Family dramas and silver linings

Sometimes life swerves off the rails, upsets all your routines, throws drama and emotion at you, and then almost as fast reverts back to normality, leaving you a little bit stunned. And - if you're lucky - with unexpected benefits. Maybe it's as Springsteen sings in the new Jack of all Trades: 'sometimes tomorrow comes soaked in treasure and blood'.

Such has been the last few days. Early on Thursday morning (my brother's birthday, and the day after my birthday), Dad was taken dramatically ill, suffering three big seizures in rapid succession, which left him comatose. The night nurse got the doctor on call, who told Mum there was no hope of him surviving. There were shocking, awful phone calls. We rushed to his bedside. But within a few hours it became clear that he wasn't imminently dying. And by Friday he seemed miraculously back to normal. We were dazed, relieved, happy, and left with an unexpected weekend of family togetherness. We got to be part of my nearly-one year old nephew's first few days of walking. We all stayed in Mum's flat together for the first time in - well, ever, if you include nephew E. We cooked and ate together, played, talked, shopped for guitars, drank lots of coffee. Dad got to see his grandson again. It was great.

It could have been so different. But thankfully, it wasn't.

Photo by Ruairí