Visiting Mom, Poetry and Song

Tonight, I visited my mother who is in the hospital for advanced diverticulitus. She was noticibly weak as I got my first glance at her in her hospital room. Mom is hoping to have surgery soon to take out a section of her intestine, but she has to have IV fluids in order to be strong enough for the surgery. My father and I had an excellent talk as we let Mom rest for a bit and let the nurse do some things for her. He told me about how is optimistic and trying to stay optimistic for Mom. I told Dad about how tough it was to see Uncle Charlie go downhill after his health problems, which started about a year ago. Charlie died just ten days before Christmas of 2007. I shared that my fears were that Mom's sickness reminds me of Charlie's slow decline. My rational thoughts, however, tell me that smart doctors are working as hard as they can to figure this out so that my 77 year-old mother will get better. I told my Dad that we really don't know the kind of pain she is going through.

I was able to tell Mom I loved her very much and that I would see her soon. She asked me about whether we were going to the wedding up north this weekend, and I said yes. She said she hoped we would have a good time. (My wife's best friend's daughter from a small town in northern Wisconsin is getting married.) My Mom's tone turned more serious as she related that she felt she was "in bad shape," and I tried to reassure her that we were all confident that things would improve. I told her we were thinking about her and that Debbie, Stephen and Ryan say, "Hi."

I told Dad that I admired his extreme efforts to keep Mom's hopes as high as they realistically can be. He is tired but hopeful. I told Dad that I admired his courage and my mother's courage. I also told my father that singing is helpful therapy during these difficult times. One song I play on a regular basis is about being caught in a storm. Just think of the movie "Castaway" with Tom Hanks.


BLUE DIVIDE by Richard Shindell

Once I tried to row
‘Cause you know I hate to fly
so I set out from the coast
But got battered by the tide
As I glided back to shore
I raised an angry oar
And cursed that blue divide

As if it weren’t enough
To still be stranded on the wrong side
I landed in the surf
When a breaker hit my blind side
And when my clothes had dried
I hung my head and cried
Beside that blue divide

Because all that time I thought
That you and I were lost
A toss long fallen wide
In that blue divide
That endless blue divide

So I climbed up on a dune
And found Marconi with his radio
He was looking kind of blue
His antenna rusted long ago
Sitting on the cliff
We shared a handkerchief
Above that blue divide

I waved it in the hope
That you owned a telescope
That could pierce that blue divide

I thought I was marooned
Til I caught sight of your balloon
Rising with the moon
Across that blue divide
That endless blue divide


Good luck Mom as you battle your own personal storm. We all hope you will see good weather very soon. We all admire your strength!