Comments on: Without Reservation

By: betsy

betsy — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:49:12 +0000

after hurricane katrina…when all i felt like i was doing for months was providing my patients with a forum to talk, rant, cry, and tell their stories….and there were many very horrible stories…the thing that always caused me to cry, then and now, was when they concluded about how lucky they were to still be alive. this heroic spirit was the one thing i wished the rest of the country could see and hear, and the one thing i knew they wouldn’t, because the media were comfortable with the bits they kept showing over and over. old men who put their handicapped wives on doors and floated them out. young men who kept people’s spirits up in a devastated superdome. responsible, brave folk who wept like children and then would dry their eyes and tell me how lucky they were. i was never so proud of the community. kind of like the proud i am of you and lily and sara right now!

By: Toni Michel Svoboda

Toni Michel Svoboda — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:20:45 +0000

Having lost my husband October 2008….
I can relate to many/most of your postings…
You are doing so well; I admire you…
Reality is Reality…but sometimes; even today; it still just does not seem possible…it’s like my Tony is just off on one of his trips…
God Bless You and Lily!!

By: Ines

Ines — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:59:49 +0000

Interesting… when I hit a very, very rough patch which is irrelevant to your hardship, I started thinking a lot about innocence. There are so many moments of purity and innocence in our lives, and we don’t even notice.
And you are right, we are lucky.

By: Rod McGarrie

Rod McGarrie — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:52:55 +0000

Lisa,
You have an incredible way of expressing yourself! I really enjoy the prespectives that you share and look forward to your posts!
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts!
Rod

By: joy

joy — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:49:34 +0000

WOW, what insight! Yes just about everyone who will come here and read is FORTUNATE in life. My parents were immigrants so they appreciated everything, mom saved string, rubberbands, EVERYTHING. I never understood why, but watching her, I realized NOTHING was taken for granted, especially good fortune (as Chinese say). You are so right in your observations about people and how they perceive the world through their set of glasses, some Gucci some K-mart but both are still better than MOST. Life has a way of giving and taking. Some people will blame something/someone for their fate. Sometimes life just IS. (IMHO) The key is to do exactly as you are doing and modeling for Lily…pick yourself up, assess the situation, learn from it if you can, appreciate what you do have, and move forward. It’s NOT an easy thing to do sometimes when it involves TREMENDOUS tragedy but the DOING is the LIVING. One day, when Lily is much older, she will look back, and the memories of these months past and years ahead may be the source of her strength to move through her own life situations. Your strength and wisdom and mothering will carry her far. You’re doing “good” Lisa. There sometimes are no answers for WHY when life’s HOLES just so happen to line up. It’s probably beneficial to get to that reality sooner rather than later, just as you seem to be doing. I admire your strength.