WERE WE WATCHING THE SAME MOVIE? Pt. 2

But to return to my story.

My wife and I stood up to leave, and to walk away from the obviously frustrated mother and her inconsolable daughter. However, as a counselor, and someone who is more comfortable becoming involved, than not, I was tempted to ask the stranger if I could assist her. 

But it immediately occurred to me that this dear mother “has walked this way before” and has “gone it alone” again and again. (And indeed, in some many ways and at so many times, all of us are forced to go it alone).

I could so relate to this mother’s plight. My oldest daughter has experienced mental illness, and borderline retardation, and the experiences to which she, and I, have been exposed have been both monstrous and multitudinous. As a young lady who has entered her fourth decade “Martha” has lived in an assisted living facility for half of her life. 

As I stood from my theater seat and debated whether to offer assistance, or just walk away, something my afflicted daughter once said to me sprang to my mind.

“Dad, we all have our own lives to live.” (She has always been wiser than her condition might have led anyone to believe).

Sometimes we are forced to go it alone.

With this, I stepped away from the mother and her inconsolable daughter. And as I exited the auditorium and walked down the long hallway leading to the exit doors of the cinema, I heard it before I saw it. A heart-rending wail echoed against the walls of corridor. 

As I looked behind me, I witnessed the compassionate intervention of an aging mother, as she led her inconsolable daughter to the lady’s room. 

Sadly, there are those contingencies over which we have little or no control, in which well-meaning, and even qualified people cannot help, and in which we have been forced to go it alone.

Yes, as I have so often discovered, we all have our own lives to live. 

By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 51. Copyright pending

If you wish to share, copy or save, please include this credit line.

************
If you would like to see the titles and access hundreds of my blogs from 2015 and 2016, do the following:  

Click on 2015 in the index to the right of this blog. When my December 31st blog, "The Shot Must Choose You" appears, click on the title. All my 2015 blog titles will come up in the right margin

Click on 2016 in the index to the right of this blog. When my December 31st blog, "Children of a Lesser God" appears, click on the title. All my 2016 blog titles will come up in the right margin