The Next (Fill in the Blank)

On Thursday at 6:37 am, I received the dreaded phone call from my sister, Heidi,  in New Jersey.  My mom was taken to the hospital.

My dad called my sister, Irene, to come over.  When she arrived, my mom was shaking and could not get out of bed - she immediately called the ambulance.  When mom arrived at the hospital, her fever was 103.  She was diagnosed with bad pneumonia, was malnourished and dehydrated and then admitted.  She is still in the hospital and will be there for a few days.

I spoke to my mom the day before all this happened.  Mom said that she had a small fever and blamed it on her sinuses.

Fortunately, I made airplane reservations to visit from May 13-23.  I was also asked by the conductor of Master Chorale to go to NYC from May 5-9  to watch his 3-month-old granddaughter on the day of the performance.  So I made plans to stay in New Jersey from May 5-23 to stay at my mom and dad's.

Hopefully by the time I arrive, mom will be out of the hospital.  If not, I will be there with my dad taking him to visit and taking care of both of them.

Major changes in life's events should not happen to you.  It should happen in other people's lives, not your own.  Parents are supposed to remain healthy, be as active as they were when you where younger, look the same as they were when they were in their 40s - not to be as old as they are now, the potential of getting really sick and other concerns with being a senior citizen.

So what is the next (fill in the blank)?  Is it called a phase, a challenge, chapter, stage of  life?  How are we to handle this when it happens to you?

I already know I will cry.