For this #MothersDay, I’m honored to welcome a special guest poster on Enchanted Seashells by Princess Rosebud…my very own daughter-in-law, or as we fondly refer to her, DIL. I know you’ll love this post as much as I do. Happy Mother’s Day, everyone!
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What Does a Cosmo, the Trauma Unit, and Mother’s Day Have In Common?
As we sit 20,000 feet up in seats 1C, 1D, & 1E, our little team can almost exhale as we head home from Boston to San Diego.
Rewind ten days.
What would you do at 4:00 a.m. when you’re terrified in the Emergency Room. Your husband is in agony. The surgeons’ don’t know what’s up and the pain meds aren’t working?
You call family.
Nobody wants to make that call. I knew that waking up MIL in the middle of the night to tell her that her Angel Boy was in the Emergency Room hooked up to morphine 3000 miles away would put the ice-cold, fear-of-God in her.
I took a deep breath and dialed. When she did not pick up I knew the panic she would feel when I called again right after.
No one wants to see their DIL’s number twice in a row in the middle of the night.
When I got through I told her calmly what was happening. I could hear the panic in her voice but she responded exactly as a mother should. She said that she was on her way. Not just hopping in the car or on the bus. She was booking tickets to fly across the country without a moment’s thought. I knew that I had opened them to that sick pain and fear I was feeling – but it had made me feel better. I knew whatever was coming I did not have to face it alone. And that’s what good mothers do. They take on your pain, so you can feel better.
From then on, I counted the hours until they arrived. Literally. I did not leave AB’s side until they got there and I knew another loved one could watch over him.
It had been fifteen hours in the hospital without even a cuppa. I had screamed, cried, fought, and begged every RN, CRN, resident, consultant, physician, surgeon, radiologist, you name it. But now I knew I had some people on my team.
Team AB.
The next ten days after the surgery went by on auto-pilot. I’m convinced Team AB drove the whole floor nuts. We were on their ass 24/7 – from wash clothes, to walks, to IV, to test, results, more CTs — we did not stop for a moment to breathe.
But me and MIL were on the same team, working together, side by side, to make sure our AB got better.
It’s true when they say you have to laugh or you’ll cry. Too true! In amongst all of the drama and fear we belly laughed. I mean really laughed. Even when Jason’s roommate “One Tooth Tommy’s” girlfriend overdosed him on her street Xanex. Or or when I got some sympathy gas in the canteen in front of a table of young cute residents.
The day AB was getting discharged, I woke up and I looked over in our hotel room to see MIL sleeping and next to her an empty glass of wine, vodka tonic, and the remains of my Cosmo. What can I say? It had been one of those weeks.
And now as we head home to San Diego, it could not be more perfect that tomorrow is Mother’s Day.
Because it’s definitely time to celebrate MIL.
When an emergency hits – it comes out of nowhere and the whole world stops.
Everything is stripped back and you see people for who they really are.
Raw.
What we saw this week was the purest and selfless love of a mother.
AB, you are lucky to have such a mom.
And I am lucky to have a friend, a partner in crime, and the best MIL you could wish for!
Happy Mother’s Day!
I’m so sorry you had to go through such a trauma. I hope all is better now. It sounds like you have an amazingly strong family, and nothing can replace that. Have a wonderful Mother’s Day.
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Thank you and Happy Mother’s Day to you, too! Fingers crossed he’ll never have a complication and he get back to hiking and biking and surfing!
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I will. Take care. Love to your whole family. 🙂
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Beautiful adoration from one lovely DIL! Bless all of you this day, Christine LaFata
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Sorry, didn’t see your comment until just now. Was out of commission for a few days while I had laser retinal surgery for a torn retina! What a bad May this was health-wise for us. Hope you are doing well!
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I love this post! Not only do I love that AB is on the road to recovery, but the affection and trust between MIL and DIL is wonderful. It’s what I hope for when my boy marries.
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That’s all we can hope for, right? That they love our baby boys as much as we do. I never had a girl, so she’s fun to do girl stuff with. Nice to hear from you and Happy M Day, belated!
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Happy Mother’s Day, one day late and my fingers are crossed with yours no future complications for your beautiful boy. ❤
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Happy MD to you, too! And I appreciate as many crossed fingers as possible that this is just an annoying episode in his otherwise happy life! Thanks so much!!!!
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What a marvelous post! Clearly, all of you are a tight-knit team and adore each other. I continue to send outrageously positive thoughts for a total recovery! ❤
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You are too sweet! I’ll take those positive thoughts for sure. He’s actually doing much better today and has just a bit more energy. It’s going to take time and boys are so impatient!
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DIL ROCKS! Your post brought tears to my eyes, as I love your MIL too. I can tell she’s the best of the best of all moms and I’m lucky to know her, as are you – and as is Angel Boy in having her for a mom.
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Yeah, it was a beautiful and heartfelt post, that’s for sure. She was writing it sitting right next to me in the plane. Now he and I are sitting here watching the news about the fire about 3 or 4 miles from our house. CRAZY Carlsbad! Turn the news on.
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WHAT? Are you going to be evicted? I don’t have a TV at work. Jumping to MSN now.
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Haha, not evicted, evacuated! Nope, prob not but I’ve got my Chanels and jewelry all ready to pack up if necessary.
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