Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Thankful Tuesday--October 21, 2014

I am thankful for silver linings.


For the past few days, I have been spending time with my mother in the hospital. There were many difficult parts to this situation, but there were many good parts also. Here are some of the silver linings to the clouds we encountered.

--First, an unclaimed suitcase (possible terrorist attack) shut down the hospital that was only an hour and a half away for my mother, so she had a difficult ambulance ride three hours away instead. However, the longer ride meant that she was in a hospital where she had been before and they had all of her records. 

--There was a frenzied preparation and four hour drive to meet her at the hospital. However, I got to go with my sister instead of alone.  

--It was football weekend in town which meant that the hotel rates quadrupled. However, the hospital had an inexpensive room for us to sleep in during those expensive nights. 

--The football game tailgaters occupied an entire large parking lot on game day making parking for the hospital difficult. However, we got to see the excitement of the crowd, meet the school mascot, and hear the pep band as they prepared for the game. 

--My mother suffered through some very long, difficult tests. However they showed that the problem was getting better.

--We drove my mother home on crooked, mountain roads during which all of us were carsick. However, we got to see beautiful changing leaves. 

There's no place like home.


10 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry about your mother's illness. It's hard on her and hard on the loved ones to watch her going through her difficult time.

    I am thankful for an online friend who is able to see silver linings.

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    1. Kris,
      Thanks for your understanding words.

      The three other times this year that we've taken a trip to the hospital during an emergency with my mother have been much worse than this time. The fact that she got to go home this time instead of to rehab was the best silver lining of all.

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  2. How wonderful that you could look beyond the difficulties and see silver. Sometimes I can but sometimes it just feels impossible to do. Glad you got some good news about the improvement. Wishing all the best!

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    1. Anne,
      As I mentioned to Kris, this time was better than some of the other hospital trips we've had this year. That really put this one into perspective and made it easier to see the silver linings. I don't always immediately see the better side of things and it's something I have to work at. But it really does help when I can. Also, I went to college at the school where the hospital was, so I actually really enjoyed seeing the mascot and hearing the band even though parking was difficult.

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  3. Sounds like your practice of accepting the present moment, even when it's not going as you would wish and your 'thankful' practice as shared on the blog, were useful ones in that they helped you see the good things as well as the not so good. I'm glad that you were able to get your mother home and that she is getting better.

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    1. Thanks for reminding me that I am making progress with living in the moment and being thankful. Sometimes I forget how far I've come. I guess I'm not only learning to talk the talk, I'm learning to walk the walk. Now if I can just remember these lessons when my boss is irritating me tomorrow. :)

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  4. I'm sorry you had such a long week, but glad that your mother is seeing some improvement.

    I'm a glass is half full kind of girl and my husband finds it highly amusing. Like you I realize life happens anyway, might as well find the good in it.

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    1. That's a very good way to look at it. "Life happens anyway, might as well find the good in it."

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  5. I hope your mother is doing much better now. I've heard of positive people but you have to be really positive to find all those silver linings in this experience. The winding roads would have been lovely to see.

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    1. Although the long ride home was hard on my mother, it was very good because she hasn't been out of the house much at all. It was interesting to watch as we went further south the change in the leaves from peak color to only partially changed.

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