Hi guys,

My lay off came in December on my 49th birthday. My dad died in January on our my son’s 16th birthday. My mom went back to the hospital Saturday on her 81st birthday.

We’ve decided to ban birthdays in our family.

Went to Indianapolis in January (250 miles from home in Michigan) to get my dad settled in a nursing home due to chronic lung problems putting stress on his heart. Mom was in the hospital, too, in the same room, with a mild heart attack, but she was doing better and due to be released. But Dad’s condition got suddenly much worse and he died just before we arrived. He was really suffering and had to be sedated for the pain. Husband and kids went back home after the funeral, while I stayed with Mom for a few weeks.

Mom’s birthday was on Valentine’s Day. She had been in the hospital last year on her birthday, and Dad had told her a few weeks ago to be well on this birthday so he could take her out, but he didn’t make it that long. So Husband came back down this weekend and we took her out. Halfway through the meal, her face went blank and she became unresponsive. It really looked like she was having a stroke, but by the time the ambulance took her away she was back to normal. Turns out her heartbeat went really slow this time instead of really fast, like she usually has problems with. There she was in the hospital Saturday evening (her 5th hospitalization in a year) in her gown, wearing her corsage from lunch. I came home Monday to take care of the kids while Husband stayed with her and she had a pacemaker put in. She was even awake for the surgery! Husband is bringing her up today to stay with us. We hope she’ll move in permanently, then we’ll find a group home up here for my developmentally disabled brother. Guess this makes me an official member of the Sandwich Generation: caring for both kids and parents. It really has been an unforseen blessing that I’m out of work right now.

As far as rabbit news goes, my friend’s sister, Cassie, was waiting on me to return after puttting Dad in the nursing home (which didn’t happen) so we could pick up her bun, Sam Wise Gamgee, who is being caged in a horse barn. (Cassie is between apartments and is currently house sitting.) Now I’m not sure if this is the right time to take on the responsibility, even if it’s supposed to be temporary. Husband and I will move into the basement family room so Mom can have the main floor bedroom, and where can we squeeze in the bun? And yet, It would be great to have to have a little furball (well, okay, a really big, 13-pound furball) to snuggle. Some people need retail therapy when life gets stressfull, I need bun therapy. Maybe now it exactly the right time. Hmmm… we’ll have to see.

talk to ya later