Texas summers drag
long and hot by August, with hurricanes brewing in the Gulf, eyes stayed glued
to the coastline. With family living in League City and Bay City, as well as
parts of Houston itself, we all pay attention to every tropical depression that
tracks into the area. Often, the storms swing towards Louisiana. Sometimes they
veer more south. Occasionally, the Houston area gets pounded with winds and
rain that results in devastating flooding. My family members switch off on
responses to hurricanes. Some years, they evacuate to San Antonio while the
next storm they ride out at home.
After the February
freeze and its devastation, all eyes followed every weather event that neared
the coastline. Frankly, no one could emotionally handle another hit to any
family members. My sister weathered surgery to her vocal cords that left her
unable to speak for weeks on end. My brother, with his house finally complete,
dealt with his ancient washer deciding to die. Being in another city, I feel
helpless when troubles knock on my siblings’ doors. It turned out that I could
select new appliances for my brother, purchased them at my local Home Depot,
and arranged long distance, for them to be delivered.
August’s heat smacked
other friends and family members with mental health issues. No easy fix of
pulling out a credit card and sending a new item to their homes. I had no
repair kit for the friend whose drug use had escalated to her having difficulty
differentiating between reality and her hallucinating haze. Although I
encouraged her to continue with her therapy, and to be honest with her drug
usage to her doctor, I left after visits feeling depleted and defeated. I
witnessed another woman’s battle with Borderline Personality Disorder deteriorate
with every phone conversation, email and text. My mantra with her also became, “Keep
in therapy. Keep in therapy.” I want to
help these friends, but their “villages” need to include professionals to help
them heal.
Our backyard refuged
me through the boiling August days. Each day started with hose in hand to slay
the heat. As I watered each plant or bush, I’d run through the troubles of
various village members: surgeries, appliances mishaps, anxiety, depression,
loss of hope and loneliness. I realized that I cannot fix every problem, but I
can be part of the village to offer support and love.
Copyright Elizabeth Abrams Chpaman 2022
