Most folks go kind of crazy at this time of year. I was talking with friends a while back and several of us expressed some pain about families - namely our children. Even though we're old and they're middle aged, we can still push each other's buttons. And that's double true because we love them so much - and it's Christmas!
I was dreading a phone call I had to make this week but it ended up being just great. Prior to making it I was thinking about one of my favorite poets, Emily Dickinson, and her poem about not worrying about stuff that might happen.
Tis harder knowing it is due,
Than knowing it is here.
I like to picture Emily, the recluse, living out her life in the quiet of her parents home. A perfect family. Then yesterday I saw something that made me laugh out loud. An ad for a book about Emily Dickinson.
LIVES LIKE LOADED GUNS, Emily Dickinson and Her Family's Feuds
....suggesting that her seclusion was due to her suffering from epilepsy, a highly stigmatized disorder in her day. At the same time, the tensions within the household came from her brother Austin's adultery with the vivacious, ambitious, and talented Mabel Todd, who usurped control of the family.
So there you have it. Yet another example that there are no perfect families. Isn't that comforting?
Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones.
***
I was dreading a phone call I had to make this week but it ended up being just great. Prior to making it I was thinking about one of my favorite poets, Emily Dickinson, and her poem about not worrying about stuff that might happen.
Tis harder knowing it is due,
Than knowing it is here.
I like to picture Emily, the recluse, living out her life in the quiet of her parents home. A perfect family. Then yesterday I saw something that made me laugh out loud. An ad for a book about Emily Dickinson.
LIVES LIKE LOADED GUNS, Emily Dickinson and Her Family's Feuds
....suggesting that her seclusion was due to her suffering from epilepsy, a highly stigmatized disorder in her day. At the same time, the tensions within the household came from her brother Austin's adultery with the vivacious, ambitious, and talented Mabel Todd, who usurped control of the family. So there you have it. Yet another example that there are no perfect families. Isn't that comforting?
Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones.
***
