Summers Can Be Weird

by Terri Wagner

I'm late, I'm late and it's 7 am CST. How can I already be late? Because the last time I was supposed to post I was sitting in Foley High School unable to access the Internet working with the Educational Technology group. I got a text message to call my sister immediately, my mother's boarder had passed away. Everything including posting went out of my head. I raced up to my mom's which is about 3 hours away, and tried to help her through all of this. It was unfortunately a very dramatic way to go. After being very restless and agitated (I had spoken with mom about 10 pm Sunday night), he awoke suddenly around 1 am. Sat up in bed, roused my mom who was snoozing in a chair, stood up, fell over and banged his head on the oxygen tank. He's bleeding copiously, she's calling 911, he calls out to her. She runs back in and is trying to control the bleeding. He grabs at his chest and slumps over. The paramedics work on him for about an hour before announcing time of death. Because he was at home, because there was an injury, the cops have to come and question my mother.

She had to arrange all of the funeral because his family has been and remains either cleverly helpless or truly helpless. It was funny, a sorta of Mormon funeral in a Methodist church. We got through all that. Packed mom up and made her come back with us for a week. It was tough because my mom is at best difficult. And this was not easy or fun. Halfway through I was becoming exasperated when the Spirit whispered, "You are here to serve." I chuckled and reminded myself of that daily as I struggled to help my mom.

Yesterday when I was supposed to post, I was at Gulf Shores High doing more ET work. When I am with them, there is a lot of tech talk, I need to listen too. And at noon I get another text from my sister telling me I'd better plan to go back to mom's over the Fourth weekend. She is melting down again. I had plans!!!! But then remembered, I am here to serve. So back I go. That's why I didn't post June 16 and am late for June 30. Let's hope things calm down by July.