It's interesting how, when you start being really open to life's possibilities, you also start noticing the little miracles in the everyday.
I started packing today to move into the O's house, and at about 9:00 this evening I got fed up with the mess I'd created and decided to venture to my parents' home tonight rather than tomorrow morning. It's a nice, 95 mile jaunt from one home to the other, and I figured I'd roll in around 11:00 in time to say "goodnights" to my parents and sisters and head to bed so I could get an early start on tomorrow, which most likely includes drinking a lot of coffee and watching a lot of the Big Bang Theory. Wild.
At 10:30 I received a phone call from my grandmother, asking what time I'd be "coming through town."
"I'm here at the nursing home with my mom and she is having trouble sleeping. I am wondering what time you'll be coming through and if maybe you could take me home if she is asleep by then?"
Funny thing, timing. I pulled into the nursing home parking lot before she finished her question. Mimi came outside to greet me and walked me in. "Mom keeps asking me to stay," she said. "She can't sleep and she doesn't want to be alone. You don't have to stay but you can come in and see her for a few minutes if you'd like."
"I'll do both," I told her. Yes to a late-night visit with my great-grandmother, and yes to ensuring Mimi didn't try to walk home at midnight on her own.
All the lights along the corridor were dimmed or off, except the light to Gran's room. She was wide awake when I arrived, but looked exhausted. Her eyes were dark and she seemed a shadow of the woman I spent an afternoon of laughter with just a few short weeks ago. I said hello, and she asked me if I worked there. I told her "no," that I was just there to see her. She smiled.
We sang, talked, and prayed that God would give Gran restful sleep. We discussed her discomfort and wanting to go Home. She was tired, but she had some orneriness that she needed to let out before she could end her day. Ergo, we had some deeply interesting bedtime conversation.
"Your boobs are big."
"I know, Gran."
"Why is that? You better not let them get away from you."
"I think it's your fault, Gran. But okay, I will hold them down."
"That's probably good, honey."
As her days on earth dwindle, I am blessed to have the opportunity to spend time with this marvelous woman - even if it is just a few minutes before she drifts off to sleep, and even if she doesn't remember it in the morning. I will always remember.
"Honey, we love each other don't we?"
"Yes, Gran. We love each other very much."
I started packing today to move into the O's house, and at about 9:00 this evening I got fed up with the mess I'd created and decided to venture to my parents' home tonight rather than tomorrow morning. It's a nice, 95 mile jaunt from one home to the other, and I figured I'd roll in around 11:00 in time to say "goodnights" to my parents and sisters and head to bed so I could get an early start on tomorrow, which most likely includes drinking a lot of coffee and watching a lot of the Big Bang Theory. Wild.
At 10:30 I received a phone call from my grandmother, asking what time I'd be "coming through town."
"I'm here at the nursing home with my mom and she is having trouble sleeping. I am wondering what time you'll be coming through and if maybe you could take me home if she is asleep by then?"
Funny thing, timing. I pulled into the nursing home parking lot before she finished her question. Mimi came outside to greet me and walked me in. "Mom keeps asking me to stay," she said. "She can't sleep and she doesn't want to be alone. You don't have to stay but you can come in and see her for a few minutes if you'd like."
"I'll do both," I told her. Yes to a late-night visit with my great-grandmother, and yes to ensuring Mimi didn't try to walk home at midnight on her own.
All the lights along the corridor were dimmed or off, except the light to Gran's room. She was wide awake when I arrived, but looked exhausted. Her eyes were dark and she seemed a shadow of the woman I spent an afternoon of laughter with just a few short weeks ago. I said hello, and she asked me if I worked there. I told her "no," that I was just there to see her. She smiled.
We sang, talked, and prayed that God would give Gran restful sleep. We discussed her discomfort and wanting to go Home. She was tired, but she had some orneriness that she needed to let out before she could end her day. Ergo, we had some deeply interesting bedtime conversation.
"Your boobs are big."
"I know, Gran."
"Why is that? You better not let them get away from you."
"I think it's your fault, Gran. But okay, I will hold them down."
"That's probably good, honey."
As her days on earth dwindle, I am blessed to have the opportunity to spend time with this marvelous woman - even if it is just a few minutes before she drifts off to sleep, and even if she doesn't remember it in the morning. I will always remember.
"Honey, we love each other don't we?"
"Yes, Gran. We love each other very much."
This post = my favorite. :)
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