A lot of suffering going on at the moment

Dude, I’m tellin’ ya……..

I can’t say that I have a lot humorous thoughts racing around in my head the last few days. No more celebs to call out on the carpet for their misdeeds. No issues to complain about. None of my whining about being victimized or taken advantage of by one outfit or another.

Most of my thoughts are with two particular people and an entire nation of victims.

My father has been having a tough time with his health lately. He had to be hospitalized recently and as a family we are all concerned and praying that he gets back up on his feet soon. At the same time, obviously, things aren’t easy on my mother. His symptoms /condition isn’t important in this forum. He’s just been very weak and wants to get back to the comforts of home very badly.

It’s always tough to see a strong man held back by health ailments. This guy has the mind of a steel trap when he’s at 100%. Always a voracious reader, he could discuss any topic in the world with you. When he was in the working world before retirement, he was a computer programmer for Leo Burnett Advertising. Always has a witty observation or remark about the absurdities going on around us. Or a teasing, but loving jab to send your way when you put yourself in a position of embarassment. He’s a rabid sports fan which is directly where my brother and I got our passion for them. Living out-of-state, he misses his Chicago sports pages tremendously.

But right now, he’s just trying to regain his strength so he can start going back out to nice dinners with my mother and long walks holding hands like I’ve seen them do for about 35 years now. Always holding hands as they go. Since as far back as I can remember.

And of course my mom is concerned and devoting all of her time and energy to his comfort. The greatest dynamo I’ve ever seen. Got it from her own mother. I never saw a more active, involved person than my grandma. In her 60s, the woman used to be on her hands and knees in the yard pulling weeds, going on “champagne cruises”, selling Stanley home products to her friends and making endless deliveries, having the grandkids over for sleepovers, taking us to Dispensa’s Kiddie Kingdom and tons of other places, going dancing at the Baby Doll Polka Club out by Midway airport, etc. etc.   She had a million friends.

And then when I got old enough to see what my mom was up to, we had ourselves a new champion. Always involved in one club or another…women’s clubs, room mother at school, PTA, a working woman, you name it. As selfless as can be.

One of my childhood memories that often comes into my mind is of the family dinners we had each and every night. Everyone together. And when I was younger, I had to set the table and pour everyone’s milk. Well when you’re pouring milk for 5 people, you go through gallons pretty fast. So many times, I got to the bottom of the carton as I went. And every single time, mom took the 1/4 glass while everyone else had a full one. If everyone else got 2 porkchops and there was an uneven number, guess who settled for one?

So as usual, Mom is doing everything she can to make someone else as comfortable and taken care of as possible.

And just when you start feeling sorry for your family, and after a little while….yourself…….something happens like what happened in Haiti.

There’s reports today that there could be as many as 250,000 people dead. The capital, Port-au Prince, has allegedly been leveled. Practically nothing left. I heard on the television last night that there was only one hospital in the capital. And it collapsed with who knows how many people in it.

The devastation is hard to wrap your mind around. And as I think about my mom and dad battling thru our personal crisis, how many people in Haiti lost their entire families? I’m ready to get together with my sister and her husband, along with my brother, on Friday night for a night out together. How many people out there lost a brother or a sister or both? Besides much less important stuff like their homes and all of their belongings?

So if you are still fortunate enough to have your parents with you or siblings scattered around the globe somewhere, you should give them a call today. Thanksgiving and Christmas just came and went where we all try and get together and show our love for our families. But here is a good reminder that those expressions should be year round and not just on holidays or special occasions. Pick up the phone, or if you can, bop on over to their home and take them out for dinner tonite or tomorrow.

My friends know me as a complainer who often thinks my own little bullshit troubles supercede most other people’s problems. But I can honestly say that over the last 5 days, my troubles mean very little. My thoughts are entirely on other people these days and I’m just sorry it takes something like Haiti to smack me back into reality.

If you’re in a position to do so, make a donation to one of the groups racing out to help the victims in Haiti. If you’re not doing that well financially like so many these days, go to Red Cross and donate a pint of blood. Apparently this devastation is of biblical proportions.

A quarter-of-a-million people possibly dead.

It’s hard to comprehend.