Anchor

I know that a girl is supposed to be "daddy's girl," and I know when I was
little, I was, but as an adult my mama is probably my best friend.

I love to be with my dad - I can think of a lot of moments that are perfect.  But I get my love of words, cooking, and weird sense of humor from my mom.  It is she who taught me to love James Thurber and how satisfying it can be to make a perfect roux.

Really, mom is that best friend and glue for all of us.  After dinner on Sundays, dad goes outside to work on the farm, but mama sits at the table carrying on several different conversations with her tribe of children and grandchildren until she weaves them all into one.  Dad comes back in for the finish and dessert, but mama has anchored us through the afternoon.

She is in the hospital this week with gallstones and pancreatitis.  And of course this happened when she was searching for a new doctor.  She started out in Duncan, but her condition worsened and Thursday, she was moved to Baptist Integris where there are specialists.  The doctors there were planning on doing an endoscopic surgery yesterday to remove gallstones - they might have been blocking a bile duct, but that did not happen.  As of yesterday, her enzyme numbers were getting better so surgery has been postponed until next week, in hopes that her pancreas can heal a little before the gall bladder is removed.  My mom is also diabetic which always complicates everything.

I don't drive in the city.  This country mouse barely drives  at all.  Yesterday mom was knocked out for tests but might be awake today and I think at least two of siblings are going up.  I will try to meet them in Chickasha and ride up with them.  I saw her Thursday when she was in Duncan's hospital and she seemed so vulnerable.

It has been a long week of worrying for mom- I know we are all thinking of a relative who spent months in the hospital with the same issue and almost died over it. It has been a long week of not being able to call her and hear about her week.   I have missed her emails, book discussions, and political analysis. I think this is the first time since we moved (other than being snowed in at Christmas) that I have felt cut off from the family.

I am reminded this week of how fragile life is and of the strength so many of you must gather up each day, just to keep moving forward.  My circle of friends, you have parents with dementia and Alzheimer's, you have broken bones, you have lost spouses and parents, you have faced cancer and fear and sickness.  Yet, you put on faith, the armor or faith, and walk it out.  You walk out of the darkness and into the sun again and again.