Got back yesterday (technically 2 days ago as it IS Sunday already) from visiting my parents. It was a good visit. Mom is getting weaker and more forgetful, but she still has her sense of humor. We still see getting the time with her as a blessing, though Mom is worried that Dad will begin to get resentful of her.

Mom's brother and SIL from OK visited on Tues. and part of Wed. We got there Wed. afternoon. Mom was sitting w. Dad at the dining room table, visiting with their friends, David and Linda Johnson.

Mom was usually up the most in the evenings as she didn't want a major nap before she'd be trying to go to sleep, so we talked about everything that came to mind. No major revelations, though I did find out that I was conceived around the same time Dad's dad passed away. Eventually, I'll have to ask Dad about that. Also found out that Mom's mom was married a couple more times than I'd once been told.

I also asked Mom about a science project she and a friend did for school. They used to be able to buy chicks in different colors around Easter, so they wanted to replicate it in an experiment. So they calculated how long it would take to hatch the eggs, built an incubator, acquired the eggs, injected the dye at the appropriate time and waited. The chicks all hatched, all different colors. A couple of days before they were to bring the chicks in to school, Mom's brother, Neil, who was home from the service on leave, decided to give the chicks a chance to scratch around in the dirt outside. That wasn't a good idea as my grandmother had a dog that HATED chickens. The dog slaughtered them all. Mom said they went on to acquire some chicks and dipped them in a water-based dye. They ended up looking like the ones they'd raised for real, except for leaving a trail around the water dish. Mom isn't sure if Neil approached the science teacher or if he'd somehow heard about the misfortune, but he gave them a descent grade.

On Wednesday, I went with Dad to run a few errands around town. He is having a rough time as he knows his time with Mom is limited. He is trying to make her last days as comfortable as possible.

Thursday, we ended up taking the kids to Slayton to a used book store there so my parents could get a nap without the noise from the kids. When we got back, the house was quiet. Amy told me that when we'd pulled up, she'd seen a figure all in white looking out the front door. My blood ran cold because I didn't think there was anyone awake in the house. I was comforted that there was maybe an angel there to take Mom home, but I was still not able to deal with the shock of the whole thing. That was mild heart attack # 1 of the last few days.

As it turns out, Dad had been awake and had looked out the door when we arrived. He hadn't napped at that point, so we ended up taking the kids to the park to play for a bit. I think both managed to get some sleep.

I had a pretty good crying jag on Thurs. night. I ended up staring at the walls in my old room (which was first my parents, then my brother's...) and thinking of how when I was a little boy, if I got scared at night by a nightmare or a thunderstorm, I'd go into my parent's room (the one I was in that night) and crawl in with them and feel totally secure. The cry was good. I'd not really let go much since earlier in the week.

We ended up leaving Friday. Mom's friend Linda had come down for a bit in the morning, so we were able to go with Dad to take the kids to the fire station to look at the trucks while Linda stayed with Mom. I think Dad's sisters were coming to visit Friday afternoon. Haven't heard from Dad since, so I'm probably going to call tomorrow.

We took our clothes for the memorial and left them there. One less thing to have to remember when the time comes. I wish I'd thought when we were there the previous Sat. to grab the CD's with the songs for the memorial on it, so I could have had those burned onto a CD that would have been left as well.

Mild heart attack #2 : My cell phone rang at 2:47 AM Saturday morning. Ended up being a wrong number. Once I realizxed the phone was ringing, I thought it was my Dad calling to tell me Mom was gone. I know that will likely be coming soon.

I was charged with getting the music prepared for Mom's memorial service. I'm not sure what order the two songs will go in, so I burned two CD's. Gotta tell you. Listening to the CDs to be sure that they burned okay and knowing when and where I'll likely hear these again isn't a fun thing. Mom picked a couple of great songs to be played - one was picked out before she even got serious about planning her memorial. She picked it because she wanted us to remember the good times, the laughter, and to celebrate her life.

Left things with Mom much as I had last week. We said our goodbyes and our "I love you"s. Before that, Mom said she felt that she'd be seeing us again before she died, so she wasn't sad about our leaving. I pray that is true.

I'm going to bed. Tomorrow will be another day.