September 15, 2011

Bubble-Bath-Taking Elephant

I haven't taken a bubble bath in forever. Let's face it, what mom actually has time for a bath? A bath takes entirely too much time. I hardly have time for a 5 minute, all-business shower.

I'm also a paranoid, freak...I believe we've covered that, right? Right. I can't take showers when no one else is here- they're too loud I can't hear what's going on in the house. (Yep, with 3 dobermans and a chihuhua- the shower is what's loud.) Why do I even need to hear every creek or crack our house makes while I'm in the shower when I have 3 dobermans and a chihuahua? Because if you came into our house with a vaccum cleaner- the dobermans would throw their paws up, point you to the jewelry and beg you not to switch that satanic-monster on. Vi-cious. So tonight, I decided I'd take a bubble bath- complete with lavandar candles. It was the most relaxing 20 minutes I've had in weeks. Ah-mazing

Naturally, while relaxing my mind raised through some not-so-relaxing topics. I thought about my mother. She's gone through so much health stuff this year. The surgery she had back in January kind of...didn't work, in a round-about way. She will have to have a hysterectomy in a few weeks. She has a specialist who I'm more than confident in- but this is my mom we're talking about, I'm not confident enough in anyone to perform surgery on my mom. Ontop of that, Mom broke her ankle right after the hurricane & has pretty much been on bed rest since. (She's the absolute worst patient in the world b/c she's so considerate of others. She doesn't want to ask for help or have anyone do anything for her. I've caught her doing laundry and trying to figure out how to hop and drink coffee at the same time.) I am so thankful for my mom and for everything she does for our family. She doesn't stop with just our family- she treats everyone she comes in contact with like they're hers. She worries about them, she prays for them, she helps them in any way she can. It's been wonderful to see those people she's tended to, worried about, prayed for, etc, come by to return the favor. Her cast is full of signatures from family, co-workers and friends. (Oh, and I drew some leopard on her cast. A girl can never have too much leopard.) My thankfulness turned to anger when I thought about those who haven't even picked-up-the-phone to say hello. Whether it's a co-worker who's gone from seeing her everyday to not seeing her at all, or friends from way back that my mom would drop everything for, no matter how many years had gone by...the phonecalls and visits that didn't/haven't happened seemed to be screaming at me. I know I shouldn't focus on that- and if it was me, I probably wouldn't. I tend to be more protective over my loved ones than I am over myself.

I gave up on my relaxing bubble bath- but my mind wouldn't stop spinning.

The irony is- my mom would never bring up any of the negative. It's not her style. She won't bring up who didn't call or come by- and when she's healed, she won't hold it against them. I understand that everyone has a life to live, and many don't have much spare time...but you have to learn how to make time for those who make time for you. My mother will stay up way too late to accomplish her obligations, after she's spent all afternoon helping someone else accomplish theirs. It's just how she is- she is the most giving person I know.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to those of you who've called or visited my mom. It means as much to me as it does to her. And to those of you who haven't...think of me as the bubble-bath-taking elephant in the family- I never forget. ;-)

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