Heroic Parents

Reading the Alligator the other day I saw in the Classifieds that some cat-lover organization needed someone to drive cats to Gainesville from Old Town to get spayed/neutered and bring them back. Since my dad, a cat lover himself, lives in Suwannee I sent him an email letting him know about it and who to call and so forth. He called me later that afternoon and said, "Well, I called the cat people and they think I'm a hero." I was really proud of him for doing something unselfish and charitable that would give him an excuse to come see my sister and me.

Then I thought about my mom. She single-handedly took care of my ailing aunt Linda, after not being at all close to her for the last 30 years. Mom saw her younger sister die of Lou Gehrig's disease, and all the while, 24 HOURS A DAY, fed her, gave her medicine regularly, bathed her, her helped her use the bathroom, let her keep the thermostat at 73 degrees, watched only the TV shows Linda wanted to watch, got her in and out of her chair and bed, etc. THAT was heroic. Mom showed her true colors, a heart of solid gold. I'm still in awe of the patience and compassion she displayed through the whole ordeal and am inspired by the way her faith was strengthened throughout the trial.

Sorry Dad, but Mom wins this one.