Tuesdays With Mary

Back To Florida

Honestly, I've felt guilty that I haven't been out to visit my parents in over a month.  My sister was there for quite a long time, and my brothers Mike and Tim also visited in March.  So I don't think my parents have been lonely.  My work has been pretty hectic with a lot of travel lately and more coming up.  But I decided I need to get out there again. 

So my wife and I were able to use frequent flyer miles to get out for a long weekend at the end of this week, before Easter.  That will mean six coast to coast flights in 2 weeks, but there doesn't seem to be any other way to make it work.  I'm in Boston on business this week and then I'm going back  Easter weekend to run the Boston marathon on April 17. 

Thank God for frequent flyer miles. 

Cruising?

With my mother's improvements, my parents are actually thinking about taking a trip.  My father turned 75 last year, and for his birthday my wife and I gave him a trip to anywhere he wanted to go.  (And of course, if he wants to take my mother along, that's fine also. )  The idea got put on hold when my mother's cancer came back last fall.  And since then things have been pretty dicey. 

But now he's actually wondering about them taking a trip together.  He's keen on seeing Alaska (which I loved when I visited) and my mother is more interested in going to Provence in France.  Either trip could have its complications with my mother's health. 

I hope this gives them something to look forward to and think about. 

And I hope it's Alaska. 

Back in the Swing

My mother has always been an avid golfer.  She's quite good and regularly wins in tournaments.  She's a better player than my father is, which is probably one of the few sore points my parents have in their marriage.  Hey, if that's the biggest frustration, life's pretty good, right?

At any rate, my mother stopped playing months ago as the cancer was taking its toll.  However, the recent chemotherapy seems to be doing a lot of good and she actually went out a couple of times this week to hit some balls.  Today she went out and played 9 holes.  She is still building up her strength so that was plenty.  Despite the side-effects of the chemo, the nausea, the fatigue, this is remarkable progress.

A few months ago, it seemed like my mother wouldn't make it to Easter.  Easter's only 2 weeks away, so I think she's got that beat!  No one knows how long she will live, but we are just taking it week to week and month to month.