Mom

Nine weeks ago today I received a telephone call that marked a change in my family. My dear mother, all of 5 feet tall and 82 years old, had been in a serious automobile accident. She had pulled out in front of a van. Several telephone calls later my brothers and I knew several things: 1. Mom might not live. 2. My brothers were heading to Pittsburgh to be with her (and a dear friend agreed to drive my older brother there since he cannot drive at night. Love you, Lance!) 3. I would be in town the next night as I had booked a flight and planned to stay a week.

That first call came at 9pm Cental time. My friend Cara came over to be with me. She is awesome! At 2:30am, my brother Karl called me. "She's still alive." was the first thing he said. She was in bad shape. Only later would we get the facts straight. The list of injuries: broken shoulder, cracked vertebra (including C-2 in her neck), broken ribs, left leg broken in at least two places.

I came in on Wednesday to see her. My little mother looked even smaller flat on her back, tubes and wires everywhere, still and silent. I didn't cry until Friday. It finally hit me: I almost lost my mother.

Today I am happy to say she is doing well. She's in a nursing home for rehab. I watched her walk a few steps from her wheelchair to the bed (with a walker). Her spirits are good. The neck brace and 'turtle shell' keep her rigid while the vertebra continues to heal. Her left leg, heaver now due to two rods in it, is healed well enough that she can stand and walk on it. Her face was unharmed. There is a sore on the back of her head from the neck brace, but it is healing. She receives cards every day. Most days I visit her; my brothers come a few times a week; other neighbors and friends and relatives also visit.

I thank God every day. When I talk to Mom, I end the telephone call or visit by saying "I love you." And I do. {The picture above is Mom in Paris in 2009. We spent the week together exploring the city.}