The adults started fussing and blaming each other while trying to clean up broken ornaments and salvage family pictures. We just tried to stay out of the way. Finally, Grandma told us to leave. We hadn’t had a family gathering since then.

So here we were a year later, and it didn’t look like Grandma was coming to Christmas. “Well, is she coming or not?” I asked impatiently. “Grandma... had a heart attack,” my mom answered, her voice beginning to quiver. “She collapsed in the grocery store, and the paramedics are rushing her to the hospital. Go get your coat while I call Uncle Dan.”

When we got to the hospital, most of the family was already there. Everyone was hugging and crying and trying to figure out what had happened. Uncle Dan rushed through the door just as the doctor came in.

“Is she going to be alright?” Aunt Melinda asked. “Yes,” the doctor answered. “We’re running some tests on her heart to determine the extent of the damage. She hit her head pretty hard when she fell. She’s resting now, but a few of you at a time can go in to see her.”

Uncle Dan and Aunt Melinda stepped forward at the same time. The rest of us held our breath. And then, do you know what happened? They looked at each other and said, “You go first.” Grandma ended up spending Christmas in the hospital, but believe it or not, we all got along.

We brought presents to Grandma’s room, and Uncle Dan snuck Snookums in when the nurses weren’t looking. Don’t get me wrong, the tension was still there just under the surface, but we all realized something important that year. Although we may have our differences, we are still family, and we need each other. We may have to work hard at getting along, but if it makes Grandma happy, it’s worth it. —beliefnet.com (concluded)