Last night I

Last night I ate dinner with my family. This will be a sad post, so brace yourselves.

My dad has polio. He's had it since he was like 7, so obviously I've never seen him walk like a normal person. When I was younger he would miss my father/son boyscout things because he just couldn't run and jump around. His "disability" never really slowed him down much, but it was just really apparent sometimes. We would play catch, but I would have to be really careful to throw the ball directly to him. He tried to show me how to drive a stick shift, but he can only use one leg, so he would grab his blue jeans with his hands and lift his leg on and off the clutch. He always found a way to get around these little obstacles.

Well, for the past few years it's been my job to carry those 50 lb. bags of salt down to the basement and throw them in the water softener. Since I've moved out, he tried to do it himself, tripped on a stair, and sprained his good ankle. He can't keep weight off of it, because his other leg isn't really good for much. He's stumbling around on crutches now, and it's really sad for me to watch.

Plus at dinner my mom got a call from my Aunt, telling her the condition of my grandma, which unfortunately isn't good. She's almost 80 and has been smoking for about 65 years. That takes it's toll after a while. She's having problems getting around now, and no one thinks she'll make it past the holidays.

Yeah, this will be a good Christmas.