I've got a DATE...

Yep, you read that right....I gots me a 'day date' with one of my best friends in this world <3  My Momma <3  Thanking the Lord she had another GREAT day today and we have made tentative plans to go out and about caterwalling the big ole town of Belle Plaine for a couple hours on Saturday.  I can't even tell you how excited I am.  This was HER idea.  While chatting with her on the phone this afternoon, she said "Hey, when was the last time just ME AND YOU went and did anything?"  Silence.....honestly, don't know the answer to that question.  I had to think long and hard.  During the entire phone conversation I couldn't recall the last time we spent time alone together.  there have been brief visits at her house when my kids were not there, maybe an hour tops, but other than that, I had no clue.  I finished the phone conversation with the LARGEST smile on my face thinking about Saturday afternoon shenanigans with her. ;)  Now I am sure there will be no mischief or law breaking or anything of that nature, but I am sure the conversation will be amazing and the memories I will surely treasure.

Then it hit me....I actually DO now remember the last time we spent quality time together.  It was at the most inconvenient of times, and one of the very most critical moments in her cancer journey....it was during her radiation treatment.  Six weeks, mind you SIX STRAIGHT WEEKS staying in a hotel up in Rochester, Minnesota to have radaition treatments five days a week for six straight weeks.  Talk about brutal.  I visited Rochester three different times during her radiation treatments, two with the kids, once by myself.  And the one time I went alone, we went shopping....granted she was exhausted and couldn't do an all day bender like I wanted her to do, but it was honestly the last time we spent together ALONE.  That's got to happen more. I know that my children put a smile on her face that is almost impossible to remove for days after their visit.  They lift her spirits, nurture her soul, and make her feel alive.  They make her feel needed, wanted, and most of all loved.  BUT there has got to be more time made for "her and me".  I am certain that she will be able to let go of some of her demons and talk to me honestly about how she really feels about her future.  I will listen.  I will listen with intent.  I will listen hoping to soak in some of her bravery and fearlessness.  I have soo much to learn from her.  I will continue to learn from her as we go down this unforgiving road cancer has dealt us.  I must learn from her.  I know of NO ONE on this earth that has faced the demons head on like she has.  She has given cancer one helluva fight.  Almost 11 months of THREE different types of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation.  If she can go through that with a smile on her face and a will to keep going, I am certain I have soo much more knowledge to gain from her.  I mean, really????  Who goes through all of that and still has faith?  I know who ;)

So this 'date' of ours is incredibly important to me.  More important than most of you with healthy parents realize right now.  I'm going to take my camera and embarrass her by taking photos of us shopping at the thrift store, and probably at Subway if she decides she wants to have lunch out. We will gossip and we will talk and we will solve all world problems.  We will laugh, I'm sure there will be tears, and giggle and frown.  But I am quite certain this will be the BEST Saturday in recent memory.  And for that I am thankful <3

If you have time, please pray for my Mom's husband...his elderly mother is not expected to make it through the night :(  My Mom and her hubby are heartbroken, but they understand it is her time to leave this earth and leave it with her dignity in tact.  No one has a better understanding about that than my Mom.  So say a prayer for them if you can <3