BETTER DAYS AHEAD

Better Days Ahead

I have been away from my blog for a while so I wanted to let everyone know what has been going on with me here at Tea Cottage Pretties.  As most of you know I lost my baby brother Paul back in June of this year.  My mother and my brother had lived together all of his life with the exception of only a few years.  He was born disabled and although he manage to take care of himself independently he was never able to hold down a job.  My mother and he had a special bond and it was not until he passed away that I realized how much they meant to each other.  Without my brother, my mom has become very sick and weak and I believe it is because she is grieving.  I wish I could make everything okay for her but I know only time will heal her broken heart.  My mother told me that she was scared to be alone and I asked if she wanted to come stay with us and she said yes.

My beautiful and loving husband told me that he would go get my mother for me and bring her here.  He had only two weeks left before he would deploy to serve in another country for a year but he would take a week of that and go get her and that is exactly what he did.  He drove two days to get to her home in North Carolina and then he had to help get her things packed up and in storage.  My brother's girlfriend (love of his life) Trish and my Eric got the work done and then my husband headed back to Texas with my mom.  The trip was hard on him and on my mother but they made it here.  My mom is very sick and she needs a lot of care.  It is my hope to help her regain her strength, heal and become independent again.

Many things have transpired since my baby brother passed away.  I have learned many things about life, people and myself.  Some things have been very painful, some unfortunate and some just down right sad.  I have seen others behave in ways that I can't even begin to understand and it has colored what I once thought of them.  So I have lost not only my baby brother but my healthy mother and my previous notions and beliefs about others in my life. 

Although I have lost some things in life, I have gained some things as well.  First and foremost, I have gained a new found understanding of just how much my husband loves me.  I have learned how far he will go to do something just because I told him I needed him.  He unselfishly sacrificed himself to make sure that my mother got here and he has been wonderful since she arrived.  I say all this with tears in my eyes because it overwhelms me just how much this beautiful man loves me.

Secondly, in dealing with others I have learned to make better judgements.  I have learned that sometimes you must have the grace to turn and walk away from others.  Sometimes no matter what you might have said it would not have changed anything and you might actually hurt others in the process.  Conversely, I have learned when necessary I will put a stop to someones bad behavior and simply not allow them to impose more pain and heartache on those I love.  Mostly, I have learned when to know the difference between those situation when I should simply walk away and when I should intervene.  I have essentially learned to pick my battles.

Last but certainly not least, I have learned that I am stronger than I knew I was before.  I have learned to have tremendous faith and to trust in my faith.  I have learned that no matter how bad things can be you can weather the storm.  I have learned that things have a funny way of working out and that somehow God will provide what is needed to see you through the storm.   I have learned that even on the darkest of days there is always hope.  We must always trust in our faith, have hope and believe that this to shall pass and that we will see better days ahead.