The Day
Ugh.

I made an effort to get up by 6:00 this morning so I would have a head start on the big day. I did my Bible study, took a shower and fed my children all before my normal wake up time!

As we headed off for school, I stopped to drag in the trash cans and close our gate. None of this was easy considering the wind was blowing 200 mph and it was COLD, but I was determined and got it done. Just as I was getting in the car, I saw it: a flat tire. This was not good.

Still not shaken, I drove to the 7-11 for free air and started pumping. The wind whipped my hair into my face and lifted my shirt higher than it ought to be. My hands were freezing - and the air was leaving the tire. It was then that I started to cry. I tried to think fast. Who could I call that lived nearby? Nobody, they were all on their way to work or school. WHY ISN'T THE AIR GOING IN TO THE TIRE???? Finally in tears, I called James. His reply? "Is there someone you could call for help?"

Um. You?

I decided to try again. I turned around and saw that someone else had driven up and taken the air hose right out from under me. At first I was angry. Then I realized I could learn from her. After all, her tire was getting air and mine was totally empty. I humbled myself and asked her for help. She attached the hose to my car and it seemed to be working, so she left. Then I noticed something. The air compressor turned off.

That means she must have turned it ON.

AH HA!

Sometimes its the little things that get you, you know?

So, I spent most of my Bible Study Fellowship time sitting in a tire repair shop. I had a nail. Second time in two weeks. Suspicious, isn't it?

Everything else went as it should today. I took my mom for her surgery and we were early. Everyone in the waiting room was in good spirits and I took the opportunity to ham it up a bit and get everyone laughing. The surgery went well and all that. Of course, even with a good result, hanging out in a hospital takes its toll. My shoes were too tight and I got blisters, my clothes were too tight and I got annoyed.

But mostly it was the hospital memories that got to me. I've spent way more than my fair share of time in hospitals. I know my way around too well. I could probably pass as an employee if I wore the right clothes.

When they wheeled my mom up to the 9th floor, where my dad was a year ago, I began to feel a little faint. As her bed on wheels headed toward his room, I thought I might have to sit down. My knees were weak. I remembered where I stood when they told me he had a serious blood problem. I remembered feeding him by the window. I remembered talking to the doctor in the hall about getting hospice.

We passed that room (964) and went a few doors down to 974. It was all I could do to hold myself together. Thankfully my assistance was needed to get my mom transfered to her bed, so I had some busy work to do. My mom, ever the trooper, practically moved herself. She is the kind you have to stop from doing too much! I got her all settled in with her electronic equipment (movies and ebooks and telephones and remotes) and came on home for a nap and a good cry.