aftermath
The word aftermath tells of something that follows and usually results from an event. This is a word that comes to mind when thinking about the Saturday after Thanksgiving. OD and her clan knew they were not going to be able to come back home for Christmas so they brought presents to exchange with the other grunt monkeys. That was a wild time of unwrapping, squealing, laughing, tripping over each other and playing with toys as one would expect from Christmas – even an early one.
The aftermath of the openings were many wrappings and boxes, as well as just the normal increase of trash that accompanies having more folks in the household. This was further complicated by the fact that I had missed taking this excess last week and it was necessary to make it depart from the premises – and Saturday past was the chosen departure day. The resulting congregation of bags and boxes almost filled the bed of my truck. These items were dropped off at the landfill in their proper receptacles and that event seemed to put most of the finality on a wonderful holiday.
Our kinfolks from Florida were still with us until Sunday morning and their leaving brought back the reminder of another aftermath of our time together. This is the one of the emotions, the joy of the family gathering and the elation of just being together with these that are so close to the heart – but also the tinge of sadness at their departure. Of course this was not an unexpected thing and just had to be taken into consideration as part of the event. These memories, the good and the sad, were stored away – to be taken out and enjoyed in the days to come.
As I am wont to do, I looked further into the meaning of the word aftermath and found one that was a little more upbeat. It carried the idea of renewal, like a new growth of grass or other crop following a mowing. Nature itself will regrow after a breaking or the tearing away of the old, sometimes the old will regrow and sometimes something new will grow in its place. This sounds much like what happens in our interpersonal relationships with family and even with others.
The old saying is so true stating that nature abhors a vacuum – because something will definitely grow back after a tearing away, even if nothing but weeds. This is also like our emotions when the unpleasant things happen in our life – but the great thing about being human is that we have a choice, we can grow stronger or we can grow emotional weeds.
Now before you start thinking that I have gone off the deep end just because some of my loved ones have gone back home, let me state that I have chosen to grow stronger rather than grow weeds. (smile) May you also be stronger in all of your aftermaths, whether they are from a speed bump or a big crash, because God is able and willing to help in all things – but we must ask Him. ec
The aftermath of the openings were many wrappings and boxes, as well as just the normal increase of trash that accompanies having more folks in the household. This was further complicated by the fact that I had missed taking this excess last week and it was necessary to make it depart from the premises – and Saturday past was the chosen departure day. The resulting congregation of bags and boxes almost filled the bed of my truck. These items were dropped off at the landfill in their proper receptacles and that event seemed to put most of the finality on a wonderful holiday.
Our kinfolks from Florida were still with us until Sunday morning and their leaving brought back the reminder of another aftermath of our time together. This is the one of the emotions, the joy of the family gathering and the elation of just being together with these that are so close to the heart – but also the tinge of sadness at their departure. Of course this was not an unexpected thing and just had to be taken into consideration as part of the event. These memories, the good and the sad, were stored away – to be taken out and enjoyed in the days to come.
As I am wont to do, I looked further into the meaning of the word aftermath and found one that was a little more upbeat. It carried the idea of renewal, like a new growth of grass or other crop following a mowing. Nature itself will regrow after a breaking or the tearing away of the old, sometimes the old will regrow and sometimes something new will grow in its place. This sounds much like what happens in our interpersonal relationships with family and even with others.
The old saying is so true stating that nature abhors a vacuum – because something will definitely grow back after a tearing away, even if nothing but weeds. This is also like our emotions when the unpleasant things happen in our life – but the great thing about being human is that we have a choice, we can grow stronger or we can grow emotional weeds.
Now before you start thinking that I have gone off the deep end just because some of my loved ones have gone back home, let me state that I have chosen to grow stronger rather than grow weeds. (smile) May you also be stronger in all of your aftermaths, whether they are from a speed bump or a big crash, because God is able and willing to help in all things – but we must ask Him. ec
posted by mreddie | 4:42 AM
7 Comments:
I have considered renaming my cat, Nature -- since he abhors a vacuum.
Good words of wisdom! We do need to choose and choose rightly.
Wonderful post, MrEddie! Life truly is like a forest, with trees sprouting up and some falling down, and some trees grow on nurse-logs. Cycles of growth and decay, beginnings and endings. Thank goodness for the light that makes everything grow and serve these cycles.
AC - One of my granddaughters did not care for a vacuum either, but her Mom would have taken a dim view of changing her name. :)
tim rice - It is so awesome to be offered the choice of forgiveness and life and peace by a loving
God.
bonita - So many things in God's creation illustrate how much He loves us and wants us to succeed. ec
Our aftermath of course was the cleanup (and even so I missed the splotch of cherry pie (I think) on the cushion.
Thanks for the comment. It was storebought cherry pie but it was good.
Hi Mr. Eddie ~ I am sure you have lots of memories and photos to ease the departure of loved ones. They are always in your hearts. Thanks for the comments and sorry to hear you have multudinous little ants too. Mine are gone from inside, probably should be like you and hit them from outside.
Take care, Merle.
granny - Pies of any sort (especially cherry) are a weakness of mine - even store bought, and I am usually the one to clean up the leftover pie. :)
merle - Yes and some beautiful memories at that. These outside ants I was working on are the ones called fire ants and notoriously hard to get rid of - just have to keep plugging away at them. ec
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