Five Weeks

It always stuck me as strange how the weather became part of the discussion regarding the events of September 11, 2001. But it must be something in us that forces us to look for the beauty or the normalcy in a day that goes horribly wrong.

As I replay the events of Saturday morning, April 11th, I am struck by the truth of how fast things changed. It is trite to say that life can change in an instant, but now that I have experienced this firsthand, it does not seem trite at all.

My mother suffered a stroke that morning before Easter, and there is no way to describe what I felt as I witnessed it. In was nothing short of feeling as if I were that cartoon character whose body is broken into pieces -- all of which are moving in different directions. There is such a swirl of emotions that you almost feel calm.

Five weeks later, and I am back from Family & Medical Leave. My mother is better in some senses, but suddenly health problems are cropping up. It is maddening to be so far from my parents at such a time. Who will drive me mother to her doctor appointments? Who will pack my father's lunch? Who will decipher the medical speak for both of them?

I am thankful that both of my parents are living, but this event has made their -- not to mention my own -- mortality seem too tangible.