Bonds and Havens

From the Japaridze Tarot, the Three of Tides (Cups); from the Holitzka I Ching, hexagram 33 - "Retreat:"

          Seeing the horses on the Three of Tides took me back to my camping trip on Cumberland Island. Early in the morning, I would see these feral beauties running through the twisted oaks and palmettos as they made their way to the beach. There they would fly along the surf, looking like children just released from school on summer break. This card is a testament to our longing to belong, of how we humans find common bonds and create groups. In such havens, we can share both our joys and sorrows.
          Even without the text, it's easy to look at the Holitzka painting and see that it is about taking shelter from the storm. I could instantly see how the message of these two cards apply to my husband, sister-in-law and I as we take turns at the hospital with my mother-in-law. If there were no one else to share this duty with, it would quickly become overwhelming. The understaffed nursing team, the dementia patient next door (who chants "nurse, nurse" 24 hours a day), and the sheer monotonous boredom (interlaced with explaining for the 100th time to my MIL that she can't get out of bed with a broken pelvis) would quickly make anyone insane. Yet working as a group, we can allow each other to go home and rest while another takes a shift. And together, we can maintain a sense of humor as we laugh at the frustrations instead of cry over them.