We spent the afternoon at the other "family compound" the other day, my brother, Sunshine, and I. My brother has been helping me assemble the bed frame for the trundle platform, and the shop space at the new property is amazing. Every tool I've needed (other than a pocket hole drill/jig/whatever-it's-called) is basically at my disposal. There are seven work benches (I think...I counted them one day), table saws and miter saws and clamps and drill presses and squares and tape measures and belt sanders. It's like a craftsman's paradise. (I've asked which work bench is mine. I'm only half kidding. I've been using my grandpa's and my dad's until someone assigns me my own.)
Sunshine got to play in the sprinkler with her cousins while my brother and I worked in the shop. My dad stopped by to help me figure out the cross braces that I decided to add to the bed at the last minute. (I've been taking pictures of this whole process so that I can post a step-by-step guide showing how we built this thing.)
It was a good day with family, having fun and getting stuff done.
After Sunshine and I got back home, the fun swiftly ended when my mom yelled up to me that an ambulance had been called for my grandpa. Unbeknownst to us, my cousin had found Grandpa confused and unable to recognize his family as Sunshine and I were getting in the car to leave. My mom and I raced to the hospital where we met other members of the family as we waited to hear what was wrong. It's not certain yet, but the doctors think he may have had a massive stroke. He's still with us, but I don't know what his recovery will look like.
It's been a hard couple of days.
I keep thinking about my last post on multigenerational living--about how we take care of each other. We're living it right now, and I am so thankful that my grandpa was surrounded by family when he needed us most.
If there's one thing I've been reminded of, it's how important it is to keep the important things important. To love our people, our tribe, whoever that may be for each of us. Life is so short, and these are the moments that matter. Times when we laugh together and cry together and do life together through the good times and the tragic times, the joy and the pain. And we're stronger for it.
It was a good day with family, having fun and getting stuff done.
After Sunshine and I got back home, the fun swiftly ended when my mom yelled up to me that an ambulance had been called for my grandpa. Unbeknownst to us, my cousin had found Grandpa confused and unable to recognize his family as Sunshine and I were getting in the car to leave. My mom and I raced to the hospital where we met other members of the family as we waited to hear what was wrong. It's not certain yet, but the doctors think he may have had a massive stroke. He's still with us, but I don't know what his recovery will look like.
It's been a hard couple of days.
I keep thinking about my last post on multigenerational living--about how we take care of each other. We're living it right now, and I am so thankful that my grandpa was surrounded by family when he needed us most.If there's one thing I've been reminded of, it's how important it is to keep the important things important. To love our people, our tribe, whoever that may be for each of us. Life is so short, and these are the moments that matter. Times when we laugh together and cry together and do life together through the good times and the tragic times, the joy and the pain. And we're stronger for it.
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