Now, Voyagers

My parents left for Europe this week. At ages 77 and 83, they are getting older.  My mom was extremely anxious about the trip. In fact, she cried during our last few phone conversations before she left.  I don't remember her being so upset since her chemo and radiation days.  She knew her fears were irrational, but she couldn't control them.  It happens. When my mother gets upset, I get upset, and I've had one everlasting headache that's spanned the entire week.

It's been several days since they left the country.  I'm assuming that no news is good news and that they are settling in to their travel rhythm. They are going on a cruise, but it's a small river boat with fewer than 200 passengers.  This way they get to visit several cities and countries, but they only have to unpack once.

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Tonight Marcia went to our friend Katherine's reading at Brazos. Her first book came out this week, and it's supposed to be a hoot.  I'm looking forward to reading it. Marcia said she hasn't seen such a big crowd at the bookstore since Anne Rice came to Houston ten years ago.  I'm glad she got such a huge turnout. 

When I put the girls to bed, Carrie zonked out immediately, but Pearl decided that instead of listening to the lullabies, she would sing them with me, duet style.  It was very sweet.

Comments

[anniem]

I love this post, so day-in-the-life at grrlville.

I think my parents are making me a better parent. I seem to go through all these difficult lessons of letting them make their own mistakes or supporting them from afar--lessons I expected to learn in about ten more years with my own kids. Should be easier then after doing it with the parents, right?

[alice, uptown]

No news is, in my experience, good news -- and I've traveled from the Great Wall to the Great Barrier Reef. Postcards are fine -- phone calls, not so much, and there have been a few -- stranded in the Caribbean during a hurricane being the most recent. My mother and brother's main concern was not with my well-being, but how would I do if I didn't have enough cigarettes. To me, that was funny -- but maybe you had to be there.