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Bracing myself for a night of hearing undue credit given to sky-daddy...

It's my mother's birthday. One year ago we were "celebrating" her birthday in the hospital surrounding her hospital bed as she fought (with the tremendous help of doctors, nurses and modern medical technology) to stay alive. After three weeks in the hospital her nurse confided in us that in 20 years of nursing she'd only seen one other patient in that bad of shape actually pull through.

A year later, she's made what I would call a complete recovery. She's on an ostomy bag, but other than that she's in great health and back to her old self. We're having her birthday dinner tonight at my brother's house. He and his family, along with my in-laws, are very religious. Posts today on Facebook by some of those same family members confirm what I already suspected. They're all crediting and thanking "God" for her recovery and for "letting her" have more time here with us.

It grates the shit out of my nerves, but for the sake of family and congenial relations, I am forced to bite my tongue. I'm posting this blog in the hopes of alleviating some of the agitation before it starts. Sort of bracing myself for the inevitable silence I will try to keep tonight as the god-botherers of my family credit an invisible, non-existent sky-daddy instead of those who really deserve it (the aforementioned doctors, nurses, and those who contributed to the medical technology which kept her alive and brought her back to health).

Anyway, there despite the praise of god, go I...

Cautiously optimistic that it won't be as bad/annoying as I'm expecting it to be.

Peace.

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Comment by Jas Brimstone on July 13, 2010 at 12:20pm: Surprisingly I had to put up with more ignorant political comments than religious ones. Those I can skirt around without too much stress. It's still people being willfully ignorant and listening to/repeating "news" with an ear toward their own confirmation bias (Glenn Beck, for example), but for some reason I find that much easier to ignore.

Had to put up with my niece saying "grace" as she always does, which would be cute if I didn't have a problem with childhood indoctrination and early brain-washing, but oh well. Otherwise there was surprisingly little mention of god or even what had happened a year ago. That's the other way my family tends to deal with things - make a passing comment and then try to forget it ever happened at all. I kind of prefer that in this case.

@ Sicile - What gets me is that they thank god that she pulled through, yet never question where their god was when she got sick in the first place. Ugh!

Comment by Sicile on July 13, 2010 at 1:44am: It's amazing isn't it, how all the wonderful things that happen in this life are credited to "sky-daddy" as you call him (that's funny btw) but all the terrible things are blamed on.. what shall we call him? - furnace tender? :) Ah, It baffles me.

Hang in there - I'm in the same situation, and I understand the frustration. I like Shanna's suggestion of hanging out in the loo. I try to look at religious people the same way I look at any ignorance - they are doing what they know - what they understand. Hopefully as life goes on they will become more educated and maybe one day break away from the superstitions that have held them so long. Looking at it that way helps me not get so aggravated at them! Best of luck to you - and that is awesome that your mom is doing so well!