The madness that is life

I've spent the last two plus months with extended family in town and they continue to be here. Its been exceptionally hard on me (and im sure my wife as well) given that we are so culturally different and htat my mom and her parents are just, well..different. The crazy combination of this nitro-and-glycerine mix along with the restrictions that i personally have to face due to a conservative family is a daunting one. We've had a few unpleasant evenings about this, discussing in our bedroom how we want things to work, each of us with a different perspective and me, feeling terribly unwanted given the language switches and the fact that a certain father-in-law has no room for improvement...its hard on both of us.

Wife's been great this weekend with giving me my space, but I wonder how long this madness will last before it does some permanent damage to our relationship. I'm all for family, hosting and being there for them, or am I? At a junction of your life when you want to take a step back and ponder over what works for you? Is is family values whereby you are forced to deal with people and their eccentricities, or is it yourself, where the madness REALLY begins? As usual, my wandering through life with no real answers.

One thing I do know.. I love her dearly and hate it when shes upset about anything, anything at all. I try very hard to make sure shes happy even if sometimes its a little bit of an inconvenience to me, just to see her smile makes it all worth it. In case there's any doubt in your mind, I'm talking about my wife, so don't let your mind fall into the gutter. This ones for us, to see us through the good times, those grey moments and those especially dark ones involving family, this ones for us sticking it out in the long run and making it work as a team.