Dear Mom (Nov 18/17)

Sat, Nov 18/17

Dear Mom,

I'm sitting in your kitchen, enjoying the quiet of the morning. Without you. This will most likely be my last sleepover in your home. It's sad. But it is time.

I felt my heart clench with thoughts of simply wanting to stay home now that winter has set in. I love staying home. But when I'm here, I enjoy it just as much. Exactly how it has been this whole last year. I have been grateful to be here just as much as I have been just as happy to stay home. It is all of those "other places" in between that are still hard.

It was hard to leave home yesterday morning. Thanks to the gift of daylight savings time, I had an extra hour at my disposal. I used it and I think I used up another hour as well. It felt good not to rush the process.

My car has been sporadically emitting an antifreeze scent. I checked the level before I left home and as hard as it was to determine, I was 99% certain it was low. So I went to fill it.

I pulled the premixed 50/50 antifreeze out of the trunk of the car. It said it was good for all makes and models of cars. Do not add water. I was good with that.

Just to be certain, I retrieved the car owner's manual from the glove department. It said to add only specific brands of coolant. It had a few other words of advice.

Suddenly, I was frozen.

Was the level low or was I imagining it? Was it safe to add the premixed brand of antifreeze I had in one hand or did I need to consult someone who knew more than me before I did anything.

I was completely wrapped up in the moment and my thoughts, fears and frustrations when out of the blue, I heard your wind chimes chiming with great intention. I had heard absolutely nothing previous to that moment. Then your chimes sang out to me and ensured I heard them.

Dad?

The wind chimes forced me outside of my own head and into the moment. To do "nothing" was not a choice.

I added the antifreeze. Then to be absolutely certain I did the right thing, I stopped off at the garage at the end of our block and begged them to check my antifreeze and let me know if I was safe to drive to Edmonton. I was assured and reassured. I did the right thing.

I was stuck in a moment and your wind chimes called out to me and "unstuck" me.

I am not loving winter this year and I am disapproving with Alberta's decision to stick to this daylight savings time for another year. To live in a world where it is dark at 5:00 in the afternoon is depressing. Winter is bad enough as it is. Lack of sunlight is a force of nature and cannot be helped. But for darkness to set in before the workday ends? Crazy.

It is reassuring to know you don't have to deal with any of the above. The timing of events and weather conditions this past year have been nothing short of miraculous, when I look back.

This time last year, you were in the hospital and we were waiting for a few stable days at my home to have behind us before we drove back to Edmonton. Your future felt so very uncertain during those days.

The last thing on our minds was the weather. It was summer driving conditions. Winter had not settled in. The only thing you had to contend with upon your return home was the aftermath of your hospital stay.

Coming home was the last dose of medicine you required. If I hadn't seen the transformation with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. "Home" was where you most needed to be.

And so it was ...

Home is where you stayed, despite all odds. Yes, you appreciated the times you weren't alone. But you didn't ask us to come. We offered.

We did our best. You did more. You did what it took to remain independent throughout your lifetime. The last year or so was simply an extension of that.

It feels good to be in your home. But it is time to let go. I have opened up all of your blinds and curtains this morning so if a potential buyer walks into your home today, they will see what we see. A home that has welcomed many and been a haven to all.

I wish you were here but since you aren't ... it is time to let someone else take the reins and turn this house back into a home.

We love you,

Colleen and "all"