A Break From the Norm

I cannot wait until Friday at 5:30pm. As of that time I will be on Spring Break! So it's not going to be a big party for me this year. No South Padre or other trips to the beach. No vacation to some far-away land. Nothing big this time. This year I will be going home to take care of my mom. She will be having surgery and since she has always taken great care of me after all of my surgeries it's about time I start paying her back. I have had three major surgeries in my life. Each one was a very stressful situation for my mom and she always made sure I was well taken care of. The first one I had I was a freshman in high school. I had to have an ankle reconstruction surgery. During that time my dad had just moved to Texas after getting a job that summer. He did not want to uproot me my freshman year of high school so quickly so the rest of the family stayed in Tulsa, Oklahoma while he travelled back and forth on holidays to see us. During this time my mom was working nights and taking care of two teenagers, one of which was either plastered drunk, high, or police were looking for him. She was able to do everything she could so that I could get better quickly. The second surgery was during college when I had my knee repaired afer rupturing the VMO (tendon) and the Vastis Medialis (muscle). A week after my sugery my family moved into a new house. Since the surgery happened so quickly and was not able to bear any weight on my leg for two months I was not able to pack my things. One day I was at the doctor and the next I was in surgery. So mom had to do alot of my packing and moving while working a brand new job in a brand new city. The last surgery my mom basically put her entire life on hold to come and take care of me for a week. It's my turn.

The last surgery my mom had was about 2 1/2 years ago. She will be having the same surgery this time. Last time I had just moved and could not be there to help take care of her due to work and school. During that time she had to be taken to the hospital for some complications. That happened right after my dad had returned to work so she had to drive herself to the hospital. Since I am on spring break and my dad is not I will be able to take care of her and my dad will not have to worry about anything except work and soccer. I will be cooking dinner, cleaning closets that haven't been cleaned in years, and doing everything else my mom did for me. I am actually excited to do this since the last time I was able to take care of either one of my parents like this was when I was 13 and my dad had his first back surgery. I have decided that the family motto should be: The family that goes under the knife together stays together.

I love taking care of people. When I don't have the time to do it, I feel sad. I am around people all day so sometimes I just don't want to deal with it, but I love being around people. People are what make not going home, even though you are dead tired and just want to veg out and sleep, worth it. I was raised on service and performing service for others. When in need call on me and I will be there (if I'm not at work or out of town).