Today, I am glad to be home instead of in a classroom. Parents, just like teachers, are sometimes plunged into situations for which they are not prepared, but they make the most of it by doing what they are not trained or prepared to do. Today, I get to be a nurse, something else I am not trained for. I know I can drum up my compassionate nature. I got to practice that in my classroom many times. Nurses don't have to try to find their compassion; it is part of a job they model so brilliantly every day. As Sam's mom, I know I can dose out a painkiller or feel the degree of warmth at the top of a keppy with uncanny accuracy. Today, I bow my keppy to the nurses who do this every day and with a smile. They are amazing people in an amazing profession of choice, the real unsung heroes of caring parents.
Dinner on Saturday night was the calm before our hurricane. Over plates of fajitas and beans following a mad game of pickleball against the queen of the courts, we listened to Donna's story about how her daughter is still a part of her life, even now as Shari lives on her own as a thirty-something. If someone thinks to question the strength of a parent-child bond, according to Donna and Josh, they must not have ever been a parent.
Norman and I not only agreed, but we got to flex our own parenting muscle with a call from our son. Older parents who are finally able to enjoy a night out without worrying about a babysitter still worry about their older children. We are parents. Just to get to Sam, I would have pushed away from the table if the call came any earlier, but as life can sometimes fall into perfectly scheduled events, we were finishing the last tortilla chip. Donna just owes Norman a Linzer tart from the best bakery in Monroe and we will take her up on her offer of dessert when all of our family members are up to the sweet pleasure of a cookie and some wonderful company.
Sam has often complained about a fullness or a soreness in his stomach, but as a devotee of Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, his ironclad system must have finally screamed out for a break. This time the pain sent him to an Urgent Care in Red Bank and a drive to the ER. Can I just say, nurses top the chart on delivering excellent care in the face of whatever fear walks into a room? The emergency room folks gave my son an entire battery of tests, including a full cardiac workup with a matter of fact attitude meant to put us all at ease. He was being taken care of. Can I also say, nurses top the chart in delivering parents the kind and supportive words we need because even as our son is a thirty-year-old man, he is still our son? I felt as if I was part of a perfectly choreographed scene of beautiful dancers gliding across his room with well-trained smiles and an occasional joke to ease our worries. The tests they issued did the job and the ultrasound found a large stone in his gallbladder, a bed in a hospital room, and a slot in the OR schedule for Sunday.
Even if there is a grand scheme to life, you are never prepared to spend a weekend on or off the pickleball courts in a hospital. Our son handled the abrupt change of his plans with the grace of a musician. Sam willingly faced the surgeon's knife and came out of anesthesia singing to the folks in scrubs. It seems he entertained them all with a drowsy rendition of "Hey Jude." To all the nurses of Centrastate and everywhere else, even if your name is not Jude, I thank you and I hope you are all entertained enough through your career to stick with it. As a parent, I am grateful for your caring nature. You are the real angels of this world to any parent of any child. Next time, perhaps my son can sing to you in an outdoor arena under a crisp fall sky. He'd like to thank you all in the best way he can.
To the hundred or more friends who sent good thoughts to my son's FB feed, he is doing surprisingly well today, just a bit sore and wishing he could take a shower. The human body is a miracle and can even heal from the dietetic abuse of Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. He is patiently waiting to be strong enough to burst out another Beatles song or even just lean forward and finish his latest puzzle. For now, how about some nice roasted veggies, Sam?
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