...until it's gone

You know we never appreciate the quiet, serene, almost idyllic times in our lives. The summer days outside watching our kids, or the winter night around a cozy fire until something happens to siderail what we take for granted. Our family recently got siderailed when my mother in law fell and broke her hip. Now the discussion around the dinner table is who is going to the rehab center at what time and what we have to install- be it a bathroom pull up bar and constructing a ramp. Most people deal with this in their fifties and sixties- I'm not even forty yet, my children are still in elementary school. But my husband's parents were both in their forties when they had him and he is an only child- so we are dealing with this now. Do my kids understand- not really- right now they see lost opportunity of after school activities and weekend activities that just are not going to happen for awhile. Will they understand later in life- I think so, I hope we are an example- I witnessed my mother taking care of my grandma, my father in law taking care of his father- I hope we are teaching them the right way to take care of those in our family who need our help, but I long for the lazy days and wonder how long it will be before they are back for us.