Reconciliation and Flying Away

I packed so much into this day I can’t believe it. I took some time to get everything ready for the trip. I already packed and had my husband get my suitcase down to the car. I had another light bag that needed a few other things put into it (after my shower, etc.). After doing the dishes, making sure everything in the house was okay, I got myself all ready then grabbed my bag and purse and headed for the car.

Time was tight and I had it all planned out… first my breakfast with Sis. Carol (my old Pastor’s wife), then therapy, then home as quickly as possible – I wouldn’t even go upstairs – just throw my suitcase and bag into my daughter and son-in-law’s car and leave for the airport immediately. If anything was askew by even a few minutes, we would risk their being late to pick up my granddaughter from kindergarten.

My breakfast with Sis. Carol was terrific. I hadn’t seen her since summer, when I left the church. More and more as the months have passed I missed her so much and realized that I just couldn’t sacrifice this friendship. I realize that what the Pastor did was horrible and that she is in a sort of denial over it, but I also realize that this episode is only one component of who she is as a person and I will just have to set that to the side when I interact with her. I am (fortunately) not in a position where I need to judge or act on this situation. I need only love her and pray for her. I let her know how much I value her and she did the same for me. We are both God’s children. We are both sinners. Jesus died for both of us. I care for her so much and the relationship with her is one that I want to have last forever.

After the breakfast I went to therapy. It was well-timed because I, of course, wanted to talk about the breakfast with my therapist. He was pleased with the outcome. He thinks all is healthy and right.

I left therapy a few minutes earlier than usual and raced home. The timing was perfect. Everything went off without a hitch. My older daughter and her husband dropped my younger daughter and I at the airport and agreed to pick us up when we returned so we were able to leave our coats in their car and head off for Florida.

We were unhappy to find that our seats had been switched and we were no longer seated together. They were unable to adjust this so we ended up flying with my daughter in the window seat behind mine. She reached forward and tapped me now and then and also talked over the top of the seat here and there but altogether was annoyed that she couldn’t gab while we flew. I took one of my anti-anxiety pills so I basically dozed most of the time and really didn’t know the difference. I was still kind of mad though.

We got there and made our way to the shuttle area surprised to find that the temperature in Florida was not the cozy warm that we expected but chilly even in our Christmas sweaters! We made it to Mom’s by 9:30pm where we had tea and watched some TV while we chatted. Mom was in a quiet mood. There had been a holiday party today but she had found out that one of her friends had died this afternoon or morning. This particular friend had been a close one. As a matter of fact, when I came to visit last October, we had celebrated her birthday with her at a special lunch with her daughters and Mom’s friend Mary. She didn’t seem very sick then but I remember Mom saying they had discovered cancer in her neck or throat or something. I guess she started chemotherapy and radiation therapy and the cure was worse than the disease. Those “therapies” were just too much for her body. They said that they were giving her that Ensure stuff too and just making her drink it and she kept throwing it up and they just kept giving her more.

One of her daughters is completely blind and lives down here in Florida. She is going to come to the retirement village to have a memorial brunch to honor her mother. This is tough for her mother’s friends. They weren’t ready to see her go.