Happy weekend

Don't you love weekends that start mid-week? I'm off to South Dakota to visit my mom for a long weekend. She's in a nursing home but we'll get out for a few fun things. We'll drive to my hometown so she can have lunch with some friends. We'll go out to her favorite restaurant for dinner (and maybe breakfast) and spend a bit of time shopping. If there's a baseball game around, we'll probably watch it...little league in person or major league on TV. Most of all, we'll chat. (And, yes, she still has Jim Nabors' CDs but currently that's not on the agenda.)

Her life has changed so much over the past few months. Chemo knocked her for a loop and she's never fully recovered. She's no longer strong enough to walk but she and I managed the wheelchair on a previous visit so we'll be fine. She's still got a great attitude and feels luckier than a lot of people. Courage and sense of humor: check and check.

I plan to read as much as possible on the planes and maybe sneak in a nap as well. When I leave the nursing home, I plan to play with my niece and nephews, have some wine and maybe a little cry. These trips often surprise me with their emotional jolts...sometimes they comes later. I've learned there's no pattern. This is Bug's shirt but I'm thinking it might be appropriate for me in case one of those jolts hits me on the flight home.