I made my weekly call to my mom on Thursday September 2nd for our weekly chat. It was a little later than normal and I got her voice mail, not surprising, mom wasn’t one to be hanging around waiting for a call. I assumed she was in the Great Room of the assisted living home where she was living, or out shopping (her favorite pastime) with one of her friends, or just out running around with her brother Jack.
On Friday I got a call from Jack, mom was in the hospital, she had been complaining about not feeling well and the doctor had admitted her. She had a recurring problem and was going through a routine treatment and Jack thought she would go home Saturday.
That Saturday was a busy day went for a run then, Karen and I took care of our regular Saturday errands. Around 8PM I noticed a message from Jack, without listening to the call, I called him back. He told me my mom had passed away. She had gone home earlier in the day and had been visiting with one of her neighbors, after a time she returned to her room and a few minutes later she was found slumped over in her chair.
It caught me off guard, each week we spoke and she sounded great, her voice was the same I had been hearing all of my life. When Karen and I went to visit in June she kept up with us step for step.
My mom will never be mistaken for June Cleaver or Harriet Nelson, like all of us she had her own issues to deal with and demons to battle but, she was the one who cooked my favorite meals, took me to the doctor when I got sick, laughed at my jokes and smiled when I walked into the room.
Last Thursday when I couldn’t reach her I left a message on her phone. “Hey it’s me, where are you, out goofing off? I will give you a call tomorrow, love you.” I feel short changed that I didn’t have the chance to talk to her, having her go without a return to my call, keeps a loose end.
Maybe she knows what I am writing, “I miss you and love you”.
