Thoughts On Family And Home ...

I'm back home after a eight day trip up to New England to visit with my brother who is recovering well from surgery. He has another health issue discovered after the surgery ... a damaged heart and the eventual need to implant a defibrillator that will shock his heart if the rhythm goes wrong. But he is now at home and eating on his own. Hopefully he will begin putting on some weight.

He seems to be in good hands both medically and at home where Lee, his significant other, dotes on him, cooks lovely foods and tries to keep him interested in at least tasting things. Because the tumor in his esophagus was so close to his stomach, part of it was removed in surgery. Now, because his stomach is smaller, he has to eat many "little" meals during the day instead of the large three that most of us are used to consuming. Many morbidly obese individuals are successfully having a similar surgery done these days to help them lose weight. He has always been as thin as a rail so this was not exactly what he needs. However, in order to live healthily this is what he is gifted with.

While there we also had a chance to visit with my other brother and his significant other, Iris, who is just the sweetest person imaginable. We had lunch together along with my nephew, Jesse and his wife, Amanda. Little Anya was with her great grandparents, allowing her mom and dad to have a peaceful meal. But we did get to spend time with Anya the next day when she and mom, Amanda, came to our hotel to visit.

Anya just turned one a few weeks ago and is a wonderful bundle of loveliness. But she can also be a handful if she doesn't want to do what you want her to do. It seems she's inherited a bunch of family "stubborn" genes. She seems to be as slippery as an eel and if she doesn't want to be held, there is not much you can do to hold on to her.

They say that home is where the heart is and I'm home right now in Virginia where a large part of heart lives, while all these family members are about 750 miles away. I also have other family members in North Carolina. Since parts of my heart are with all of them, I suppose you might say, I have a number of homes. fortunately, my son and his wife live about 15 minutes away. We spent a lovely time with them yesterday on Father's Day. Mark had baked a delicious bread pudding for the occasion and we simply relaxed as family.

I do wish that the others, so far away, were a bit closer so that we could see them more often. But I do feel grateful for all of my family members and my many homes!