Talk about a Yom Kippur appropriate experience "who shall live and who shall die?" It wasn't your mom's time nor was it truly your fault. The infection was probably passed from you to her before you tried to mask. And the vaccinations surely helped it not be as serious as it could have been. Being the "good" daughter of an octogenarian with her own strong opinions I can relate to you obeying her command to remove the mask!
Oye, the guilt! And the swinging to elation at the scale number matches so perfectly with my experience of being Jewish. Such a lovely telling of atonement, and the mysterious depth of family bonds.
This brought the fraught times of a few years ago right back! Since my dad died last year, I’ve been praying over my mom a lot more than ever before… May she stay well! I say “El na refa na la.” “Please God, heal her.”
I love this story, so beautifully told and felt. Brava Susan.
Talk about a Yom Kippur appropriate experience "who shall live and who shall die?" It wasn't your mom's time nor was it truly your fault. The infection was probably passed from you to her before you tried to mask. And the vaccinations surely helped it not be as serious as it could have been. Being the "good" daughter of an octogenarian with her own strong opinions I can relate to you obeying her command to remove the mask!
Great essay. Love a happy ending. :-)
Oye, the guilt! And the swinging to elation at the scale number matches so perfectly with my experience of being Jewish. Such a lovely telling of atonement, and the mysterious depth of family bonds.
Thank you Blair!
This brought the fraught times of a few years ago right back! Since my dad died last year, I’ve been praying over my mom a lot more than ever before… May she stay well! I say “El na refa na la.” “Please God, heal her.”
You could have eaten since you were sick. You gave your mom a great excuse to not fast.
https://open.substack.com/pub/marlowe1/p/the-witching-snakes-pt-29?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=sllf3
Because of the illness and bad reaction to the medication, I could not keep any food down for 48 hours.