So, here I am, back in Edmonton. My trips here are always a whirlwind adventure.
I am never in one spot for very long before I dash off.
I arrive late on Friday night’s – usually around midnight. A quick dash to the car rental agency, pick up the latest and greatest car ( which takes me 20 minutes to figure out where the lights, radio controls and ignition are) and then a quick 45 minute drive to Fort Saskatchewan. Once there, I grab a quick drink of water, and crawl into bed.
Sleep never lasts long there. There are no curtains in the room I am in and the sun comes blasting in at the crack of dawn. This time of year, that is 5 am. Eeek!
So, I get up, brush my teeth, grab a long luxurious shower, get dressed and make my way upstairs. This time of year, Pat is not home. He is out at his camp site out at Wizard Lake (go ahead and Google It. I can wait).
So, I have his place to myself. I make a big mug of tea, grab a couple of pieces of toast, turn on CNN so I can not only eat, but yell at the TV. A very relaxing way to spend the beginning of what usually is an emotional roller coaster of a day.
If possible, I swing by and pick up my niece, Kathy. We then dash off to see my mom who lives in a nursing home near West Edmonton Mall.
We stop and pick up chocolate and flowers. Both are some of my mom’s favourite things. And rightfully so. Both give her moments of serenity and happiness and nothing can beat that.
We don’t stay for more than a couple of hours. Visits longer than that tend to wear Mom out. I have learned the signs. Her head starts to droop and she starts to become withdrawn, quiet and even sullen. It is then that she becomes frustrated, angry and bitter. I have rarely seen that side of my Mom and it is truly awful.
I won’t go into any additional details as it serves no purpose other than to make me sad.
So, back to this last visit. I brought her chocolate and flowers – and she was overjoyed. That is, once I found her. She was visiting with another resident in the facility. My Mom was with a friend she had made there! It made me so happy to see her with another resident and they were happy. Chatting away about nothing in particular.
After about an hour in her friend’s room, we made our way back to Mom’s room where we had another conversation that lasted another hour. During that time, we talked about the past. That is where my Mom lives and where she remembers. So, that is what we talked about. I asked her about the decor in her room. That made her happy because she was able to tell me stories about the artwork.
After we finished our visit, it was time to head out. Normally, if Kathy is with me, we go and have lunch, but, this past weekend, she was busy studying for exams.
So, I headed out to go and visit Pat. During the Summer, he has a campsite that he spends his weekends at. It is called Jubilee Campground located at Wizard Lake near Devon, Alberta.
It is a beautiful little campsite where you can turn off the world. I enjoy my time there as I can just unwind with a cold beer, good food and hang with one of my closest friends.
I cannot imagine my life without this man in it. He has been my anchor, my friend, my companion in so many adventures. He has always been there when I needed him and for that I am eternally grateful.
So, after a nice dinner and conversation, it is time to turn in. Night comes very late in Northern Alberta and dawn arrives very early. So, I try to get as much rest as possible.
Sunday arrives very early and after a nice leisurely breakfast by the campfire, it is time to head back to Edmonton for Day 2 of my visit. Day 2 is always a crap shoot with Mom.
Fortunately, this time, it was good. Mom was in good spirits and about 45 minutes into my visit, my oldest brother and his wife showed up. They were there to take her for a stroll in the local park. So, off we went.
After about 30 minutes, it was time to take Mom back in for dinner and for me to head back to the airport for my trip home.
The wait at the airport is always a good way to digest and de-stress from the weekend. I get on a plane around 8:30 and I am home by 10:00.
This is the best part of the trip. I get to come home to an amazing man who loves me more than I can say. I unpack quickly and after a quick shower, hop into bed where my dogs are waiting patiently to welcome me home. They lick and snuggle in as close as they can. Alex then joins us and I am able to bask in that love while I drift off to sleep.
This is as close to Nirvana that I can imagine.
Al Zylstra 