Friday.  Sigh. I love a Friday.  I called Mom at lunch today and she told me that she was in so much pain because of her hip last night that she hardly slept.  Consequently I am pretty sure Dad hardly slept.  This morning Dad was either going to take her to the emergency room or her primary doctor.  They opted for the primary doctor sans appointment. They walked in even though they were booked and sat.  They eventually got to see the doctor.  The doctor thinks Mom may have have a stress fracture in her hip and scheduled her for an MRI today at 4. 

What? Seriously? Are you kidding? No, it’s clear you are not. 

I called Sister K and told her this right after.  Her response.  In this overwhelmed voice that implied what else could go wrong she proclaimed WHAAAT?? And then we both started laughing.  Not a mean spirited laughter.  We hate more than anything the idea of Mom in pain.  This was an overwhelmed at life right now laughter.  A laughter I am sure everyone experiences once in awhile. We talked. We thought out loud. About our life right now.  About what else could go wrong?  We were just so overwhelmed and in shock all we could do was laugh.  Then I responded and said, “I mean why couldn’t she have broken her nose?”     

So that’s where we are.  Mom is scheduled for an MRI today at 4.  They have a doctor’s appointment on Monday morning to find out the results.  At least the doctor was able to give Mom some strong pain medicine.  We were planning to surprise Mom Sunday for Mother’s Day by driving home for the day.  It’s clear we may be needed around the house to help out a little more.  It’d be nice to be there to keep Mom in good spirits and to help Dad.  With the way our schedules have played out I am planning to go tomorrow night and come back Sunday.  Sister K will drive down Sunday and come back Monday since she is done with grad school for a few weeks until June. 

Even as I sit here writing, I sit here dumbfounded.  I’m worried, I am concerned and a bit overwhelmed.  But there is great comfort in having Sister K to get through this with a good perspective.  A perspective that is not filled with bitterness and anger.  But filled with a dash of laughter.

Sometimes you have to laugh at life.  At these cards we have been dealt.  Our cards are becoming increasingly more complex.  They are growing in size.  Just as we think we’ve gotten a handle on them we get dealt a new hand. It’s becoming quite the cycle.  Life is forcing us to find a way to deal with it.  And we are dealing with it in our own way.

For Sister K and I we are silently wishing Mom had a broken nose. And then we are laughing because who wishes a broken nose upon their Mom..on Mother’s Day weekend no less.    

Hoping you can find some laughter too in this crazy thing we call life.  Wishing you a happy weekend and a Happy Mother’s Day.