Sometimes life sucks. Not long after I had posted my last project update, I received some bad news. My mother was in hospital and not doing well. I booked a flight for first thing the next morning. When I got into Calgary to change planes, I learned that she had passed.
The crazy thing is that I had talked to her a few days before. She had sounded a little breathless but otherwise seemed fine. She'd been having problems with swelling and severe itching. She was going back to the hospital the next day for a follow-up. She had had a full battery of testing and, while there were a lot of things that weren't quite right, she'd had them for a long time. We didn't have any indication that there was any immediate concern.
Two days later, she was gone.
Looking back, I'm glad that I saw her when we returned out East this last May. It had crossed my mind that it might be the last time I saw her. The previous May, she'd come to visit us in our new house. I found it concerning about how much difficulty she had in walking and, in particular, how she struggled to climb stairs. But she also displayed an iron will about getting to where she needed to go even though she would take some time to get there. Her only concession was to using a cane when she left the house.
My Mum's great joy was her garden. She came by her green thumb honestly. Her parents had created a prize winning garden in New Brighton, England, despite its modest size. In every house that she lived in, my Mum spent time creating and maintaining its garden. It's fitting that her final garden is her best. It's also fitting that she waged the same war against squirrels that her father did.
So what's next? We're planning a tree planting in Toronto on her birthday. Back here in BC, we're also going to plant a tree for her.
So sorry to read about your loss.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tim. It was both a shock and not a shock. The most important thing that I learned from this is too treasure the time you spend with family, because it can change suddenly. As I said, I was glad that she came to visit the previous May and that I returned back to Ontario this May. I'm also glad I made sure to call once or twice a week, even if it was just to talk about the most trivial things. I've made a point to continue the calls to talk to my dad.
ReplyDeleteAs my parents get older I count myself very fortunate to be living in the same town as they do and that we get to see them quite regularly!
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