A Stranger in a Strange Land

On Friday, March 12th, I flew to California to spend the weekend with my Mom. The idea was to help her with bills and be back in time for the 11 a.m. church service on Sunday morning.

Not only didn't I make it to the Sunday service, I actually just flew home yesterday, the last day of March.

I arrived at my mom's house late Friday night, and had just taken my coat off when she fainted right in the middle of a sentence. I called an ambulance and spent most of the next two days in the hospital with her. A nurse at the hospital recommended a cardiologist who has definitely got a lot more on the ball. After 100 tests and several more still scheduled, we have found out her heartbeat is irregular and she had a lousy primary physician. Future tests may indicate she needs a pacemaker. If that is all she ends up needing, it won't be too bad for an 83-year-old.

Once I got her home, she gradually started to feel better. But the problem then, was that I was afraid to leave her alone. After more and more tests, and some reassurance from the doctor, I finally decided to come home for Easter. But one of the decisions we made while I was there was that the time has come for her to move into a retirement community.

I have never been away from my family for this long. Teacher Husband and Delicate Flower were able to join me for a couple of days last week during Spring Break, which really helped, but I didn't see Bosco for almost three weeks.

To those of you who have been wondering if I fell off the face of the earth, let me just say it certainly feels like it. I've been at my mom's house for almost three weeks, living in rooms that are not my own and driving around in rental cars. With no access to internet, it has been startling to realize how many friends I have that I only communicate with online. In some ways I have felt very alone, yet closer than ever to God. An added gift has been reconnecting with my cousin and two guys I went to college with. But, the best gift of all, other than my mom regaining her health, has been spending a lot, (yet, not enough!) time with my dearest friend from college. She is also going through a very difficult time in her life, so our talks and times together have been very precious to me.

All this happened while was driving around one of the towns where I grew up and started college. It has all been kind of surreal in a lot of ways. As I told my girlfriend: it's been hard to remember which reality I am operating in at different times. My life is far away from California, yet spending so much time there, brought back some happy memories of college friends and why they still mean so much to me.

Now that I am back home, I am, again, trying to ground myself in reality. This is where the feeling of being a stranger in a strange land comes in. It's been hard to remember where I am, what I am supposed to be doing when and where I'm supposed to go next. (I am flying back to California next week and staying for 8 or 9 days to help my mom move. Then, I come home till mid-June, when I will go back down to California to clean, paint and sell my mom's home.)

If you think of me, pray for my decision making and that God will show me how to make the best use of these confusing days. My mom is looking forward to the community she's chosen, (hey, I'm ready to check in there! It's beautiful!) but there is still a lot of work ahead for all of us.

Most of all pray that God will use me and that I will be faithful.