Rising To The Occasion

Have you ever experienced a change that was so gradual, you didn't see it happen? The past few weeks have revealed something like this to me. Let me explain.

I am the youngest of four siblings and as such, I'm usually treated as the "baby" of the family. I'm totally cool with that and most times it works to my advantage. For example, when we have a family potluck I'm usually assigned something like "drinks" or "veggie tray". Nothing too complicated, you know.

Over the past few weeks, I've needed to rise to the occasion and surprised myself. (I feel like I observed me from the outside. Does that make sense?)

My mom had knee replacement surgery at the end of October and obviously needed some help with things around the house as well as encouragement and a shoulder to lean on once in a while. I found myself giving up my time on the weekends to spend with her. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to. She has always been so giving and supportive of everyone else, it was her turn to be on the receiving end.

Don't get me wrong, visiting my mom is not out of the ordinary for me but it was the situation that was different this time. Providing support for her was incredibly satisfying, yet caused me to pause and reflect on the fact that I'm entering a new stage of life.

That was affirmed on Monday when Dad had a heart attack. I'm so thankful that he is home now and doing well but, again, a time to pause and reflect. My initial reaction was fear and panic. However, after I saw him and felt that everything was going to be OK, that is when I surprised myself. I pulled myself together and helped figure out logistics for the next few weeks as they both are recovering. I talked to nurses to find out more about his recovery and was there for his discharge. I've had some good talks with Dad over the past week.

I've changed and the way I deal with crises has changed. You never know what life is going to throw your way and the past few years have really shown that to me. It's all in how you handle the curve balls. Perhaps what I'm writing about is really called maturity and I'm finally catching on.