Trading Places

I just spent one hour soaking in a bubble bath. For eight of those minutes, I hastily yet thoroughly took care of the bathing business. The other 52 minutes? I was on the phone with my momma. This is how I looked after hanging up with her:

Can you guess how I spent the majority of those minutes? That's right, friends..."Niagara Falls" (Scrooged), or more accurately, "sobbing like a little bitch with a skinned knee and shit" (Jay from Dogma). 

Don't get me wrong. Throughout this most recent ordeal, I have felt such a tremendous outpouring of love and support. People have gathered together to help me visit my mom with gift cards for gas and other necessities...

...or loving gestures to show love and support (and may I add yet again: I have the greatest students ever -- these kids are going to change the world -- because, yes, these are from my students )...

and...

And yet. People have been loving and supportive and encouraging and freely offering their thoughts that I'm strong. Then I call Mom and hear her sounding exactly like she usually does, and she is strong and happy and calm. So in the face of her strength? This is me:

(though not so pretty...or Botoxed or shallow or, well, much of anything other than bawling). Mom is in her hospital bed, about to hit the one-month mark of hospitalization with extensive rehab in the future, and she is reassuring me. And you know what? She was glad to do it. She even told me, "I thought maybe you didn't need me or need to cry to me anymore." Wow.

There are a lot of changes happening...and despite the initial outward appearance, it seems like most of them are for the better. Jeremy and I are taking care of each family member as best we possibly can...and family, friends, and neighbors are showing that people truly are good at heart...and my kick-ass mom is showing she always was and always will be the baddest broad in town.

Every obstacle, every hit...Mom takes it and makes it awesome, makes it her own. I dried my eyes (and the rest of me because, y'know, I was taking a bath) and pulled myself together, and I'm ready to roll with the punches right along with Mom...even if we need to use a wheelchair to do it.