Under a Cloud

That's the message my mom left on my answering machine today -- "this family must be under a cloud" -- right before she went on to tell me that she'd been robbed by a scam artist she'd foolishly let into her home, ostensibly so the person could write a note for Mom's next-door neighbor. This, not 24 hours after we found out that my uncle died during what was supposed to be routine outpatient surgery; my cousin (his son) contracted walking pneumonia; and my in-laws' dog suddenly and without warning developed a life-threatening blockage.

I don't know whether to look on the bright side -- Mom wasn't hurt in the robbery, the dog's blockage has successfully been removed, my cousin is being treated and will recover with no lasting effects, and my uncle is no longer in pain from the cancer he'd been struggling with for over a year -- or whether to just be very, very sad.