making organic lemonade out of rotten lemons...


I have been trying to understand the dynamics of a dysfunctional family..especially when there is someone in need of love and compassion...
Yes, it's a cliche that you can pick your friends but not your family..but it's a knife that cuts deep..I personally encountered that over the Holidays with much sadness. What a shame and down right piss ant way to go in love and light..what hypocrisy! To claim that you art so holy and giving at the Holiday "love" fest at home... as they give thanks are they thinking about anything but the perfectly arranged food plate...?
Ever watch "Home for the Holidays"?..now that was "dysfunction", but at the end of the movie you know that they would all be communicating again..not just to say "pass the eggnog" laced with healthy doses of libations...
why don't we give a bit more to the ones that we call "family".
Hand me a plate of gourmet contrived Holiday food and I will barf. If I hear of another fa la la menu that outlines on their websites how they are looking for the perfect side dish to go with their gastronomic "Julia Child" specialties...How can these same people turn their backs, heart and soul, on their own family?..if they try not to worry about the cuisine and make some phone calls to invite them back into their lives, than the food would be secondary...
We can gather for funerals for appearance sake...but screw all the "love", after the casket is put in the ground!
I have been given a gift when I go for my oncology appointments.. meeting fellow cancer patients, and sharing our tales has kept me uplifted, after telling them about my family...A loving lick from the therapy pooch brought so much joy to many this season at the oncology clinic..what a joy to see their faces as "Joey" {a handsome golden retriever, therapy "love" dog} made his entrance..he took my fears away the first time I met him, and has miraculously been there whenever I arrived, since he is only there occasionally..it was a miracle to feel that again...family in a canine..how bizarre, but true. He licked away my tears that reflected the blinking lights of the decorated desks...Reflections of hope glistened on many a patient's faces...
On the Holidays I would like to propose a new tradition.
Sometimes the greatest triumph one can achieve in life is opening your heart and your homes...I know that it is the Forgotten Family members that need to be remembered this Christmas. I speak from the heart and sadly, experience..but if it doesn't materialize, than "Joey" will be there for me on Christmas.. he was my family this Thanksgiving along with a warm hearted friend's sincere caring invitation..
Even for those short spurts of time between visits, Joey has provided me the definition of finding hope, when the world seems to spinning out of control...

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