Easter Saturday, and Stuff…

Folks, it’s the day before Easter. In the Christian faith, Easter is the day Jesus rose again, and thus gave hope to humanity that our sins would be forgiven and we’d ultimately ascend to Heaven if we only believed (and did our best). (Yes, this is a major oversimplification. But it’s the best I can do right now, which I’ll get into in a bit.)

So, when Easter is about to be celebrated, it’s usually a time to count our blessings. And indeed, I try hard to do that.

However, a couple of days ago, one of my family members fell hard on the concrete, face-first. There are multiple fractures involved, and while it could’ve been much worse (the doctors involved feel the relative lack of injuries are damned near miraculous), this has necessitated a stay in the hospital for my family member and perhaps may lead to either long-term rehab in a facility or at best, long-term rehab with home-health nurses coming in multiple times a day.

I have tried to keep my siblings in the loop. I have tried to keep my close friends in the loop. And I’ve also tried hard to help in whatever ways I can.

I still have to get my work done. I still have to do some writing, or I don’t feel much like myself. I still have to deal with my own health issues, and I have to make long-term plans.

But saying that is very difficult, because I don’t feel like I should be dwelling on myself when my family member got badly hurt.

How does these two things relate? I honestly am not sure. It may just be the juxtaposition of the timing and my family member’s injuries that’s getting to me. Or it could be that I feel like I’ve failed in some way, because I can’t do any more than I already am.

I’ll do what I can to hold the happiness of Easter in my heart, even though I’m more of a spiritual seeker than a Christian at this point. (I believe in Jesus, though. No question about that.) We all need hope, and we all need to believe that no matter how dark our lives may be, there is light at the end of the tunnel — and it’s not an oncoming train.

Anyway, I thought I’d give an update, as I know I didn’t write the blogs I’d intended due to my family member’s injuries. (I had wanted to write a Brewers preview, and also discuss the Milwaukee Bucks a bit as they’re going to make the NBA playoffs this year again and might just do a bit better than last year…but if I do that at all, it’s going to have to be a bit late, as my family member will need weeks if not months of recovery.)

I will keep writing, I will keep editing, I will do my best, and I will keep trying.

But there’s a reason Three Days Grace’s song “The Mountain” appeals to me…just sayin’.

How have you dealt with close family members and their illnesses or injuries? Do you have any tips for me? Tell me about it in the comments.