title explained

Onward and upward! something that you say in order to encourage someone to forget an unpleasant experience or failure and to think about the future instead and move forward.

My e-mail: jjmiller6213@comcast.net

Monday, December 28, 2015

Is Counseling Free On Sundays?

I watched my Sunday morning programs--2--Dr. David Jeremiah and Bobby Schuller, then started to clean up this house.  

I started in the bedroom, as I always do and worked my way toward the front--dusting, vacuuming, mopping the kitchen floor, onto the living room and last of all--this messy room.

I was doing fine in the bedroom and bathroom, vacuuming the kitchen floor to get ready for the mop and there was a knock at my door.  It was Maisey and the guy who walks her--John.

"Did you have a nice Christmas?" I asked.

"No!  My youngest son was there...he lives nearby, but I never see him.  He and his mother got into it and then he got mad at me and so...I left!"

"You were at your ex-wife's for Christmas?"

"Yes--we and the kids always celebrate together."

"But--you are divorced and you said she hates you and you don't much like her.  Why would you go over there?  Especially on Christmas Day?

"Always have.  Even when I was married to Wife Two--we went and she was married to Husband Two.  There's usually a fight about something.  This year, my son had a few beers and got mouthy."

"Hm-mm."

John left after an hour.

I got the kitchen floor mopped and was dusting and vacuuming the living room and in walked Dar.

"Did you have a nice Christmas?" I asked.

"It was awful!  My brother's Mike and Terry were drinking and they got into it and then my sister-in-law Mary said something really snide, so I left and came home."

"Did you say anything before you left, or did you just sneak out?"

"Oh no.  I told them all what I think of them and then I left." 

Then she lapsed into an account of the "really expensive gifts my Daddy got me", and the "very costly oil painting my favorite sister-in-law Pat got me", and...............................

She was here ninety minutes.  Did she ever asked how my Christmas was?  Of course not!

Back to vacuuming and another opening of my door.  It was Merle.  He had been out walking.

"Just stopped in to tell you Happy New Year and get a hug."  
<arggh>

A brief--very brief sideways hug--"Did you hear?  I have Parkinson's.  I got the diagnosis last week."

"Yes, I heard that.  Well, at least you now know and can take pills to manage it."

"Yep."

"How do you feel?"

"Pretty good, but....those pills are ruining my sex life."  and out the door he went.
<arggh>

After that encounter, I felt like taking a shower, but it was four o'clock by then and we have a snow/ice storm coming in tomorrow and I had half a bottle of Diet Pepsi left and one cup milk, so I jumped in the car and ran up to the little store and paid twice as much as I would have at Wal-Mart to get my much needed supplies.  :-)

On the way home, I stopped in at Merle and Pearl's.  He was in the bedroom watching the football game, and didn't come out (thank goodness).

I sat down in the living room with her.

"Did you have a nice Christmas?" I asked.

"It was okay.  I took a pie and only one piece was eaten.  No one sat down and talked with me.  I just sat there and listened and had no conversation.  My son had a few too many beers and he and Merle got into an argument, so we came home early."

"Oh!  I'm sorry"

"How was your Christmas?  You went to Pam's, right?"

"Yes.  It was............ah.........nice."

"No arguments?"

"Nope."

Now--when I got home and as I was thinking while I finished up vacuuming the living room,  what is the common denominator in all three of these people's unpleasant Christmas family get-togethers?

Alcohol!

Of course, there were built-in tensions before any of them got together, but the added alcohol just made people get all mouthy and caused hard(er) feelings. 

So glad my family just drinks coffee, juice or soda.  :-)

Consequently with all my interruptions, I have yet to get this messy den/computer/whatever room dusted and vacuumed and stuff put away.

Oh well--there's always Monday.  :-).
=================
Susan and I on a very warm Christmas Day.  Screen door is open.

11 comments:

  1. We had warm weather, too. It was very enjoyable but a little strange.

    Alcohol can boost bravado and loosen the tongue. We had wine with dinner, but no knock-down-drag-outs. Just happy kids and hungry adults. Thank goodness. I'm so happy that your Christmas didn't include any such things, either. Onward to the New Year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pammie had beer in the refrigerator--I saw it, but nobody drank any. Made me kind of giggle. Never any alcohol of any kind in that house before Pammie moved in. LOL

      Delete
  2. I'm glad you had a nice Christmas with your family. We did some drinking but basically we all get along either way!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Growing up my family had a strict rule about not having alcohol at any gathering where there are kids. Even now that my mom and dad have been gone for years, all we have is a glass of red wine at the beginning of the parties and that's it. Most of the younger generation drink bottle water all night!

    Ruining Christmas parties with a fight is so distasteful and then they wonder way they don't get invited back. No wonder Christmas is stressful for so many people.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happens in a lot of families at Holiday times.

      Delete
  4. Alcohol never did anyone any favors but get them into trouble. As for us, we spent Christmas Day together, just the two of us. It was peaceful and quiet. My daughter and her fiancé came the next day and we celebrated Christmas then with gifts etc.
    I truly wish I could post on my blog but I honestly don't know what to write about anymore and doing such a thing for only a few readers isn't incentive enough. So I read others' posts...and yours is the first one I check.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Cheyenne. I check yours to find out if the neighbor's still have the "box" by their house. LOL. My hometown boy, Erik Jones did quite well this season, didn't he? I can't believe someone coming from a village of less than 2,000 people could get the money and the sponsors to race in the Big Time arena.

      Delete
  5. Counselor Judy. You must be the one person they can mouth off to who won't inflame them back. No expectations, no vendettas. People visiting people they don't like on Christmas is pretty common, but to come to blows on that day of all days?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Only coffee, apple cider, milk, and soft drinks are served here. I reared my children to be teetotalers and I thank God that none of them drink. I've told them how alcohol ruined every Christmas (and most other days) in my childhood. It ruins everything and almost never helps anything. It's so sad that people use the day we celebrate Christ's coming to us, as an excuse to get drunk and insult one another. xoxo

    ReplyDelete