A week to come

It may be a challenging week. Julia is on Spring Break; it snowed last night; and we have friends coming in late tonight to experience the glories of a Madison “Spring”. I am hoping we break 40 degrees during their stay.

But it is that which circles around us that appears more ominous. My mother's recent sinus infection is not a sinus infection. Rather, it is something growing around her eye and possibly in that sinus which is very worrisome. It is growing very fast. Since my father's death, two and a half years ago, my mother has pretty much stuck to home. It has all been understandable, mourning a partner of so many years, but there really has not been any movement into a new life for her. She keeps her house clean, cleaner than mine will ever be. She goes to the Y for exercise, she occasionally visits my sister a town away and my nephews drop in to see her. She goes to lunch with a few friends and the neighbor invite her to their kids' parties.

We will get results from tests tomorrow.

Life is fragile. We should not squander a minute.

Yesterday, Julia asked David to take a walk with her. This is the first time that Julia initiated an outside activity. We have noticed, as have others, a new demeanor, something calmer, more reflective, more thinking and less reactive. This growing mood does not last for long periods of time and does not always appear when it would be most convenient. This morning Julia watched David make eggs over easy in such a serious way that I expected her to make a batch. She watched a soprano, cellist, and organist today in church play and sing. However, she also “answered” a 3 year old's big sigh in church and needed hushing. She is putting away her toys and today I realized that she did some of it without being told – putting away one set of toys before taking out another.

Julia is giving Linda a hard time at swimming lesson today. I hear her yell a loud NO but I can't tell what it is for. But Linda is patient – she changes the task and has Julia working again. Linda is trying to teach her crawl breathing. Julia has no trouble with the mechanics, she loves being underwater, but to do it over and over, to do it on demand, herein lies the challenge.