This weekend gone was far too much, too much going on and it was way too hot!! And it was a lot of hugs, laughter, crying, sadness, grateful, and also a big wake up call. Our Family Update is one that will take you by surprise.
On Saturday we packed up the Motorhome and headed out of the caravan park that we were staying in….we are now parked at David’s work with the front of the bus up higher then the back of the bus because he is doing the springs.
Our Motorhome Update ::
We packed up on Friday afternoon/Saturday morning and headed out of Surfrider Caravan Park. We are so very grateful to the managers of the park because they have let us stay there long-term {in Wollongong Families are only allowed to stay in Caravan Parks for a certain amount of time}
And they have been so kind to us when we broke down last time, letting us have a spot back in the park when we returned.
Now we are back at David’s Work – actually across the road from David’s work. We have the front springs off, they are being taken into Illawarra Springs tomorrow to be worked on. Our Bedford Comair Motorhome is now higher at the front then at the back so it means I am walking up hill all of the time, and our pillows had to be moved from the back of the bed to the other end so we don’t wake up with headaches {blood rushing to the other end of the head is not a good feeling}
When they get put back in, we will be having the back Springs Done.
As well as a few mechanical issues sorted…..
Our Family Update ::
On Saturday evening we were getting ready for bed when we got a scary call….we were needed in Sydney and we had a family emergency. It was the scariest time – one of our sons was unconscious and needed an ambulance. One of our other sons was there to give him medical treatment to the ambulance crew arrived, he did such an amazing job looking after his brother.
They took him to the nearest hospital, had him hooked up to all of their machines, and had lots of blood work taken. They kept an wonderful eye on him and opened up his air ways – they even had to open up his nose for more breathing because he was chocking on his own mouth juices, and put a breathing tube down his throat.
When we arrived he was still out of it, in a coma – I stroked his hair and gave him a kiss but he wouldn’t wake up. I told him “Mum’s Here and I love you” but there was still no response.
The Doctors explained all of their testing and work they were carrying out – and he had a one/on/one nurse who was so very kind to all of us – the staff kept asking our other son if he wanted a coffee or tea, and gave David a blanket when he got cold. They even gave David coffee during the time he was there.
David stayed with our son while I returned with our other boys to our oldest son’s place for some sleep….it was about 3 am by then!!!
And there is nothing you can say about any of this that I haven’t already said to myself…yes I have questioned myself over it again and again, and I have played the “What If Game” and have played the game “What Could I Have Done Differently Raising Him”
There is nothing you can say to me that I haven’t already said. But that’s not going to change the situation, nor make it better, so I am letting the “Blame/Guilt” game go and try to be more grateful for the second chance we all have been given from this weekend.
Early Next Morning ::
In the morning we all headed to the Wharf to say goodbye to our oldest son – and we were so very fortunate that our other son woke up in time to join us all. His tests let us know he was able to be discharged from the hospital and that There was no side effects {no brain damage}
We are so grateful to his Guardian Angel.
David went without sleep for all of Saturday night but still had to drive back to the Motorhome on Sunday due to the generator needing to be turned on, I had gone food shopping on Friday and we needed our fridge turned back on….still don’t know how he made it safely with no sleep for 24 hours.
Saying Goodbye Yet Again ::
Our oldest son has gone for a six month deployment ~ I know it will go quickly but gee I already miss him so very much 🙁
This time he has a girlfriend and he had to say Goodbye to her ~ it was hard for them both but it will make their relationship stronger, and before you know it he will be back and they both he will be annoying each other her with their his silly bad habits!!!
This Time I Didn’t Walk down to the end of the dock, because this time our oldest son was more upset for his girlfriend then all of his own family, so it was her moment…she walked down to she couldn’t walk any further. I wanted to walk with her, to give her comfort and to be there for her but I didn’t feel it was my place, I didn’t want to seem that I was over stepping her personal space, yet I didn’t want her to think that I didn’t care….its harder being the Mum of a Son with a girlfriend.
I am trying to let go of my oldest son, whose life is now creating a new family with another person and she is beautiful, yet its hard to not feel like we are not important to him any more. Its kinda like that saying….
“A son is A Son till he takes a Wife.
A Daughter is a Daughter for Life”
And I am trying to be very grateful for the time he does set aside for us without feeling left out – its not easy to step back and get my ego out of the situation. And yes for those who keep telling me “I am trying to cut the apron strings” but I still care very deeply for him.
This time we probably wont be here to welcome him back from his deployment.
Life Lessons ::
If you have Kids then tell them you love them often.
Give them lots of hugs.
Spend as much time as possible with them because in the blink of an eye any thing can change.
This was a good thing to happen because it made us all realise that life is precious, and it was a very big wake up call to our boys about what mixing drinks can do to a person. It made our oldest son more wiser about what we have been saying for some time, and made our younger boys more aware of the way they think that things can’t happen to them. It made them realise about life choices, and having things in moderation.
Its like a Box of Chocolate! For me I can’t buy a Family Size Chocolate Bar because I would eat the whole lot in one go. I can’t stop with one Piece, and I don’t share it with my boys cause its not good for them to have colours/preservatives {but really that’s Bullshit cause I want it all to myself} So I no longer buy the Chocolate any more so that temptation is not within reach.
Well sometimes my chocolate weakness could apply to other things in life, a hard life lesson was learnt by all – to be more open minded about issues and to talk more about having things in moderation. Our family update was a very full on weekend with lots of emotions going through us all.
And I couldn’t stop hugging them all – and being so very grateful for having them healthy and alive. And was I crying from saying goodbye to our oldest, but yet happy to have them all together for the brief morning before he left. I am happiest when I have my family with me ~ they mean so much to me….and now I am going to be making sure I tell them more often how important they are to me, and how much I love them.
So the weekend was full on, with laughter, tears, being scared, being grateful, being thankful to the amazing staff at the hospital, to kicking boys butts to hugging them tighter. To telling them how important they are to our family, to our life. To let them all know they mean the world to us.
Okay.
No more grey hairs are needed here for this Mama so can all five boys now be safe please, and their guardian angels need a pay rise 🙂
So How Was Your Weekend?
Cheers
Lisa
New Life on the Road.
I.m hearing you loud and clear about its hard being a mum to a son with a girlfriend. I am very happy my boy has found true love but would be nice if he rang me a little more often (then never ha ha) So glad your boy is safe. It may be the wake up call which was needed for him to keep himself safe from now on.
Oh Jackie, I so hear you….why don’t they call more? Or even message more?
True love is good, but please can’t they remember their own Mums!!!
This weekend was beyond scary, and gave us all a big scare. So glad that the outcome was so good, but gee I couldn’t take another scare like that one. And it was not something we were expecting from him, we do hope he stays safer from now on.
I think it is the way of boys. Although I know our son loves us, he forgets about ringing as well. We do email each other though. 🙂 So sorry you had such a bad fright for your son’s health on the week-end. It sure does make us think about how lucky we are when things go badly wrong and then come good again.
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Yeah its a boy thing!!! I love email contact, its sometimes the only way I can keep in contact when our navy sons are out at sea 😉
Yeah I don’t want a scare like that ever again!!! We are so very lucky that all worked out so well in the end, sure have guardian angels working over time in our family 🙂
I am so relieved for you that your family’s emergency turned out okay. Cannot even begin to imagine how you all must have felt. As parents we cannot control every decision our kids make, so pack away your guilt. Hoping your big son returns safely from his deployment. Again, can’t imagine how it feels to watch him sail away. When I met my husband, my best friend was dating (and later married) a chap who was on that ship! That was over 20 years ago. You are leaving my old turf, I look forward to seeing where the road takes you next. xx
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Oh thanking you Karen for reminding me that we don’t have control over our kids – its such a relief to know that another Mum understands
It was hard seeing him go on Sunday but I am trying so very hard to not think about how long he has gone for and to focus on seeing him when he gets back!!
Did your Friend and her Husband stay in the Navy for long? And are they still married?
We love Wollongong, will be here for a few more weeks before heading north then we have no set plans after xmas 🙂
Let’s hope he has learned something about his experience and you should not blame yourself for any of it Lisa. So glad it worked out okay in the end. My son just moved out with his girlfriend a couple of weeks ago. Just as he was leaving he said, “Thanks for the last twenty-one years Mum”. I had to laugh.
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It sure was a steep learning curve for all of us!
Oh I love how your son thanked you for the last 21 years, too funny 🙂 Hope he has fun with his girlfriend and their new life. I am trying so hard to cut those apron strings cause I know its time to let him fly 🙂
What a scary story about your emergency experience and I’m grateful for the happy end! I’m still far from the son with a girlfriend part of parenting, but your tips to spend as much time with them as you can and cherish every moment are striking a chord with me. It’s something we tend to forget when the daily grind gets the better of us.
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It was one full on weekend, and so very scary…It had to have a happy ending cause my boys mean so much to David and I and our son was very freaked out by what he had done.
Oh yes spend as much with your son as possible – they grow so very fast, a blink of the eye and they are grown up and moved out of home.
And yes we do take far too much for granted, now I am taking time out of life crazy busy day to day living to spend more time showing our boys how much they mean to us 🙂
OH my gosh I’m sooooo glad your son is ok! So, he had alcohol poisoning it sounds like? How very scary but a good lesson learned and one you know he will not make again. Just thank gawd for his very quick recovery without any harm done. I’m so sorry he went through that and as all of you did. Yes, it is very scary. He and his girl make an adorable couple and I do understand you missing him so very much. You are absolutely right and making every moment count in life – they are priceless. Great post, Lisa 🙂
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It was one phone call that I really don’t want to have again 🙁
And yes we are so very lucky that help was there so very quickly and he recovered so fast – its good how fast kids bounce back.
Our oldest and his Girlfriend is so very cute together….they sure grow up far too fast, in a blink of an eye he was a baby and now he has his own life, with his own place.
Wished they stayed little for longer 🙂
OH my I am so glad your boy is ok and recovered quickly. What a terrifying experience. I’m off to hug my children. x
Yeah, things can so change in a blink of an eye, hug them tightly 🙂
We are now talking more about things in moderation – drinking a few drinks is OK but not alone with a big bottle of alcohol. We sure had a very good wake up call! Sending love to your family xx