Through the glass

Things that go bump in the night are sometimes scary. I had two bumps recently.

Not long ago I was trying to decide if I should make a trip to see my mom. She is not in the best of health. This should have been a very cut and dried decision, but I had just been there a couple of weeks before, so I was waffling. I'm a good waffler. Back and forth I went trying to make the right decision, but not really wanting to at the same time. Sometimes doing the right thing isn't easy.

I had promised my mom that I would come that week, but that was before the emergency first trip. Should I make 2 two and a half hour trips in 2 weeks? I went to bed without making any decision. That night I dreamed about my dad. He died over 10 years ago, and I have never once dreamed about him that I can remember.

In my dream a car drove up to the house and my mom stumbled out. Next to my amazement and joy, I saw my dad getting out of the car. He was like I remember him before he died. He was weak. Dad could barely get out of the car, and he leaned precariously on the side of the car to be able to stand at all. I was so happy to see him, but so shattered to see him in that condition. In my dream I rushed over to him and held him up in my arms. I said, "I love you, daddy." It was a heart stopping moment and so real in my dream. I woke immediately. At five o'clock in the morning my decision to go had been made.

Mom and I had a good time together. She doesn't get out much these days, unless someone takes her. We went to the movies, and she loved it. She said to me, "If you would come more often we could have such fun together." Why is it that moms can make you feel guilty even while you're trying to do the right thing?

That night I was late going to bed. Nothing new there. I had washed my face, and I was brushing my teeth. The next thing I knew I heard a loud horrendous crash. I looked down at the floor a few feet away and saw thousands of shards of glass littering the bathroom floor. What in the world happened? Then I looked up. The entire glass globe on the light fixture had fallen from the ceiling. Mom's house was built in the 1950's and this was no lightweight fixture. The glob was round with a flat bottom that was probably at least a half inch thick, if not more. The crazy thing fell right off the mount and shattered everywhere. I was glad I was not sitting on toilet or I would have been right at ground zero.

Was I supposed to go to my mom's that week? Maybe I am reading too much into it, but regardless that glass would have fallen and I just know my mom would have walked in the bathroom with her swollen bare feet in the middle of the night. That's just how she came out to see what in the world had happened. I spent a good half hour sweeping, vacuuming and searching for glass particles on the tile floor. Sometimes things that go bump in the night are just meant to be. I was so glad I went to my mom's.