"One of the wonderful things about having a large family is just that - they are family in good times and bad. Yet the Christmas holidays can be a depressing time for families, too.
As we age, we find our life road is littered with our missteps, mistakes and, fortunately, good adventures as well. Sometimes, age puts a new face on our lives, erasing those early good times forever.
I had lunch Wednesday with my sisters, Kaye and Lizzy. Kaye is visiting while on break from her teaching position at White Shield, N.D.
I feel lucky that I have my sisters around me. They are good friends, and the icing on the cake is they are fun to be with. We can always find something to laugh about. But at this lunch, there was an air of sadness about Kaye.
What's wrong? I asked. This Christmas is depressing for me, she said. I turned to look at this younger sister of mine, who is always laughing, sending me jokes on e-mail, giggling constantly about something or other. I could tell from her soft voice and the sadness in her eyes that she was indeed depressed. I also know her to be a hardworking woman with a warm heart.
It's what Christmas has become for me, she said. She has five children. Her husband died of cancer several years ago, leaving her to help her children through high school and college. That was hardly over when my mother became too sick to live by herself. My sister quit her job in Bismarck, sold her house and moved home to care for Mom."
Get the Story:Dorreen Yellow Bird: Christmas can mean loneliness, too (The Grand Forks Herald 12/19)
pwpwd More Dorreen Yellow Bird:
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