The adventures of Mommy woman
But a good day
Published on March 30, 2004 By JillUser In Blogging
I am not what most would think of as an emotional woman. I am not cold by any means but I am not the kind that cries at weddings (except my sister's) or at movies (well, once in a great while). I had three experiences today that had me in tears.

The first was when I was reading the local paper. There was a story on the front page that told about one of the local middle school's helping one of their 6th graders. It caught my attention because there was a picture of a mom who looked ill hugging a little boy. The story went on to tell the tale of this poor family stricken first by the 6th grade boy's mysterious ailment. He started having horrible seizures. He even got a concussion from one at school. The doctor started him on drug therapy for epilepsy but that quickly made things worse. More tests were done and an abnormality in his brain was found. They said that even if they operated, he wouldn't be much better off.

I started crying at the thought of how I would feel if this happened to either of my boys. Then, to make the crying increase, I read on to find out that the mom was soon diagnosed with breast and lymphatic cancer. Those poor people! They talked about how wonderful it is that the kids at school keep sending baskets of games, videos and treats for the boy. They also had a fund raiser and the nice little 6th graders pitched in their own money. One of the local banks started a fund for the family also. They started an account in their honor with $200 to start. They encouraged local families to send donations. I am definitly talking to my husband tonight about how much to send.

The next tear inducing experience was reading Janders article about having lost her baby due to premature labor. More tears. I think every day how incredibly fortunate I am but this sort of thing really slaps me across the face and tells me "you have no right to ever feel badly about your life". Janders, if you are reading this, best wishes.

Lastly, I made the mistake of turning on Oprah. Her show was about survivor stories. I only survived the first story. It was about a beautiful teen girl who was horribly burned in an automobile accident. A drunk driver was at the wheel. She was unconcious for months. Her ears, nose, lips, etc were gone. She talked about how in her mind she is still the same beautiful girl. She feels trapped in her body. Oh my heart!

Days like this leave me feeling incredibly fortunate. I try not to worry about these things happening to me but know that they can. I hug and kiss my husband and children and thank the powers that be that I have the wonderful life that I have.

Comments
on Mar 30, 2004
I'm right there with you, sister! I saw that show too...and blubbed like a baby over the girl that was burned.

on Mar 30, 2004
OK OK that was unfair! Now I am a little teary eyed!
It's bitter sweet... to be reminded that there are some things in life to be thankful for. The ones we take for granted on a regular basis. The simple things, like, our sense, sight, smell, touch....

Thank you for the reminder.
on Mar 30, 2004
You can't have joy without sorrow, nor pleasure without pain.  It's hard to realize how fortunate you are until you experience what is "worse" by either experiencing it, or learning about it.  With all the physical problems that I have, I always know that I am fortunate.  I see the stories of the people with incurable diseases, or things that effect them in odd ways (like seizures) and I think "I don't really have it that bad..."  Glad I didn't read or see those things.  I always get a sick feeling when I see burn victims. They not only had to endure a massive amount of physical pain, but the mental pain will never leave them.
on Mar 30, 2004
I also saw the thing on oprah, I also was in tears. THat woman was so inspirational. I also cried over that Dad that left his son in the van accidently. My heart broke because I know the guilt you feel when a child dies, and when it is directly your fault it must be unimaginable. I felt sad for thier family.

Thank you for your kind words about me. My hope in my article was to share my story, Im sorry I made you cry! But thank you for all the nice things you have said about me and my daughter.
on Mar 31, 2004
A girl who has been missing since October was found yesterday and it seems like our whole country is in mourning. Everybody had such hopes that she'd be returned, safe and sound. I feel so much for her parents, as well as her whole community of relatives, friends, teachers, and the people who have worked tirelessly to try and find her. It's amazing how many lives were touched by her, and the love of her parents.
on Mar 31, 2004
I get all teary eyed whenever I watch "Saving Private Ryan" does that count?

John Michael Montgomery's new song "Letters from Home" gets me all choked up on the third verse where he says "there ain't nothing funny when a soldier crys..." (about his dad telling him he's proud of him)

but then, i'm a dude... and we all know that we dudes aren't supposed to cry...

on Mar 31, 2004
WWII stuff makes me cry. I think of what our grandfathers must have endured and how grateful I am that they did. I think everyone is supposed to cry. How could you be numan otherwise? My dad has only cried a couple of times that I have been witness to in my life. He was raised in a very emotionally cold family. Sometimes crying is the best thing you can do. I feel much better today emotionally. Still ever grateful for everything I have which includes being part of the JU communtiy.