In Others’ Words: The Everything of Family

There’s nothing quite like family rallying together in a crisis.

Yesterday, my family rallied round my almost 99-year-old mother-in-law after she fell in her bathroom and ended up being taken to the emergency room via ambulance — she said the trip wasn’t bad — and then spent the day getting x-rayed and scanned.

But they also rallied around one another in a time of concern … a time of “we don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’ll get through this together.”

I had a three-way conversation going via text with my husband, who was in Seattle visiting our son, and our two oldest daughters, thanks to my husband texting them. While I drove to the hospital ahead of the ambulance, my daughters’ “Do you want us to come?” texts quickly turned to “We’re on our way” messages, complete with offers to pick up food or drinks — whatever was needed. They ignored my “I’m okay” replies and met me at the ER waiting room because, well, that’s what family does at times like these: you rally round and help one another. You don’t wait to be asked … you show up. 

My two daughters were the ones to say we needed to call their younger sister, who was in school. No, she couldn’t do anything right then, but she deserved to be in the loop. And after school she chose to show up, too, and spend some time with her grandmother. Now that the my mother-in-law is home — broken ribs, but no broken hip or shoulder — my son is planning a phone call. And my two sons-in-love were available all day, too.

Was today hard? Yes — mostly for my mother-in-law. But she knows her family loves her no matter what.

Family trumps everything … and you show up when someone is hurting. 

In Your Words: When have you seen the truth that “Family is Everything” lived out?

In Others\’ Words: The Everything of Family http://wp.me/p63waO-2pN #quotes #family

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\”Family is not an important thing. It\’s everything.\” http://wp.me/p63waO-2pN #quotes #family

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