Sunday, 16 March 2008

the way we were

I was in stuck in town recently and expecting a call back home, so I rang my house phone to listen for messages. It turns out that my machine insists on playing every stored message before getting to the new one.

As the first messages played I was transported back to last October and the calls I would get from Mum.

As usual, I feel guilty for this further betrayal in posting these calls but, at the same time, I want to preserve them as a record.
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7 comments:

LSL said...

I don't know. I don't think you have anything to feel guilty about. Listening to the very, very sweet voice of your mum, it just underscores to me how difficult this all must be for you. I can't imagine getting through it without some sort of help for the helper. I'm glad you blog, but there must be a lot inside that's difficult to express. I'm really glad to know you, G!

17 March 2008 at 11:53:00 GMT
Greg said...

Thanks, K. You instantly make me feel a better person with a comment like that. I think I'm getting most of the internal stuff out these days, but I get the odd surprise now and then which sends me back to my childhood. Poignancy is a base position for this melancholic Englishman, as I'm sure you know by now.

Things are a LOT better for us these days. Mum rings my house every morning, even though I keep telling her that I'll be at the office, but I can cope with that. It's just so wonderful to know that she's being kept company and out of trouble. They were all sketching today, apparently...

17 March 2008 at 19:53:00 GMT
LSL said...

Sketching. Very sweet. My grandmother used to have exercise time where they would throw balloons around. I would be on the phone with her and she would cut the conversation short by saying very seriously, "I have to go play with balloons now." I loved the mental picture.

17 March 2008 at 22:50:00 GMT
Greg said...

Aww.. me too. I'm putting balloons on my wishlist for when I go to the Ha Ha-çienda for all my mañanas.

18 March 2008 at 00:19:00 GMT
Sorata said...

Wow, I didn't know they plan group activities for the elders at home. I guess it's sort of expected, but that never crossed my mind.

Will you get to see what your mum sketched? This is actually very cute, maybe you can put it up on your fridge afterwards? :D

18 March 2008 at 17:42:00 GMT
Greg said...

I don't know about the fridge idea, but she can have a gold star and be happy with that. Anyway, you DO know about group activities. You were the one who told me about seniors using a Nintendo-Wii. I can't imagine my Mum getting into that but she still surprises me sometimes.

18 March 2008 at 18:54:00 GMT
Sorata said...

Oh yeah, I guess that can be a group activity. I helped a elder retired fellow at the temple getting a Wii when I was in Hong Kong. He had so much fun playing the boxing feature punching his enemy his wife had to ban him from playing that for over 15 minutes per day. :D

18 March 2008 at 21:08:00 GMT

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