neurological dryer lint

something i haven't quite talked about a whole lot is the stuff that's been going on w/my grandparents, both of whom were simultaneously in the hospital this past month - my grandfather with a minor stroke and my grandmother still suffering the effects of an aneurysm... it was interesting how it brought our family together in a way that rarely happens - i saw my aunts and cousins more in recent weeks than in the last year, realizing how tragic it is that we aren't like that more often.

my mom recently shared some tales of my italian immigrant great-grandparents and their kids and brothers and sisters, very close, spending weekends together; and how strange and shocking it was to them when one of those families moved across the country.

i'm not too far from my mom's side of our family - most are within an hour's drive - but that's enough distance to limit most of our time together to two or three times a year. that's something i think i'd like to mend with our kids and my brother and sister (and renee's sister).

so my grandfather's back at home and my grandmother's in an assisted-living place for therapy for a few weeks, but eventually they'll both be back home. they're persistent and strong - and seem to be pretty capable of continuing to manage on their own and take care of themselves despite illness like this showing up occasionally. my grandmother's doctors are calling it a miracle that she made it through surgery - and yet a few weeks later she's back to normal, her voice a bit quieter but with all of her vigor and passion. if you're curious about why i have so much trouble controlling THE VOLUME OF MY VOICE - it's all her.