Family Closeness

We got an early call this morning from Maurice to let me know that our mother had trouble with a nose bleed that she could not stop, and ended up taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. They finally cauterized her nose, and she was sent home and told me about noon that she was all right now but did feel quite tired after her medical adventure. Brother Gary came over to Maurice's home last evening, and they tried to decide whether to venture up to Syracuse to see how she was doing. A call to the hospital informed them that she was being released and would be fine. So they decided to stay put and let the rest of us know today. Today was the 27th anniversary of the death of our father, and this was on her mind when we visited on the phone today. These events happen in families, and the family rallies around and gets through the concern and then continues on as before. The notion that blood is thicker than water comes to mind especially as a family gathers to deal with a problem. There can be individual fights and disputes, but all are forgotten in a time of crisis, and all pull together. This makes me be especially thankful to have grown up in a large family and to have that united strength to call upon when in need. Somehow it also makes me sensitive to others that do not have family to rally about when needed. I guess that is where deacon training takes over as we reach out in unexpected ways to meet the needs of others.