Crisis

Last night my grandmother fell while she was at work and broke her hip. She was scheduled for surgery this morning. I arrived at the hospital early this morning, and saw family members that I haven't talked to in years. A few weeks ago, we discussed Family Strengths, and this morning I found myself thinking about that checklist. One of the criteria for a strong family according to that list was the family being able to cope with stress and crisis. Today, I saw a family reunited to offer support and love for my grandmother. It was quite a wonderful thing in with not so wonderful circumstances, as we don't spend a lot of time together as family. It really made me realize that no matter the distance between us, my family will always be here for me. I wish they would come together in both good times and bad, but at least I know that I have people around to count on.
I was trying to relate this situation to my future professional life. Maybe I will work with families who have lost a loved one, or families working around addiction, or teenage mothers. Whatever I end up doing after school, I have come to realize that most families will unite in hard times. I am going to have to develop relationships not only with the family that I am working with, but also the extended family, because they are going to be affected by my work one way or another.