John Lennon famously wrote that life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. In June of 2012, my mother was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, and I became her caregiver and companion on a healing journey. Neither of us had planned on that.
Mother has since been through chemotherapy and major surgery along with a few complications, including blood clots in both lungs which are still being treated, but she is improving. As we begin the new year, I can envision a time when mother will be able to resume most of her normal activities, and I will, in turn, resume many of the things I put on hold when caring for my parents suddenly became my top priority. This blog was one of those things.
I have been posting almost daily updates for family and friends on my mom's Caring Bridge website, and someday I may write more about my experience of these past six months, but I don't know that I'm ready to do that here or now.
In a few hours, at a follow-up appointment with mom's surgeon, we should get a better sense for how much longer I will need to be with her around the clock, but my sense is that we will begin to transition back toward more independence for my mom--and for me--in the next couple of weeks.
I intend to do more writing in 2013. I'm not yet certain what forms that writing may take or how public it will be, but I'm getting started by participating in writingyourwayhome.com's mindful writing challenge in January, in which I write down one "small stone" each day. I've decided to use my Tumblr to record these little daily observations. (You can click the grey links above for more info.)
I'm also beginning to (re-)think how best to use this blog. The ideas I had 6 months ago now feel rather distant and may no longer be the best direction. I'm only beginning to allow myself to even think about such things. It feels almost as though I'm getting ready for a long trip home after living on another planet.
For the time being, I just want to lay down a marker, of sorts--a placeholder. Soon I will be returning to my own home to live and returning to this place (and others) to write.
