Day 2 The Williams/ Bradfort family Therapy

Emelie and Bella were both just sort of surprised when not only did there Brother Aiden stay for the entire 20 minutes, he also stayed after the meeting to help clean up. All the puzzle pieces, and and painting supplies, then put away decks of affirmation cards. Mom and Dad Williams stayed the 20 minutes too, yet seemed ready to race away after that with poor old Grandpa, who by then of course was fast asleep. Aiden then surprised his sisters even further by saying, " I don't think we'll see any results from Grandpa, Dad, and Mom until they can stay longer and participate with us more. They all agreed on this, which surprised all three of them, they couldn't remember the last time they all agreed on anything. First they had fought over Emelie living back home with Mom, Dad, and Grandpa. Then they had fought over Aiden and Bella being too wrapped up in there own little worlds, and not seeing what was happening to their own parents. Then Bella started pointing fingers at Emelie and Janie as if everything were there fault! Grandpa and Dad seemed as though nothing could break through to them. They were in the right and no one could or would change there minds. Of course Emelie and Janie were in no position to argue this, so it was left up to the rest of the family to help them see the light. You see, yes there health was poor, but Dad wasn't nearly as bad off as Grandpa's, meaning it was treatable. Grandpa must endure with his disabilities until he went to see his maker. So, Thomas Williams must lose 150 pounds before the doctor would even think of surgery for his heart valve, and also some talk of a gastric bipass, to help in loosing this weight took place. Well Thomas knew his insurance wouldn't cover the bi-pass, and it would take alot to loose the weight on his own. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. He was a strict meat and potatoes man, and couldn't even eat barely one vegetable. Big breakfasts of eggs, biscuits and gravy, sausage, and so on. He loved his food, as did much of his family. Emelie attempted to cook healthy meals, yet ended up just eating them herself. Since Thomas always saw this as some kind of insult, like Emelie was saying his food wasn't good enough for her. That just wasn't the case though, she just wanted very much to see her Dad healthier and happier again, and this was her attempt at helping. He just never would see it from Emelie's point of view as his Daughter, only from his point of view. That it couldn't possible have anything to do with the way in which he ate at all. Janie and Emelie and even old Grandpa Williams, were all about at there wits end, as to what to do with Thomas's health issues. As far as they could see, as much as they all loved and cared for him. You just can't help a person, unless they are ready to help them self. This was a hard fact of life they all lived with each day, yet there were still at least a couple days out of a week, were he almost seemed to lighten up about getting healthier, and then just as fast he would go back into that dark depressive place and hide and be angry. Blaming anything or anyone else for his condition, anyone but himself of course. Then there was the issues of oxygen use, we all knew Grandpa needed it to live, then Dad needed it too. Grandpa from all his years of smoking, and Dad from a worsening bad case of asthma he'd had since he was a kid. Then all the weight gain and his bad heart, he just couldn't breath either, without oxygen that is. So, with some asist. of Janie and Emelie. There oxygen tanks stayed filled and there urinals emptied. You see Janie and Emelie were also Certified CNA's, or Nurses Aides. They both know how to care for the disabled, and this he elderly and have a few years expierence under there belts. Yet still Thomas Williams was just too set in his ways to listen to either one of them for advice, not even to listen to his son and daughters advice, Aiden and Bella. This really confused Emelie alot! You see she had always known Aiden and Bella to be the favorite of the family since she was a small child, so for anyone not to do something to make them both happy, it just made no sense to her at all. Well this was just a battle they were all loosing together. Plus the other issue of Grand children, which just sent them all into some state of depression or another. You see Aiden's wife wasn't able to have a baby, without some very hard surgeries. Then the same with Emelie. Bella had suffered a miscarriage and wasn't sure if medically the same thing would happen again next time too, if she tried. So, Grandchildren were just not in the cards, for the time being anyway. Even though they all knew Aiden and his wife Winnie were both very ready to be parents. Emelie was just not ready in any way. Bella would like to be but not yet. Well, these things they all knew about each other for some time now. It's the sadness of everything, the bad economy, soldiers still at war. The news filled with so much hardship. Who could be anything but a little bit helpless, and just plain old sad. Then Emelie being the eldest and a bit knowledgeable herself on group sessions as a form of therapy. Since she herself had attended a few in another dark little corner of her life when she had been, badly abused, and beaten by her ex-boyfriend. Then left him to live back with her family. She found that she was truly a caregiver at heart, and that is why it was so easy for a person to take her for granted, and abuse her even, if she didn't put a stop to it at once! So we end are family therapy meeting at knowing the family a bit better. There's sure to be more to come tomorrow.