Trading places...

Mom riding above the trees on Capri in Italy 2008

It's interesting how our lives are all about cycles. Day follows night which then follows day; seasons change in their order to keep us aware of Mother Nature's array; and then, the children become the parent. Mom is under the weather. Thankfully she only has a respiratory virus and will be fine in a few days, but she's feeling puny. My mom is one of those "super-moms" who has only ever taken care of everyone around her and has never really taken time to do things for herself.  For example, we've given her gift certificates for facials and massages and the only way we can get her to go for a "little pampering" is for us to go with her.

I knew she hadn't been feeling well, in fact, anyone who heard her talk could tell she wasn't in perfect health. However, she was not going to miss our Cotton Bowl trip to Arlington on Friday of last week. After the game, she started coughing as she was getting ready for bed and didn't sleep particularly well. On the drive home, she said she was feeling better. Then, Sunday morning (before 7:00 AM), she called and asked me to bring her some over-the-counter medication. This scared me pretty badly for several reasons: 1) mom is NOT an early riser; 2) she has never called and asked us to bring her meds; 3) you need to understand that mom is NOT an early riser; and 4) Haime had battled pneumonia a couple of months ago and on our way home from Arlington, we had all discussed how many flu and pneumonia cases there seemed to be this year.

Mom and me 2006

So, off I go to Walmart, the only place open that early that I was sure would have the meds, (this in itself is a tangible example of my love for my mom. I HATE going to Walmart and I didn't think twice about it on Sunday). I got her the meds and took them to her. Fortunately, she had no fever, just some congestion issues. It hit me, so now I'm the mom.

The good news is that she is better, (and she succumbed to pressure and sought a medical opinion to be sure). She's being smart about staying indoors, drinking fluids and mostly doing what she ought. Even better, she has taken back the "mom" role, one that I am happy to relinquish.

I love you mom.

TTFN

Lois