Circle of Life

Interesting "World Clock." I was heartened to see that the rate of bicycle production outpaced computer production. There is hope. :-)

* * *
I received a phone call from my sister yesterday. She is closest in proximity to my parents, and she ends up taking care of them more directly than me. I provide financial assistance, but not direct assistance. I am grateful for her presence. I truly am.

Two points:

1. I learned that my father's "good" eye is now developing macular degeneration and he now can't drive. This is a significant development because up to this point I was counting on his good health to provide the general care for my mother. My mother, my sister reports, has degraded to a point where a nursing home is probably indicated. So there's been a bit of an "inflection point" in the health and well being of my parents.
   
2. My family is somewhat dysfunctional. We all endured various emotional trauma during our upbringing. What this latest development is serving to do is flush some of that to the surface. Being called upon to care for a parent is difficult when the child feels the parent failed the child earlier in life. Up to this point I was only really aware of my own issues. But on the call with my sister yesterday, she expressed, in stronger terms than I've ever heard her express, that she has some significant issues with my parents and she's struggling to get past those. My other sister practically refuses to have anything to do with my parents. So there was some seriously bad things that happened back in the early 70's and the full extent of it is a mystery to me. I see my slice, but not the whole pie.

This turn of events has me somewhat unsettled. There are many variables in play right now. I am not sure how things will develop. I find myself wishing for "certain events" so that I no longer need to deal with this. Isn't that awful?