Visiting Family

We survived another trip to northeast Ohio and we're still hanging in there. Amanda is officially in the family way and is having the normal first trimester stomach problems. It was really bad on Friday when she got dehydrated, but things seem to be better now.

I keep thinking and writing in an effort to put my finger on what it's like to visit family. I got to see my stepbrothers which was great. I also got to meet my twin nieces, which was also great. Visiting my stepbrothers and their families feels more like spending time with friends that have a common bond than the kind of obligation you feel with family.

Visiting my mom is not quite as easy. On the way home I asked Amanda which set of parents she thought lived in a way that is most different than ours. It's something we can't quite put our fingers on because they are all different. My mom's house has a very chaotic feel because she is in nearly constant motion and can't sit still. She has more books on spirituality and self-help than I could count. Some of them are good and some of them are likely not so good. But what's frustrating is that she doesn't seem to embrace anything except what seems good to her.

To her credit she has certainly grown over the years. I guess I find it frustrating because she seems to circle the Truth, yet never quite lands on it. She and my stepfather tried to get us to do some impromptu marriage counseling with them. We managed to avoid it, but it shows that there are some problems there.

At any rate, it was good to go up there. We disappointed mom in July when Amanda and Lily didn't come with me. I'm glad that Lily got to see her grandparents and that they enjoyed her. She certainly was a big hit, as she usually is. The sad thing is that there will always be at least some spiritual distance between my mom and I until some things get worked out. And that means that there will always be an extra tension.

I'm trying to be a good son. It's just not always easy.