Wow... a few days have passed. Today is actually a day I want to talk about my greif. Today would have been my Dad's 78th birthday. Six years ago, today, we were planning on going to lunch. My Mom's health had been failing. She had taken Sarah to a movie on the 17th or 18th and almost did not make it, driving home. Sarah was not sure if she was drunk, on drugs, or what was wrong with her. She definitely should NOT have been driving. Her liver and body were failing... her system was shutting down. I made her ago to the hospital on my Dad's birthday, so, he did not get that lunch out. I promised him the next birthday, I would make it up to him... he died four months and one day after my Mom.

August 19... this begins the last three weeks of my Mom's life. I did not know that at the time, or I would have done many things differently. Hind-sight is 20/20... I am glad we do not know what is going to happen, but sometimes it would be nice because I think you would live your life differently. I know now, if I had known then that she would only have three weeks left on this planet, I would have done many things differently.

I remember taking her to the hosptial. Community North. There two of my children, my boys, were brought into this world, and I had lost my Grandmother there, two years ago. My Mom always went to Community. She felt at home there. They knew her and remembered her. Not many people spend as many days, in their lives, in the hospital, as my Mom did. She was a trooper.... and this day was NO exception. She arrived and was so out of it, it took over an hour for them to get an IV in. She did not even wince. So many people would die at much less than my Mom ever suffered. She was very sturdy. She would be gravely ill, go to the hospital and always get patched-up and eventually sent home. It was not to be, this time. Over the years, she had spent every major holiday in the hospital... but, my Dad was NOT happy she was making him miss HIS birthday lunch. (A bit selfish on his part, I must say). I am sure I got her checked in and eventually went home, as I am sure it was around the first week of school and at the time I had a 7th grader, a 3rd grader and one starting transitional kindergarten. I was a busy young Mom of 39.