Laughter

Thank you everyone! It is so lovely to hear words of encouragement and nudges to do something I can't decide on my own!

Update. I decided (this morning!) that since I was planning to go to the States next month anyway to just push up the date and leave Monday morning. I wasn't sure what I was waiting for. I mean, how serious does it have to be to be serious enough to justify a trip back to the States. I guess it is serious enough if I feel it is.

Tetsu and I got the ticket change arranged this morning and I leave day after tomorrow at 9:00 am. I have just spent an hour calling students and friends and letting them know of my change in plans. Gee. It's not like people live for my English class! Maybe even some of the kids will be happy for the break!

I've talked to Marcy a couple more times and things are not as critical as they first seemed. Mom's out of the ICU. Okay, I guess I will go and just keep her company and get in on the discussions of how to care for her from now on. Good!

I was relating all this to Tetsu and we were even laughing about some of the stories Marcy tells. Like how a jumbo nurse introduced herself and Mom looked up and groaned,

"Wow, she's big!"

Marcy shushed her saying "Grandma! Don't talk so loud! She might hurt you!"

And the nurse overheard and said, "Yeah! You don't want me to sit on you!!" and a lot of laughing followed for everyone, even for Grandma hanging over the bedpan!

Or how when pushing Grandma's bed from the emergency room to the ICU Grandma calls out "Marcy, where are you?"

And Marcy says, "Just hold on there Grandma! I'm steering!"

Tetsu can't believe that we can find humor in the situation. In his family (in Japan?) everyone takes offense if anyone, nurse, family members or other, makes light of a difficult situation. Gloom is supposed to prevail. Well, Laughter is the Best Medicine and the past couple of days it has done wonders for me. I've told Marcy that her laughter and joking has probably added a lot of years to my mother's life already.

So I am still here but not for long! I'm also going to give up on answering comments for awhile. Forgive me. Thank you so much!