege of spending a lot of time with my Dad today while he was in the hospital for what was supposed to be an outpatient heart procedure. (It turned into a mini-overnight vacation, complete with room service but we are so grateful he is doing well.) Mom was there with him all morning, of course, but she also had a family funeral to attend today so I volunteered to stay with Dad in the afternoon while she was away.

I would have been at the hospital sooner but today was Bill's first day at work after his shoulder surgery and he still needs my help with a few things. (It was so adorable to see him give me a boyish grin after he put his jacket on..  All. By. Himself!  We're definitely making progress!) I took a deep breath as I watched My Guy drive off this afternoon.  I miss him so much now that his vacation time is over. I know he was uncomfortable for much of his time off, but I selfishly loved being able to spend so much time with the love of my life. 

These are my two guys who each had surgery within a 7 day span.

It was good to have something to occupy my time this afternoon so that I wouldn't spend too much time pouting over missing my hubby and I loved the hours of conversation with Dad. We talked about anything and everything... WWII, memories, old injuries, Bill's shoulder, auto repairs, and family.  Dad joked around a lot, pranking me several times when his bp cuff would start to inflate and he would yell, "help me, help me!" in a panicked voice until I rushed over to help.. and then he would laugh over how clever he was to trick me like that. I fell for it.. every time! He is a naughty monkey and I am completely gullible! I loved his laughter and his smiles that went on for hours and hours. I am grateful for his skilled doctors who took such great care of him today so that he will have many more years ahead to be a happy prankster with his family.

When I came home late in the evening, I was instantly welcomed by cheerful greetings and smothered by my girlies' hugs.  Ahh, home! There's no place like it! I know I brag about it all the time, but seriously.. I don't think you understand how lucky I am to be surrounded by these loving girls. (Try not to be too jealous!) They are the light of my life, without a doubt!

Now that I'm all snug in my bed, I keep replaying the conversations Dad and I had today about different people and their families. There are so many people struggling right now with very hard family situations... some with very little family at all, and some that are mourning the recent loss of family members. How could I not think of those less fortunate tonight as I was surrounded by my loving daughters and anxiously waiting for my sweet hubby to get home from work? I wish that everyone could feel the love, comfort and peace that I get to experience with my tribe. I wonder how different the world would be if everyone felt nothing but peace and security within their own families.  I bet the world would take a deep, calming breath and the Earth would sigh with contentment.

It's a nice thought, isn't it?