On being a parent

     It's been a tough week. I'm waiting for some piece of information that tells us our son and his family are getting back in a manageable routine after last week's activities. I've drawn a line, that should limit the potential of his chaos to take over our lives again, but it's still difficult to switch our focus back to the requirements of our own life when we know they're struggling and don't know if they're making headway. I keep telling myself we've done all we can at this point and we just have to wait for the next opportunity, but in steps that darn irreversible knowledge to make it near impossible to 'do normal'.
      I shouldn't be surprised. I don't know anyone that can prepare themselves physically and emotionally to make that much of a commitment and then immediately return to the normalcy of the 'old life' without a period of readjustment.
    Being a parent is the most rewarding and important job we have ever undertaken, but there are moments when I wonder what it would be like to think of no one other than us, my husband and me as a couple, for a while. It doesn't happen often and it's only after unusually high-stress situations.  The types of situations that have the potential to alter the course of our lives. I'm sure it's common, though I feel tired and I worry that when it's really needed I might not be willing (or able) to make the commitment. Now I'm praying for strength and an attitude adjustment.