Face To Face With My Mom And Dad

Good morning…

Last week at their senior living community, my dad performed the role of “Tommy-O, the elf” and my mom was his happy sidekick. What a fun photo!

This week, my mom is recovering in a hospital room near my hometown of Berea, Ohio. On Christmas Eve, she was not herself, exhausted and lethargic. The ambulance came to their independent living villa to transport her to the ER, through the ICU, and into a regular room as her body fights a very serious infection. As I flew in for a visit yesterday morning, I had no idea what shape she would be in.

“Oh, it’s Susie!” she said as I walked in the room with my dad. Our spirits naturally jumped for joy as we connected face to face. As she laid propped up in a hospital bed, connected to IV fluids and various monitors, I gave her kisses on the forehead, sharing my love and the love of our family in Atlanta. Weak and tired. Unable to eat much. Resting most of the day away. My mom is doing all she can to stay positive, to gradually heal, to fight through another health challenge.

My dad is exhausted too, physically and emotionally. It has been quite special to spend quality time with him, to go at his pace, to attend to basic needs together. We shared a full day of gathering with sixteen extended family members, eating meals, catching up, and going to the hospital to visit my mom in shifts. Hopping into my dad’s passenger seat, spending time with my mom twice, I was his happy sidekick for the day.

“I love slowing to the pace of my dad,” I thought, as we came home to their villa and unpacked from a good, long day. We got on our slippers and comfy clothes, cozying up in their La-Z-Boy recliners, side by side. Watching recordings of the world news, Jeopardy, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the local news, we drifted in and out, awake and asleep, until it was time to go to bed. Like dad, like daughter.

I love face to face time with my mom and my dad. Even with a hard road ahead, I sense in my soul: “All is well. All is very, very well.”

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way (James 1:2-4, MSG).

…Sue…

P.S. While I am away, the rest of my immediate family is back in Georgia. Jeremiah, our 22 year old son, is picking up Christmas trees again this year. If you live in the Atlanta area and are interested in having your tree removed, hauled away, and turned into mulch, please text or call Jeremiah at 404-747-4971.