Safe Place

I always read about how families and home are to be the safe place.  I used to think that was because home was where you wouldn't be called names, where you would always feel accepted and appreciated, where your love tank was always overflowing.

Today we had more than a heaping measure of name-calling, toys flying in anger, patience and self-control taking varying portions of the day off.  But tonight, we regrouped.  We said our sorries and asked for forgiveness.  We talked about how even family can cause hurt feelings, even family can say mean words, even family can use tones of voices that make you feel devalued.  But in family, the door is never closed to making things right.  We love each other deeply, and even after a day that felt crummy, we can still snuggle close and whisper our love.  That is what makes family a very safe place to be.

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We're starting to fall all over ourselves here.  This room with four people going a bit stir-crazy is starting to feel a bit too small, and there have been two little boys who, once they've melted in sadness after a demonstration of frustration, have declared that they want to go home.  And their mama has quickly agreed with them.  It is a bit more of the beauty of the safe place, though, for we hold each other and cry and agree, and then we combine our strength to get through the next step.

Monday we had more x-rays that yielded a few extra days of turns and another appointment for this coming Monday.  The turns, though, have gone from 16 in the course of the day to about 6 - which has meant a drastic decrease in pain for Ish.  Today we even had daylight hours with no pain meds, something I never would have believed was possible just a few days ago.  The changed appointment schedule unfortunately does mean that instead of following our paper chain's lead of leaving Thursday afternoon, we really won't fully pack up until Tuesday the 17th.  We've got a first-grader here though who shouldn't miss that much school, and we're all really missing Daddy, so if Wednesday night yields good sleep for the driving mama, we are seriously considering leaving for home after Thursday's therapy session and then having 2-3 of us return on Sunday to finish out our stay. 

I can't think of a smart way to end this post, so here's a quote from the Tobester:

"I'm glad that I'm going to be a drummer when I grow up, 'cause I don't want to be a doctor and have to hit things on people's legs."

Toby in his improvised KNIGHT costume, a hint to the Casual Friday post yet to come!

I'm glad that I'm not a doctor, either, but that's mostly because there aren't enough smelling salts in the world to make that end well...