I talked to my mom on the phone last night.
I didn't actually *want* to call her, but finally that sense of obligation got the better of me and I did.
She sounded okay-ish.
She's confused, which is understandable.
She's going to be 86 in a week. She just had a traumatic fall. She was whisked off in a helicopter to another state and had surgery.
So she thought she'd been in the hospital for nine days. Told me she'd had surgery on Monday after she'd fallen on Friday. I didn't correct her, no point in it. But I didn't catch myself in time to skip telling her that yesterday was Friday when she said it was Sunday. She got a little upset about not knowing what day it was.
I told her that it wasn't surprising, she has no calendar, no frame of reference and that what day it is doesn't matter, her task right now is to rest and recuperate.
"It's not like you have to get up and go to work, Mom. Just relax, watch TV, read a book, talk to people."
During the conversation, every time there was a lull, she'd say brightly, "So! How are you doing?? Did you work today?"
Then she'd pivot back to, "I don't bounce so well anymore."
Add, "I'm sure glad I had Life Alert!" and finish with, "God sure was looking out for me!"
I'm assuming she means because the fall didn't kill her.
Um, okay. Here's what I think happened... Her god was helping some spoiled little Mormon girl look for the keys to her Jetta and looked away just long enough for Mom to have a terrible fall.
Whatever.
I have never told her that I don't believe in any gods, figuring that I can go on with my unbelief without her being worried about it. I sure don't want to debate it and I won't even bother trying to explain.
She said that the hospital staff have been wonderful. The manager of the rehab facility where she will get some of her strength back is a friend of my youngest brother. He told Steve that they will definitely have space for her there and that she will be 'treated like a queen'.
So the plan is for her to heal a bit in hospital then go to rehab for however long it takes.
Then she thinks she's going to go back home.
I don't know. She hasn't been all there in quite some time and falling this week didn't do her brain any favors.
"God sure was looking out for me," indeed.
LOL, don'tcha HATE it when God looks away for just a Second, all kinds of Hell usually then breaks loose. Even as a person of Spirituality, I do get a kick out of what Religious folks sometimes say that just makes me Smile too and go... okay then... whatever. Your description of what God was doing when your Mom took a tumble just made me chuckle, you have a Wicked sense of Humor my Friend. I'm glad your Mom is Recovering well and in a good place that is going to treat her well, that's so important, especially if they can't always go back Home.
ReplyDeleteOMG, I almost spit my drink out on my keyboard with that last Sentence and "Evangenital" reference. *Bwahahahaha* They do have that weird Obsession of preoccupations with those Body Parts, don't they?
DeleteOh my goodness yes. They're OBSESSED. Can't understand why they don't just mind their own business. They should definitely pay attention to whoever they're sleeping with or who gets in their pants... but their attention to MY pants is.. weird. Intrusive.
DeleteWe have family members who are gay, and from the reaction of some of the others, you'd think hellfire was gonna just rain down all over.
I have a brother who spouts the 'Hate the sin, not the sinner'. He doesn't say that around me anymore because I told him, "Oh! Kind of like how I hate the bigotry without hating the bigot!"
My mom isn't my favorite person, but I don't wish bad things for her and I want her to be comfortable and well cared for. I already made her a card and am just waiting for an address to send it to.
DeleteLOL... yep, he was looking somewhere else.
I'm not spiritual in any way I'm aware of. I was raised fundamentalist Christian with forays into evangelical Christianity.
Or, as I refer to them now, 'evangenital', due to their obsession with what's in my pants and who's allowed to touch it.
I've often wondered why god watches out for one person and not the other. Evangenital 😄
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that led me out of the indoctrination was the idea that horrible people were allowed to do all kinds of awful things while little kids and nice old ladies and someone's grandpa died from horrible diseases. And why all those little children in Africa were nothing but bones covered with skin, starving to death while we were able to eat any time we wanted.
DeleteAnd the question: If you were a god, what would you fix? Hunger? Disease? Would you protect children?
Now, realize that your all-powerful god isn't doing any of those things.
Sometimes, when I'm in endurance mode with relatives, I think about my grandchildren. It helps.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had grandchildren to think about!!
DeleteI mean, I'm okay with my children making their own decisions, both of them are intelligent and quite capable. It's just that I'd be a fun grandma!
I'm sorry to hear about your mom.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I don't hate my mom, we just aren't close.
DeleteToo much childhood trauma, something I know you understand.
We're happy that she's been able to stay in her home so far. Hoping she does well in rehab and can go back home, too. The lady my brother found to help take care of her has been wonderful, she makes sure Mom gets out and about and makes sure she eats and bathes, too. If she can get around at home, that's the best place for her to be, I think.
Maybe she'll love the rehab life (they have social events there and she'll make friends) and she'll be ok with moving out of her home. Maybe. Fingers crossed all goes well!
ReplyDeleteShe's going to rehab in a town that's not close to where she lives. Apparently it's a good facility and that's where she wanted to be. The assisted living in her town is a lovely place, but they're not set up for rehab, apparently. I want her to be able to stay home after all this, but I don't know if it's possible without someone staying there with her.
Delete