Mother Smucker

Today was a day filled with more blessings than we could shake mom’s cane at. I arrived at Casa de Longo amid a flurry of snowflakes. While it did not last long, it was truly magical the way they bounced off my windshield as I headed to pick mom up.

When I got to her house, I burst through the door, yelling, “It’s snowing!” Of course mom panicked and asked whether it was safe to drive all the way to Dallas. I assured her that we had nothing to worry about. They were ascetically pleasing snow flurries. The kind that just make you go WOW without causing you to slip and slide into your fellow travelers.

As I walked mom to the car, she stopped and tilted her head back to catch a few flurries on her tongue. She said it made her feel like a kid. It was one of those moments that just put a lump in your throat.

During our drive to Medical City mom told me that when I dropped her off yesterday, she had received an unexpected surprise. Her friend Ethel had called and wanted to stop by to give mom something. Mom said that they visited for awhile and then her dear friend presented her with a quilt. This quilt had been made for mom by some very remarkable woman at Holy Cross Catholic Church. Their calling is to use their creative talents to make quilts for the sick, have them blessed and then bring them by to provide comfort for those facing a severe illness. It was absolutely beautiful and to know that it was made with such love and sincere well wishes for a full recovery makes it something to be cherished for ever.

As we made our way through the sliding doors leading to the radiology wing, I could tell it was probably going to be a longer than normal visit. After mom signed in, I escorted her through the “forbidden zone” and settled into a chair to watch the snowflakes fall. After a few minutes had passed, Peter, the little boy who has been there as long as my mom, emerged and reunited with his mom. Sometimes it’s hard not to over hear someone else’s’ conversation, but Peter and his mom were elated that tomorrow was his “graduation” day. That’s what the staff calls a patient’s last radiation treatment. As Peter and his mom walked passed me, he smiled at me and his mom wished me a good day. I told her that tomorrow was my day off and since I probably would not see them again, I wanted to wish them both a journey filled with blessings and good health – Peter is a remarkable young man who I am sure will do great things in his life.

I continued to observe the snowflakes fall. What started out as small little specs, evolved into fluffy, Texas sized flakes …dancing their way to the ground below. Mom appeared from behind the “forbidden zone” about an hour later. Today’s session was a bit longer due to x-rays and the weekly consultation with her radiologist. As she sat in the chair, she leaned over and grabbed my hand and told me that Dr. Macko said she was doing phenomenal...DUH!

I know some might think that at the age of 80, mom should have forgone the surgery and treatment …after all, 80 is a pretty good number and the road to recovery has not been easy. But Dr. Macko told mom today that for a woman of her maturity she is in exceptional health and she has at least another twenty years. I told mom I already had visions of her face gracing the label of a Smucker’s jar on the Today show! :o)

Our final blessing of the day came in the form of a road trip. Since it’s no longer a surprise, I can blog about it. My mom’s brother is celebrating his 90th birthday in a few weeks and due to her illness, she did not think she could make the trip…especially crammed into coach on a flying Petri dish.

But after discussing it with my husband, James, we decided to “gift” some air miles so mom could travel first class and be with her siblings on this momentous occasion. As her brother, Frank pointed out, it may be one of the last times all of the siblings will be together since they are maturing and traveling becomes more difficult.

Not to mention, my heart knows that my mom needs to physically see her siblings. They need to be able to pinch, hug, kiss and spend time together in order to reaffirm that my mom is doing well. There is just so much a blog can convey and this trip will definitely be a Kleenex/Kodak moment for a plethora of reasons.

My words of wisdom for the day are “never under estimate the human spirit.” We have nine more treatments left and what we have accomplished from day one is nothing short of miraculous.

Take time to find your blessings today!

Val

(Here is mom with her gift from The Quilting Club at Holy Cross.)

Magical Melody

It’s Tuesday and I arrived at Casa de Longo at my usual time. Mom says she can set her clock by me and I can say the same about her.

Each and every time I walk through the door, mom is always sitting in her chair, hands folded across her lap, coat draped over the arm of the chair and her cane leaning next to that, patiently waiting for her ride – she is always ready to go. It’s a good thing she changes her clothes and hat, otherwise I would think I was in my own version of the movie Ground Hog Day. :o)

Mom, or has my husband calls her, “momisan” looked a little tired today. Since we are at the beginning of week four of radiation, it’s starting to wear on her a little bit. I think the fact that she has been on some type of schedule since October makes her tired too. Anytime you do something in a repetitive manner, it can be a bit monotonous, even if it’s saving your life, sometimes you are just ready for a break.

We loaded up the car and in the words of Diana Ross in the 1978 movie, The Wiz; we eased on down the road. We arrived at Medical City on time, but they were having a busy day and were behind schedule a bit. I escorted mom through the “forbidden doors” and took my usual chair in the waiting area. I rooted around in my purse and found my iPod and as I settled into my own melodic world, I had to remind myself to not sing out loud with the music or lip synch…and yes, I do make the contorted face when I do.

As I was swaying side to side, I had the strangest feeling I was being watched. I opened one eye to see mom hovering over me, grinning ear to ear. I removed the ear plugs and asked her what she was doing. She just kept on grinning and said, “Just watching.” Great, I had my very first groupie. As I reached for her coat, I decided to let her release her inner rock star – we all know she has it, remember the guitar hero photos that were posted earlier on this blog? I put the ear phones into her ears and while I was putting on her coat, something amazing happened. She began to move side to side, waving her arms in the air and tapping her cane. I got a glimpse of some of the other people in the waiting room and they were just smiling and trying to move to a beat that they could not hear. As we headed out the door, mom still bee-bopping (as she calls it) it reminded me of that movie Weekend at Bernie’s II. The music seemed to just take over momisan and transformed a weary woman into Fred Astaire, complete with swinging cane.

I think sometimes we underestimate the power of music. It has the ability to inspire, invigorate, sooth and get you moving when you think you just can’t move any more. It has the power to transport you to the past in the blink of an eye and serve as a back drop as you catch a glimpse into your future.

So whether your preference is Andre Bocelli, Tony Bennet, Aerosmith (or in my case) a mix of all the above, take a little time to “bee-bop” this week - bring out your inner Fred or Ginger and celebrate your life.

Find you blessings today!

Val