Dear Mom
When I called you last night I didn’t expect to have the conversation that we did. It wasn’t particularly enlightening or revolutionary, it was just easy. I really enjoy talking to you – as much as you seem to think I don’t. I love our chats, I only wish we lived near to each other so I could talk to you more often.
In 2002 when you had your aneurysm, I was devastated. I was out of the country with my new boyfriend working for the summer when he got time off work to drive me over 900 km to see you in the hospital. (This was when I knew he was a keeper.) I came home for a couple of weeks to help Dad so he could go back to work. When you got out of the hospital you needed to be cared for completely. We had to make your meals, help you around because you were very unsteady on your feet, and Dad had to take showers with you (eww) because you refused to do it, and because you needed a hand.
It was strange to be there, taking care of a mother who up until that point had never asked me, or anyone else for that matter, for help with anything. You were independent, outspoken, and fiercely funny. You slowly recovered and are as close to the “old” mom as you will ever be. It’s hard to wrap my mind around what happened to you, it feels almost as though you died and now I have a different mom. You are different but somehow still the same. It’s hard to tell now when you are joking, you have such a dry sense of humour that was hard to spot before! Now you say things that make no sense sometimes, so I often wonder when you are serious or not. Now that I talk to you more and more it’s easier to tell when you are joking.
There are things about you that I notice as different – You’re voice is higher pitched but you still speak your mind. Although now you have almost no impulse control so we get to experience the wonderful awkward – ness that happened when you told a boy at church that had been away at school – “My you’ve gotten fat!”
You always had trouble with words in that you would say dishwasher when you meant fridge, or say dad’s name when talking to me, or run through a list of words until you got the one you wanted, but now that is much worse. Much funnier too, like when you say dishwasher and mean car or when you were first home from the hospital and would call me daughter because you couldn’t remember my name. Well maybe that last one wasn’t really funny.
What was hilarious was when you were in the hospital and I told you I was your favourite so when anyone asked you who I was, that’s what you said “My favourite” Ha, that made me laugh. Also when your sister came to visit and we talked about painting your face like Gene Simmons in KISS while you were sleeping. Good times.
Speaking of good times, I feel that these last few years since your operation have been great. I am forever grateful that we didn’t lose you, and thankful for every moment spent together. I feel that we are closer now than we would have been, that we share more things with each other. I find you telling me things about your life that I never knew ( don’t worry I won’t spill your sordid life story here! hee hee ) and I find myself telling you things I never thought I would share with my mother.
All in all I think this aneurysm was a blessing in disguise. A horrible, terrifying, and downright nasty disguise that brought us as mother and daughter closer together. Truthfully I think we all would have appreciated a blessing that was dressed in something a little more tasteful. Maybe a broken leg, or the flu.
Oh well, we can’t change the past, we can only embrace the future and I know I will be embracing every moment of future I have with you.
Love Shna
(Your Favourite)
What you talkin' Bout?