Family Long Distance

Sitting on the plane in Montana, waiting to go home, the world seems a little smaller when our oldest daughter calls from her working farm in Massachusetts.  She is upset with a couple of new arrivals to the farm. They are complaining about having to stay on the farm for their mental illness.

When Kristine first came to the mental facilities in Massachusetts a few years ago, she was completely delusional, spiraling downwards into an abyss with the same attitude these new arrivals have toward a mental facility with rules. She did not want to be there either and she rebelled within the rules.  So we were surprised to hear her counsel these young men about their behavior. She said they were spoiled and she told them it's the best place they could be in managing their illness.
How surprised Mary Gormley and Dr. Irvin would be to hear Kristine say those very words today.
She is progressing leap and bounds.

Not only is she thinking about her future; she is doing everything she needs to do to go forward. She filled out all her paperwork for her entrance into Le Cordon Bleu. She passed her online test; her phone interview. For a USC graduate this would be as easy as flying a kite in a gust of wind; but for a mentally ill person; it's like joggling many voices in their head where the kite could break loose and disappear leaving no hope for recovery. Mental illness that interrupts her thought process while managing daily activities.

We are looking forward to her coming home in July with each passing phone call that exceeds our expectations. She told her dad that she is now reading a book on how to train waitresses and waiters since she would like to run her own restaurant some day in the far future.  It makes us laugh.
She is also reading the book I sent her on the life story of Paramahansa Yogananda who is noted for being the Father of Yoga in the West.  I am hoping she will get some peace of mind from this yogi.

The day after our plane landed in California, we were still running around, picking up the dog from camp and picking up our youngest daughter from the airport all within an hour of each other.

With all this long distance communication coming together, the world seems like a smaller place.