Between Two Worlds

As I sit here, my wife's grandmother is slowly passing away. She's "stable" but her death seems imminent. She's been to the emergency room about five times this week. The last two times were in the same 24 hour period. She keeps losing consciousness. She's over 90 years old, bedridden, and blind. She loses oxygen and passes out upon any level of exertion-- like say, during a bowel movement attempt. The family keeps reviving her regardless of how tired she looks.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have a young niece who is about to bring life into this world any day now. Her parents are cruel people who never deserved children. Funny . . . those are the kinds of parents who keep having as many children as they can.

So, we have a young woman who isn't ready to be a mother in any sense. She lives with her parents who constantly threaten to kick her out of the house. She has no job (Duh! She's about to drop a baby any moment now!), no money, and no idea what life with a new child will bring.

My wife and I sit here between these two worlds, wondering what we can do to help.

But we only find ourselves watching helplessly as we hope for the best while bracing for the worst.