Or “How We Are Surviving”
- Develope a routine. A routine is much like a tradition– it tells us what we are and what we are expected to do. Routine is the mother of normal, and normalcy is comforting, even if “normal” sucks.
- Keep positive. Keeping positive does not mean that you can’t cry or be realistic. For me, it means that in situations where I can either laugh or cry, I choose to laugh.
- Communicate kindly and clearly. Speak instead of shout, and say what’s really bothering you, not just what you *think* is bothering you. Your family is stressed, too.
- Talk to the other families. It’s refreshing to hear about someone else’s struggles.
- Make normal happen. Drag it kicking and screaming and force it into its new hospital shaped box. Mum and I watched a movie on Netflix this weekend. It took us two days to get through it, but it was really great to do something together besides talk medical stuff. Later this week we’re hoping to leave Katya with daddy for a bit and go out– anywhere, really– with the volunteer van driver. We’re really looking forward to it.
- Don’t think about home too much. You are needed in the present, in the hospital. Dwelling very much about another time and place, and all the things you are missing, isn’t going to help anyone, and will sap your emotional energy. For me, “very much” is the duration of one Skype call, two viewings of the “events” listing on Facebook, three minutes of serious thought.
- Trust God. I could have mentioned it first, but I mention it last because trusting God, and believing in His Goodness, is essential for everything.
Cherry Tea 