Hanging On Tight to my Parents

When I said goodbye to my Mom this morning, I hugged her a little longer than usual. 

There's a quiet little voice inside of me that reminds me to be aware of time.  My Mom turned 80 this year and my Dad will soon celebrate his 84th birthday.  Both of them are in great health-- considering that my Mom survived three heart attacks and my Dad battled prostate cancer a few years back.

My husband's parents are a bit younger than my parents and they've had their share of overcoming challenges.  My mother-in-law has macular degeneration and had to stop driving several years ago.  "I don't mind getting older," she once said. "But not being able to get in the car and go where I want to whenever I want-- that is the hardest thing for me to deal with."  My father-in-law has had several surgeries to replace both hips and one knee.  Some days, it is hard for him to get around and other days he is able to move around easily.

On Thanksgiving afternoon, the hubby and I piled the kids into the car to head over to my brother's house.   As soon as we arrived, we learned that a family friend had collapsed on the driveway and taken to the hospital.  My sister left to head to the hospital to be with him.  We received news that he was stable and tests were being done to determine the cause. 

After dinner, we piled into the van yet again and headed over to the hubby's parent's house.  No sooner did we arrive to learn that Joe's uncle had collapsed and was taken to the hospital.  He, too, was given a series of tests to explore the cause.

Both men are doing okay, but the incidents have certainly put me in a reflective mood.  I'm all too aware that my time with both sets of parents is precious and I'm thankful for the gift I've had all these years of being able to have them around. 

"Can you come back in two weeks," I asked my Mom as she prepared to leave this morning.  "The house needs to be cleaned again," I joked.  My Mom loves to clean and each time she comes in, she always shines up the house for me.

Give me a dirty house any day.  The truth is, I just want my Mom around.