Growing Up

Usually my blog entries are reflective of what I am going through/what is happening in life on a day to day basis. I try to be as transparent as I can while also trying to add humor to any situation. Today is no different. I came to work with a heavy heart for my family. I have watched and struggled these past few months with the death of my grandfather, a grandmother who is battling with alzheimers and has seemed to get worse each day, and watching a disabled Uncle deal not only with the death of his father (who he lived with along with his mom for 60+ years) but also get acclimated to life after the fact, including changing his surroundings to assissted living. Those who know me well have heard me talk about Uncle Mike. He is my favorite relative in my family and holds a special part of my heart that no one else could begin to take. On the way to work this morning I was thinking about how much easier life was as a kid. I am sure my family had struggles when I was younger, however when you are young, at least for me, I didn't really know what was going on. I just knew I was in a loving environment and whatever happened, my parents would be there to take care of it. Now that I am older, I realize that some things can't always be "fixed" by my parents. It takes a stronger faith that I am learning more about each day. I also realize that my parents or John or anyone else can't take away the sadness that I feel when going through these times with my family. It is something you just have to work through on your own I guess. This has been my true indicator of growing up. I realize that this is real life stuff and it won't just go away. You have to find a way to deal with it on your own. You have to find a way to dig deep inside and just continue to pray when you feel like the situation is never going to get better. And trust that the Lord promises never to give us anything we can't handle.