One week ago my mom came to live with us. My husband and I flew to California on a Friday, spent Saturday packing up the rest of her belongings (those that she wanted to take with her) and bright and early Sunday morning we left for the airport. And, with her little Lhasa Apso we made the 3-hour drive to San Fransisco.
I'm not going to lie. I was worried. I kept thinking--if we can just drop off her dog at cargo, and get her seated on the plane--all will be well. Honestly, I was sweating bullets. I was secretly worried about every single aspect of our trip. In fact, I was not sure which area to worry over most, her or her dog. You see, he's a grumpy old man kind of dog. He growls and snaps and is a little bit scary. He's untrained and rules the roost. He's got my mom wrapped around his little paw and she knows it. And she doesn't care!
In order to fly that little dog though, she did have to comply with airline rules, and in spite of everything, she crate trained her dog (ok, she bribed him) and he did end up traveling quite well to the airport. Once we dropped him at the cargo center I will admit, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.
And, now I just had to get my mom on the plane. What was going to be so hard about that, one might ask? Well, for starters, panic attacks, vertigo, heart palpitations, etc. And that was just on my part. Once I pulled myself together, ordered up the wheelchair, wrestled my mom over who got to ride in said wheelchair, off we went. I would like to take a minute right here and now to say that United Airlines gets some huge kudos for their awesome treatment of my mom during our airport to airplane experience. First off the employee who wheeled us luckily-split through the airport was awesome! We flew through security, everyone was exceptionally nice and then, we even had some time to spend in the United Club Lounge. My mom was able to kick back, relax and be treated like a queen before we boarded our 5-hour flight to Cleveland, Ohio.
Secondly, the experience on the plane actually brought tears to my eyes several times. It was interesting for me to watch my mom. She hadn't flown in years and never cross country. Her excitement was catching. She loved the flight. And our flight attendants? Well, they were pretty special. My mom had requested to sit as close to the restrooms as possible, so we did that for her. Which meant we were right by the galley. When the attendants heard her story, they couldn't do enough for her--or us. Free snack boxes and mixed drinks and sentiments like--we wish we could do more. They were thrilled for her--that she was moving to Ohio to live with us, that she was going to see her grandsons for the first time in 12 years, and that she was meeting 5 of her great grandchildren for the first time! Too much to take in--they were choked up too. I had the feeling that they really wanted to give my mom a hug goodbye as she left the plane.
It was late when we landed in Ohio. We were all exhausted. Jet lag set in, and for the first few days, it was a little stressful at our house. There were and still are some adjustments to be made. And that's OK.
It's going to take time. Time for her dog to settle into a routine, to eat normal dog food (and not people food) to share toys and chewies with my dog. It's going to take time for my mom to adjust to the weather here. Oh yes, that's going to be a barrel of fun. With heaters, down blankets, and even some warm jammies. It's going to take time to adjust to no more fast food, frozen food and glazed donuts for breakfast. It's going to take time. Getting used to living together, eating healthy foods, learning boundaries. As we settle in and learn the rhythm to this new life of ours, it's going to take time And that's OK.
So far, I think we've done remarkably well. Much better than I expected, and I have high hopes for the future. Already, her dog is settling in. Already, my mom is getting used to home cooked meals. Already, my mom is adjusting to a normal daily routine, where we get up and get ready and go have fun, even if it's just running errands or going for a joy ride in the convertible--life is good here in Ohio.
She's lonely though without my dad. She's lost her other half, her best friend. She doesn't look forward to the future, she'd rather it be over. However, I don't see it that way. Or else, it would be over. God would have taken her home too. He didn't though. And He has put me in charge of teaching her that. Teaching her that her life still has value. That we still want her here and that as long as she's alive, I'm going to do my best to make each and every day the most fun day ever. That's my job now. Living with mom.
Pray for us, our new roles, our new lives, and most of all pray for my mom. That in some small way, God heals her broken heart and that the remainder of her time here on this earth is happy--full of love, life, memories and most of all fun.
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