- Cave-in at humor mine shaft #1.
I live in two worlds. Real life world, and blog life world.
They impact one another, but they rarely intersect.
Blogging takes a huge amount of time and effort, as my fellow writers know. But people in real life know little or nothing about it. Attempts to interject blog news into a real conversation are met with looks of polite incomprehension. At the first mention of a blog post or comment thread, my husband exhibits Blog Glaze Over, a glassy-eyed, slack-jawed expression that stops just short of drooling.
When something happens in blog life world, it stays there.
People in real life could only know when I was Freshly Pressed if I told them. Both times I tried to convey that, yes, it was a bit of a big deal, while showing self-deprecating modesty. I could have saved myself the ego gymnastics – nobody “out there” got it.
Real life comes to blog world much more often. Daily life is the mine from which I dig my raw materials. You get a polished version, however. I don’t bring the gritty, raw stones here. I cut them down to get rid of flaws and reveal the smooth facets. I hone the nuggets, and then mount them in shiny, gold settings. What I bring here are the finished products: the gems of my life, polished and gleaming on black velvet.
Last week, there was a cave-in at the real life mine.
A beloved younger sister, Lib, has been hit with a serious medical crisis. My quick weekend back home turned into a week spent at the hospital, interspersed with nights collapsing at a hotel with my other sisters. There were no computers nearby, and I lacked the time, energy or inclination to seek them out.
I am back to my home now, and my sister is back to hers. She faces an uncertain road with her usual grace, blessed by the support of our large and loving family, humor and faith. If you are the praying kind, please send one up for Lib.
Thanks to all in my blog life world for sticking around through the silence. The relationships I have formed here are very real, and much appreciated.
I’m shoring up the walls and ceilings of my life’s mine and getting back into production, because, quite simply, humor helps. Please “pardon our dust” during this process.
Peg-o-Leg's Ramblings 
I hope everything works out for your sister. Remember the words of the seven dwarfs who said, “we dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig in our mine the whole day through.” So feel free to down tools at your mine for more important things, knowing that diamonds are being mined and polished elsewhere right now.
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I was thinking of the dwarves, and had that damn song stuck in my head for most of yesterday (in a mine, in a mine… IN A MINE, IN A MINE!).
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Wondered where you’d gotten to. So sorry to hear that it wasn’t somewhere tropical. I’ll be praying for your sister – best wishes for you all to be well. Grats on hopping back on the blogging train.
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Wouldn’t you think somebody planning a medical crisis would hold it in Tahiti, instead of Lansing, Michigan during a late spring snow storm? Some people have no consideration. (glad to be back on the train.)
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We don’t mind your dust at all and we’re glad you’ve made it safely back to bloggsville – this place just wasn’t the same without you!
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I’ve missed it, too, and all the great characters I’ve met here.
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Your smiles were missed. Sending prayers and e-hugs to you and your sister.
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Thanks so much, Paula.
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You’ve been through hell with your sister’s suffering and you’re apologizing to the rest of the world for not being in touch!!
People have been canonised for less . . . a lot less.
Regards to Saint Rambling her sister and her family!!
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Thanks a lot Rowland, but I don’t think I’ll get measured for my halo quite yet. I know too many people who would rip it off my head with a whole lot of well-earned, righteous indignation.
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I like to think of Peg as St. MARY Rambling (should make sense to the Catholics out there). Many thanks to all for the prayers and to my big sis for her love & support.
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Hey, Lib! Hope your week balancing real life with the wonders of medical life goes as smoothly as possible. I know your office will be thrilled to see you. Love you, sweetie.
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Oh Peggy! It is so good to have you blogging again. Libby is in all of our thoughts, and it is good to hear she is home. As my sister BBQ would say, Luf ya babes!
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Thanks, sweetie. I really appreciate all the kind thoughts and words of family and friends.
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All the best to your sister for a speedy recovery. The World of Blog can, at turns, be a diversion, a joy, a pain in the butt, a waste of time, a family, and sometimes, a reality more real than any other reality. Let it be whatever gives you strength now.
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Thank you. You are so right about blog world. Hope your visit with your daughter was/is great!
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Humor keeps us smiling and afloat, glad to have yours back. Thoughts & prayers are sent.
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Thank you. The best party I ever attended was a good, old-fashioned Irish wake for my friend’s dad when we were in college. Sometimes it is inappropriate to laugh, but often it really helps.
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You have been blessed with the wonderful gift of the written word, both humerous and serious. Your family gets it and has always know it and are enjoying the rest of the blogging world getting to know it and appreciate it.(Although the hospital notes were alittle dry!) So…Saint Ramblings…keep on blogging. Love-your cave-in buddy!
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While I appreciate all this mushy stuff, I’d like to know what you mean about the hospital notes being dry? At least one could READ mine, unlike yours!
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We have been sending up our prayers for Aunt Libby everyday.
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I think we all are. Hugs to all the Hunsingers!
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Just home from the Libster’s. She had a rough night last night but felt much better today. Slept some, ate some food, got some paperwork handled and we arranged all the medical stuff for this week. Lansing Tues and UofM Thursday. I’ll be traveling this spring break but not to FL, sadly.
And some of us DO follow your ‘other’ life via your blog. Appreciate your blogger friends’ kind comments. Carry on…
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Thanks for stepping up so spectacularly, Tar. I know running around to hospitals wasn’t your first choice for a spring break trip, but if you wear a Hawaiian shirt and zinc oxide on your nose, maybe you can pretend?
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Friend of Libby’s here and after meeting you and your sisters this past week, I’ve…gulp..officially SUBSCRIBED to my first blog! I didn’t realize that I could have it emailed to me at first so I bookmarked it instead and since I didn’t have an appropriate folder set up, you went into the “organic food” folder (my most recent interest/obsession).
I was so impressed with Libby’s family all last week. You guys are completely awesome! Not only were you there practically 24/7, but you were such fabulous advocates! What movers and shakers you are!
Let us Lansing friends know if you guys need anything Tuesday while Lib’s in town. You know we’ve got the prayer warriors going strong on Lib’s behalf!
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Thanks so much for subscribing, and especially for all your help, Cheryl. Lib is so fortunate to have such good friends as you and the other prayer warriors.
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My prayers go out to your sister and family on your troubling times. I understand where your coming from on your beliefs and opinions on blogging. I myself have a number of blogs that I constantly lose the enthusiasm to keep up because I feel as if I’m the only one who understands the language of my discussions. I wish you better times and hope for your continued writings.
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Thank you for your kind thoughts. Don’t get discouraged on your writing – we all have something to say; it’s just difficult to find the right audience.
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Real life is so much more complicated and stressful than blogging life (no matter how long the writing may take). Best thoughts for your sister, and the whole family.
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You’re so right! In blog life, all you have to do is rewrite if you don’t like the ending. Wish I had that powerful of a red pencil in real life. Thanks for the kind thoughts.
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Well, it just so happens, I am very much the praying kind. So I will make a special place in my prayer time just for your sis. I have 7 of my own, and I know how a sister can mean so much to you.
I stopped by to read and to let you know that I am awarding you with the Versatile Blogger Award, which you can read all about on my blog (hopefully on Monday, sometime after I finish typing it up). Your posts and comments always make me smile — and that’s a gift, in my opinion.
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Wow! I thought 6 of us (and 3 brothers) was a lot. You DO know your sister stuff. I appreciate prayers from a pro, and thanks so much for your kind comments. It means a lot.
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first time commenter-stumbled upon your blog somewhere on the blogosphere and i am thoroughly enjoying it.
sending prayers your sister’s way…hope she is on the road to recovery.
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Thanks you so much for stopping by, and for the prayers. I will take all we can get!
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